Possible Reasons for a Bad Gun Season?

[nyantler]

Oh yeah.. a little luck now and then doesn't hurt either:)

 

[irish_redneck]

I had a great season as far as enjoyment, yet disappointed in the lack of time I could get out there and the space in my freezer.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

My season wasn't poor... but it would be soooo much better if the DEC changed the seasons to not make it 4 weeks of slaughter, part of which typically is in the active part of the rut. 

 

 

JFB, where are you hunting? I have not heard 12 shots in the last two weekends at camp. (There was none on Saturday and only 3 on this Sunday Those 3 shots were the same guy.). I Hunted this past Friday and Thanksgiving morning at home. number of shots are way down. Saturday night I went to the bordering state land parking areas where my camp is. Not one fresh car track in the parking areas and wee still had snow. 2,500 acres that is barely getting touched.

[philoshop]

Let's not discount basic deer behavior. While compared to humans they are for the most part 'unthinking' creatures, they are extremely aware of their surroundings and extremely adaptable to any changes. They walk around trying to stay alive all day every day and they're pretty good at it. We walk around in their area a few times a year to amuse ourselves and pursue our hobby. More often than not they win this game. I'm not convinced it's an issue of population.

[Doc]

I completely understand what is meant by "a bad season". Everything is relative. I have had good seasons and bad seasons. Yes, some are better than others. I don't have any magic that can produce deer that aren't there. I don't claim any mystical powers or hunting prowess that exceeds Daniel Boone's .... lol. So unfortunately I am at the mercy of whatever is put before me. And some years that will be more opportunities, or certain levels of luck when everything simply comes together. My good and bad seasons are the product of some internal measure of success, and yes, I am out there to get a deer or two. When that don't happen, I am having a "bad" season. It doesn't happen very often, but I do remember a couple. I have also had some very exceptional seasons also. They all average out to a very satisfactory life of hunting. That's all I really ask of something that is simply recreation.

[Northsox65]

I had a pretty good year as per deer in the freezer, however my Sitting in the stand to actual deer seen is like 60 hrs and over 12 days hunting to only seeing 5 deer. The problem I have is not enough hunters to move the deer around. Fathers do not take kids out and the hunting tradition is rapidly dieing off. If I see a deer in the woods it 100% luck because there are miles of hardwoods and they travel wherever they want, I have just been lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time for the past 40 yrs.

[phade]

JFB, where are you hunting? I have not heard 12 shots in the last two weekends at camp. (There was none on Saturday and only 3 on this Sunday Those 3 shots were the same guy.). I Hunted this past Friday and Thanksgiving morning at home. number of shots are way down. Saturday night I went to the bordering state land parking areas where my camp is. Not one fresh car track in the parking areas and wee still had snow. 2,500 acres that is barely getting touched.

 

He's alot closer to you than you'd guess, lol.

 

We are lucky to hunt a couple parcels that border non-hunting areas. It is a curse and a blessing. That said, the number of shots are way down for me overall.

 

However, one day, me and Moog were sneaking in to hunt a group of buck beds we found that were hot, hot, hot. I mean, we were just as excited as could be. Imagine our surprise when the neighbor had 15 people doing a drive next door to us. 75+ shots in 45 minutes. We couldn't even get to the bedding area because of the drive's design - we'd have been going into fire. Bad luck, I guess. I was impressed with the drive. It was well conducted. Sightings have disappeared there and the bordering property that is non-hunting is thriving with daytime bedding activity.

 

 

Edited December 8, 2014 by phade

[Culvercreek hunt club]

He's alot closer to you than you'd guess, lol.

I could see where it says he is but didn't know where he hunts.

[Two Track]

The only real opportunity I had this year was a scrawny small doe on top of a ridge that I was also standing on,a no shot deal early in the season.

 

Heard very few shots, especially the last two weekends.  Heard only 4 shots on this past rainy/misty/foggy Saturday, other than from the local police range.  And maybe the same off in the distance on Sunday.  Most of hunters I ran into had similar reports the past 2 weeks.

 

The majority of the deer I saw after shooting hours this year is also less than in years past.  I did see several groups of deer on posted land and laying in people's yards that there is no hunting opportunity.  There were less deer hanging out on the local golf course this year too.

 

Local numbers may be down by me.  We see when the harvest numbers are officially released.

