How many people on here has had a rough year as far as killing deer ? I have had the worst year ever even thought about selling out and quiting and I'm serious.I'm very frustrated!Somebody tell me something to make me feel better.
Not enough information to diagnose the problem. Are you hunting an area that holds deer? Are you playing the wind? etc. I personally wouldnt quit. Everyone has a bad year sooner or later depending on how high you set your goals.
Some of my best hunts ever ended in a no kill.
I just make the best of the hunt what ever comes.
Then when you do get a kill it just makes it all the sweeter.
A rough year?
Oh please. :rolleyes:
The venison in my freezer is two years old. The conditions in my area have gotten worse by the year. I used to kill two or three a year. I get one every couple-three years now. I have heard of guys going eight or ten years without killing one, and are supremely happy when they finally take one home.
A year?
Killdeer :confused:
This past year I saw a fawn doe on my first hunt...too small to shoot that early, and a fawn buck on my last hunt...I don't shoot fawn bucks. I hunted 4 long, hard weekends this year and thats all the deer I saw from my stand. Our club had one of the best harvest years yet, this year.
I have been hunting with just my self bows and hardwood shoot arrows for the last 3 years and no kill yet. I have been hunting with trad bows since the early 90s and have killed one doe and wounder a buck. That being said, a bad lifetime of hunting is still better than a good day at work! Pat
Heck, I like the hunting experience and just being in the woods. That alone keeps me going.-Dave
Heck, I like the hunting experience and just being in the woods. That alone keeps me going.-Dave
I am glad you double posted yamapup; what you said is worth reading twice.
I look at it this way:
If I set my goal to try and kill a deer every time I'm out there and come home empty handed,then I failed,and the consequences of this action are, :mad: :mad: .
On the other,hand I set my goals to enjoy every minutes I'm out there and try to go as often as I can,the result of this is: priceless :notworthy: .
Serge
I haven't been able to bowhunt for 4 years now. And since 9-11 my life has changed quite a bit. In total I haven't harvested a deer with a bow in something like 9 years. lost property, 9-11, new wife, three children, you know all the excuses. To top it off I am headed to Iraq next fall. If I am lucky I will get to hunt the first part of October, once i return to the states. The outdoors and traditional archery are a major part of my life. The great thing about my mental state is that I don't judge my success by my harvests. I have had some great days afield with family and friends and I remember them more than anything.
I have been very frustrated in the past but all I think about is how lucky I am to still be able to hunt with a bow (its illegal to hunt with a bow and arrow in the UK, where I am currently living). I keep my focus on the future, planning, preparation, and practice.
Good luck, Jack
I had a fairly good year in early bow season ( shot a nice 6 point ) but deer sightings slowed to a crawl as the season progressed . As I get older , for me it becoming more fun in the shooting and planning aspect than the kill but I still want to see a deer every now and then . Make sure to plan to hunt the early season hard before the orange army comes out . Also , get out and do some small game hunting with your bow. Its a whole lot of fun and more exiting than setting in a stand hoping a deer will come by.
Mike
I was feeling that way 1/2 through or season and my brother asked if I had used my compound would it have made a difference and MY answer was no. I stuck with my longbow and ended up making my 1st trad kill. I have had years were I didnt kill anything with my compound.
Hope this helps
Terry
No deer in my freezer this year. I wasn't able to spend nearly as much time out as I would have liked.But did I have a rough year? Absolutely not.Taking a deer is just the icying on the cake. Any day that I spend in the woods with a bow in my hands is a gift, deer or not.
Better luck next year.
Ed :archer:
What they said. I haven't killed a deer with trad gear yet, despite hunting for 5 years. (I do have one rifle deer.) This year I saw some deer and either didn't get a shot (a huge buck) or didn't want to kill what I saw -- a doe with a fawn. I didn't want to kill the fawn, and it may not have made it through the winter if I had killed the doe. I don't get out as much as I'd like, had no time to do any scouting over the summer (and it was really hot) -- but I had a good time every time I went out. Made a few mistakes, as usual, but learned something on every trip. My goal is to enjoy myself, and going out into the woods is one way I take care of myself and my health, both mental and physical.
Richard
Well that about covers it.I told myself I wasnt going to tell this story to you guys but the more I think about it its too funny not to.Last weekend a buch of us got together to do a little driving,now I shot an 8pt with a muzzleloader awhile back but I still wanted a deer w/my longbow.To make a long story short on the last drive I missed the 1st doe at about 15yrads on the move but a wide open shot 60sec behind her comes a buddy missed her at 20 and about 1min behind her comes a big coyote shot right over him and into a tree and to top it all off my buddy was sitting on a stump 50yrds away watching the whole thing.Nobdy killed any deer but the big laugh we had at the end of the day made it all worthwhille,I just have fun being out you know.
