Anyone seeing anything? I've been out all day three days straight not one deer, don't know what's going on
Anyone? Could use some help
hunt a different spot? I've had the same happen. How about some details?
I've beennhunting ridges wgphere they run to get to food sources or where they get pushed down below, I'm hunting vt now its not an easy state to hunt
Although I shot my second deer last week,a spike, deer activity has been almost nonexistent. You are not alone with your frustration.
They moving at night you guys think? The check in station was busier then I have ever seen it sat and sun
Can't help you with deer. If you want wolves we've got plenty of them.
I am seeing quite a few does, no bucks yet in ND. They are running at night tho. Quite a few dead on the roads.
My SIL rifle shot a nice 4×4 Saturday about 4:30 in MN.
Where in New Hampshire are you. Big woods can be tough, finding smaller woodlot a adjacent to big woods can be the trick. Especially with the gun hunters out in your area.
I'm in Etna, I'm currently hunting Cavendish vt, I found four rubs today should I sit on these? Two are a rubline others are spread out a bit but close to same aea
That's where I would sit.......play the wind and sit the rub line.
This past weekend is the first time I have seen a considerable number of deer. But not many bucks at all.
Lots of yearlings, nothing else.
Kyle deer movement will be disorganized these next days so the rubline probably won't be worth sitting on. If you hunted 3 days all day no sighting lets agree that area is not where you should be hunting. Is there snow yet? Not telling you what to do but at this time of year in northern NH, VT & ME I'd be waiting on snow and "tracking" as a hunting method. The deer will teach you all you need to know to build out next year with a plan. Google the Benoits and Hal Blood and use their blueprint for developing your woodsmanship. Not a lot of deer up there but snow levels the playing field and makes what deer there are easy to find. Slowly driving logging roads in large sections of woods is a great way to cut a track.
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Ifbthose rubs are there he should be around that area? Big woods up here, so this area is no good your saying because I saw no deer? There's a lot of ridges we have been hunting with different nooks and Cranny's they can sneak through, this area is all hard woods and ridges off a snowmobile trail.
Lat week was the first time I had seen deer in almost 3 weeks. I'm headed out in the morn to hopefully tag one. Keep at it ....ya can't tag one from the couch.
Lot's of reasons and rationales.
One recent example from this season:
Have 9 hot setups with plenty of action and suddenly I was attempting to find one setu that had a doe.
Gave another dry setuo a run Friday evening. A 2 1/2 8 pt travelling nonchalantly with six does wondered in, a half an hour later, a nice 3 1/2 yr wide 10 pt wondered in nonchalantly with 8 does. Then 20 minutes later mahem broke with more does and bucks flooding the area as chasing and grunting ensued. Could not provide a valid estimate of the deer seen from the groundeset.
Two days later the setup was dry once more.
Note: have only seen four does and yearlings max travelling together this season.
Am maintanng patience,mobilty and confidence. Several other local veteran hunters are experienceing quite similar results.
Yes I am saying if you saw no deer in 3 days get out to new territory. Rubs mean bucks were there when they made the rubs and they might even be back soon but the rut is peaking now and bucks are ON does and if you hunted 3 days all day and saw nothing but rubs you are in the wrong place. Not all woods holds deer - not all woods holds big deer. Nature will teach you if you pay attention. Remember I am assuming you spent 3 full days hunting with decent woods skill and saw no deer. It is OK to not get a deer - it is NOT ok to not see deer or at least fresh sign. Rubs are sign and if they were backed up with droppings and scrapes we might be in the game. Bedding cover is how far? Preferred feed is what? Confirm the feed by fresh tracks - fresh feed sign. I find rubs are great for learning direction and travel path for hunting in September and October - even into early November - today is the 16th Deer are chasing.
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cory you cant compare nc to vt with the population numbers, theres alot of nooks and crannys they can sneak by easily, so should i try a little lower on the ridges? the real thick stuff is below, down where i saw those rubs were 150 yards from my dad and i saw a big buck track about 80 yards from him heading down kind of where the rubs were, its flatter down below the ridges, its all hardwoods here where we hunt
Find where they are feeding. Hunt there.
theres food all over, acorns, beachnuts, not alot where we are hunting but theres been turkey sign in there and have seen turkeys should be deer no?
Thick is good - but generally low areas are very difficult to manage wind and thermals - harder than sitting high. If you are seeing turkeys and not deer thats another reason to search elsewhere.
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Without looking at your area I can only say this:
The later in the season you go, the thicker area you need to hunt. For me, on our private 1200 acres, open woods is almost worthless now. State land would be worse. Hunt the thickest stuff you can find.
The warm temps and the 2 full moons in October have made for lots of night time feeding and rutting. Our sightings are best at first light, and again from 1:30 p.m. until 4:00. My son shot a buck Tuesday at 2:00, he was cruising SUPER thick stuff looking for does.
