THATS IT!!!!!!!!!! I give up!!!!!!! WHY ME?
 

Yep, I am just giving up bow-hunting for this season [&:] The deer movement has been TERRIBLE around here! The first two or three days of season were awsome, it was cold, and there was a good bit of der movement. Since then, I have had ONE day where I saw deer, thats it. I don' t know what the heck is going on, I know the whole October Lull thing, but it has never been this bad.

This evening, I headed out to a hillside that is PACKED with deer, tons of fresh scrapes around one single oak tree and rubs all around that general area. There is no place for a treestand in this area (it looks like Texas brush country not like the typical Pennsylvania woods) I found a nice area to sit on the ground in wait. There are three cut trails about 4 feet wide that intersect at the tree with the scrapes surrounding it. These trails cut through the middle of all this brush and these are the major travel routes of deer. Well, I am patiently waiting and at 5:00 p.m., I hear a whistle. I didn' t know what the heck it was, well, I keep hearing it and it keeps getting closer and closer. Well, then I see it, a group of guys who are going through the brush with bird dogs (it isn' t a great place for grouse, actually, I have never seen a grouse in that brush). Well, they walk past me at about 15 yards and I knew that nothing was going to move through there considering there were about 4 guys and about 4 dogs right there. Well, I decided to pack up, hurry up and get to my house, get my climber and get down into my woods. This brush they were in is on a hillside and it funnels down into my woods. There is nothing but open fields on the two large sides of the brush. Well, I got it my stand and figured that these guys would drive deer down through the funnel behind my house and into the large section of pines in my woods. They were still a good 400 yards away from my position when I got in stand. It was a perfect evening to be out, but, did I see a single deer?????? HECK NO!!!!!!! I sat there watching a army of dang squirrels making all kinds of noise [:@]

I have been hunting HARD, VERY HARD, but, I have also been hunting smart. I havn' t been pressuring a particular area too much and I have been making sure that I enter and exit my stand with as little noise and scent as possible. Heck, from my back field to my stand is only about 65 yards and I spend about 20 minutes walking from the field to the stand. I make sure not to rub up against anything and not to break any branches.

I have tried just sitting in my stand and waiting, I have tried just grunting, I have tried just bleating, I have tried grunting and bleating, I have tried grunting and rattling, I have tried grunting, bleating, and rattling.

I have tried acorn scent, I have tried Still Steamin Doe Urine, I have tried H.S. Tarsal Supreme, I have tried no scents at all.

I have been keeping my clothes scent free, I have been taking scent killing showers before I head into the woods, I have been spraying my clothes with a heavy dose of scent killer before I go out, and topping that off with a light spray of earth scent. I have been using scent wafers, I have been wearing rubber boots, ect....

I have been hunting funnels, watering areas, field edges, bedding areas, stageing areas, scrapes, rub-lines, trails in thick brush, ridge tops, creek bottoms, open hardwoods, thick pines, ect......

I just can' t seem to find these dang deer [:o]

I got so many buck pics on my game cam' s this summer, but, they have just seemed to vanish.

Like I said, this is the hardest hunting I have done, so hard infact that it is hard just to get motivated to go in the woods. I keep telling myself that I am not going to see anything and that I should just stay home and do something else, but, I force myself to go out anyways!

Also, another thing to remember is that most of the land I hunt is off-limits to everyone but my bestfriend, my family, and I. My best-friend and I are the only ones that have been out in the woods this year!

Have any of you other Pennsylvania boys had it this tough lately?

Do you guys have any suggestions on what to try, like stand placement or anything. I know it is hard to try and help someone without seeing their land, but, any general info will help, I am desperate here :D:D

P.S. Sorry for being so long, I just had to vent a little bit :D

RE: THATS IT!!!!!!!!!! I give up!!!!!!! WHY ME?
 

I know how you feel. I had a week where I saw some deer and some close calls, but since then I haven' t seen any deer. At least here in Minnesota I have until the end of the year, this year I think I' ll need it.

RE: THATS IT!!!!!!!!!! I give up!!!!!!! WHY ME?
 

Jason.

By the sounds of it the only thing you have not tried is smoking a BIG FAT CIGAR while on stand:D.

Keep ya chin up buddy the rut is just around the corner they' ll be back;)

RE: THATS IT!!!!!!!!!! I give up!!!!!!! WHY ME?
 

sounds like your bucks moved out. but when rut comes in expect to see some big boys role in. and get ready to see some action.


go deep hunt hard.;)

RE: THATS IT!!!!!!!!!! I give up!!!!!!! WHY ME?
 