The deer numbers have realy been down where I hunt for the last 3-4 years.I have not had ashot oppurtunity in about that amount of time but the woods keep calling me back out there anyways.I figure if I keep hunting hard it will eventually pay off. Keep your spirits up and keep hunting.
I have 2 brothers who have never killed a deer with gun or bow and there in there 40's and hunted every year...so dont feel bad...somehow ive managed to kill at least 1 every year...im just lucky...you can only do so much(watch the wind,stand location etc) to improve your chances and the rest is just luck imo...you cant make the deer come to you on cue
Some years you can do no wrong, and some years you can do nothing right. Some years there is extra luck, and some years there is no luck.
If deer numbers are low where you hunt then trying another locatation may help. Of course, if you don`t know the area, it means you are gonna spend some time learning, to up the odds of being able to crowd the personal space of the deer.
It is difficult to walk away from an area that you know well, but if it is not producing, then there may not be an option.
you don't have to hunt to shoot and enjoy archery....The last 4 years have rough for me. I wouldn't give up shooting my bows for nothing
The deer sightings started slow. By December, we were seeing at least 3 or 4 per day. Trouble was that they were all either too small or too far. My partner and I went out for the last 2 days of the Illinois season. I saw three bucks at about 80 yards and he saw about a dozen (half bucks) at the same distance. Thank goodness for gun season. Shot two the first morning. Would you believe both were less than 20 yards?! Just doesn't seem fair! Dick
Did not kill a deer with a bow this year either. Just didn't have the opportunity, but that's why it's called hunting I guess. I just finished a locust bow & some cane arrows before season started & really want to shoot one, but if I have to wait till next season it will be alright.
My time spent in the woods means more to me than just the kill & shooting my bow is something I can enjoy year around with my kids,grandkids & friends. Don't give up. Donnie
Daniel- You have to remember that the hunt is not just the kill. I have gone 7 years in a row without taking a deer. Sucks to be us but it is STILL fun and very enjoyable to be out in the great outdoors. Pleanty of fresh air and exercise. Don't loose the real reason why you are out there.
Hunted 78 days this year with no deer in the freezer. I still had a great time. Don't give up. There is much more to hunting for me then getting some thing.
I have NO VENISON in the freezer and Sharen doesn't buy me any beef. If I can't kill a deer, it's chicken and salmon for a year! As for a rough year, does missing 5 deer all at 15 yds or less qualify? Shot over the top of every one of them. Enjoy the time spent in the outdoors and don't forget about all the work you avoided by not killing anything!
Bad year? I had a great year and that was 'cause I saw 2 deer within 15 yards while still hunting. The only 2 deer I saw all season with horns and then I saw about 15 does the last 2 weeks of the season.
I was pumped with my season.
The 2007-2008 Hunting season I only have 2 deer.. That's down from last year of 6 deer total..
Now since this is 2008 winter bow in Jersey I'm at 0 deer for the full 2008 hunting seasons.
Took two eights and a small 6. Passed a lot and screwed up some.You gotta hunt where the deer are.
Dave Worden,
If your hunting out of a tree stand, bend at the waist! I used to do the same thing. Dick
Patience my young friend. We have all gone thru the same type frustrations. You have no idea how many times I have given up hunting, only to try again. Now, at my age, I mainly just go the the range and shoot at ethafoam criters. Don't give up, just let up on the pressure on yourself. Enjoy the woods, and make sure you get really close before you shoot!
Try having a "rough life" ,always dreaming of bowhunting and not even seeing a deer in the wild.Well, thats just me.But bowfishing, thats another matter. :knothead:
Gil
Gil, if you ever come over hear you'll have a tree stand waiting on ya, with plenty of deer. I'll see to it brother. Larry
I hunt deer with a flintlock rifle and normally take 2 a year. I agree that I only shoot something big enough to feel right about and only when I have a very good shot to make a clean kill. I would love to bowhunt when I feel confident enough that I can make a clean kill. I've hunted for years with my best friend Terry, and we often spend days when we walk out of the woods with just the guns we brought. It happens. But we just love the whole "gestalt" of the thing -- the woods, the friendship, the hunt itself, camping, breakfast, etc etc. A deer is a bonus. I'd go if I never got one again. The only thing that would make me sad is if my friend were no longer around to hunt with. We're not getting younger. Or if I could not go anymore. One man's opinion.
Hogs, rabits, skwerls, birds, pine cones heck just go out and shoot something and have a good time.
If it's venison your after,I'll give you some. If it is just a kill your after, then maybe you should quit.
I didn't even nock an arrow this year. Everything I saw was 75 plus yards. But I saw a lot and enjoyed my time hunting. My buddy bounced two nice bucks with stone points and wounded two others with no blood trail to follow. I'm still trying to figure out who had the worst year. Hang in there. We're all pulling for you.