Things are feeling mighty lonesome out there

[Doc]

I wonder if the deer even know there's a deer season going on. Things are really quiet out there. Where are all the hunters pushing deer around? It seems that if there are actually any hunters out there they are all sitting (or sleeping) out there sitting at the base of a tree. I suppose the deer are all doing the same thing......lol. Nothing moving.

What's it like where you're hunting? Are you seeing or hearing a lot of hunters this year? I've heard more shooting when only small game season was open.

[GreeneHunter]

Opening day I only heard 3 shots in the distance , pretty quite if you ask me !

[airedale]

The shots fired in my neck of the woods have been few and far between in recent years, years ago there were shots to be heard somewhere off in the distance on a regular basis.

No hunters ? No deer? Dont't know for sure but I would bet there are a lot fewer hunters.

Al

[luberhill]

Yea seems like the cars parked at the normal places are few and far between,

 There’s a farm next to my property that a group of 5 guys hunt , I saw one truck there this year and only a few days.

  I hunt alone 5 different properties and I have those to myself , but I didn’t hear many shots

 I’m pretty much done , two nice does in the freezer , the buck I shot and didn’t find till early the next morning was torn up by coyotes , made me sick …

 Wife pickled two hearts , I cut up two livers for dog treats ,,, 

I may still go out for fun , there’s one nice buck I was trying to target and he’s still alive so …,

[landtracdeerhunter]

If the hunters, that are out there are not seeing deer, won't hear the shots. I know for a fact here, deer went more into cover, the last few days of crossbow.

Another fact is more hunter oriented people are purchasing properties, land to hunt on, thus reducing the amount of vehicles on and along the roadways.

Not as many hunters, maybe,; but the style of hunting has changed for sure.

[Doc]

I have noticed big changes in hunter participation. It seems that opening day is the whole season for many hunters. Even opening day seems to be a 1/2 day event. If this trend continues, we may see gun season resembling bow season conditions as far as un-spooked deer. Right now we have enough people to send the deer into a survival mode, but not enough people to keep them on their feet.

The other change in hunter activity is the popularity of tree stands and the high-tech winter clothing. Guys hunker down in their stands and never move. Meanwhile the deer hunker down in their safe spots and they don't move either. Nobody is walking and forcing deer to move. That will make good hunting days sound real quiet too.

 

[Four Seasons]

Very quiet down on Letchworth this year. They all come and go but opening morning only counted 27 trucks on my drive in. The park road is 17 miles long. Shots were few and far between. They smarten quick and head to that hell hole of a river bottom. 

[Shoots100]

Was looking to head up to the cabin this evening, but it's already snowing and a foot or more of the stuff is expected, so I'm going to call the farmer that plows the driveway to see how bad it is before heading up.

I enjoy still hunting in the snow, so I decided to stay an extra day,  but it bit me in the ass last Friday as I was expecting a couple of inches of snow, but ended up stuck shoveling snow for three hours and my back is still feeling it.

SJC

[Daveboone]

Remember the days of seemingly bumper to bumper traffic , cars and trucks filled with orange clad hunters on 81 and the thruway? Opening morning, I didnt see any, and darn few vehicles in all the old road side parking places. When either northern tier or southern tier opening day came around, those were the days by far most hunters got out. 

Now, i know few hunters who arent multi season hunters...Bow, ML, regular season....Bow season for most now means crossbow, ML is modern inline. Effectively, people start hunting in september.  I was very surprised last week end to go through a DEC traffic stop in the north country, southern Jefferson county. First game stop I had seen in probably 30 years. I was glad to see them, but at the same time I wanted to know why they didnt have it a month earlier, when the camps were way more full. Darn few hunters out at that time (last week end). 

[Doc]

10 minutes ago, Daveboone said:

Remember the days of seemingly bumper to bumper traffic , cars and trucks filled with orange clad hunters on 81 and the thruway? Opening morning, I didn't see any, and darn few vehicles in all the old road side parking places. When either northern tier or southern tier opening day came around, those were the days by far most hunters got out. 

I remember when I was a kid waiting for the school bus and hearing what sounded like a war down through the valley.

I remember sitting on stand 3/4 of the way up the hill watching the highway down below. It looked like a snake of headlights going south on opening morning.

