Different Year of Deer Hunting...

[redneckpastor]

So over break, i went hunting with two others in a 5 day span and saw nothing! Went out morning and evening and saw nothing. One of us saw 3 bambies but thats it! Last year they were all over. The tracks were there but not the deer. Little frustrated about this, but i guess thats deer hunting.

Anyone else have a funny year of deer hunting? And if you had a great year, i dont want to hear about it jk

All stories, and if you have any pictures post them because i still havent seen a deer, not sure i remember what they look like, someone refresh my memory! Might have to turn on the out door channel to see one!

Still havent seen a deer, anyone got pictures? Wild at Heart here and needing to see some good old hunting pictures! Didnt get to take any this year so living through yall!

 

[Eddie]

Lots of folks

Lots of folks around here are complaining about not seeing many deer. They are saying it is because the corn is still standing in the fields. I've done ok, got two does, but I put in a lot of hours to get them.

 

[Fishersjohn48]

Saw nothing while hunting three days, then Wednesday night, the dog is wanting to go out so I open the door and turn on the light and there are least 6 deer on the deck/lawn/by the pier/ all over. All I saw was white tails flying and my lab wondering what the heck was going on. Apparently the deer have gotten smart and decided to hide out in our yards when we are not looking.

 

[CountryBoy19]

Lots of folks around here are complaining about not seeing many deer. They are saying it is because the corn is still standing in the fields. I've done ok, got two does, but I put in a lot of hours to get them.

+1

I didn't see a single deer while hunting throughout the whole season. Saturday we even pushed a large piece of woods that hadn't been hunted all season, and we had seen lots of deer around, and not a single deer was there.

They're either extremely wary this year, or just not moving.

I also agree with the standing corn theory. They have shelter, concealment, and food all in one place, and if they can find a nearby water source, there would be no reason for them to leave the corn fields.

 

[Greg.B]

Standing corn and warm temps really slowed them down around here. The rut seemed to have a much lower peak, and activity was mostly at night from what we saw. The three of us in our hunting group did manage to tag 2 antlered and 1 antlerless on separate days though, so not all is lost.

Hopefully muzzleloader season will get them moving!

 

[singlestacksig]

weather was to nice..
got nothing for first 2 days, then buddy got a 6 point buck in the middle of a rain storm Monday am..

 

[bartonmd]

Standing corn and warm temps really slowed them down around here. The rut seemed to have a much lower peak, and activity was mostly at night from what we saw. The three of us in our hunting group did manage to tag 2 antlered and 1 antlerless on separate days though, so not all is lost.

Hopefully muzzleloader season will get them moving!

Yep... It's been too warm, and they aren't moving much... I got a doe one minute into legal hours (7:03AM that day) on the Sunday of opening weekend... Heard rustling/walking around the bend and saw a deer walking up the trail in front of the stand... Looked at my watch to make sure it was GTG, then popped her from ~15 yards a way with a 12ga lead slug... Fell over, kicked 3 times, and stopped...

Saw a couple deer behind a thicket the next weekend, but couldn't even tell you size or sex, but they weren't screwing or fighting, so I'd guess 2 does... Couldn't get a clear shot, so let them go...

Got a yearling doe in the back pasture at about 4:30PM on Friday of Thanksgiving weekend, with a muzzle loader... Sitting in a blind, about 75 yards out... Smaller deer, so over-estimated range and hit her high (Sunday, I picked up a range-finder on sale for $89 at Dicks (down from $130)... Shot was exactly where I was aiming, but just over-estimated distance and associated hold-over)... Ever seen a spine shot that knocked off the "pegs" of 2 vertibre, broke the vertibre, and didn't cut the spinal cord?? Some tracking, but got her late Friday night, field dressed, dragged out of the woods (naturally, up hill, and where the truck, tractor, and ATV couldn't go), and iced her down, then tagged and processed her Saturday morning...

