I live in northeastern Illinois. This is one of the most intensly farmed areas in the world, and a big woods is anything over 25 acres. My part of Illinois is unlike the rest of the state in that deer numbers are pretty low due to lack of habitat. I normally see a deer every 3 to 4 hunts. I have to admit this gets kind of frustrating. Sure we grow some big ones in this part of the state, but in an entire season around here I normally only see around 30 deer total. Anyone else hunt an area like this? I've been in a stand for over 20 hours so far this season, and I have only seen 1 lone doe. DANG!
One of my hunting partners hasn't seen anything yet either and we also reside in a whitetail-state.
In the past I would see deer everyday, This Year I have only seen 10 deer. Got 2 shots off but no deer down. Almost a month since opener and the past 3 weeks no deer in shooting range or in good shooting light...
Me!!!
I've sat 17 times now and have seen deer on exactly 1 hunt,and then only for a second when I spooked them at 35 yards with a suprise sneeze I couldn't stifle.
Worse season I can EVER remember.Other members are seeing and killing deer on the lease.I'm in high travel areas,hardwoods flats dropping acorns like crazy,and a very well used ditch crossing.All my stands are placed according to prevailing wind directions,I take meticulous scent precautions,ect.I have plenty of sign,tracks,rubs,scrapes,ect.Even have trail cam pics at all hours of the day,I just cannot catch a break.
I'm pretty much into a 3 year drought on deer sightings for some reason,and can't figure out if I've changed something,or I'm just having a VERY long streak of bad luck.
I wasn't seeing deer or sign in one of my spots. Then one evening I heard something approach to within ten yards when I saw it was a mountain lion. I stood up and scared it off. I realized why there was no deer sign and walked out as quick as I could on shaky legs.
If you're not seeing deer sign, check for cat tracks.
I have been out about 6 times and have only seen deer twice. Once while walking out. I hunt BIG woods and things are a lot more random. I have a bunch of deer pics but tough time seing any so far. How do you figure out which tree they are feeding under when there are a million of them?
All but one deer this year has seen me! Or at least seen something they weren't sure what it was and vacated the area before offering me a shot. The only one that didn't see me was a spotted button head that spend about 5 minutes within 5 yards of my stand.
Dont worry i havent seen anything either, but i have not had the chance to go hunting yet either.
I hunt public land near my home in Wisconsin. I live in the South Central part of the state. There is a lot of agricultural land surrounding the public land where I hunt. The public land is a lot of swampland, open fields, and nasty thickets. Trouble is that the deer tend to stay on the neighboring properties where the crops provide abundant food.
The last few seasons I would usually see 8-12 deer per season. This year I've seen close to 15 deer already. So far, that is pretty unusual for me.
I do know how it is to sit out several times without seeing deer. One friend, who bowhunts sporadically, has yet to see a deer while sitting on stand. He jokes that deer are mythical creatures who only live in city parks.
That is frustrating. On my property in WV i usually see at least 10 different deer everytime I go out. But our deer arent as near as big as yours though
You are not alone my friend! When people think of texas, they think of phenomenal deer hunting. I assure you they are not thinking of east texas where i live. Deer numbers are low and temperatures are low this time of year. Ive been out 5 times now and have yet to see a deer while on stand. To add the the frustration, the trail cam shows plenty of deer in daylight. Dont ask me?!!?! Bout to change my tactics some and start doing some trail cam scouting like i should have been doing months ago. Just don't give up. Hardships only make victory sweeter
I see deer all the time. On my drive to work on my drive home. Keep at it you will run into them.
Mike
aint no deer in Illinois no more ........... cougars et em all !!!!
I'm in East Texas also.....haven't see the first deer yet....It's hot and the skeeters will literally haul you off even with a Thermacell
Billy
billy, where you at in east texas? Im related to some shipps.
Um, I've seen turkey from the woods I can hunt :)
But I've walked in the woods behind my house and seen 4 does (adult, 3 yearlings)! :(
Its getting so tempting to just walk down there!