I remember the orange suits seemingly everywhere. 

I remember being able to track the progress of the deer groups just by the shots across the hill.

I remember areas of the hunting spots where there were several hunters visible all at once.

I remember some of those big drives that neighbors would put on that kept deer moving all day long.

I remember knowing deer were coming just by the advancing pattern of shots.

I remember having opening days off from school as an excused absence.

I remember my hunter safety course being held in the school bus garage. (imagine that!)

I remember State parking lots being filled up with cars lining the sides of the road because there was no room to park.

I remember our driveway being full of hunters cars. 

I remember the large groups of us hunters gathered every Monday morning at work talking about the deer we saw or got.

I remember seeing all the deer hanging from trees in the yards.

I remember the deer that were proudly strapped on the cars instead of hidden in the beds of pick-up trucks.

I remember when posted signs were a rare sighting. All the land was open and farmers were damned glad to see you.

I remember when during Thanksgiving get-togethers the primary discussion was all about hunting adventures.

I remember when hunting leases that locked up huge areas were unheard of.

I remember when so many of my hunting spots didn't have houses on them like they do now. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oh gosh, these memories just keep flooding back into my 80 year old brain. They are remembrances of times when hunting reigned supreme in the rural areas. Times change, and not all changes are for the better.

 

[airedale]

6 minutes ago, Doc said:

Times change, and not all changes are for the better.

You got that right Doc!

Al

[luberhill]

I remember Grumman boats in Marathon closing the whole first week of gun

 Also remember Thanksgiving morning bring a big hunt day…this morning I saw no parked cars and heard no shots

[New York Hillbilly]

6 hours ago, Doc said:

I remember sitting on stand 3/4 of the way up the hill watching the highway down below. It looked like a snake of headlights going south on opening morning.

I was just telling my new (this year) hunting buddy the same memory.

I also remember being a little kid, watching and listening in awe as my uncles talked, told deer stories, and laughed while hanging deer in the garage.

I remember the fire being lit in me at such a young age to be able to join their hunter ranks.

I remember spending hours laying on my grandparents living room floor, reading Field and Stream, and Outdoor Life magazines, with my feet under the end table, keeping them warm by the air blowing out of the register, dreaming and wishing for me to get old enough to go hunting. There was no such thing as youth season back then, and for me the wait only fed my interest and desire for the day to come. 

I remember my uncles taking me target shooting every now and then before I was old enough to go hunting. I remember them teaching me about firearm safety, and telling me many times if they ever caught me doing something they thought was stupid or reckless with a firearm in my hands they would kick my ass and wrap the gun around my neck. And, I never doubted for a minute their love for me, their concern for my safety and those around us, and the reality that they would make good on their words. They kept me on the straight and narrow.

(With me now 65 years old, I remember my uncles who are long since passed, with every approaching deer season, and every time I go hunting.)

I remember walking to the armory in Utica when I was 14 to take my hunter safety course, and how proud I was walking home with my card saying I passed. I remember then buying my first hunting license. 

I remember my youngest uncle taking me to buy my first rifle, a Winchester .22, from a gun shop in Waterville, NY, and then letting me pay him back by working every weekend cutting insulation board for the roofing company where he was employed. 

I remember my first opening day of deer season with them, and every day they took me after that. 

I could go on and on. So many memories. 

On Thanksgiving day, I’m thankful for them.

 

 

Edited Thursday at 10:55 PM by New York Hillbilly

[bugsNbows]

I remember what Doc remembered.
 

My wife and I made our last (probably) trip up to hunt. I only saw 4 bucks the whole week… my wife did not see any. Had a nice 8 but could not get a shot. Did bag a little 6 so at least we brought meat home. The prep, drive and work all week about did us in. Too damn old I guess. The end of an era.

[Daveboone]

I remember wearing two pairs of jeans over cotton Kmart long underwear, two pairs of socks in Kmart rubber boots...with bread bags over my socks to help me slide my feet in and keep dry...Wearing dads thoroughly worn out wool coat and Filson style hat....a bandolier of slugs (always lost half of them by the end of the day). 