ETA: This female was putting on some corn-fed FAT for the winter... I cut off the fat after skinning, and before cutting up the meat, and I got about half of a 5-gallon bucket of fat off of her before I even started cutting the meat! The small corn fields below that the neighbor farms, didn't even look like it would be worth getting the combine out into them, they were so torn up...

Going the next 3 weekends, so I'm hoping to get one of the 8-pointers that's been wondering around... The 2 serious hunters that hunt the property each got a medium sized buck early in the season, and have seen nothing but bucks the whole gun season...

Mike

 

[bartonmd]

Also, Dicks has their insulated camo stuff 40% off right now! I picked up some "field and stream" insulated, Realtree, waterproof/breathable (Gore-Tex without paying for the name) bibs for $39 on Sunday, when I was picking up said $130 range-finder for $89 (though it says $99 in the display, it rings up at $89)...

Mike

 

[redneckpastor]

Still havent seen a deer, anyone got pictures? Wild at Heart here and needing to see some good old hunting pictures! Didnt get to take any this year so living through yall!

 

[bartonmd]

Didn't take any pictures of mine... 107lbs dressed, and probably 95lbs dressed... both does... Actually, one of the guys that hunts down at my grandparents' place took a picture of me finishing up cleaning the first one, but I was down to trimming off the burger meat, so it was just of me and skeleton hanging there... Plus, it was with a disposable camera (older guy), so I doubt it's even developed yet...

I do carry a camera with me, so I can get a picture of tha 150# black cat that has been seen lately (as well as the last 5-6 years... There's a big cat sanctuary about 7 miles away from my grandparents' farm, so you do the math), and has left some tree scratches that a big black bear would be proud of... ETA: incidently, the exact area that I was cleaning and dragging that last doe from at 11PM is the exact area that one of our hunters saw it about 5:30PM a couple weeks ago... Yeah, I was a little bit stressed, and was carrying my .45ACP, as well as the ML...

 

[hardtrailz400]

Have seen deer every time out and so have the other 3 using our 255 acres. Only got one little one, but thats my own fault for lack of patience or being too excited.

Seen some record bucks this year as well. Where are you at that you dont see anything, because I have heard zero complaints in SE IN and know at least a dozen people who have got one.

Pics wont upload at work.

The coolest thing I saw was hunting in Jefferson Co, I saw a bobcat for about 10 minutes.

 

[bartonmd]

Kyle,

If you look at the number of bonus antlerless tags available in each county, you'll notice that extreme southern and SE Indiana generally have higher bonus tag bag limits, so I would assume there are more deer there, thus the greater need to thin the herd...

The deer are around, but have definately not been moving as much as they should have been, due to the warm weather we've been having... I expect it to be much better the next few weeks...

Mike

 

[hardtrailz400]

Kyle,

If you look at the number of bonus antlerless tags available in each county, you'll notice that extreme southern and SE Indiana generally have higher bonus tag bag limits, so I would assume there are more deer there, thus the greater need to thin the herd...

The deer are around, but have definately not been moving as much as they should have been, due to the warm weather we've been having... I expect it to be much better the next few weeks...

Mike

True. Where i hunt, I could get over 20 deer in the 3 coounties. I know a coupe guys that had some good luck in Parke County as well. A monster 16 w a wicked drop tine and a couple more.

The crops were down mostly where I was and I know that helped. Hopefully muzzleloader will be even better since its cooling off.

 

[bartonmd]

The crops were down mostly where I was and I know that helped. Hopefully muzzleloader will be even better since its cooling off.

That's what I'm hoping... Did the real-live range work on my CVA Wolf on Sunday... With the 245gr PowerBelt aero-tip, 150gr of 777, and a Winchester 777 209 primer, at 25, 50, and 75, it's almost dead flat, at 100 it's down 1.75", and at 125, it's down 3.5"...

Mike

 

[cce1302]

All I got was a little puppy- a button buck that must've been 100 lbs soaking wet, in his socks. It'll make some good hamburgers anyhow.

