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2009 Deer Season

JCTheGC

By JCTheGC,
in Deer Hunting

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Doc Proficient

Doc

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Bow season was a wipe-out. Some of that was because I had a specific buck that I had seen, and I spent most of my time after him in an area that I usually don't hunt, and it just didn't work out. Also, for some reason, the deer movement seemed to be a bit more nocturnal than usual so there wasn't a whole lot of opportunities anyway. I filled one doe tag in gun season.

And here comes the excuses:  I think everyone kind of agrees that the weather during most of gun season sucked. Warm weather and lack of snow really messed things up a bit.

I also noticed the same thing last year as I have noted in recent past years. The hunters have turned out to be not too reliable in terms of applying consistant pressure. What I mean by that is that the first half of opening day is fairly lively with a lot of shots heard around the valley and then it all shuts off. After that, there never seems to be the same level of hunter participation for the rest of the season. There is just enough to remind the deer that hunters are in the woods and that they should keep their movement nocturnal and sit tight unless somebody steps on them, but not enough to kick them out of their sanctuaries and up on their feet. There are some weird hunter patterns developing that makes it appear that not only do we have fewer hunters, but their dedication and enthusiasm has been slipping such that they are only part-timers. Even opening day, state parking lots begin to empty before noon. It's weird! I honestly believe that the nature of today's hunters is completely different from what I've seen in the past. Saturdays and Sundays don't really seem to be all that special anymore. I think there is more going on than just the much publicized downturn in hunter numbers. I believe that those that are left have lost an awful lot of passion and dedication for the sport. The result is that there are just enough to put the deer into their super-survival mode and tactics, but not enough to move deer. That at least is the observations from my little hunting area. I don't know if others are seeing the same thing.

At any rate, that is all the excuses that I can conjure up for a pretty dismal season last year. I'm not sure what I'm going to do different this year to make things come out a bit better. Probably the first thing I will do is to not be quite so darn stubborn with focusing on a specific deer during archery season. Time for a little reality check in that regard.

Doc

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burmjohn Newbie

burmjohn

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Doc - unfortunately I don't get enough time in the woods.  For opening rifle I always try to take off Monday, Tues and Wed.  So I am up there for 5 Days.  Then I usually get up there for another weekend or two with a Monday.  If I had the time available, I'd be up there the whole time!

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Doc Proficient

Doc

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Doc - unfortunately I don't get enough time in the woods.  For opening rifle I always try to take off Monday, Tues and Wed.  So I am up there for 5 Days.  Then I usually get up there for another weekend or two with a Monday.  If I had the time available, I'd be up there the whole time!

Yeah, I think we all get out as often as possible. It is possible that just the changes in today's lifestyle and the increased demands on our time is what has caused the changes that I am talking about. I fixed all that ....... I retired ..... lol.

Doc

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Doc Proficient

Doc

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Lol ..... Don't be wishing your life away. But I can verify that for the most part, retired life is great for a hunter and fisherman. I think in your case, a nice multi-million dollar lottery win would be just the thing.

Doc

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NYBowhunter Rising Star

NYBowhunter

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Heres a picture of my 1st deer I have taken off my property (4 pointer), took him the 1st half hour of the bow opener. I was setup in a stand of pines that overlook a bunch of appletrees. The deer come off the foodplots in the morning and make thier way up to the top of the mountain and stop by these appletrees on their way to bedding and viceversa at night. Caught him at 1st light. After that bowkill between gun and muzzeloader I let some 4 different young bucks walk and some 16 does pass. I'm also attaching a picture of a ten pointer I was after, but never saw him the entire season. Enjoy.

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NYBowhunter Rising Star

NYBowhunter

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No never did see him again. He is probably 10 yards from the foodplot when the picture was taken and must have been chasing does that night, I think I deleted the pictures but in time order before him was a picture of a doe, then him and after him was a younger buck. That is the beauty of the rut, you never know what you will see and I truely believe in trying to keep the does happy by feedong them well (foodplots) and they (bucks) will come. Case in point attached is a picture of an 8 pointer (185lbs. field dressed) my uncle took 2 years ago (1st time we hunted on my property) and out of 500-600 trail cam pictures I retrieved in 2008 I never got one pictures of this 8 pointer, but yet he came to the property looking for does. He was probably not a resident buk but may have come from far away looking for does that I had been keeping happy on my property.Enjoy.

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burmjohn Newbie

burmjohn

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Neat story.  That's a nice sized buck! Hopefully he knocked up a few of those does before your uncle got him :)  I am so excited to check out the trail cam pics in late sept / early oct! I hope we have a few nice sized bucks on the property.  This will be my brothers first year hunting deer, and I'd love for him to get something.  All this hunting talk has me thinking about hunting makes me feel like the season starts next week.

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NYBowhunter Rising Star

NYBowhunter

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Yeah checking the trail cam for pictures gets me all worked up, i act like a kid in a candy store. Nothing like sitting in the cabin with your laptop viewing pictures of deer that were on your property. Being into trail cams and foodplots it feels that I'm a part of hunting all year round, its all very exciting to me as well.You wait, now that you have your own piece of heaven, this addiction only gets better. Good luck to your brother John, hope he gets a big one.

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Doewhacker Newbie

Doewhacker

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Me- Six on bow opener and a doe the last week of bow

Wife- First deer ever..a doe and it was with the bow

Brother- Nice 7 with bow, nice doe with bow, and a real nice 8 with the rifle

The old man- O, for the first time that I can remeber

Over all a good season, didn't gun hunt at all except a little ML. I also got to see a Martin and an Eagle, nice perks to the year.

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Daveboone Proficient

Daveboone

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although I know there were alot of deer in both places I hunt, I only had one shootable deer within range. I took a 3 yr old 4 pt at my camp on the Tug Hill the week after thanksgiving. I was pleased, it was the first deer taken there since I bought it 4 years ago.

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Fairgame Newbie

Fairgame

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Saw plenty of deer during the bow season. This past bow season I saw more bucks than does which is out of the norm.  I was able to harvest an 8 point and a bear.  I did see 2 other 8 pointers, one was a basket 8 and the other was bigger than the one I got but I was already tagged out on my buck.  I dont even know how many spikes 3,4,5,and 6 pointers I saw.  One evening hunt alone I saw 6 small bucks all together from a spike to 5 pointers.  Gun season I saw small bucks and one evening it was really windy and at the bottom of the valley I saw over 30 does and fawns.  No doe tag!.Muzzle loader didnt see anything.

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