Worst year That I can remember

[noodle one]

This year was the worst that I can remember for seeing deer. I can't remember the last year that I didn't  get buck and most years two bucks ,one with bow and the other with gun. I can't remember the last year that I killed a doe because I didn't need to or want to. In pass years I would be over run with doe. This last week I made up my mind to take a doe and can not find one.  I am 70 years old and so that has been alot of years of deer hunting. I had years when I had to hunt hard to take deer, but I always manage to get my buck,not this year I can' even find a doe. The deer are there because there is sign in the wood, but it has to be night time movement because they are not moving during the day and if you push then out they are gone and not coming back. It only takes a few deer to make a lot of tracks so just looking for tracks is not always telling how many deer are out there.Deer sighting is the only way of knowing how many deer are out there. I also look for dropping as a sure sign.A lot of dropping means a lot ot deer. I know that I am not the only one who is having a bad year because I know there are other hunters out looking and not finding deer because there are no shots.

[MACHINIST]

Not our worst year(close for me) but the worst year for the deer to just shut off and leave my main hunting area.I was getting 100-125 pics a week on trail cam from 8-1 to around thanksgiving,then it was like someone threw a switch.I pulled my cams SD cards last night after a week sit and had 4-5 different pics of different deer all at night.This is the first year since I was old enough to hunt that I cant remember seeing a decent buck( good 8 or bigger),and I hunted my azz off!!This same farm the last 2 times it snowed I gave it a few days and walked the field edges to see where they were coming and going and saw minimal tracks for the area.

[ny hunter]

Not sure if this was the worst year,yeah it has been bad.

[landtracdeerhunter]

The snowfall, a couple Wednesdays ago drop the activity here. Never picked up again. Hoping to eat these words tonight.

[fasteddie]

This has been a crappy year for me also . Was seeing deer on the Trail Cam but for the past few weeks , it has been during the dark hours . I will be heading for Geneseo in the am with my 50 cal in-line . Just over a week left and then I can stay in where it's warm . 

[ncountry]

Worst for me, as far as bucks go..1st year in all my years of hunting that I will not have shot a buck..Unless i Luck out tonight or next weekend..You never know! Headed out back now!...

[GreeneHunter]

My freezer this year is empty , I didnt get out anywhere as much as I had hoped too !  Maybe I'll have some luck with the bow next week ! 6 DMP's down the tubes !

Edited December 8, 2013 by GreeneHunter

[gjs4]

QDM to the N-th and I will still say the worst year for sightings or quality bucks. Last year was above average and I think that makes this years below average hurt all the more....

 

Just sucks

[thphm]

They are out there, they have been bedded down most of the daylight hours.But not that many, thanks to all of the doe permits given out in previous years.Most are less then 2 years old.Only one 3 point on one side or better on the trail cam this year and that was during the beginning of bow season.I am a few years older then you but still out there every day weather permitting doing something.This is what I am seeing on my property.

[bubba]

This is the end of regular season here in the NZ.  This has been the worst for me in 25 years at least for seeing deer. They seem to totally shut off as soon as the nuts all fell from the trees.  A week of muzzleloading coming up starting tomorrow. l hope it is better as I can take a doe this next week. 

[BackWoods Hunter]

The snowfall, a couple Wednesdays ago drop the activity here. Never picked up again. Hoping to eat these words tonight.

This was my experience also. I was seeing deer every day until that snow fell. I took a shot at a buck and missed before the snow fell and even told my buddy that I knew I didn't have to worry because I had been seeing plenty of deer and I knew I would have another shot. Boy was I wrong. The woods just got real quiet after that.

Edited December 8, 2013 by BackWoods Hunter

[crappyice]

Tough to tell for me... I SUCK every season!

[hrvat]

deer sign galore this year,the most i've ever seen i'd say...just didn't actually see any animals....

 

 

tons of scat and tracks ten feet from where i was sleeping,when i went to bed there was nothing...that sucked,it sure gave me some false hope though!

 

 

[cdmckane]

I had my worst regular season ever. Only one doe. Here's hoping the late season is better to my freezer.

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[PREDATE]

I didn't see as many quality bucks as last year. They duped me all bow season long, but I know they're still in there. Next week the bow comes back out and I'm gonna rain holy hell on em!

[Dom]

Deer season very crappy here.Guess I will be eating some road kill if they are in my way on the road. lol

[bowslinger]

not so good for me saw 3 days during bow season one did get a free ride in my jeep and has temp space in my freezer  saw 4 does and a spike during gun cant wait too get back to squirrel hunting

[landtracdeerhunter]

Deer season very crappy here.Guess I will be eating some road kill if they are in my way on the road. lol

 

Had a chance last Friday night. Slammed on the brakes and had 7 cross in front of me at 8:50 pm.. Herding up.

[Zag]

Bow was fine, passed a lot up. Gun I've seen one buck and have had only two opportunities at doe's. Its deff been a frustrating gun season. If I were to take a pole from people ive talked to it would be about 50-50 on success vs not seeing much.

[Dom]

Big foot must be eating them.lol

[BUCKANDAQUARTER]

Along with the cougars....

[BUCKANDAQUARTER]

It has been a 50-50 here. Nothing during reg. Very hit and miss on success stories around here. No real slammers though. .

[SchrnLker]

I'd like to through out a few ideas on why guys had such a tough season.  First, the rut.  I went back to Alsheimers rut prediction in the Oct. Deer & Deer Hunting Mag. Now looking back on it is pretty interesting.  He called for a trickle rut, spread out from late Oct through almost all of Nov, and that's what we had.  No real intense periods, which makes for hard hunting.  Now, many big bucks were taken this year. If you have a Facebook Acct. look at the postings on the NYS Big Buck Club page, wow, it will blow you away. But in a trickle rut year you really had to be in the right place, right time, which those guys and gals were.  Another factor, food.  You guys remember how rainy it was this spring, almost into mid summer.  That created very lush, nutritious feed deep in the woods.  Years like this are always tough when deer, particularly bucks don't have roam for food, its everywhere.  They still hit the fields, but mostly at night.  (Sound familiar)   My last factor could be a little controversial, trail-cams.  While I admit, it's the coolest thing to get pictures of those big bucks that live in the areas that we hunt, I wonder how many times these bucks have US patterned, especially if we are not really careful on the frequency that we check our cams, and the scent we leave behind.

On a more optimistic note,a trickle rut doesn't happen two years in a row, so all those bucks that you didn't get this year will be real big next year!!!

[the blur]

With the 2 recent snowfalls, I'm seeing a lot of tracks.   I have no doubt the population is doing OK.   They just have been smarter than usual this year.

[HectorBuckBuster]

I filled my buck tag with a bow and filled 3 of the 4 DMP I received. I shot a big doe second day of season, shot another one yesterday and got one today about 3:00 hunting the standing corn field. So not a bad year here, yes it seemed like deer where harder to find, I just had to do a little walking.