Bad start for anyone since opening day? Im doneee

[A6A6]

Hey all,.I was hunting up in 4R area and was quite disappointed this year. For the months scouting over the months leading up to season opener I thought I was in for a successful season. I was wrong. Three days before Saturday was the last image of a deer I had on my camera. I.thought the rut and cold would stir stir up daytime activity but I was wrong again. I did two 4 hour posts each day since Saturday, while hardly moving up in the tree and not to see other than a.few squirells. I'm very disjointed and discouraged. Im mindful and covering my scent, im hunting around food areas, and am careful and quiet while going in and out in the dark.

What an I doing wrong cause I'm about to quit. I'm real discouraged and let down abd quite frustrated. I didn't even see a doe.

[phade]

You can go from zero to hero fast in hunting. It only takes one encounter.

 

Try moving to the deer. Scouting with a stand on your back or track, or still hunt. Don't just wait for them to come to you in gun season. There are many ways to skin a cat or kill a deer. Relying on cams and standing are only two of them.

[ny hunter]

Thats just how it goes sometimes,I saw doe everyday did not see any antler.I have gone years with out a deer sighting.....Don'T GIVE UP IT WELL HAPPEN SOONER OR LATER.You well not see a deer if your not in the woods.........

[Water Rat]

I feel your pain ! That's why its called hunting and not shooting.

[A6A6]

I.understand everyone's point. I'm just very frustrated. I had higher than normal expectations this year and it makes it worse, I hadn't even seen a doe in the woods. Within 100 yards from my stand is thick briars and cover and a running creek and to the other side is 3 nice rubs presumed from a nice 8ptr or two nice 6 ptrs ive seen... wide 6pointers too.... also plenty of cuts from a recent logging trail and acorns .....

[A6A6]

Anyone else had similar situation this week??

[The_Real_TCIII]

Sometimes as gun season goes on I decide "screw it, I'm walking until I see a deer, whether it's a shot opportunity or not". I get tired of sitting in a tree for four hours seeing nothing. It's worked a couple times, when you bump one they typically stop to look back in gun range

[ny hunter]

This year I found scrapes that were getting hit...rubs everywhere and still have not seen an antler..............

[ants]

Saw two bucks opening day. One small and another that I just couldn't get a good shot on. The last 4 times out I haven't seen JS….But that can change in the blink of an eye.. Stay with it.

[fasteddie]

I saw 5 doe on opening day but nothing I could take a shot at . I was quite disappointed until my youngest son shot a beauty of a buck just before we were going to quit . I was in a blind Monday from near 6 am to 1 - 1:30 pm and didn't see a thing . Left before my car got snowed in where I was parked in a field .

My son's opening day buck

 

[steve863]

Some people put way too much thinking into hunting.  These days people plant food plots, set out trail cameras and use all sorts of other gimmicks and nonsense and then get disappointed when they don't see or kill ANY deer never mind the ones they saw before the season or caught on camera.  My advice is to go out and hunt hard if you want to kill a deer.  All this pre-season time and effort isn't worth crap if you don't put the time in when it counts.  I don't have any trail cameras and never hunted near a food plot.  I just pick-up my gun and put my boots on and go hunting.  The less I think and prepare for the hunting season, the more luck I seem to have.  Since 1987 I've had only one totally deerless season, so for me at least it's worked.

 

 

[Renegade]

I feel your pain A6, I havent' shot at a deer in the last 2 hunting seasons. It is very discouraging.  This year I have only been out a couple of times and have seen nothing. I have 2 places where I hunt,  one place there is only 6 acres of woods and the other place there is about 60 acres of woods. The problem is, there is 5 other hunters that bow hunt there fom Day 1 and by the time regular season starts the deer are non existent. Last year I decided to try hunting state land and had a real close call, it was the first time I heard a slug in flight, what a scary strange sound that was. Never again! Other people I hunted with quit and no longer hunt.  I remember a time where you could fill your tags within the first 2 weeks of opening season. I Thought about trying bow hunting to get an early start, But I'm getting too old to start something new, I will give this hunting season this one last try. Good luck to everyone out there and be safe.