[First-light]

First time I hunted Thanksgiving. I can remember my buddies saying its like opening day all over. I heard Maybe 5 shots all day. Not good. 

[JJBat150]

21 hours ago, Doc said:

 

Oh gosh, these memories just keep flooding back into my 80 year old brain. 

 

I'm only 53 and have a lot of the same memories.  

Hunting in my area (8J) sure has changed. 

I'll admit yesterday was the 1st Thanksgiving morning in years that I didn't hunt, hope I didn't start a new tradition...

[Doc]

Are we seeing the demise of hunting. Oh I'm not talking about in a few years, but I have to wonder about a few decades from now. There definitely is a trend going on and it ain't good.

[Doc]

I think there are deer out there that don't even know there is a gun season in progress. My wife tells me that we had deer on our front lawn this morning (of course I was up on the hill). What the heck is going on? This is Saturday, there should be all kinds of pressure and hunters and gun shots going on out there. I haven't even heard a shot in the whole valley today. 

[GreeneHunter]

Went out at Oh-DarkThirty this AM .... Heard one shot off in the distance and no Deer ! The Times they are changing ! Still enjoyable to be out here !

 

[First-light]

On 11/29/2024 at 2:34 PM, Doc said:

Are we seeing the demise of hunting. Oh I'm not talking about in a few years, but I have to wonder about a few decades from now. There definitely is a trend going on and it ain't good.

We try to introduce as many kids as possible up here. Had a 14 year old get his first buck. Here is something to ponder. I'm leaving my place to my two Daughters, I'm 61 and need a will. One hunts the other doesn't but has shown interest. I will have in my will that the cousins that hunt up here all still get that right when my kids own the place. Again in place I want my Niece and her husband have right of first refusal if the kids decide to sell. I want hunters here. I don't think my girls will sell but you never know. 

[landtracdeerhunter]

Promote the sport, and it will continue. Change it will,  but it's up to we the hunters, to keep the tradition alive.

My best bow season yet; no deer harvested but my grand children sure learned a lot. They read the basic hunting course on line. Then I was honored to give instruction in the field. Best part was, they didn't  know the second part of the coarse was being taught. Hopefully, they will continue to learn, as I ; through out their hunting experiences.

[DirtTime]

10 hours ago, landtracdeerhunter said:

Promote the sport, and it will continue. Change it will,  but it's up to we the hunters, to keep the tradition alive.

My best bow season yet; no deer harvested but my grand children sure learned a lot. They read the basic hunting course on line. Then I was honored to give instruction in the field. Best part was, they didn't  know the second part of the coarse was being taught. Hopefully, they will continue to learn, as I ; through out their hunting experiences.

It's hard to promote hunting in NY. They make it to hard for us to buy the items needed. When you need a background check for a ML there's a problem.

I was talking to an acquaintance last Summer who said he's no longer hunting in NY because of all of the latest gun laws. He's not alone, not only are hunters going elsewhere to buy ammo they are going elsewhere to hunt. Thought being they will no longer support a state that doesn't support them. Right or wrong I see the validity in those who feel that way.

 

In my area of the lower ADK's there were a fair amount of hunters out for the regular season on public land. There's also a good population of pheasants in the area so archery season was a PITA because of the guys hunting birds emptying their shotguns at flying birds. This was the first season I can remember in my life I left the woods during a bow hunt because of not feeling safe to be out there with other hunters.

[First-light]

Took a ride through a road in Roscoe where I had a house years ago. Down the road is 15,000 acres of state land. This place was packed 30 years ago. Plenty of room to park trucks and RV's off the road. When I drove through those palces don't exist anymore. The forest has grown right up to the road. I don't know what hunters do with their vehicles. Its a shame the DEC doesn't maintain those spots to hunt or hike. 

[suburbanfarmer]

2 hours ago, First-light said:

Took a ride through a road in Roscoe where I had a house years ago. Down the road is 15,000 acres of state land. This place was packed 30 years ago. Plenty of room to park trucks and RV's off the road. When I drove through those palces don't exist anymore. The forest has grown right up to the road. I don't know what hunters do with their vehicles. Its a shame the DEC doesn't maintain those spots to hunt or hike. 

No one wants to group hunt state land..no more deer drives
Everyone wants to be a social media celebrity