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     .
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  

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