Could be worse, you could be working instead of hunting. Try giving up on the calls and noise makeing. Leave the scents at home too. Just sit and be quiet. Be sure and play the wind. Save the other stuff for the rut.

RE: THATS IT!!!!!!!!!! I give up!!!!!!! WHY ME?
 

Luckily there have only been 2 days so far this season that I haven' t seen a single deer. From what I hear I' ve been pretty fortunate. Though to date I haven' t harvested anything yet. My best luck has come while hunting from the ground. Tonight I had 4 doe and 1 buck (4 pt) feeding within 6 yards directly in front of me. Luckily I had the wind in my favor. Couldn' t move to take a shot without being busted. By the time a shot was available it was too dark and all I could see was an outline of a deer. It was great even just to spend nearly 45min watching them that close.

RE: THATS IT!!!!!!!!!! I give up!!!!!!! WHY ME?
 

You' ll never do any good sitting on the couch. LOL

You have to be in the woods with the critters.....keep at it.

RE: THATS IT!!!!!!!!!! I give up!!!!!!! WHY ME?
 

Sorry to hear that you haven' t had much action over there. I think that you' ve chased them all over here to Armstrong Co.! :D
I have seen numerous deer every time I' ve gone out - except for this evening. Finally got skunked. During the first couple of days I seen a few bucks (2 8-points) and a couple of unknowns. After that it' s been many, many does. Saturday I had a parade go by - two buttonbucks and two six-points. One of the six-points was pretty big. I was tempted to shoot him and claim I was in the next management area!;)
I guess the big boys have gone into hiding. I have only seen one rub and two scrapes this past week. I am always hunting the ground. I sit until I can' t stand it any longer and then I go as slow and quiet as I can to a new area. No scent, calls or rattling has worked.
This place is packed with does - the rut should be exciting. Of course, if I get desperate I can try for the buttonbuck that beds in the ravine in front of our house. I see him there almost every day - can see him from our deck. Yesterday I threw an old tomato over the hill and there he went flagging down the valley!

Good luck!!!!

RE: THATS IT!!!!!!!!!! I give up!!!!!!! WHY ME?
 

Dont give rack............ no way....

I read a great article the other day about bucks, pressure and the home range writen by a biologist... He said that deer even under pretty heavy pressure stay in thier home range and had many counts to back it up.... it was VERY interesting. He even mentioned a scene like yours where guys were driving and he watched from a distance as they went right by a doe and she sat tight... and he saisd that is common.........

Anyway - I also agree with hub....... try going in with NO scent. I personally dont use scents , except I will use Real Deer, thats it...... It sounds like your putting in your dues - remember - be patient my friend...... patience is a virtue, the one morning you sit at home thinking you will not see a deer could be the very morning ole mossy horns would have walked into your bow sight. I shot a big 8 point 2 years ago - actually my first bow kill because i was as careful as you sound your being and I didnt let a negative turn me away. I had jumped a HUGE, and I mean 170 class buck 40 yards from my stand that morning on the way to hang a stand - man was I totally bummed as that monster stared at me before snorting so loud I thought every deer in Indiana and Illinois just heard that..... but i hung the stand anyway and 45 minutes later nailed a 240 pound 8 point..... and then I was real happy I had not let my neg thoughts make me go elsewhere after i knew this spot held deer.

So dont let the blues stop you - you NEVER know whats going to happen on the next sitting in your stand............

RE: THATS IT!!!!!!!!!! I give up!!!!!!! WHY ME?
 

I would go back and hunt that Oak with all that sign. So what that the hunters went by, next time maybe slide in right behind them and setup. Or hunt during the week when they don' t come through. Hunt where the deer are. Make a ground blind there and play the wind.

RE: THATS IT!!!!!!!!!! I give up!!!!!!! WHY ME?
 

Okay guys, don' t worry, I ain' t giving up without a fight :D

I have been leaving all the calls and scents at home lately. Towards the beginning of season, the bucks were chasing does, but, that seemed to have stopped, probablly due to the weather getting so much warmer.

The oak tree with all the scrapes below it is probablly going to be where I focus on. There is a GREAT place to sit and watch over that tree. There are a bunch of grown up golden rods in a single patch that are about 18 yards from the tree. They are probablly about 5 feet tall and are so thick that when sitting down in them, a deer has no chance of seeing any outline. I was in there last week and had a small 3 point (the last deer I saw) walk past me at just a few yards and he stood around those scrapes for probablly close to half and hour. He never had any clue I was there.

