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I just want to wish everyone who are still out there, good luck. I am all packed and ready to head out to the West coast ( CA ) to visit my son and his family. My wife can't wait to see our two year old grandson ( he is a pisser) I want to see my grandson too, but I am also looking forward to do some ocean run steeelhead fishing. My son lives only one half mile from the American River, so my son and I fish every morning and take the family out the rest of the day.I won't be getting back till 12/20 and that's the last day, so, I am all done until next year. Good luck to all and be safe.

From what I have read here,next year should be wall to wall deer!

No snow here, but its 26 degrees out! Just getting ready to hop in the shower and head out. Im only gonna have a couple of hours this morning, then we are heading out to BPS in Auburn to take the kids to see Santa and cut down our Christmas tree at our favorite Christmas tree farm. Weve been doing the same trip for 4 years now, its kinda become our little tradition.

Maybe I'm not understanding the original post, but I don't see this as being anything peculiar for the seasons of the last bunch of years. haven't we all seen the season being primarily reduced to an opening day event (or maybe the opening two days)? I thought it was a pretty accepted expectation that every year hunters are becoming pretty much part-timers. Many show up for the first day, never to return again. Or perhaps in days after opening day, a few hunters show up for a few hours in the morning and then disappear at lunch time. Also, most of what few hunters that come out after opening day are strictly sitters with nobody moving deer. Meanwhile, once the trauma of opening day takes place, the deer remain in super survival mode as long as there is even one hunter in their area, and they remain sitting tight in their favorite sanctuaries. It has nothing to do with super heavy harvests, or coyotes, or diseases, or any kinds of deer deaths because when the following year rolls around, there are as many deer as ever (+/-). Let's face it, hunters are simply getting to be part-time participants with only a very tiny core of die-hard hunters (not enough to move deer). Not only are we losing numbers of hunters, but the dedication is waning as well. At least that is the way I have perceived recent hunter attitudes and participation in recent seasons.

+1 there,prayers to ya.

Two years ago I was driving to Webster . I got off Rt 104 going to Rt 250 . Across Rt 250 I saw a huge buck standing at the on ramp leading to North Ponds Park standing in the road . We used to see some nice bucks around the Xerox buildings . There are a lot of deer in the village of Webster !

Good job by another Webster man ! See the town where "Life is worth living" is also worth hunting ! One less I'll have to dodge driving around town....

Id gash my arm with the claw after I killed it.

Id shoot the freak!

Wooly I'm actually very glad you posted this because this is something that definitely left a mark and I wondered if other hunters had experienced something like it. I think if a hunter reads this thread he/she will have learned something valuable and the fact that we can use a negative experience and help other hunters avoid a similar situation is a good thing.

We can be buddies. Let me know when you buy a farm in iowa. Or if you have a boat.