wfmiller

I've gone 9 straight days now without seeing a deer, on private land. So if other people get a longer season for not seeing deer for a week then I want it also.

My first buck I doubled lunged at 25 yards with my shotgun, he went 20 yards before I saw one single drop of blood. 20 yards later he finally started really bleeding, spraying blood everywheres. I looked down the hill and he was standing there looking at me. He then went down the hill a little farther out of sight. I walked down there and he had laid down next to a log and expired. You are right, it's amazing how each situation is different.

I agree! How it is safer to have to spend more time looking at the deer and worrying about how many points he has? That whole argument makes no sense at all.

This year has been tough. I've gone a week now without seeing a deer, my dad has seen one in the last 10 days. Biggest thing around us is that no one is hunting anymore, so the deer aren't being bumped at all anymore. The deer we have are bedded down by daylight and don't move until after dark. It's getting frustrating but we just keep going out there day after day.

You are making my point, thank you!

Mississippi was the first state to have AR's after 10 years the average size of the bucks went down. Common sense, if you shoot only big deer you shoot the genetics out of the herd.

I passed twice this year on the same buck because of the shots. The first time he was 37 yards quartering away but there was a chance I would have hit a branch. The other time again quartering away but at 30 yards and there was some weeds in front of his body, so again I didn't do it. More people need to make them smart decisions.

I can understand 30 minutes before daylight, I can understand maybe an hour if you are hunting public land, but 2 hours before daylight. No way am I going out there and sit at 4 am, I'd rather wait till 7 and come in in the daylight. Me I get in stand 10-15 minutes before daylight.

I can't believe no one else pointed this out, but that doe had no idea the smell is coming from up in a tree. To her it's right there on the ground.

I'll listen to the forecast after 5 pm Friday, until then it will change. Since noon yesterday I have seen forecast saying lake effect snow for Friday and Saturday, then not 5 hours later they said no snow until Sunday into Monday. Then I heard it was gonna rain all day on Saturday and how windy it was gonna be. Now the forecast is saying rain for a couple hours and winds gusting to 25 mph. That's it, 25? Just this last Friday it was blowing almost 50. Saturday is gonna be a cake walk it sounds like compared to this last Friday.

I'll take the layers and tight muscles over t-shirts and bees while in the stand.

Why is cold not conducive to bow hunting?

That's why I said not always.

I said die hard bowhunters, meaning the guys that only use bows.

Make an adjustment. If you have the ability to get closer then do it, or you can just sit and watch and something will eventually come your way, of course it might take a while.

That's a great buck, I wish my big bucks would come out in the daylight.

AR's don't work and that is proven for one. My problem with earn a buck is that some people don't get shots at does. Where my dad and I hunt we haven't had a shot at a doe since 2014, so if we don't take whatever buck we can, we get nothing. So far this year I have seen one doe, at 100 yards. Although I will say this. The areas that have lots of does where the DEC has been begging people to shoot them and they won't, yes I think earn a buck is perfect in those areas. You see guys say that's all they see but they won't shoot them, well make them if they want a buck. If we had does like that around here I would have no problem with it, but we don't.

Really what's it matter? If they get downwind of you, your busted either way. Well not always, but most of the time. I've noticed any difference in it. Like people worry about their scent walking in, why? Within 20 minutes of walking in your scent is no longer left where you walked.

I hunt just 5 minutes down the road. So pretty close to behind my house.

There is no doubt you know more now of deer never being found because of social media. Also to add to the bad shot placement I think some of the blame could simply be bad tracking skills. I know guys that couldn't track an elephant if they were sitting on it. I think a lot of people think if they don't see blood or hair right away then they think they have missed. So I think it's a combination of things that lead to a lot of deer not being found.

You have no idea that was a bad shot. Maybe he hit a twig he didn't see or a leaf or maybe the string just caught his coat a little and messed up the arrow.

I just get dressed at home, much easier.

I bow hunt and I love it. I gun hunt and I love it. I am just a deer hunter, period. The mightier then attitude bow hunters have is called the New York State Bow Hunters Association. Those are the guys with the attitude, not bow hunters in general.

Shortened gun season is something the die hard bow hunters want. They want the bow season extended. Every time I read about I see that same thing said. I love bow hunting, but things are going just fine right now. If you think the season is to long and you don't like hunting it that long, then stay home and leave the rest of us alone.

Man, people actually lose those things while hunting? I have had the same back tag holder for 27 years. My dad bought it for me my very first hunting season and I still have it today.