Edited November 19, 2014 by Renegade

[fasteddie]

I found something that works ....

 

[DirtTime]

Giving up as a hunter is not an option. If you are a true hunter, you hunt, no matter what game and weather throw at you. If you don't see deer where they were, use that lunch break, leave the stand to do a little scouting. Go to them.

Deer do not cater to us, we have to cater to them. Deer don't run through the woods like an ice cream truck letting us know they are coming.

Get back out there! Move around, still hunt. Be patient. You never know what deer will do.

Hunters don't give up, no matter what we find a way to sort it out.

[Elmo]

I found something that works ....

I was thinking of buying one of those signs and planting it in front of my blind to encourage the deer to cross in front of me but I was afraid that it would be considered baiting.

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Edited November 19, 2014 by Elmo

[Culvercreek hunt club]

I can't get the concept of giving up, honestly. Let me make a suggestion to anyone frustrated with not seeing deer. Don't ever take a trip into the high peaks region of the Daks to  fill your tags. I have hunted seasons with only a view of a flag to show for it.

 

Adapt. If something has changed, go figure out what. If sitting in the same stands that have yielded no results has you down, do something about it. Change you tactics or wait it out and see what happens. In general deer population are far higher than when I hunted in my teens and early 20's. Maybe too good and we got spoiled.

[TopGun270]

I am also in 4R very similar situation I hunted 4 days hard all day long.. I sat and I still hunted I switched it up to see what will happen. Still didn't see really anything. No bucks from the cameras either. But I am not discouraged one bit. Hunting is hard it isn't easy or more will do it. You just got to keep your head in the game and put as much time in as possible because in a few weeks it will all be done and you wished you just hunted more trust me.

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[the blur]

_{I thought for sure with the cold, snow, rut,  I would see deer in the woods.     All I saw were deer driving up & driving home.   Not 1 deer in the woods.   And I froze my a$$ off.    I might go back out this weekend.  Maybe.}

[ny hunter]

Eddie please tell your son Congrats what a nice deer........Good for him....

[ididnotvoteforobama]

A6 , I hear what your saying. My whole bow season was as you described. Only saw 12 deer all of bow season, only 2 spikes and a 6pt.I was bummed just like you . Opening day of gun season, 8;15 , from my treestand,  I have a hot doe with a 10 pt in tow , I had to let the doe pass up wind from me at only 5 yds, hoping she wouldn't spook , she dragged that 10 into my lap. Took him through the shoulder and heart at 5 yds. Then 3 small bucks ran in under my stand before the 10 hit the ground , then they took off after the doe. 

Took a doe yesterday afternoon, amazing part is,  this took place in 9S, Allegany State Park, one of the hardest places to hunt. 6 other hunters in our group saw nothing in 5 days.

[Renegade]

 

 

Adapt. If something has changed, go figure out what. If sitting in the same stands that have yielded no results has you down, do something about it. Change you tactics or wait it out and see what happens. In general deer population are far higher than when I hunted in my teens and early 20's. Maybe too good and we got spoiled.

 

What has changed in my case is Development in the area and more hunters than that parcel of woods can take without creating too much pressure. I have known this the last few years, so it's my fault for not searching more  areas to hunt. I have hunted these woods when I first started hunting, so I guess it might be time to move on.

 

Edited November 19, 2014 by Renegade

[grampy]

If hunters were half as adaptable as deer, there would be a lot more deer killed.

[GreeneHunter]

Just enjoy the outdoors , then if you see a Buck........ BANG !

[Waldershrek]

Of course it frustrating not seeing deer, I don't know anybody that doesn't get frustrated. I could deal with that if I wasn't freezing my can off while not seeing any deer! 18-20 degrees with 15-30 mph winds sucks the motivation right out of me.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Of course it frustrating not seeing deer, I don't know anybody that doesn't get frustrated. I could deal with that if I wasn't freezing my can off while not seeing any deer! 18-20 degrees with 15-30 mph winds sucks the motivation right out of me.

 two words.........................Box blind.

Edited November 20, 2014 by Culvercreek hunt club