dohcrxl

Tuesday signified the end of WI's bow season. As I walked out of the woods I felt as if I were ayoung boymoving out of state and away from all that I knew and of course my best buddy. As expected, there were many times when I turned to look back at the stalks of corn and barren trees that once made me so happy, keeping me longing for anotherworkday's end.

Two workdays have passed now with no reward to look forward to. I'm saddened to say the least; I'm depressed to be precise. Yes, I know it will getbetter after it gets worsebut 8 months is no joke. Considering I'm new to bowhunting and being that things are always most exciting when they arefreshly discovered, surely you can understand my anguish.

All is not amiss though. I am now much better prepared for the upcoming year. I know what part of the woods to be at what time of the season. I knowwhen and howto draw on an animal and when and hownot. I know which peep sights work and which don't. I know what to wear in single digit temps and what not. I hunt alone anddidn't have a veteran hunter along side showing me the ropes so it was a hard first full year for me.Given that I'm breaking myself in on high pressure metropolitan public land, hard may not dothe statement justice. Anyhow, alot of my sharpening came from trial and error and the restcan be attributed toyou all of this forum. There is much to be learned yet. Thanks in advance!

p.s. Any suggestions to help wipe away the blues?

Bols

Very well spoken. I don't know of a remedy yet, I am still suffering myself.

Hunting.net has been like the Blues Bar for me and I don't even drink!

bowhuntermws1981

I hear ya on the end of the season blues. Next Saturday the 14th ends archery season here in PA. I'm taking as much vacation as I possibly can for the first two weeks of this new year.

There are plenty of things you can do in the offseason, but nothing nearly as fun and exciting as hunting deer. I'm not familiar with WI hunting laws, but what I plan on doing is hunting coyotes (no closed season in PA). If you have one of those indoor target ranges with the projection screen that you can shoot at, that'll waste some more time. If you have your own land that you hunt on try putting in some food plots in the spring or cut trails to your stands. If you are hunting by permission, see if the owner will let you fix up their land. There are a lot of really good people who might not be averse to this idea, especially if you offer to help them out withsome workthat they need done. Lastly, put out some corn or molasses blocks and stick a trail cam right over it to get some photos of your deer. Maybe you can go looking for sheds too. Just some ideas...

Trapper_Hunter

I hate it to. You can try coyote hunting over the summer with your bow (if ur state allows it) we can here in kY and i might try some.

Diesel77

goose hunt, goose hunt, and then duck hunt

fl.huntress

spring gobbler season is coming up.

you can also try huntin' with a camera....definitely not as much fun but it's better than not being in the woods at all.

Tarheel_Hunter

The season ended 1/2/06 here in NC. I shoot squirrels until February, when I go to SC for boar.

Turkey in April.

Sporting Clays in May and June (w/a little golf).

I don't really know what to do after that!

BF1947

Bah Humbug,

Hunting season is fun. It's a cool time of the year. The leaves changing, the fall smells. It's all very memorable and exciting. But all good things must come to an end. But yes, it'll come around again next year.

It doesn't have to be so disheartening though. Have you any archery clubs nearby? Join one and if you really get involved you can shoot indoors. 3D outside during the spring , summer, and early fall.
Guess I'm gettin too old but I've started to find bowhunting boring at times. Guess it's called burnout. Just three weeks ago our winter 3D league started. Outside, 30 targets, nothing over 35 yards. 15 Sundays in a row. That takes us into March. There isn't any time to rest the bow, rest the body or the mind. And it just adds to the fun of archery. It's the shooting that I enjoy.

mobow

Set out some bait, get all camo'd up, grab your favorite tree stand and your camera. Watch the deer, take pictures, and learn about deer behaviour and how to control "buck fever" for next year.

stoneman

Heck, this is an EASY one! Dirt bike, mountain bike, and smackin' my kids around...no worries til October!! If that doesn't cut it, throw in some fishin'.