Want to see more bucks?
Quit shootin' all the little ones.
Want to see more big bucks?
Quit shootin' all the little ones.
Not trying to be a dick.....just the way it works. As you said, you have no problem shooting deer, so if that's your goal, you're doing good. Iffin' your goal is bigger bucks, you need to change your mindset. You have taken 8 immature bucks outta the herd in 7 years in the small area you hunt. That has an impact, especially if others in the area are doing the same.
First off, to see a lot of bucks and several bigger bucks on a piece of property, it has to have what it takes to hold them. Some parcels just don't have this. What holds bucks are food, cover and does.....and security(lack of pressure). don;t know how you hunt or how the area is hunted around you, but it sounds like your success on opening day is due to pressure around you. That and the pressure you are putting on the area is making deer nocturnal. Many times the pressure that makes deer move on opening day/weekend is gone after the first coupla days, so deer don't move till after dark.....especially bigger bucks. After the first weekend, most deer in the area will have you and your patterns pegged. They just leave for some other area less pressured as soon as they see/hear you. The fact there is no agriculture in the area may be the reason you see few deer later in the season. Even of those Ag areas are miles away, many deer are gonna make the move to it.....taking the bigger bucks with them. Sounds like the best bedding area is the neighbor's clearcut. Clearcuts really start coming into their own after about three years as the slash rots away and the new growth starts taking over.If that area does not get pressured, it could be the ultimate sanctuary for the deer in the area. With pressure, it just becomes another spot in the woods. Sometimes some areas just don't hold many deer, or many big bucks. Kinda the luck of the draw. Don't know what the overall deer population and the buck/doe ratio is, but that would be a clue to what you have to work with. Late winter is a good time to scout for next year. Tracks will show you where the deer travel and bed, and will give them plenty of time to get over you being there. If they are moving to the Ag areas for feed, you probably won't see much for sign...and that may give you one answer. refrain from doing any scouting or unnecessary walking in the woods during the season and get in and out as quietly as possibly, leaving the least amount of sign yourself. Other than that, with the little bit of info you have given us, it's just a WAG as to what you need to do.