I am really hoping that in the next week and a half or two weeks that the temps will drop down again and the deer activity will pick up. I guess I won' t know unless I am out there :D

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RE: THATS IT!!!!!!!!!! I give up!!!!!!! WHY ME?
 

I' ve still been seeing lots of deer in central Minnesota. But not as many as earlier! The only thing, or problem I can attribute your bad luck to is nocturnal deer. I have 2 deer cameras in the woods that get moved weekly. The last two weeks 95 % of my pictures have been at night. Over 65% from midnight to4 a.m.
My best (favorite stand) Had a camera on its main trail, not one daylight photo last week. Glad I didn' t hunt it! I think your bad luck is just about to turn around!


Good Luck!

RE: THATS IT!!!!!!!!!! I give up!!!!!!! WHY ME?
 

yeah if things aren' t bad enough , now the juniors and seniors are running around with guns after the deer (does) and the freakin squirrel hunters , it' s enough to make you want to jump out of you tree stand !

RE: THATS IT!!!!!!!!!! I give up!!!!!!! WHY ME?
 

Things will pick up within the next 10 days or so Buck Magnet. Hey, don' t feel bad, I' ve only got out twice this season due to a scheduled surgery and health complications from kidney stones.:( If I am lucky.........I might be able to hunt near the peak of the rut in November.

RE: THATS IT!!!!!!!!!! I give up!!!!!!! WHY ME?
 

Jason,
You' re going about it all wrong!
What you need to do is this.........next tree you pick a tree to climb into, strap that darn " Good Luck Charm" of a Stealth Camera to the base of the tree!:D
You have a bunch of attention starved deer who only want to come out when they know they are on camera. You put the camera away and the deer disappeared.

Either that or they know when you leave the camera that you won' t be back for a few days so they feel safe!

Hang the camera, kill a deer. Should work like a charm!;):)

Actually now would be a good time to hang it, and you might get an idea about when your invisible deer are using the area.

RE: THATS IT!!!!!!!!!! I give up!!!!!!! WHY ME?
 

Hey Buck Magnet, Well the only help I can suggest for now is to do something or hunt somewhere, where you just wouldn' t even consider hunting. Just some unlikely place that you would just normally pass by and say no deer in there right mind would come by here. Just a suggestion.

Good luck

Brian

RE: THATS IT!!!!!!!!!! I give up!!!!!!! WHY ME?
 

Looking good for tomorrow ! It was 68 when I left for work this morning. Tomorrows high is going to be 48 ! That should get things moving. ;)

RE: THATS IT!!!!!!!!!! I give up!!!!!!! WHY ME?
 

believe me when i tell you that i know what you are going through, i set in the mornings and evenings, but in the late morning and early afternoon, about 7 or 8 of my friends and i push off some areas, like we have done for the last 12 yrs...Now let me tell you this is the worst year in the history of my hunting lifetime, i have not seen 1 deer while setting, and while pushing deer, we have only seen about 2 deer to for every 6 drives and sometimes 0 for every 6 drives.... The young kids that hunt with us are losing interest, the deer just arent there... all the extra tags are taking there effects in our area, so now comes a good question are we doing the right thing to bring in bigger bucks and not many deer? we are losing youth hunters like crazy, and if this keeps up i think we will lose a lot more.... I dont know what the answer is and im not quiting... no way, im just going to hunt as hard as i ever do, and if it dont change by the end of bowseason then ill know for sure that all of the above is true!!!!!!!

RE: THATS IT!!!!!!!!!! I give up!!!!!!! WHY ME?
 

Fair weather hunters.[:' (] I' ve left hundreds of them in my gut piles.[>:] They all can talk the talk but when the going gets a little tough they knuckle under like a beginning wannabee. Sure it' s more fun when you see deer every time out and pass up numerous shots and deer. BUT Hey, it' s hunting. So you' re not seeing any deer. Guess who' s fault that is.[:-][&:] YUP, you guessed it. It ain' t the deers.[8D] If the old way isn' t working.... try something different.

RE: THATS IT!!!!!!!!!! I give up!!!!!!! WHY ME?
 

Pennsylvania boy here too, down in Huntingdon County. So far only skunked one morning, but nothing to show for what I have seen either.

Their movment this year is all skewered. They just aren' t moving, we have acorns and good hickory nuts around here, and they are not moving much at all in the evenings, I have watched them and they feed their way to the fields, but it takes them forever to get moving down the mountain to where I am. In the mornings they are coming off the field way early. This past saturday, they were moving past me a shade before 7am, and the saturday before that, i was walking in at closer to 6 something and I looked in front of my for my bright eyes and found a set of deer eyes looking at me......that was the morning i saw nothing. As far as does go, there seems to be enough of them but many many younger fawns, and as far as bucks, I only have one completely confirmed and one other possible that could have been the one I am seeing or a totally new one.
I feel for ya, and it isn' t just you, take a little comfort in that.

