Sounds of Opening Morning

[BUCKANDAQUARTER]

I have hunted the same land for years. Every opening morning I hear the same guys blasting. From the one guy that always shoots about a half hour before legal, to the guy that empties his auto-loader at 730. Then there is the guy across the valley that always shoots once at 745. At about 830 the neighbor who sits about 200yards from me gets his opening day deer. Usually about makes me fall out of the stand. Sometimes I half expect a granade to come flying in. Just wondreing if anyone else can just about set a clock to the shots.

[TeeBugg]

When i use to hunt alleghany county...i could count on a handful of shots before i could barely see my hand in front of my face. Does that count lol

[ANTLERS]

There have been years when opening day by me sounds like the first scene in Saving Private Ryan,complete with artillery, But in the last few it has been some what subdued. I'm surrounded by all private land,I guess less people are hunting or the cut back in does permits in 3H is the answer.

[HuntOrBeHunted]

Boom ,, Bang... Bang ... Pop ,,.... BOOM..

 

 

Lol thats the sounds of rifle season 50 shots later there might be a deer down lol.

[Lever action]

I always hear a shot at about 6:30am,then around 7am the shooting gets real heavy then slows down about 8:30.After that just a few shots every now and then.Late in the afternoon it picks up again right till dark.

[burmjohn]

There have been years when opening day by me sounds like the first scene in Saving Private Ryan,complete with artillery, But in the last few it has been some what subdued. I'm surrounded by all private land,I guess less people are hunting or the cut back in does permits in 3H is the answer.

 

Opening morning still seems pretty active at least last year it was. 

[Culvercreek hunt club]

The first time I walked intoteh deer woods with my Father I was 8. That was 40 years ago. I have been there every season since. I hear shooting. The land we lease boarders about 2000+ acres of State land but the shooting is nothing like it used to be. I can remember years ago you felt like your head was on a swivel looking to teh sounds of the shots around you. I can remember state land and there were deer running every which way all day. Opening day. and then it turned into a desert.

 

After opening weekend I take a ride around the block when we head out for water and groceries and the state land usually doesn't have any cars parked there.

[Five Seasons]

I have hunted the same land for years. Every opening morning I hear the same guys blasting. From the one guy that always shoots about a half hour before legal, to the guy that empties his auto-loader at 730. Then there is the guy across the valley that always shoots once at 745. At about 830 the neighbor who sits about 200yards from me gets his opening day deer. Usually about makes me fall out of the stand. Sometimes I half expect a granade to come flying in. Just wondreing if anyone else can just about set a clock to the shots.

 

it seemed to be worse when it was a Monday opener. Tulley valley sounded like a war zone. But yeah you still hear the pre-light shots and the rifles too even though they're illegal in the valley. There is always a relative near me that scares me good too. Opening day is so different than the peacefulness of bow, but it's kind of fun because there's like 8 of us family members all out in the woods. I generally enjoy saturday night at the barn more than the hunt.

Edited November 12, 2013 by Belo

[ANTLERS]

Opening morning still seems pretty active at least last year it was. 

When compared to the mid and late 90'S, Its not as active as back then. I have a hunting club bordering me on one side and even their activity is decreased.

[landtracdeerhunter]

Not so much in my area, but on our other farm across the hollows, all hell breaks loose. It starts at crack of dawn and runs until the enemy surrenders. I believe they knock their telecommunications out, then their runways are bombed, LOL.

[jjb4900]

The first time I walked intoteh deer woods with my Father I was 8. That was 40 years ago. I have been there every season since. I hear shooting. The land we lease boarders about 2000+ acres of State land but the shooting is nothing like it used to be. I can remember years ago you felt like your head was on a swivel looking to teh sounds of the shots around you. I can remember state land and there were deer running every which way all day. Opening day. and then it turned into a desert.

 

After opening weekend I take a ride around the block when we head out for water and groceries and the state land usually doesn't have any cars parked there.

you just described the exact way I remember it......times have sure changed.

[GreeneHunter]

Its definately become quieter over the years , but there is always some clown shooting before legal time ... and it aint me !!!

[accman]

We get in early, bout 5:20 on opening day.  Everyone heads out the same time on the ATV's, and just the sound of all the ATV's warming up in the morning and all the BS flowing gets the blood boiling.  When we make it to the stands, we open the windows, set up all the gear you need close by, binocs, calls, food and drink, and then, in the darkness, you listen like you've never listened before.  Every sound could be one walking by.  Anticipation grows, could just about to make out something over there.  C'mon, let's go, look at the watch, 6:15, then bang, someone lets off in the distance.  We're on the walkies, "Alright, who had 6:15 in the pool?" 

Seems like it's getting earlier and earlier that someone shoots up a storm.  We don't shoot cause we've gotta be sure it's a six pt or better, but that's not the case with bordering properties. 

