Not seeing any deer either.

[44man]

It has been the worst season ever here too. There is a lot of sign with trails beat to mud, scrapes every 20 yards and trees shredded.
But no movement during the day. Now it is raining and maybe it will stop Thur.
Friends in VA are having the same problems too.

[stubert]

Same here in New York, getting all the deer on cams in the middle of the night.

[Hickok]

44Man, same up our way. The moon was out bright as daylight, and it has been warm. I think they have been out running all night and laying in during the day.

[pergoman]

Where we hunt in Pa things have definitely changed over the last few years. Crossbows combined with 6 weeks of archery season before firearms hunters get a chance has successfully removed a large percentage of the bucks. The early pressure makes deer more nocturnally active. We saw plenty of doe yesterday but not a single legal buck was taken by our group. I know that at least 2 buck that were taken on the farm with crossbows.

[375supermag]

Hi...

My 21-year-old son finally got his first buck here in Pa. yesterday morning about 8:30AM. Nice 6-point, about 160lb live weight.
We were hunting in Elk County (northern part of the state). Sunshine, 24F at daybreak.

He used his new Tikka stainless .308 with a Vortec scope and Federal Fusion 165gr factory loads(IIRC). About a 50yd shot, dead right there. I gutted it out for him and he drug it about 1000yds down a ridge, across a swap and up another ridge to a hiking trail so we could wheel it out on a deer cart about 2-1/2 miles to his Suburban.

He is absolutely ecstatic.

He insisted on dropping it off at a processing plant to be cut up. I have never used a processor...I have butchered countless steers and deer myself, but he doesn't like butchering(at all). He is going to pay for it so instead of spending last night skinning and today cutting up venison, I am sitting in the den sipping a cup of hot Earl Grey tea typing out these eloquently phrased missives.

I quit hunting when he called me on the two-way radio with the news. Took me the best part on an hour to find him...I was about 2 miles away and his sense of direction is terrible. We didn't get the truck rolling toward home until about 2:20PM yesterday afternoon and pulled in the driveway to the estate about 6:30PM after dropping his deer off about 10 miles away.

I may go out the latter part of the week to see if I can help a friend get a deer. Not much interested in killing one myself anymore. I have spent the last 9 years trying to get a buck in my son's sights and have only killed two deer in that time (aforementioned other priorities).

[CastingFool]

Our firearms deer season ended yesterday, out of the 16 day season, I hunted 11 days, most days I hunted both morning and afternoons. Didn't see as many deer as I usually do, and the ones I did see, were too far away. I will be going out during the muzzle loader season and late doe season, as I still have all my tags.

[44man]

Hi...

My 21-year-old son finally got his first buck here in Pa. yesterday morning about 8:30AM. Nice 6-point, about 160lb live weight.
We were hunting in Elk County (northern part of the state). Sunshine, 24F at daybreak.

He used his new Tikka stainless .308 with a Vortec scope and Federal Fusion 165gr factory loads(IIRC). About a 50yd shot, dead right there. I gutted it out for him and he drug it about 1000yds down a ridge, across a swap and up another ridge to a hiking trail so we could wheel it out on a deer cart about 2-1/2 miles to his Suburban.

He is absolutely ecstatic.

He insisted on dropping it off at a processing plant to be cut up. I have never used a processor...I have butchered countless steers and deer myself, but he doesn't like butchering(at all). He is going to pay for it so instead of spending last night skinning and today cutting up venison, I am sitting in the den sipping a cup of hot Earl Grey tea typing out these eloquently phrased missives.

I quit hunting when he called me on the two-way radio with the news. Took me the best part on an hour to find him...I was about 2 miles away and his sense of direction is terrible. We didn't get the truck rolling toward home until about 2:20PM yesterday afternoon and pulled in the driveway to the estate about 6:30PM after dropping his deer off about 10 miles away.

I may go out the latter part of the week to see if I can help a friend get a deer. Not much interested in killing one myself anymore. I have spent the last 9 years trying to get a buck in my son's sights and have only killed two deer in that time (aforementioned other priorities).
Good on you, it brings a smile when I put a friend in a good spot and he gets a deer. Yours is more important, it is your son.

[44man]

44Man, same up our way. The moon was out bright as daylight, and it has been warm. I think they have been out running all night and laying in during the day.
My thoughts too. I think the moon is the problem.

[dragon813gt]

Where we hunt in Pa things have definitely changed over the last few years. Crossbows combined with 6 weeks of archery season before firearms hunters get a chance has successfully removed a large percentage of the bucks. The early pressure makes deer more nocturnally active. We saw plenty of doe yesterday but not a single legal buck was taken by our group. I know that at least 2 buck that were taken on the farm with crossbows.

