the deer are gone!! poof!! just like that!!!
 

I have been seing deer since opening day of bow day in and day out. Go out and everytime see a deer. Then day after opening day of shotgun the deer are gone just like that. Not even seeing any in the fields when im driving. It was really weird...i dont know what hte problem is...have any ideas for mee?

Forever Hunter

RE: the deer are gone!! poof!! just like that!!!
 

About the same here in La. where I hunt. As soon as gun season opened the deer sightings got really scarce. Still plenty of fresh signs but deer seem to have got nocturnal rreally bad. Today closed gun season in The WMA here and in couple of weeks I'll be back bowhunting. Also seems like we had BAD moon phases for our 4 week gun season.

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RE: the deer are gone!! poof!! just like that!!!
 

I'd say it was the fact that we had a full moon about 10 days ago. The deer probably went nocturnal on you. I didn't see any deer here either last week. And we had no hunting pressure. Our gun season doesn't start until Thursday. I just started seeing them again 3 days ago. The bucks are still chasing does here in IA. Good point about changing the clocks too. Just because we changed our patterns doesn't mean the deer did. I truely believe the deer move in relation to the moon phase though. We have a new moon coming soon. So it will be dark all night. I believe this will keep the deer moving more in the dawn and dusk hours. It seems they go more nocturnal during the full moon because they can see better at night. Just my opinion.

KEEP IT LEGAL. KEEP IT SAFE. OR WE MAY NOT GET TO KEEP IT AT ALL.

RE: the deer are gone!! poof!! just like that!!!
 

I haven't seen any this whole year bowhunting. SO seeing nothing is nothing new to me.

RE: the deer are gone!! poof!! just like that!!!
 

I may not know much but I know one thing...I have never seen a deer with a wrist watch on<img src=icon_smile_tongue.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>

I don't see how turning the clocks back effects the movement of deer.

If they are moving 1 hour before dark, they will still be moving one hour before dark no matter what our clocks say.

RE: the deer are gone!! poof!! just like that!!!
 

I've seen the simular situation where I hunt. Bow season opened and the Deer where passing my stand morning and evening. So much so I let quite a few pass knowing that I was going to be able to wait for a nice one. Came back into the stand Thanksgiving week and wow what a change. My hunting partner went serveral sittings without seeing a single Deer. I saw a few young ones but nothing like it was earlier.

The full moon combined with warm weather and GUN hunting pressure was really working against us. The Deer where moving at night and just a little during the late afteernoon. Only after a sever drop in temperature did we see them moving in the morning again but that was just this past Friday.

One thing we always need to factor in is Gun hunter pressure. Most gun hunters (not all) don't take the precautions we do. They don't always consider there impact on the area's they hunt in.
So if you have a large amount of Gunners hunting near you, that could explain why you are seeing less Deer.

Be Good.

RE: the deer are gone!! poof!! just like that!!!
 

During gun season the best areas to concentrate on are narrow funnels between large areas of woods/thickets. Gun hunters do get the deer moving through out the day, the secret is to be in the funnels when they push them. If the pressure is heavy from gun hunters they will go nocturnal so travel lanes between food and bedding become less productive during legal shooting times.

The Tazman aka Martin Price
Founder and President of
Virginia Disabled Outdoorsmen Club

RE: the deer are gone!! poof!! just like that!!!
 

YES figure in gun hunting and use it to your advantage. I hunted last Wednesdy thru Sunday on public land and seen many does, at least two each day. The area I have stands in are in an escape route / bedding area. The old river bank has lots of cover for bedding and the woods are not open enough for driving. But when the north side of the river gets driven, here they come.

As for the bucks, our rut (NE Indiana) peaked Nov. 20-25 and is tapering off. Fewer bucks seen following does. Most are seen only at twilight hours and probably went nocturnal again.



Shoot often - Hunt always

RE: the deer are gone!! poof!! just like that!!!
 

With the gun pressure on, they will be in the thickets, right under your nose. If you do not come in their direction, they will stay holed up. So check the thickets..believe me, they see you..<img src=icon_smile_shock.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

The best of luck in all your hunting endeavors!!!

God Bless,
Dave