ORIGINAL: WV Hunter

I enjoy seeing deer when I'm out, and usually do - no matter where I set up. We have alot of deer, and unfortunately few big bucks -so hoping for a super stud is a long shot, so I don't mind having the activity. I will say though...a few years ago, when we were slamming just about every doe we saw to try to get the numbers down, my hopes was that it would make a HUGE difference. It made some difference, but honestly - I think alot ofdeer from surrounding areas just migrated in and filled in the spots of the ones we took out. It did help our buck/doe ratio and numbers of older bucks some for sure, but not as much as we'd hoped it would - especially with the numbers we were shooting.Back then, I'd rather have seen only 1 - the one - than deer every sit.

Today, I still hope for the stud I want to come by, but honestly I am spending more time hunting with my kids than by myself - so its nice to have deer come by almost every sit. That keeps them motivated and excited, and you still never know who will show up. Last year was my best season ever, and I didn't even elect to shoot a deer. My son (9 then) killed his first buck ever a 7pt, and actually ended up getting another buck later as well. That to me is what its all about. This year he and my daughter (7) are itching to go...so I HOPE we see alot of deer each time out.