We are having almost zero traditional last light sightings.
Find the does...they will be in thick stuff...bucks are looking for them too...
And when you find them, in the thick stuff...don't barge into the middle of it. I have a spot of insanely thick stuff that is about 100 acres total. I have 8 stands set around the edges. I NEVER go inside this sanctuary. The wind tells me what stand to sit. This thick spot stays productive all year long because I don't do drives, crash around, etc. The only time we go "in" is to recover a deer we have shot.
Last Monday morning, Nov 14,I saw 5 bucks chasing a doe, but the last 2 mornings I've seen nothing.....here in northern Illinois.
went out tonight where i usually always see deer and get deer bow season, saw a buck in there beggining of october havent seen a deer in there since
It feels pretty bleak out there. Hasn't been this slow in many years. Can anyone confirm that the overall deer harvest in NH is 20% lower than last year at this time?
Nhbuck, have you had the opportunity to shoot yet this season?
Chelsea Vermont was the hardest place I ever hunted!
its big woods deer and nothing like urban deer, sign every where but never could figure them out,, their runs and how they walked never made any sense....
if you want to travel over to Bear Brook State park in Allenstown I don't hunt there anymore but I can meet you and I can show you exactly where to put your stand and you will get shots at deer but you may have to tweak your stand over a bit hear or there.
its archery deer only in there,, you will see bear, moose lots of beavers and fishers its like being in the big woods there..
this sunday would be perfect because I'm on-call for work and can't go hunting.. PM me
Bill you are right, according to NHF&G we are down 19% compared to the same time last year. I was seeing and having shot opportunities often in September and early October. Once the acorns started dropping that all changed as the property I hunt in town has very few oaks.
There is so much food in the woods this year in the form of acorns that deer can bed and feed often in the same locations right now. Not having to travel to feed makes it difficult to pin them down.
I think the place to be right now is the thickest place you can find WITH with acorn bearing oaks. I am going to hit such a spot later this afternoon and tomorrow morning. I'll let you know how it goes.
David
Had the same experience, Dave. Early season made me very optimistic then the acorns dropped. Even on my property with cameras going 24/7 getting very few pics compared to years past. Good luck for late season.
I hear you, on second day of Mass bow season I killed a 5pt. buck. (10/18/16) Then a 8pt I passed on 11/1/16. Then a 7pt. I passed on 11/18/16. I have hunted almost every day of the season. I hunted Vermont gun opening weekend and seen a 6pt (missed) and a spike. I have not seen a doe this year while hunting, What gives?
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Shadow I passed a lot of small does and a few small bucks bow season, I got a huge doe muzzle loading, I found a pinch point with some old logging roads, the pinch point has a small stream going threw it, vwery small, otherwise is a big ridge going to other land and to the right is thick with little pecker poles, I found one rub straight down along stream where I plan on sitting on the the other ridge on our land side and a walked 60 to 70 yards down the stream which connects to a logging rd with 3 more rubs also to the right of where I plan on sitting there's a few rubs, what do u guys think?
I didn't get out yesterday, but did manage to get out this afternoon. Very thick area with oaks and hemlocks, just after sunset I had a racked buck behind me at 40 yards. Could only see him with binoculars because of the time and how thick it was. That's the first deer I see in awhile, I will be back in there late next week.
As I said, I would find the thickest place I could that has food and concentrate my efforts there.
David
I feel your pain. I have been out at least once a week for at least 7 hours each sit since September 10th. I have seen 2 deer on stand this year. I have always hunted big woods but the smokey mountains have humbled me quite a bit. Estimates are 15 deer per square mile here. I have seen lots of sign but very little daytime movement. This year I have been hunting lower in the creek bottom areas. I am gonna try going up higher to hunt the trails that parallel the ridges. I did see a big old black bear but he was about 10 yards out of range for me. I really need to take care of him as I have found fawn kills from last year in the same area and he keeps messing with my trail cams.
Good luck and stick with it. I am trying to learn from every hunt. I sure do miss hunting Pennsylvania though.
QuoteOriginally posted by Nantahala Nut:
I feel your pain. I have been out at least once a week for at least 7 hours each sit since September 10th. I have seen 2 deer on stand this year. I have always hunted big woods but the smokey mountains have humbled me quite a bit. Estimates are 15 deer per square mile here. I have seen lots of sign but very little daytime movement. This year I have been hunting lower in the creek bottom areas. I am gonna try going up higher to hunt the trails that parallel the ridges. I did see a big old black bear but he was about 10 yards out of range for me. I really need to take care of him as I have found fawn kills from last year in the same area and he keeps messing with my trail cams.
Good luck and stick with it. I am trying to learn from every hunt. I sure do miss hunting Pennsylvania though.
Have you tried hunting saddles?