VERY little shooting going on lately

[Uncle Nicky]

Just curious, sort of a survey, if you will....

I hunted opening day & all day yesterday at my camp in Allegany county/9P. I've had this land for 8 years, and haven't missed an opening day yet.

My question/observation-it seems like every year, I am hearing fewer & fewer shots on opening weekend. The first few years, it sounded like the Civil War, shots from all directions, all day long. This weekend, a fair amount of shooting Saturday morning, from about 7:00-9:00, and a little shooting right at dusk. Sunday morning, a few shots in the morning, and a few at dusk. Only an occasional shot in the late morning/early afternoon. I was a little surprised, it was perfect weather (IMO), and my camp is surrounded by state land/public hunting.

Any theories on why this is? Lower hunter turnout? Less shots needed because people are using rifles instead of slug guns? More people archery/muzzleloader hunting? Are people just waiting to hunt the long Thanksgiving weekend instead?

Your input is appreciated.

[Doc]

Just curious, sort of a survey, if you will....

I hunted opening day & all day yesterday at my camp in Allegany county/9P. I've had this land for 8 years, and haven't missed an opening day yet.

My question/observation-it seems like every year, I am hearing fewer & fewer shots on opening weekend. The first few years, it sounded like the Civil War, shots from all directions, all day long. This weekend, a fair amount of shooting Saturday morning, from about 7:00-9:00, and a little shooting right at dusk. Sunday morning, a few shots in the morning, and a few at dusk. Only an occasional shot in the late morning/early afternoon. I was a little surprised, it was perfect weather (IMO), and my camp is surrounded by state land/public hunting.

Any theories on why this is? Lower hunter turnout? Less shots needed because people are using rifles instead of slug guns? More people archery/muzzleloader hunting? Are people just waiting to hunt the long Thanksgiving weekend instead?

Your input is appreciated.

This is not the first year that I have noticed what you are talking about. Each year has been getting quieter and quieter. Saturday we had the bulk of the shooting going on before it was even legal to shoot. Then it went very dead with only an occasional shot way off in the distance. Sunday was worse without even the early shots.

Theories? ..... Well, I'm never short on theories .... lol.

Theory number one: I'm thinking that hunters just are not as intense anymore. I think we have a lot of half-day hunters and then their hunting is done for the year. The lives of people are so damned crammed up with all kinds of competing activities and interests that they have to split their time up in a million different ways, and they just can't devote hours and days to any one activity anymore. I think the current license sales data shows that there are still a lot of people participating, but that doesn't reflect the level of intensity that they put into it.

Theory number two: Today's scientific development of cold weather clothing has promoted "sitters". Guys get on stand and that's where they sit for the whole day. So you've got deer all hunkered down with the hunters all hunkered down and they simply are not moving anything. So you get a little action as the hunters come in and boot deer out ahead of them, and then they all just sit there..... all day.

Theory number three: Maybe the equipment available now is so much more superior to what we've had in the past that more of those early shots are killing shots and these guys are just dragging their deer out and heading home. We have a lot more areas that are allowing rifles. Almost everybody has a scope on their guns.

Theory number four: Most likely it is a combination of all of the above and a few more that I haven't thought of.

[greensider]

7s was a shooting gallery sat then it fell way off the rest of the weekend

[HuntOrBeHunted]

I have been hearing more shot's before and after legal hunting hours than anything. And I havn't seen a single DEC in the feild this year. Normally i'll bump into 1 or 2 in a hunting season!

[Uncle Nicky]

Thanks guys. Any other thoughts?

[ants]

I hunted 9x Sat. and Sun. and noticed the same thing. A good amount of shots (fortunately one was mine) Saturday a.m. and a few late in the afternoon. Sunday almost none. I counted maybe six shots all day.

I think the switch over to rifles, around 5 or 6 years ago, has a lot to do with it. I notice that I hardly ever hear the barrage of shots anymore. Now its usually just 1 shot or sometimes 2.

I use to sit in my tree and laugh after hearing 5 shots.....wait for the reload.....and five more. LOL

[GreeneHunter]

I hunt 4H and there is a noticeable drop in shots over the years but the deer are still there ! I've seen alot less pumkin suits too .

[JR60]

I also have property in 9P , I counted 5 shots total on Saturday and two on Sunday , my thoughts the hunters are just not out there like they use to be....

[landtracdeerhunter]

Holy smokes, sounded like WW III here, both Saturday and Sunday. Maybe everybody come here, LOL. All hell broke loose at 6:43 am. Saturday. Now yesterday and today were pretty quiet, but blame that on those mean old companies not giving vacation time to every hunter. My son said he has never heard so many shots, as he heard in northern 9F, on opening.

[Doc]

Yesterday, I was out for quite a few hours and heard only one shot in the vicinity. Today, I just got back in, and so far have yet to hear a shot.

I often wonder what forms the different perceptions of a lot of shots versus an unusually few. The reason I am curious is that in region 9 in particular. Here in this thread we have 9X and 9P with reports of very little action and one report from 9F that is reporting a record high amount of shooting. I am not familiar with region 9, and I have no idea how close those WMUs are to each other, or any other feature of any of those WMUs that would cause so much variation, but those are complete opposite results. Perhaps 9F is closer to a city, or maybe for some weird reason there is more open land, or maybe there is something about the habitat that has more deer there, but it is a strange contrast in perception of activity.

[Uncle Nicky]

Doc- I'm basing my observation on past years hunting the same property. I/we saw the usual amount of deer movement/activity for opening weekend, but I noticed a lot less cars heading up the mountain to the state forest in the last few years, and I'm definitely hearing less shooting every year. I'm not complaining, we're still killing & seeing deer opening weekend, I'm just trying to see if this is a trend or just my old mind wandering......

