Possible Reasons for a Bad Gun Season?

[moog5050]

Weird, I had exactly the same number of mature bucks come by my stand during gun as last year and the year before - 0.  At least I am consistent.

[G-Man]

Minimum of 100 acres of corn and alfalfa.

20 to 30 cords of firewood cut each year.

150 acres of hay cut each year.

Pasture 30 to 40 cows in the summer.

This is a working 500 acre farm! And we have have killed mature bucks from here this year. As most years. Just saying, not as many seen the last couple of years. I'll let the experts sort it all out!

Well last year the corn was not harvested here till last day of muzzleloader this year Oct 10th, a 90 acre.crp.field was.brush hogged after 10 years to be put into crop rotation this spring, lots of factors come into play even on a working farm, if you take all 5 things I mentioned in my original post and put them in any combination let alone unseasonably temps ,that make people sit longer because they don't get cold and you will see less deer as a result, I can usually sit 1 to 2 hours max on a day below 32. ( frostbite as a kid) this year I could sit as long as I wanted for 95% of the days, just me walking in and out from a stand location makes a difference to deer movement no matter how careful i am. Many factors ,cams show that there are a lot of deer camp total of 10 buck and 4 doe show they are as well, 2 weekend left with shift to filling doe tags as well....

[The_Real_TCIII]

Weird, I had exactly the same number of mature bucks come by my stand during gun as last year and the year before - 0.  At least I am consistent.

 

We are in NY, its a once every few years occurrence. So next year you are killing one! 

[moog5050]

We are in NY, its a once every few years occurrence. So next year you are killing one! 

 

 

I expect to kill a decent buck in archery, but when the guns go off, its like I am hunting unicorn - a myth at best.  lol

[The_Real_TCIII]

I expect to at least get a look at one during archery. didnt happen this year. I didnt really have any sign show up until the last week of archery when some really big rubs started to appear along with scrapes. I think I killed that buck opening day of gun, and there are even more new rubs since then and another nice buck spotted by the landowner. Strange season for me but a good one. now onto late duck season and 3D. With this "slow" gun season and a mild Winter we are all killing slammers next year

[fasteddie]

As far as the Trail Cams go , I have been getting pics of the deer during the Dark hours and very few during daylight hours . I was getting pics of a couple of nice Walworth bucks when they were logging a mile down the road . Now that that is done , I hevn't seen the big boys . We were seeing bucks in Pittsford and Mendon but they have also gone into stealth mode . They are probably staying in the parks until night time . 

[growalot]

I hate to say it...because of the frustration I'm reading...but I put a card back in and two days later had 150pics on just that cam...haven't checked the others yet...granted all at night...but many many different deer...because a bunch were buck with different racks...all hitting the radish and turnips they left alone this fall...and Well I have apples laying under the apple trees and still acorns on the ground not a lot but some.....I will say...all the corn was chopped off the farm fields,but the buck I shot the other day ...was filled with greens and what looked like cracked corn..hhhmmmm.I know for sure the neighbors swamp he jumped out of before jumping my fence sure doesn't grow corn......

[NYBuckHunter27]

Warm weather

[jjb4900]

- log the state land---I agree. too much mature forest and the revenue would be nice.

I spoke with a Forest Ranger and he agreed, problem is, is that most of the State land is "Forever Wild" and cannot be touched.....

[Fletch]

I will say I had probably equal number of bucks on cam this year as usual. Does were a bit down and almost all my does had only one fawn. I attribute that to the hard winter. With less doe around I would have expected to see more buck movement but that was not the case.

 

Gun season always sucks for my team. Opening weekend is about all we can hope to see real movement after that the deer are dug in usually. This opener was a real bust and not sure why.

 

In my personal opinion I do not think coyotes take that many deer. I do think bears will kill a lot more fawns than a coyote ever thought of. So more bears in a lot of your areas, a real bad winter, warm, lots of food and hunters do not move anymore. Those are my reasons.

 

H

[Ford]

I spoke with a Forest Ranger and he agreed, problem is, is that most of the State land is "Forever Wild" and cannot be touched.....

Here is some good news. The Young Forest initiative.

http://www.eregulations.com/newyork/hunting/the-young-forest-initiative/

[SteveB]

I hunt pieces that didn't have much activity this year so I focused somewhere else, I drive 1-1.5 hrs almost every time I hunt just to get to decent public land. I too passed up a lot of deer this season. I'm not saying this is you but most people aren't willing to WORK for a deer, they want to sit in the same spot they've been sitting in for 15 years and complain when they don't kill a deer. I'm successful because I scout at least one full day a week, year round! And I'm mobile, I strictly use my climber now and I'm not afraid to pull up stakes and go find the deer wherever I need to go. Most hunters are lazy, and their results show it. This is especially true with some hunters who hunt private land, if the deer just aren't showing themselves for whatever reason the hunters keep hunting those same spots! MOVE! Go hunt state land if you need to. Don't be so locked into a routine that when it changes you're lost. Have backup plans, alternate lands to hunt. I'm in no way pointing any of these comments at you I'm just venting because I've heard so many people the last few weeks blaming this and that when in reality they should look into the mirror. We've become a hunting generation of instant gratification...