I have to mention this because you said a few things. The archery season here starts two weeks earlier, doesn't stop before Thanksgiving, and continues later into January. We also have an extended late firearms season. There is no shortage of deer here. Maybe there will be in a few years because this was the first year that the extended portions weren't doe only. But I highly doubt this will be the case.

As far as crossbows go. I see people complaining about them all the time. It's not like you hunt w/ one and you automatically kill a deer. They are heavy unwieldy things. In reality they are a burden while hunting w/ them. Crossbows have been allowed for many years so it's nothing new on the scene.

I'm guessing you are hunting the northern tier. The herds have been diminished for well over a decade if not more. Reasons why range from the PAGC issuing to many doe permits to poaching by locals. I'm young, 36, but have hunted in Pike county for over two decades. It's always been a tough hunt there.

Deer have been going nocturnal for a long time as well. They aren't as stupid as people think they are. You'd have to decrease the pressure to change this behavior. And that would take years to achieve. There is a reason I like to spend as much time as possible hunting early archery. Not only is it warm, but the deer move during daylight.

[waksupi]

If it's raining, I would be out hunting. I always see more bucks moving in nasty weather. I also use the "walks a little, looks a lot" method. One or two steps, and then look over every thing around with binoculars. I've killed some nice bucks laying in their beds.

[dragon813gt]

It's cold and raining this morning. It's just miserable out and is supposed to be all day. Can't perform the work they had scheduled for me so it looks like I will get a chance to hunt today :)

[wch]

I live in prime whitetail country in central PA, am surrounded by well managed posted property and have heard only two shots on the first day, none today so far.

[white eagle]

opening day has come and gone here
didn't hear as many shots as a normal opener
I ended up shooting a big doe the second to the last day
fewest deer I have seen during the season

[tim338]

I only saw 1 deer and fortunately it was a legal buck. I got to try out the new Ruger 77/44 and it performed well.

[44man]

I don't think it is lack of deer here. Seen too many and the county picks up 20 or more road kills a day. Hunting pressure, moon or weather, I sure don't know.
But hunting in rain never panned out for me. They sit tight.

[white eagle]

hunting in the rain as long as its not a down pour
I have always seen numerous deer out and about
no fun for the hunter though unless you are prepared for it
as long as there is more season I wait it out more often lately though :shock:

[Ramjet-SS]

well here in Wisconsin it is a combination of many things that include the following;

Tree huggers have stopped the wolf management program and a Liberal judge from MN shut us down on hunting wolves.

Too many years of allowing to shoot allot of does have shot in last 10 years.

This state allows baiting and it has ruined the natural movement and foraging of deer for several months of the year.

[pergoman]

Using crossbows became legal in 2009 for all Pa hunters. Magnifying sights (scopes) on them became legal at the same time. Before that time only disabled hunters could use crossbows in most of the state.
I hunt in Schuylkill county which has a good mix of farms and woods. I personally know quite a few guys who have killed more deer with crossbows in the last 5 years than they killed with bows in the 20 years prior. Sitting in a blind or big treestand makes it easier to use a crossbow than a bow, for sure. The game commission wants deer killed and populations reduced; crossbows were their latest way to accomplish this goal. If I was really desperate to kill a deer, I would go out and buy a crossbow. I still hunt with my compound bow for the tradition and challenge. I didn't take a rifle in the woods yesterday. Just a 44 which has killed its share of deer in Pa. I enjoy the hunt a lot more than the killin'.

[kens]

what is the status of the local food sources?
It seems to me that on any abundant year for natural foods, the more difficult the hunt.
I think on abundant food harvest years, they don't have to move around any to feed, they only take a couple steps, feed, and lay again.
It seems like the scarce food years that they are up and moving around foraging for food, that's when we get to see them.
just my 2 cents

[44man]

Wolves and yotes are bad news and if you bust them I will be silent. I have not seen either yet. Our herd is large with roads the most danger. Yet they are not showing. Even where we can't hunt none are seen.

[merlin101]

I see lots and LOTS of deer, unfortunately its while I'm driving. This year it does seem like there's fewer deer but it's hard to tell for sure. I hunted pretty hard for 3 days and only saw a flash of movement outa the corner of my eye, mind games?
I got some work to do at the camp who know's maybe the sound of a chainsaw and tractor will lull them into coming out in the open.

[Tenbender]

It has been the worst season ever here too. There is a lot of sign with trails beat to mud, scrapes every 20 yards and trees shredded.
But no movement during the day. Now it is raining and maybe it will stop Thur.
Friends in VA are having the same problems too.

The rut just started here the last week of season. Bucks chasing does and does walking around by there self. So much for the " Hunters moon ". That was the last week of October. No buck activity until last week.

