Northcountryman

Excellent post , guess it couldn’t hurt to be a little more aggressive when other more conservative tactics aren’t working , right !!

I would be willing to trying some moving around if this lull continues , cuz, after all , it stand hunting isn’t leading to success currently , what do you got to lose? Maybe still hunt one spot and / or 1 man drive and then stand hunt another and switch off to vary it up

That , actually , Makes a lot of sense to me and a fair point , but , when if you blow them out and they change bedding locations ?

Yeah, No doubt . until the woods settles down after the opening weekend to Thanksgiving onslaught , it’s very difficult to be successful; unless , of course , You’re doing a drive or , Have knowledge as to where they’re holdin up during shooting hours . This years experience has Demonstrated to me , once again, the need for A solid scouting plan in the offseason!!

Yeah , this method specifically mentions that you intentionally walk upwind while driving to bump them and then circle back so, hopefully , they’re bumped but not highly stressed and don’t run away.

Yup , but problem is , getting enough guys together to coordinate a good drive ; hey , maybe we can set one up here !! Lol

Yes , I agree , if you’re gonna move around when they’re already spooked , you better have help to figure out where they’re runnin to.

Problem is , quite often, these cagey deer have multiple food sources , so , gotta figure out which one their currently using and set up there

Welcome to you !!

I was just reading some stuff on Google Unser deer hunting tips and came upon this ( what do you think ?): DRIVE SOLO Try a one-man drive if you're hunting alone. Purposely walk into an area with the wind at your back. The idea is to stir deer up and get them moving. Once you've passed through, make a circle and do it again. You might see confused deer creeping about, unsure of your location. If this doesn't work, take a position on the flank of the area you walked through and wait an hour or two. You might see deer sneaking back in, believing the danger has passed. This works in dense thickets that deer use for security cover. sounds kinda cool but don’t know effective it would be . I would maybe try this in certain areas , depending upon topography and cover , of course . Currently , with deer sightings significantly reduced due to hunting pressure , this pay be an option to stir up some trouble , but I wouldn’t use it blind ; only when familiar the parcel being hunted IMHO

Wurtsboro?

Lookin forward colder weather and maybe snow ; maybe that’ll shake things up a bit. Having said that , as of right now , only kind of hunting I’m comfortable with doing is stand hunting as I’m too worried about further spooking an already spooked deer herd . I know other hunters are more aggressive in their approach but to me , walking around trying to kick up deer that are already hunkered down and jumpy as hell is just gonna exacerbate the situation. If you know where they’re lying low already , Maybe a thicket Or swamp and want to go comb it , that’s one thing , but blind still hunting right now , I just don’t see working .

Oh yeah ? The doe inestrus urine spooked em?

I agree , definitely so right now , gotta take the pressure off for a bit and let them forget about us a bit . Deer are wary and quite formidable but they’re not Magical! Sooner or later , they’ll let their guard down again and that’s when you need to be there !!

I’ve thought of that but I wouldn’t still hunt now following all the pressure for the past weeks and a half ; I think that would just prolong the drought amd keep them Totally nocturnal For a longer period . Actually , I’m sure they’re still moving a little during the day but VERY little . Probably just shortnjaunts to get upnane stretch , take a whiz , etc . Then hunker back down again. Unless you have a piece of property REALLY well scouted and have a good idea where they’re hunkering down , still hunting would be a waste of time IMHO. I would keep rotating spots and keep the intrusion down to a minimum and let the woods settle down a bit then give it a go with either still hunting or stand sitting . Couple guys in my club are locked into such a routine right now that I swear , the deer have patterned them totally and they’re never gonna see shit at the rate they’re going . Every morning , same stand , sit till 9:30. , then back to camp for a nap , lunch , etc . , then back out to same stand again for the afternoon sit . Hell , you don’t have to be smart to figure that out lol. I am convinced that the pattern we’re seeing now (which happens every year post opening weekend , mind you and ALWAYS causes suppression of deer sightings) Can only effectively be hunted by either cheating ( ie deer jacking which is unethical as hell), or, using well coordinated deer drives ;the # of participants partaking Contingent upon the size of the parcel being hunted, of course . Back in the day , deer drives were routinely used but now , seem to be a relic of the past . Too bad cuz it quite often worked Very well.

I hear you man , same here . I agree w Rob-c and would rotate spots if you can . I hunted today in a spot I tried Saturday and didn’t see a damn thing ; however , did see some sign and moved my stand to what I feel like is a better spot and it’s all set . Won’t hunt that spot now , though till Saturday at the earliest , probably more like Monday . Instead , I’ll go up to camp and try some other spots . Biggest thing is to keep your spirits up , enjoy your solitude in your blind ( stand , whatever ) and don’t give up. Remember , you definitely won’t see deer if your sitting on your couch !!

Yes , I agree . If I’m able to hunt there tomorrow, I’m setup not too far from one of those spots I surmise to be a bedding area. I would like to take a pic but don’t wanna go traipsin around too much and alert them to my presence so , slip in to my climber and that’s that

Yeah? Ok , looking at the pics , I know the biggest tree was a hemlock and I think one of the smaller trees with the double split was as well . The smoothest bark trees I believe are beeches but not sure . Would that be 2 bucks then ?

Deer sightings are Definitely Few and far between currently , but , it’s bound to get better now . I think hunting pressure is greatest opening weekend and then steady till weekend after thanksgiving ; after that, gets better and you should see some deer again .

This area that he frequented ( or frequents if he’s still alive and kickin) is like, classic hunting magazine topography , I swear. Well , Maybe not In terms of food plots but bedding areas tree type and cover ridges , etc ., classic ! When you come Down off The high point , there’s a ridge line that he travels ( I would imagine other deer would also ) that’s fairly level and is about 2/3 up when comparing high to low ground . The trail meanders ina gentle gradual elevation change upward ( or downward depending upon direction of travel) and is the most natural gradual change in elevation that you can take . It’s perfect!! Also, wind directions typically blowing from SW come over the high point of the ridge in the direction of the road and drift down the slope . There are some lower slopes with evergreens patches that I envisioned him bedding down in facing downhill so he has his back covered with his nose and can see and hear danger from below and , to either side . Perfect setup .

I hope you’re right !! Gonna try again in the am and see if they’re a any other bucks around , and hey: maybe my buck isn’t dead after all!! Lol

Thank you , my friend , yes , I’m sure hoping that maybe the dead one was a cruiser and not THE one . so , I set my climber up in there today and will give it a shot anyway ; I mean , what can it hurt ? It’s be interesting to see what happens at the very least . My gut instinct , though , is that was the buck frequenting that area , but I’d like to see If there’s some other younger bucks around that show themselves as well .

Looks like it’s likely my buck that made all those beautiful rubs is dead ; DEC officer said he had a broken leg so , more than likely , struck by a vehicle at night or something . This was such a nice buck He likely intimidated all of the other smaller bucks in the area and are not likely to encroach upon his area , so I’m wondering: how long would it take one or more of them to figure out he’s gone and move in to his area?

Update : called DEC and officer came and inspected the carcass . She said buck had a broken leg so , it’s likely he was indeed hit and died and subsequently, town workers may have dragged him to that spot and removed the antlers . Who knows for sure , but again , what a shame . I’m wondering now though should I still try to but that Spot or is it a waste of time ? I’m sure other bucks would eventually , move into his territory but right away ? Doubt it

Just went over and turned him over ; absolutely was not hit and pretty sure he wasn’t shot either , rifle or bow . I wonder how and why he died then ? Old age ? There’s nothing coming out of his mouth indicating that hemorrhagic disease so idk. Ate something that made him sick ?