[Culvercreek hunt club]

We get in early, bout 5:20 on opening day.  Everyone heads out the same time on the ATV's, and just the sound of all the ATV's warming up in the morning and all the BS flowing gets the blood boiling.  When we make it to the stands, we open the windows, set up all the gear you need close by, binocs, calls, food and drink, and then, in the darkness, you listen like you've never listened before.  Every sound could be one walking by.  Anticipation grows, could just about to make out something over there.  C'mon, let's go, look at the watch, 6:15, then bang, someone lets off in the distance.  We're on the walkies, "Alright, who had 6:15 in the pool?" 

Seems like it's getting earlier and earlier that someone shoots up a storm.  We don't shoot cause we've gotta be sure it's a six pt or better, but that's not the case with bordering properties. 

 

Ever notice how right after that first shot there are others? Kind of like "oh hell he did it!"

[burmjohn]

Ever notice how right after that first shot there are others? Kind of like "oh hell he did it!"

 

Yup... 

[Nomad]

Where I hunt its small farm lots with large crops fields between ,not to many others close.

The first shot on our spot is usually mine..... Not 6 30 though. Last year it was my daughter.

My buddies text me, " what d u get? "

I replied that was Kathy shooting.

Figures ..... They'd reply. He like father like daughter. I did pick her spot .

[Jeremy K]

I hear the standard bangs and booms and it seems like every year, you hear that shot that sounds like a frigging cannon, makes you think "what In the heck is he shootin over there"

[steve863]

We get in early, bout 5:20 on opening day.  Everyone heads out the same time on the ATV's, and just the sound of all the ATV's warming up in the morning and all the BS flowing gets the blood boiling.  

 

 

That's one fond memory I have from opening mornings of yesteryear.  NO sounds of ATV's!  I know it will be hard for many to believe here, but hunters actually used to hunt on foot!  LOL  I guess it was somewhere in the 90's that hunters officially became lazy a$$es and needed motorized power to take them to where their feet used to.

[wooly]

My neighbor to the left usually starts blasting around 6am. The guy to my right will fire back about 5 minutes later.

The guy from 6 houses down the road waits untill 6:28am just to make sure he gets a round off before the guy from 6578 unloads.

A 5 shot volley errupts just before legal from my front porch.....

 

..... then we all hike into the woods and go deer hunting,lol

[NYbuck50]

This is the salmon river heard mentality. As soon as one guy casts his line, it doesnt matter if its a half hour early, everyone is is like "im goin!!"

Ever notice how right after that first shot there are others? Kind of like "oh hell he did it!"

 

[Culvercreek hunt club]

This is the salmon river heard mentality. As soon as one guy casts his line, it doesnt matter if its a half hour early, everyone is is like "im goin!!"

Duck hunting I have seen this before too.

[Five Seasons]

i think sometimes that some hunters are just shooting at a squirrel or something because they can't hold off. The 3 to 5 round volleys bother me because there are little to no fields. What the hell are you doing You either hit him good the first time or you're going to wound him or waste meat with the follow ups in the hardwoods.

[silent death]

I hear the standard bangs and booms and it seems like every year, you hear that shot that sounds like a frigging cannon, makes you think "what In the heck is he shootin over there"

my new 870 with the sst slugs sounds like a cannon

goin off i thought my 300 mag was loud lol not so

much anymore lol

[accman]

That's one fond memory I have from opening mornings of yesteryear.  NO sounds of ATV's!  I know it will be hard for many to believe here, but hunters actually used to hunt on foot!  LOL  I guess it was somewhere in the 90's that hunters officially became lazy a$$es and needed motorized power to take them to where their feet used to.

 

I'm in my 60's and I walk up the mountain all the time, except last year my family bought me a used quad and it's great not having to sweat on the walk in in the morning.  No one use to have any machines in my early years with my father and the old crew.  They were in their 70's and 80's and still walked all the way back to their stands and never complained one iota.  I use to drag my deer down by myself, till about 10 years ago when the guys said they'd help me with the quads.  Sure is a lot easier.  Last year when I shot the 7 pointer, I went up to where I parked, drove down to where he fell, loader him up (not that easy a task by yourself), strapped him down, a drove him into camp at night.  I gotta say it was a great experience, and all the guys helped off load, take pictures, and as always say "Nice, lucky shot!!"

Miss the old days, but it does have it's benefits.

Edited November 12, 2013 by accman

[Catskill Hunter]

That's one fond memory I have from opening mornings of yesteryear.  NO sounds of ATV's!  I know it will be hard for many to believe here, but hunters actually used to hunt on foot!  LOL  I guess it was somewhere in the 90's that hunters officially became lazy a$$es and needed motorized power to take them to where their feet used to.

They all used to use Jeeps and quads to get up the hills way back in my area of the Catskills, that's until the DEC stopped and fined all of them. This was in the mid 80's when it was more of a sport to drive the Jeep up the mountain than it was to hunt. It took a few years before everyone said the heck with climbing mountains and stopped hunting here. After some time the hunting improved because of it. Less hunters has made the herd grow, now there is a good healthy herd here, by me anyway, and I get more big bucks on my cameras than small ones now. Back in the day you were proud to shoot a spike.

 

It sucks to have to climb steep mountains to hunt at my age but the quality of bucks I see here keeps me motivated.