154624

[OnHoPr]

Light drizzles are a great time to hunt where there is medium to lots of pressure. Heavy rains not so much. Sporadic light medium rain can be good. Those deer are not made of sugar they are made of venison, they will not melt. 44man if it is medium to heavy rains and you have a bunch of ACTIVE scrapes around with still live bucks, and there still should be one or two, go out right at the end or you think when the rain is going to stop. Bucks will be coming to those scrapes to freshen them right after a rain even if it is midday. The moon should be going away also starting today.

[ericp]

It was a bad firearms season in the UP as well. Between having a couple of bad winters back to back and rising predator populations the deer population is way down. Our little general store does processing for those who don't do their own. Normally by the end of the season they'll have 3 pallets of hides salted out behind the store, this year they only did 17 deer.
Good news is that this winter is looking mild and the DNR issued no doe permits this year.


Eric

[Hickok]

Eric I agree with the predators. We have those dang coyotes and the last couple of years the mountain lions have been making a comeback. We see them here in the mountainous and rural area.

The possum police and DNR will say there are no such things as mountain lions, but they said the same thing when we started to see coyotes years back. "You guys are just seeing big stray dogs some one turned loose."

Now with the mountain lions it is "You are just seeing bobcats." Bobcats don't have a tail as long as their body! "Well it must have been a big housecat."

Many of us have traveled these woods since we first started walking, and these State employed kids tell us we don't know what we are seeing!

[cattleskinner]

We are having the same problems of less deer seen by hunters. The thing is, I have buddies that work for the Sheriff's Office who would beg to differ about he lack of population. They see and handle plenty of car vs. deer accidents despite what people say. My theory is the increase of ground blinds are at least partially at fault. In recent years, how many have taken to sitting in a blind? I know I have. I think it is simply a lack of people putting on drives and making the deer move causing the lack of sightings.

[Ramjet-SS]

Well it's a regional thing the UP of Michigan and northern Wisconsin have been hit hard with tough winters and high predator numbers thanks to the wolf loving liberals. Combine that with poor estimates and a tremendously high number of does killed the population is down in fact I will say Northern Wisconsin is one of the poorest places to hit deer right now.

[jmorris]

Have photos of lots of doe's during the day but where we have the feeder is on a connection of trails in a very thick piece of property.

The mature bucks are nocturnal though.

Coons at night bob cats during the day.

And one one pack of dogs running the deer from the feeder.

252 photos of them during 1 week.

Only reason I put out the camera was because I have never seen that much deer poop in one area.

[quilbilly]

You are not alone. It has been that way out here on the Olympic Peninsula since mid-September. Even the deer who live in the old growth forest back of our house (we call them " the usual suspects") have not been seen in two months except on our trail cams and those deer are the does and fawns. Hunting seasons for archers, modern firearm , and muzzleloaders have been almost a bust even though our area is alive with black tail deer. Sign indicates they have not moves out of the thickest thickets in months except between 11 PM and 4 AM. There hasn't been enough hunting pressure to do this either. Very strange indeed. For those who know us, we haven't had either or regular mountain lions or bears on our trail cams either so that isn't it either

[44man]

I found them yesterday afternoon at dark. Nothing from the stand. I was coming up the road and seen a herd silhouetted in a neighbors front yard. From where they bed means no movement until last light. It would take them a long time to get to where I sit.
No pressure all week and no shots anywhere.
My brother in law in Ohio has not seen any either. He has a huge 16 point on his land but he is a ghost too. This seems wide spread.

[Smoke4320]

Central NC. Was seeing and shooting deer until about 2 weeks ago.
Now not seeing anything and not heard a single shot in 6 days

[Brotherbadger]

I was shut out this year. Only hunted two days during gun though. There is an antlerless hunt coming up, so I might try that.

[monge]

I have been hunting a soy field this year does coming out just at dark , no bucks deer keep looking back into thicket sometimes take them an hour to enter the field. One week left of gun season hear in upstate NY. going to take a doe to put some meat in freezer.want to try my 45-70 BFR out never killed with it yet and im getting antsy!

[Duckdog]

well here in Wisconsin it is a combination of many things that include the following;

Tree huggers have stopped the wolf management program and a Liberal judge from MN shut us down on hunting wolves.

Too many years of allowing to shoot allot of does have shot in last 10 years.

This state allows baiting and it has ruined the natural movement and foraging of deer for several months of the year.

You're dead on. I was out today and covered about 20 miles of trail and I bet I saw tracks from about 20 deer... maybe. Lots of wolf tracks, and the usual coyote and foxes. I did get a decent 8 point earlier in the season, but there wasn't any snow then, and if I knew the herd in my area was this bad off, I probably would have passed on him.