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You are so special. The rest of us are just lazy, bad and unskilled.

[Skillet]

Kind of arrogant, to instantly assume a hunter's lack of success, means they are incompetent. Posting novice mistakes as though they are an obvious explanation. It must be tough to be on top, & deal with us fools.

[chrisw]

You are so special. The rest of us are just lazy, bad and unskilled.

If you fit the criteria I said, then yes I'm talking to you. And speak for yourself, most people I know did ok this season...

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[SteveB]

You get dizzy up on that perch?

[Huntscreek]

I think in my area there are a couple reasons. Everyone is saying hard winter, I remember some bad winters followed by excellent hunting seasons. I think it is a factor due to a lower population already. Years back deer Yarded up, The old showed and helped the young how to survive. I was seeing a break down of Family units of deer & lack of numbers to yard. I remember having a steady 15-20+ yarded up on my place, they'd browse young buds, and leaf even some soft tree bark. I'd watch them pack the snow down and walk around until the hit grass, spot to spot. The other thing that changed in my area is the large farms have changed hands. Where once there were only 1-2 guys hunting and shot only what they needed. To now brown its down over the last couple years, and its starting to show. I have Amish that hunt now in 6-10 groups or more, if you let a Fawn pass into a field to feed it gets shot. There are not many conservationist that hunt in my area. My dad always stressed to kill only what we ate, leave a hold over for the next. Watch your land and hunt it but hunt it smart with next year in mind. I don't think I could say its just one thing going on.

[The_Real_TCIII]

There are different kinds of bad Winters. Last year it was snow in November and never let up, the deer don't get to recover from the rut. And then it went long to boot.

[mjac]

I'm still convinced it's this mild weather.  Temperature is probably the leading reason for deer movement, surrounding states are reporting the same low activity.   It would be interesting to save this thread until next year and see if the deer magically re-appear ( if it's typical seasonal weather).  If we were overweight and wearing a goose down jacket in these temps, we would stay put as much as we could too.  I'm not buying into we are killing all the deer, I saw allot first 2 weeks of October, with less than 1/2 the hunters in Nov. Where did they go if no one hunting them ?   Whitetails are survivalists and adjust  to all kinds of factors. This year I think it's just mother nature.

[dmay4]

I start my hunting season the same every year !!! With the expectation of not seeing or killing a deer, then I'm not disappointed ...

I saw many , many deer this bow season and had encounters with two mature 8 points but couldn't get it done ,,, I passed many doe and young bucks ,, that's hunting ..

Being in the woods enjoying the outdoors is a blessing in itself...

Be thankful you are healthy and able to hunt many are not as fortunate..killing a deer is not only the only part of being successful...

Everybody's goals and hunting experience are different...Mine is taking a 2 1/2 or older deer,, I got two in front of me this year that to me is a success..

Well put!! I do enjoy taking a deer but I will admit I get much satisfaction out of just being in the woods. And when my son can go with me it's even better

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[Chef]

I will say this it is not deer numbers I hunted bow and saw deer almost every time I went out.... Bucks does fawns what ever.... I have trail cams out have many pics on all the cams.... Gun season has been dead have not seen much at all.... I know the deer are still here but something is keeping them from moving too much after sunrise

[rj23nyr]

Poaching should be included in that list also ,I was at Farmers Mkt in Edmonston last week to pick some venison up and a Leo was there dropping off some deer that were poached the night before. Eavesdropped on conversation and local amish were caught with 24 deer in one barn and not far away another amish was found to be in posession of 14 deer. Add to that a local lowlife was heard bragging that he shot 27 deer last season . Even if the totals of these deer were cut in half that is still too many , add to that those that don't get caught and it just might tip the scale into the less deer side.

                                                                                               NOTE THAT THIS IS SECOND HAND INFO WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT BE COMPLETELY ACCURATE  !!

 

This is third and fourth hand info, which is never accurate. Besides that, Poachers have always been and always will be a problem. Even if poachers were included on CharlieNY's list, they would be the only factor that HASN"T changed.

[turkeyfeathers]

Warm weather

agree. Food creates energy. Energy keeps deer warm in cold temps. No need for them to be walking around during the day to go eat with as warm as its been. Most activity I had was coldest day we had. 22 degrees

[rj23nyr]

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.

 

Deer spend their whole day thinking, unlike a lot of people I know. Every deer I haven't seen this year was smarter than me on that day. Maybe next time...

Edited December 12, 2015 by rj23nyr

[turkeyfeathers]

There are different kinds of bad Winters. Last year it was snow in November and never let up, the deer don't get to recover from the rut. And then it went long to boot.

average temp of 7 in February didn't help either

[rj23nyr]

agree. Food creates energy. Energy keeps deer warm in cold temps. No need for them to be walking around during the day to go eat with as warm as its been. Most activity I had was coldest day we had. 22 degrees

I thought animals eat to get fat for the coming winter. Unless they know something about the next few months that we don't, they're putting on just as much weight.  Any self-interested, healthy animal will put on weight, whether it's 60 or 30 degrees out because no one knows what's coming.