Jon, I would settle for seeing one deer a year if i could kill a buck like that in your avatar every ten years. Seriously, I hunt a bow only area and I have had yaers where I have gone 3 or 4 hunts with no sightings and than the weather changes and the food sources change and they come out of the woodwork. Keep at it and your luck will change. Shawn
As soon as people bought into this ridiculous QDM (Quick Doe Massacre) program, the deer hunting went to notning! You can't have the bucks without the does and you can't have the does without the does. Each year I get as many doe tags as I can and pitch them out to save future deer. As soon as everybody realizes the wholesale doe slaughter must stop, the deer herd will materialize. Ask guys in Pa. who hunt an entire season and do not see spit, what they think of QDM! What a scam!!! Cotton
Pretty slow so far down here as well, Jon. I have seen a few deer, but have been skunked on sightings on 3 hunts out of the 6 sits so far. They were running wild on Sunday morning though. Jumped two different bunches on the way in, saw a doe and two different bucks, one real nice one which was running the smaller one off every time he got close. My partner saw 15, all were within 30 yards at one point but none close enough to shoot. When I got down I jumped another buck and walked past a group of does under another one of our stands on my way out. So they are there, just not moving with regularity yet, at least where we hunt. The beaucoup standing crops have alot to do with it I imagine.
I'm in northern MA. Last year, I was convinced I found THE spot, based on sign. Sat in the stand every Saturday, and took days off when I could.
Never even had a glimpse. Snow came, not a track to be found for weeks.
My neighbors reported the same thing. To be honest, I'm stumped.
Im in north georgia near cohutta, and I've yet to see one. And i dont know many people that have seen that many. Im bout to dust off the 270...
here in Nebraska im hunting small tree lines between standing corn fields so far two does and one decent 8 point. one doe and the buck was harvested between noon and 2pm. otherwise i have seen well over a 100 deer while on stand see alot more during midday then usual.
Sat the whole opening week here in Michigan and only saw two does. They didnt stay long enough to shoot.
Not seeing deer, or even normal deer sign. Just too much good feed spread out everywhere, I guess.
There hiding in the corn fields around here, You might check them if you have them. :saywhat:
Tracy
I might add that they will travel long distances just to get to the corn for the short time thats it's ready. That means if you have been seeing them at lets say 7:30 am every morning they might not be coming through till 8:30 am. Doesn't mean there not there but that they have changed there pattern for food.
Happens every year here, They will be back or you can change your pattern too :) Also the bigger bucks are all over the place making scrapes and rubs, Hard to pattern them too. Just my opinion !!
Tracy
QuoteOriginally posted by cottonwood:
As soon as people bought into this ridiculous QDM (Quick Doe Massacre) program, the deer hunting went to notning! You can't have the bucks without the does and you can't have the does without the does. Each year I get as many doe tags as I can and pitch them out to save future deer. As soon as everybody realizes the wholesale doe slaughter must stop, the deer herd will materialize. Ask guys in Pa. who hunt an entire season and do not see spit, what they think of QDM! What a scam!!! Cotton
Amen. I hunt 5 days a week for the entire 6 weeks. 100% state forest and state gamelands. I don't do Saturdays. Prior to the great deer reduction plan as per Gary Alt in 2001, I'd see 10-15 deer a week and be happy with that. In 2004, that went down to 3-4 a week. 2005 was still 3-4 a week. 2006 a bust with 5 deer seen the entire season. 2007 I grew bored and only hunted 3 times in Pa.
So far this year I've found more deer than I have since 2002. That's because last years opening day of rifle season was a washout and foggy and saved alot of deer. Especially the button bucks. That's why I'm seeing so many spikes and Ys running around this year.
But yes, the QDM philosophy stinks on public lands. On private land where landowners can control the number of doe killed, and protect the younger bucks, it works great. But on public lands where there is no control over the doe harvest, it stinks. But, seeings how the doe harvest was exceeded by the buck harvest last year in 2G, I think guys are catching on and laying off the doe. :knothead:
One week has passed for the Virginia season and I have logged 24 hours in a treestand without any deer sightings. It's tough huntin' in these parts.
