Northern zone officially over

[REDNECK4LIFE32]

Well the northern zones hunting season is over. A good season for me just the 6 pointer on November 9th. Usually I kill 2-3 deer a year this year wasn't so lucky mostly nocturnal pics of does with fawns mostly button bucks. So next year well have more bucks around. Dec is saying the kills are up from last season in both the north and the south zones. Hope everyone had a great season and next year will be even better.

[wolc123]

It was not a spectacular year for me up there this year.   The only deer I saw were a couple antlerless ones, well out of range of my crossbow, as I carried that the day before the early ML opener.  For the first time since my in-laws started working on their new home (5) years ago, I did not see a single deer over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.  The hunting pressure was up a bit this year, as more new vacation homes are built in the area.  That is probably the main reason for the decline in deer sightings. 

The highlight of the season for me was when I rattled in another hunter.   At first I thought the dark shape moving up out of the swamp was a bear, until I saw he was wearing a bright yellow hat.  It was the owner of the big lodge, down at the end of the lake.  When he stopped by my in-laws place on his ATV later, he said I had really fooled him and he could have swore it was bucks making the racket.  We got quite a laugh out of that.  It was way too warm for any real deer action anyhow.  That was the same day the Yankees played their last game, and I learned he was also a big fan.  He convinced my father in law to let us watch the game that night.  That would never happened, had I not rattled him in.  It was a great game.       

I can't complain too much about the lack of sightings since I have been able to take (2) bucks and a doe up there, in the last four years.   It just looks like I am going to have to start venturing a little deeper into the bush up there.  Fortunately, the Southern zone has produced ok so far this year.  We currently have enough venison to last us until next season.   A little more by the end of ML next Tuesday would be nice though.  If the seasons remain the same, I am going to be sure to use vacation days for all (3) Northern zone early crossbow next year.