 

Did notice that we had almost a full moon for the start and end of the season.  Does not mean mostly nocturnal feeding?

[phade]

I could see where it says he is but didn't know where he hunts.

 

There's alot of us that probably hear the same gun shots.

[tj1187]

I was thinking that I had forgotten how yo hunt, but then I realized that it cant just be me. I have never heard so few shots in the season. Would sit for hours and not hear a shot in northern Dutchess 3F.

[phade]

Ever shrinking parcel sizes are one cause for that. People get less desire to push or drive as the acreage decreases and land access also shrinks.

[G-Man]

It was a different season this year,some at camp were extremely happy some others weren't. It was a 3 part problem by m ed 1st.100 plus acres of standing corn doesn't help,it leaves a huge area for deer to hide in. 2nd, hunter pressu e has decreased as media shows stand hunting as the way to hunt, most hunters are afraid of pushing a deer to someone else. 3rd, nut production was up as well as regrowth from logging creating new travel patterns. The last factor is in buying my ultimate hunting property I have eliminated 4 other camps and removed 8-16 hunters from the surrounding former camps reducing forced movement by them just walking to stands in the woods.

[Daveboone]

I hunt primarily the Tug Hill area, where the deer population is thinner than the ST, but I put meat in the freezer.

I saw an average # of deer (sightings/opportunities about 1/4 of my outings), but had an amazing # showing up on my game cameras....at night, including more bucks than ever over the past 8 seasons hunted there. I didn't hear hardly any shots in the area, and was out each w/e day morning and evening, and plenty of week days.

I hunted two days in Yates county where our crew had at least an average year, no complaints. Its hunting. some times good, sometimes not so good.

[growalot]

As I said in another thread...these nasty rotten winds and early prolonged frost heaving hadn't helped...they could hear me walking in 10 miles away!...sarcasm ......

[malesi1]

You know the old saying, opinions are like a-holes, everybody has one...The question posed can be viewed a few different ways.

I agree with many here who go hunting first to enjoy the pursuit, relax, enjoy the woods, get away from the rat race...by that measure, every time I hunt is a success.

 

But, If the question is "how many whitetail deer are we seeing", and lets compare that to other years, then the question becomes MUCH more complicated and subjective.

 

I am no expert, (have only hunted deer in NY since 1974), but I believe there are some areas of the state where coyotes, nuisance permits (Amish), and DEC doe permits have indeed contributed to a smaller heard.

 

I have always deer hunted somewhere in region 8, some years south, others north. I personally believe weather has much more to do with deer movement than other factors mentioned. I find I see less deer when its "wintery", and unlike most hunters do not like snow on the ground. Give me a sunny, dry day, in the high 20s with little wind, and I am happy. I think the cold/snowy weather we got early in the southern zone, put the deer in more of a winter pattern, herded together, and conserving energy. 

 

That said, I could be totally wrong....I know one thing for sure...I still have trouble sleeping the night before a hunt, and I can't wait until next year. As long as that continues, I'm in!

 

[upstate]

Lots of great comments in here:

 

1. I'm an older hunter and I still get giddy with excitement on the opening days of bow and gun, both zones. When I don't I know a big part of the thrill is gone. 

 

2. I don't hunt like I used to, I'm not physically able to. 

 

Problems with hunting deer in NY, in my HUMBLE opinion:

 

1. Loss of access- places we used to are gone. Gone to development or smaller groups of hunters. 

 

2. Loss of comradery - some of you young guys have no clue but hunters used to help each other. Help drag, help track, share information, etc. Now it's all about ME (too many examples to list here)  

 

3. Television - has us planting food plots, hanging stands, spending thousands on scent control and most of all "growing" trophies and planting our butts in stands from dawn til dusk expecting all those deer we see on our 20 $120 trail cams all summer to come out and feed so we can "harvest" them. Whatever happened to actually hunting? Get down and still hunt. go look. That's what I do. 

 

Many of you do all the right things and have bad luck and that's why it's called hunting. 

 

I have only been skunked one year since 1988 and that was in 2011 after I was recovering from a traumatic injury to my back (3 fractured vertebrae) and we lost 200 acres of prime land in the Finger Lakes to the almighty $$.  No bow hunting and new land made it tough. When I finally did see a deer, I missed. 

