Vabowman

But I cannot catch a break this year! It has either been very hot, very windy, or raining or all three!! Today was the second time I went out in the rain and wind and I could only stand it for about 1.5 hr. 20 mph winds, steady rain and 50 deg. I can't seem to time my hunting right.. and when it is right, I see nothing.. I have killed one deer this year and that Im thankful for, but I just have not seen the movement this year as i usually do.. the weather has been counter productive, but people are still seeing and killing deer in this area.. For the first time in long while, Im questioning my scouting abilities. I find sign, but not much and the one deer I killed was in in area where there was almost no sign.. I just hung the stand and hunted...most of my success over the past 20 yrs has been done from the hip type of hunting...go in and find deer sign and it would happen...this yr I decided to do more homework and it's not paying off...I can deal with not killing them, hell I have killed at least 80 deer in my life, but I really do want to see them, lets me know I still got it...I will keep plugging at it and hope the rut changes things..

virginiashadow

Landon...your post sums up my hunting season thus far. I am putting all my eggs in one basket come Nov 3rd-November 23rd. If I can't get onto deer by hunting every few days, then I guess I need to out work them. I will be putting my time on stand come a few more days. I went out today and found two monster rubs in a place I scouted last winter. I got set up at 2pm....it started raining and became very windy. I had gusts of 25mph-30mph coming at me from the North. Then the wind changed and blew my spot. I got up at 5 and tried to get far away from the thicket I was hunting. I looked down a clearing and a buck was looking right at me...he walked off slowly, then trotted off.

Vabowman

I hear ya Brett, I got down at 5:30 and when I was pulling away from the property just at the end of the drive way standing there eating grass in the wind and rain was an 8 pt about 120 "" !!!!!!!!!!!![:@]I was like...why are you there and not in the woods near me!!!!!!

nchawkeye

Try hunting before the front comes through rather than after...

Phil from Maine

Deer can be strange like that at times.. and this year is no different up here as well. With our harsh winter last year we are confined to shooting only a buck in my area. When out hunting the past couple of times out most deer have moved else where. Under more careful observation I discovered apple pile laying out there in the woods. It is illegal to bait for deer up here so, I decided to move else where. But, even where all those apples were there was not much sign out there. I am not sure if it is the weather, last winters harshnest, or alot more poaching going on with all those that have lost thier jobs.. I did find a large buck track and what looked to be a small scrape where they are getting ansy for the rut to come. I did set out my prowler to see if I can get a pic of it when it returns.. Hopefully it will be moving in some daylight hours..

SwampCollie

If Landon taught college instead of High School history.... I'll bet every class would be cancelled.... I suspect that he was doing what I was doing at about 10am this morning... looking out the window at work... going... man... I wish I wasn't here!


Landon I've got a theory on the situation... I was talking with a friend of mine today, who has been killing deer (does) and has lots of little pockets to hunt in, similar to you. He has a piece of land he bought down in Sussex. Its like 72 acres of next to NOTHING but big white oaks. So whats wrong with that..... well.... its about impossible to cover 72 acres with a bow. The deer just wander through aimlessly. All he can do is watch the wind and hope to get lucky. Its too much good cover syndrome. Flat as sussex is.... there isn't really a funnel, or bottle neck... its all open hardwoods... so there are no hard or even soft edges.

Basically to me, its like bass fishing deep water points without electronics or a decent amount of prior fishing experience or intel..... it all looks the same.... but the fish are somewhere and have to be relating to something.... we just need to figure out exactly what that something is. And frankly having seen fairly little save that one scrape in that bottom so full of acorns I couldn't hardly walk up the hill.... it clearly ain't acorns they want the most. Cutovers and grown up cutovers are awfully hard to hunt deer in and around with a bow.

virginiashadow

There are hardly any acorns dropping at all here at Quantico. This is my ninth year hunting on base and this is by far the smallest acorn drop I have seen. I cannot even focus on a food source.

Vabowman

Brett and Andy, I can't begin to figure it out... I read something the other night about doe bedding areas....hell I can't even find a deer bedding area let alone a sex oriented one!!!!!!!!!!!!! I usually do quite well in the early season as far as seeing deerand then struggle somewhat in the rut..my best days have always been the last week of Oct and the first week of Nov... so we are getting there, but with the few sightings I don't no where to start..... oh yeh NC. I was teaching the Constitution to 11 th graders and looking out the window as Andy said!!!

SwampCollie

Man I think you are starting to get desperate and over analyze this brother.

You know like I do that in most of the places we hunt, the deer can't follow an established pattern simply for frequent interruption. Four wheelers, yote's, walker houndss (NOOO.... not in VA!!!!), tresspassers, now the rut..... you name it... it'll bother the deer. Sure they are used to it... but I think they are almost like nomads or Osama Bin Laden some of the time... they must have several different little safe havens... and when they get bumped from one... they'll go use another... and the cycle will repeat itself. Makes them tricky to catch up with. Maybe we need to take a fork horn prisoner and interrogate him... find out what the real deal is.....

Hoyt_Viper

Landon, I feel your pain. Other than getting an arrow into a 10 pointer on Wednesday night and tracking it until my flashlights ran out of batteries and had to spend the night in 35 degree temperatures in the middle of nowhere... I have been skunked. It was an eye opener to say the least when Hanover county had 40 search and rescue out looking for me when all I needed was the sun to come up.

They were glad to see me walking halfway from where I was, but after getting some sleep and going back to get my kill, someone beat me to it! Other than that its been slow going,, even with all of my different opportunities for stands. I went in today in the rain to get my camera from where I shot the 10 point and look who was on film!


Slim pickings to say the least! I have seen more spikes and odd number racks than ever before, even in the best of the acorn spots. I sat in my ground blind at midnight last night and watched 11 does eat my clover...not one rack among them. I have no clue at what is going on, but its about the time of year where they come out of the woodwork. Hang in there! I've seen your collection of wallhangers and have no doubt you will add another this year.

Its the weather, no doubt that has them hung up,, but the cold weather is here. Keep your chin up and your eyes open...it will happen! I may have to nail this one just to satisfy my anger for losing the big one last week!