I've seen where the wolves have gotten into a deer yard in the deep snow and it is a plain bloodbath. I have been hunting the northern WI woods for about 40 years or more, and I have never seen nothing like this. In my area, it is supposed to be buck only, but then you find out kids can shoot up to 2 or more in these areas, in which the adult usually pulls the trigger. We also have youth hunt in the start of the rut as well. Previous to this fiasco, the DNR issues as man doe tags as anyone cared to buy.

We need to be able to shoot wolves, (legally), and actually make it buck only for everyone, and end all of the special youth hunts and the likes in these northern areas. Only then will we get our herd going in the right direction.

Generally, what we are seeing is the parent taking the kid out during the rut to sit on a bait in the early youth season, where they end up filling a tag during nice weather, regardless of who actually is pulling the trigger. Then during the regular season, they do not come out unless it is to road hunt with the remaining youth tag, which is good for either a buck, doe, or fawn. There's something amiss in the State of Wisconsin and if it keeps going in this direction, I think hunting as most of us older folks knew it to be will die on the vine.

[JWT]

I hunt the national forest in Ogemaw county in northern Michigan. We haven't seen any bucks in the woods for a few years. I think our big problem is a combination of no need for the deer to move (abundant acorns and no hunting pressure) and a forest that is just too mature.

[Smoke4320]

finally this morning heard 2 ...yes only two people shoot..

[dragon813gt]

Heard five shots so far today. Not surprising as this is the first weekend. Only one was a followup shot. So I'm assuming three are down and one may potentially be a miss.

[Ramjet-SS]

You're dead on. I was out today and covered about 20 miles of trail and I bet I saw tracks from about 20 deer... maybe. Lots of wolf tracks, and the usual coyote and foxes. I did get a decent 8 point earlier in the season, but there wasn't any snow then, and if I knew the herd in my area was this bad off, I probably would have passed on him.

I've seen where the wolves have gotten into a deer yard in the deep snow and it is a plain bloodbath. I have been hunting the northern WI woods for about 40 years or more, and I have never seen nothing like this. In my area, it is supposed to be buck only, but then you find out kids can shoot up to 2 or more in these areas, in which the adult usually pulls the trigger. We also have youth hunt in the start of the rut as well. Previous to this fiasco, the DNR issues as man doe tags as anyone cared to buy.

We need to be able to shoot wolves, (legally), and actually make it buck only for everyone, and end all of the special youth hunts and the likes in these northern areas. Only then will we get our herd going in the right direction.

Generally, what we are seeing is the parent taking the kid out during the rut to sit on a bait in the early youth season, where they end up filling a tag during nice weather, regardless of who actually is pulling the trigger. Then during the regular season, they do not come out unless it is to road hunt with the remaining youth tag, which is good for either a buck, doe, or fawn. There's something amiss in the State of Wisconsin and if it keeps going in this direction, I think hunting as most of us older folks knew it to be will die on the vine.

Amen and right on!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our only hope is the CWD areas expand and the baiting is BANNED as is the doe for youth when I was kid and my grandpa took us out........guess what? BUCKS ONLY we learned how to hunt and patients and allot woods lore and how track and HUNT. Wisconsin lost that with LAZY HUNTING and filling tags not hunting. INSTANT GRATIFICATION SOCIETY.........

[44man]

I found where the deer are and trails look like RR tracks. I watched a bunch come out but too far for my revolver. I set up there but the only one that came was so small my boolit is larger then her head! I waited until dark with nothing else showing.
There was a lot of shooting yesterday too. The deer are here, we have no wolves or yotes.
So bad to hear the tree huggers up north control the gov and DOW.
My friend in VA has seen yotes and he has not killed a deer yet. Same problem.
Varmints need control too.
Here in WV, yote season is all year and there is a night hunting season with night vision. No limit.
Money is the key up north. if there was not a single license sold, they might listen. I know it would be hard to give up hunting for a year but it would cost the state dearly.

[Hickok]

44 man, WV Black powder season tomorrow. Another chance for meat in the freezer.

I believe a lot of the shots fired on the last day are hunters burning up some ammo as a last hurrah before next year. Before loading up and leaving the stands, blinds or hooking up the camper and going home, they fire some shots as a finale.

[Win94ae]

Last night I was walking back from where I was waiting to ambush deer, and I got surrounded by 5 or so deer. There was a real nice buck too!
I know right where to wait tonight.

[dragon813gt]

It's Sunday so hunting is closed today. I personally like it this way even though it's one less day I can hunt. I took my dog on a good long walk. We kicked up a nice 8 pointer and two fat does. We were a good 2.5 miles back from the road so they are around. The buck might have been more than 8 but he was moving and I can only assume from the size and spread.

[Idz]

I usually get a half dozen deer in the backyard every day. They commute through the backyard canyon between the National Forest and the Golf course. In the backyard I can walk within 20 feet of them and they don't mind but you don't see any deer if you hike up into the forest. I think they have figured out where the safe areas are.