[WNYBuckHunter]

I hear alot less than in the past. Its been pretty steady in my area the last few years though. I havent been down to the southern tier in a few years though.

[Doc]

Doc- I'm basing my observation on past years hunting the same property. I/we saw the usual amount of deer movement/activity for opening weekend, but I noticed a lot less cars heading up the mountain to the state forest in the last few years, and I'm definitely hearing less shooting every year. I'm not complaining, we're still killing & seeing deer opening weekend, I'm just trying to see if this is a trend or just my old mind wandering......

Yeah, that pretty much is where I am coming from too. I have hunted the same land for about 50 years, and lived in that area for a bunch of years before that. And yes, you do get a pretty good feel for the changes in the level of shooting.

I'm not saying that the shift to Saturday openers is having any impact, but I will say that that was when I first took note of the change.

[the blur]

Zone 3. WAR ZONE. Until it warmed up in the afternoon. Then a few shots here and there.

[tmdroc]

I hunted 9P on Saturday and the morning sounded like a war. The most number of shots I have heard in 15 years.

[JPP]

I heard plenty of shots in 8N Saturday and Sunday.

I filled all 3 of my tags over the weekend in about 4 hours of hunting, and was thinking the number of shots was higher than in recent years.

Maybe where you are hunting, the hunters weren't seeing many deer?

My friend has a camp in Alleghany county, and he said he sees a lot less deer now than 10 years ago.

Maybe where you are hunting, there aren't as many hunters as there used to be?

Edited November 20, 2012 by JPP

[Uncle Nicky]

I do know they are giving less doe permits in 9P than they were years ago, maybe that is a factor?

[hunterguy1961]

This is not the first year that I have noticed what you are talking about. Each year has been getting quieter and quieter. Saturday we had the bulk of the shooting going on before it was even legal to shoot. Then it went very dead with only an occasional shot way off in the distance. Sunday was worse without even the early shots.

Theories? ..... Well, I'm never short on theories .... lol.

Theory number one: I'm thinking that hunters just are not as intense anymore. I think we have a lot of half-day hunters and then their hunting is done for the year. The lives of people are so damned crammed up with all kinds of competing activities and interests that they have to split their time up in a million different ways, and they just can't devote hours and days to any one activity anymore. I think the current license sales data shows that there are still a lot of people participating, but that doesn't reflect the level of intensity that they put into it.

Theory number two: Today's scientific development of cold weather clothing has promoted "sitters". Guys get on stand and that's where they sit for the whole day. So you've got deer all hunkered down with the hunters all hunkered down and they simply are not moving anything. So you get a little action as the hunters come in and boot deer out ahead of them, and then they all just sit there..... all day.

Theory number three: Maybe the equipment available now is so much more superior to what we've had in the past that more of those early shots are killing shots and these guys are just dragging their deer out and heading home. We have a lot more areas that are allowing rifles. Almost everybody has a scope on their guns.

Theory number four: Most likely it is a combination of all of the above and a few more that I haven't thought of.

I think your # 2 is spot on same thing going on here in the south end of the state

[joe12]

In 4R there were way less shots in my area than normal, but this makes sense given that it was the first year of AR. Also, amazingly the first shot did not take place until legal hours. It is like a running joke with my group, we usually hear a shot when it is still ridiculously dark and no one could see anything without a flash light. Also, I still heard the guys that sound like they are hunting with a 20 round banana clip.

[accman]

In Port Jervis, all the clubs reported lower success rates. We do not hunt does, but this year out of 25 guys only 2 got lucky. We have a 3 on one side rule as a by-law, but we saw quite a few four and spikes. I think in our case, the acorn crop is just so abundant, that the deer go crazy all morning, hot and heavy, and just bed down wherever they want to, till 4, then have at it again. Last year, we had 9 on opening day, all huge bucks. We can say it was too warm, but 55 is really not that warm. The conditions were great. I can see having a problem like a noreaster on opening weekend just busting up all the patterns, but that's not the case. If it keeps up this way, (and I won't get out again till Saturday), we're just going to have to change our hunting habits of sitting all day. Especially if the guys this week haven't been seeing as many.

It's like fishing, fish ain't bitin, switch baits.

[tony m]

9x. Saturday some shots before 7am. 8:30, a decent number of shots. Rest of the day, practically nothing. And especially in the hollow I am in. Saw a spike around 300 yards.

Sunday, practically nothing. The most in the early again. Seems like the mother was shot not far from me and her little one passed in front. Just to small to take. Saw another deer later in the day at the top of the ridge about 500 yards. Got out of the stand around 1pm and stillhunted to where I saw a large top of a back moving in the new growth for a couple seconds. No tail and run so I think it was a buck who saw me first and walked away. Stalked to cut off at the pass but when I got there, no deer. Must have turned back where it headed back into the thick stuff.

Monday, had a doe and her little one start to come in but the wind had me right at them. I was aiming when they tailed off.

* * *

General comment.

Way less shooting than over the last two decades here. It's been about 8 years since there was plenty of deer. I think that is part of the problem here. We just don't have the number of deer that used to be here. The DEC is trying too hard in worrying about starvation when it is probably no way even near that. I haven't come across a local who talks about when the deer were starving and a lot died off.

I agree with some comments above. We have way more people in tree stands now. I am one of them. Getting older now so I am not working the woods anymore like I used to.

I disagree with the rifles making a difference because, well, there are practically no deer being taken. Up until a decade or more ago. The rail would have 5 to 8 deer hanging in the first two days. No we having one to two deer for opening weekend.

Doesn't matter about the weather. I just think there are less deer. And there have been no two dmp's for what, six or eight years now, am I correct on this?

Heading out for the last four days of the week. My hunting ends on Sunday so it's either get some meat or not.

Edited November 20, 2012 by tony m