 

The next 2 years I was successful with all three implements (bow, gun and muzzle). 

 

This year I have a 3.5 year old 7 point and a mature doe. I will be hunting Thursday and Friday after this storm. 

 

Good luck to all of you. 

[stoneam2006]

Number 2 and 3 are spot on IMO also

[mjac]

My opinion,    it's basically the means of survival of the whitetail over thousands of years

A deer's world is controlled mainly by 2 things......eating, and NOT getting eaten.      After that, for bucks it's breeding the  does.     Deer move or "dissapear" for various reasons.  Mostly is change in food source  any place that is a good mix of food and cover is going to be productive . Next is probably change in habitat, i.e logging or clearcutting or humans.        The more a particular spot begins to lose it's attractiveness, combined with the natural mast and crop rotation, then the more you have to study it and adjust.          With a little investigation, it is seldom a big mystery as long as we understand seasonal deer movement.         Pressure causes deer to move.       However, keep in mind, a deer  only goes as far as they have to find what they are seeking.  These days with more private property that hold these keys, thats where they will go.     In the case of food source, quite often they come back when the food source changes again.. as pressure, such as hunting decreases or stops, they usually return.
 

[Doc]

Ever wonder what the effects of massive proliferation of food plots may have on deer patterns? I have heard all of the tales of massive numbers of trail cam deer all of a sudden disappearing. You have to wonder if these are not just a case of a neighboring food plot becoming the tastiest food source around.

 

I don't know, just wondering. We don't have a lot of food-plots in our area, so I don't think we are impacted at all. But I know other areas where there may be food plot wars going on ...... lol.

[nyantler]

Ever wonder what the effects of massive proliferation of food plots may have on deer patterns? I have heard all of the tales of massive numbers of trail cam deer all of a sudden disappearing. You have to wonder if these are not just a case of a neighboring food plot becoming the tastiest food source around.

 

I don't know, just wondering. We don't have a lot of food-plots in our area, so I don't think we are impacted at all. But I know other areas where there may be food plot wars going on ...... lol.

Good point... deer patterns can change based on changing food sources... for treestand sitters this could effect deer sightings at different times during the season based on the deer's nutritional needs. Larger food plots will pull more deer for longer as well. Smaller food plots probably get devoured quickly and only have a short term effect on deer travel patterns... this could possibly be a problem for those that hunt land bordered by big food plotters... makes sense.

[phade]

Good point... deer patterns can change based on changing food sources... for treestand sitters this could effect deer sightings at different times during the season based on the deer's nutritional needs. Larger food plots will pull more deer for longer as well. Smaller food plots probably get devoured quickly and only have a short term effect on deer travel patterns... this could possibly be a problem for those that hunt land bordered by big food plotters... makes sense.

 

I hear this alot in my area but it is a joke. We're in heavy ag. Worrying about a 1 or 2 acre plot is for naught. (not alot of people dedicate larger destination plots around here to deer - because most let the farmer lease it and still help the deer out).

 

Other areas of the state where ag is missing, maybe a minor factor, but studies show food plots are merely a blip on the radar for a deer's diet. I forget the exact % (its miniscule) but the data shows that most people overplay the amount of food deer consume via food plots.

[Lawdwaz]

 

 

 I forget the exact % (its miniscule) but the data shows that most people overplay the amount of food deer consume via food plots.

 

There's gonna be some pretty disappointed folks reading THAT message. 

[NFA-ADK]

Answer to the question is, I suck at deer hunting!  Arg!  This is just not my year, I can't seem to do anything right.  Lucky for me I still have a few weeks to chase them around with the bow.  

[growalot]

I have 13 plots scattered around 200 oak trees and the farmer killed 100 acres of clover around me...We do not have a lot of plotters but do have lots of ag...they went to the corn a few acres still standing near me and hundreds of acres still  standing a mile away...then you have the acres and acres of ag. new clover and WW a mile away...what I do know is at night they have traveled back to us for the turnips...which the farmers aren't growing...with all those plots, mast and pines..... farms still won out at least this year...The pics I have been getting and the new rubs show exactly where they are traveling 2 and from ( Oh and all the local dilivery guys..propane, mail, fedx,and UPS...always talk to those guys)...they have a corridor of heavy pines and gullies they travel. This through several properties to get to those farm fields