Fletch NY

I have to say I was seeing about the same amount of deer as past years during bow season. I average seeing about 6 different bucks in bow. Opener of gun I saw 11 deer. 6 does within 30 yards that I had no permit for and a spike and a 6 point that I passed hoping for a mature deer. I already took a nice 8 point in bow. After that I saw a doe on the fourth day of season at 40 yards again no permit. In the last 7 days I have not seen a deer!! I believe they are out there because I have been hearing shots and seeing lots of tracks. I hunt mostly public land also. Opening day there were a bunch out but they all left by 1 pm since then I have not seen too many hunters.

I do not think the deer populations are too bad in the areas I hunt, 7f and 7m. Not a deer behind every tree but they are there. I think the biggest fact we find it so hard to recruit youth is NY has the idiot opinion that kids should not hunt?? 16 years old that is just plain anti. And kids and adults expect super entertainment and find it hard to hunt and not see a deer all day. When I was young there were a lot less deer than now and I still wanted to go every day all day. If everyone could go out and shoot a truckload of deer every day it would not be hunting to me. And I do agree that some areas are low on deer but everyone always blames the DEC. The DEC has no bearing on land practices and uses and posting. People and there bad behavior is why people can not hunt all over like they used to. Which generates areas with too many deer and others where all the hunters go now that have too little deer. That and the obsession with BIG antlers that make people pay BIG money for leasing hunting land and closing up more land to the average joe. Just my 2 cents.