I haven't been out hunting as of yet but I imagine the amount of crops still in the fields in some areas might be part of the problem. The crops in my area are the reason I have stayed at home.(southern Illinois).
I have seen only one deer at a distance from my stand.
Put out a trail cam and have seen 9 different bucks and 4 does all from 10pm to 4am
Why am I not seeing deer?
Jon read my thread "Banner Year". We'll get them!
I've been out three times in the past two days, and on two of the occasions saw exactly 0 deer (the guy I was hunting with had the same experience both times)...last night I went out without him on his property and saw 4, none of which I could shoot (no doe tag) - the kicker: 3 of them presented beautiful broadside shots and were less than 10 yards away.
Such is life I suppose.
My field report will be brief...Yesterday morning two yotes troted through at 10 yards, one deer bedded in the beans just after sundown one day last week. 11 times out, nothing has been seen.
Hot, dry no deer moving in my area.
Squirrels? Not counting repeat sightings, 30-40 at least from eight different ground and tree stand locations.
Rusty
The QDM thing is pretty much what they're doing here in southeastern MA. Public land gets wiped out while the problem deer live happily in backyards.
Hey Bowless....
The hunters from New England aren't showing up in this section of Northcentral Pa this year as in years past. The motels and campgrounds used to be full of them for the first week of archery in Pa. This year they are no-shows. Has the word got out up there that Pa stinks now?
I saw some last weekend up north, but havn't seen one since and it's beginning to frustrate me :mad: .
Bakes
Gald to know I am not the only one. Deer sightings are way down where I usually play the game.
Not going to start the QDM debate- but have you guys put out any trailcams to really see how many deer are in your areas? I hunt central michigan on some pretty big state land plots here. My trailcams are set a long ways off the beaten paths- and deer sightings are low during daylight hours. But- my camera doesn't lie- afterdark, the deer are there. I'm sure the pressure in your area does the same thing here- forces mostly nocturnal movement.... therefore lower sightings while on stands. I'm all for letting little bucks grow, and harvesting does to help balance herd numbers. Its just that the states need to manage smaller areas instead of a big block management.....
Hang in there Deathmaster the rut is coming. Sheboygan county could be the worst in the state. Pubiic hunting grounds are totally whipped out.Haven't seen a deer yet.
Here in MT, it's very much a seasonal phenomenon. The first two weeks of the season (early September) are a great time to kill a big buck as the deer are still in their summer feeding patterns. And of course the woods come alive in November. I call the time in between (right now) the "Dead Zone", and usually spend it hunting birds. Having said that, I'm heading out into the coulee to see what I can rustle up with my bow and enjoy our first taste of MT winter (15 degrees, a foot of fresh snow on the ground). Don't worry; the deer are there somewhere. cheers, Don
QuoteNot going to start the QDM debate- but have you guys put out any trailcams to really see how many deer are in your areas?
I have 4 cameras going 24/7/365. I have a pretty good grip on what's going on, and what the ballpark figures are on deer numbers in the vast areas that I travel. The herd is down. Waaaaaay down. The blanket approach of allocating doe tags on large WMUs such as 2G has really put a hurting on the herds occupying state lands.
During elk season it was in the mid 80s, wasnt looking too hard for an elk as the late season runs mid Nov thru the first week in Dec, on the few occasions I was out I only saw deer once a doe with 2 fawns...PR
different areas need different management. I'm sure what works in some areas doesn't work in others.
But its definitely true we know that deer have home ranges and some people are acting like lowering the population will lower problem deer. As if they are herds of caribou. If there is no hunting where there are problem deer and excess or even mandatory doe harvests on open lands it doesn't help anyone.
Here in Louisiana we have so many pigs that is much more of an issue than doe numbers from the loss of habitat but people talk about QDM much more. I guess its more interesting conversation. And nobody wants to clean ten wild hogs.
Anyway I'm just saying different strokes for different folks. You're probably both right in your areas.