 

[Greg.B]

Still havent seen a deer, anyone got pictures? Wild at Heart here and needing to see some good old hunting pictures! Didnt get to take any this year so living through yall!

Well, I didn't take any of the doe I got, and my buddy got one right at the last minute on the closing day and we didn't get a picture of it either; so, how about a picture of my 13 year old and his second antlered deer? This is his 2nd year hunting, and his third deer taken.

 

[Jack Ryan]

Warm weather "slowing them down..." ? poppycock

About the same as "shoot all the does you want and then 3 more..." kind of stupid deer management they've been promoting, all the cheat permits they hand out to slaughter them in the summer, new lever action under gunned cowboy guns they think will shoot deer at 200 yards in the hands of women, kids and people who don't give a crap about deer hunting but just want to go out and shoot one with their cowboy gun...

yeah, it's probably the warm weather and all that corn. That's got to be the reason you don't see any deer.

 

[redneckpastor]

Well, I didn't take any of the doe I got, and my buddy got one right at the last minute on the closing day and we didn't get a picture of it either; so, how about a picture of my 13 year old and his second antlered deer? This is his 2nd year hunting, and his third deer taken.

no that doesn't help, i am being shown up by a 13 year old
must of had a good teacher!

good lookin deer congrats

 

[Waveraider]

Greg, A co-worker of mine took his Nephew out and on the first day he killed a 10 pointer. Dressed out at 190 lbs. It's the kids second deer he's taken. The following day, my co-worker went out alone and got his biggest ever. A 12 point, but he didn't weigh it. He guessed it was a little over 200 lbs. He hunts in the Bedford area.

 

[Greg.B]

Warm weather "slowing them down..." ? poppycock

About the same as "shoot all the does you want and then 3 more..." kind of stupid deer management they've been promoting, all the cheat permits they hand out to slaughter them in the summer, new lever action under gunned cowboy guns they think will shoot deer at 200 yards in the hands of women, kids and people who don't give a crap about deer hunting but just want to go out and shoot one with their cowboy gun...

yeah, it's probably the warm weather and all that corn. That's got to be the reason you don't see any deer.

Well, I'll guess we'll have to agree to disagree

However, it is my opinion, and that of many others, that warmer weather, especially after they have gone into their winter coat, does slow down deer movement and cause them to move more during the cooler night time hours. Off the top of my head, some interesting statistics that put this into visual perspective can be found at DeerActivityCharts

I also believe that standing corn affects their movement, as do many others. Illinois has really publicized this problem this year due to their low harvest rates and have 3 or 4 articles related to it at Illinois Hunting on Prairie State Outdoors.

And yes, the things you mentioned can adversly affect deer movement and population. Like you (judging by your comments), some of them I don't agree with. There are also other things to consider that may or may not have affected particular areas, such as previous occurances of CWD and other disease outbreaks.

There are many pieces to the puzzle, and I can only speak firsthand for here in the SW Indiana area where I hunt. I can't say that I've seen any less deer than normal. Although I don't have any statistics to support that, it seems that the numbers are about the same; we're simply seeing more deer at night in the fields, and the neighbor's trail cam's are snapping pictures of plenty of deer, they're just 95% after dark.

Greg, A co-worker of mine took his Nephew out and on the first day he killed a 10 pointer. Dressed out at 190 lbs. It's the kids second deer he's taken. The following day, my co-worker went out alone and got his biggest ever. A 12 point, but he didn't weigh it. He guessed it was a little over 200 lbs. He hunts in the Bedford area.

That's awesome Waveraider There's nothing like an opportunity like that for a youngster. We pretty much take the first three or four that we can during firearms season; we don't see alot of large bucks where we hunt, and there's a fair amount of pressure. Fortunately, my son doesn't care if it's a doe or a buck, a 4 pointer or a 12...he just enjoys hunting!

no that doesn't help, i am being shown up by a 13 year old
must of had a good teacher!

good lookin deer congrats

Trust me...I've understand! He definitely let me know (and won't let me forget) that he got the first one this year!