Sidenote: the landowner drove the area i hunt last saturday for early muzzleloader, and they got skunked, and in fact they got skunked for the entire day, not even a shot fired.

RE: THATS IT!!!!!!!!!! I give up!!!!!!! WHY ME?
 

Sit down, Take a deep breath, and relax bro, it' s a long season still to go and the best hunting is around the corner.

I used to go all out like you the first couple of weeks of the season, full bore intent on dropping that first deer, by the time the third week of the season rolled around I was all burnt out before the rut kicked in. Now after adding a few years to my age :D I have learned better! Just take a deep breath man, don' t worry about all your buddies who have tagged one already and rubbing it in, it' s not a competition, it' s about being out in the woods and experiencing the outdoors.

I' ve posted this quote in another thread, but will do it again as I see it fits this one perfectly. This is from one of Greg Miller' s whitetail books " Temper your enthusiasm with a little common sense"

RE: THATS IT!!!!!!!!!! I give up!!!!!!! WHY ME?
 

Hark, hark, I do believe I hear the unmistakable sound of violins!!![:o]:D Mooooon riverrrrrrr la di da di da. [:-] Wait till November grasshopper...all will change. If it weren' t for the rut most guys would never kill a deer.

RE: THATS IT!!!!!!!!!! I give up!!!!!!! WHY ME?
 

Magnet , Dont give in man , We all have slow times , Remember last year the thrill when your buck was coming to ya , and how good you felt when you found him on the ground . There now get you but out there and stick you one .

RE: THATS IT!!!!!!!!!! I give up!!!!!!! WHY ME?
 

That' s why we call this great sport hunting and not getting. If it were easy, it wouldn' t be fun. I know that there have been threads on here about just getting out hunting, no only to hunt, but to be in the wilderness all by yourself and just taking in nature and thinking about life in general. I can understand why your so frustrated. I' ve been out many, many times and not seen a dang thing except for some pesky squirrels and chipmunks and it' s kind of boring. It may sound goofy, but bring a book. Something to pass the time and atleast your still out there hunting. Best of luck to you.

RE: THATS IT!!!!!!!!!! I give up!!!!!!! WHY ME?
 

Magnet, that doesn' t sound like you. My numbers show that I do not have alot a posts but I have been around a couple of years reading everyone elses. When I read yours I got the idea you where a very motivated person. To hear that your giving up is a bit of a shock. Take a little break from your stand for awhile until the weather changes or something that catch' s your attention. A little break and you will be refreshed to hunt during November when the bucks forget everything and start chasing the does. Good luck.

RE: THATS IT!!!!!!!!!! I give up!!!!!!! WHY ME?
 

Actually I' m glad you made this post. I' ve been watching a huge typical & non-typical since August and even had rubs on August 31st.! The first Monday of the season the typical was right under my feet 15 mins. before good shooting light. Since then I' ve had 3 doe into my stands. I hunt every morning before work and every afternoon after work. I' ve managed to take a bunch of deer over the past 38 yrs. of bowhunting but I' ve only had a couple of seasons I tab as " RUDE" and this is one of them. Hearing that there are others in PA that are experiencing the same strange movements gives me heart that there' s better things to come in the next couple of weeks. Like others have said, keep plugging away and the best hunting of the year is yet to come! Your lucky if you have acorns this years as my area has none. I got so used to hunting them that I actually got a little lazy about hunting other types of sign and now I' m being forced to change my habits which probably has something to do with why I' m being so slow in making the right adjustments. Keep your head up and hunt.

RE: THATS IT!!!!!!!!!! I give up!!!!!!! WHY ME?
 

There IS such a thing as overhunting a spot.[:' (]

RE: THATS IT!!!!!!!!!! I give up!!!!!!! WHY ME?
 

Maybe you need to stop trying so hard. It sounds like you expecting to get something after all your hard work. Nots not reality with hunting. Try to have some fun, that' s what it' s all about. Now get out there and start hunting, and stop acting like a big baby.

RE: THATS IT!!!!!!!!!! I give up!!!!!!! WHY ME?
 

I wouldn' t go so far as to call him a big baby. All of us have felt the frustration, and I would bet a good number of us have been in the situation where you get busted, or get skunked and see no deer and wonder why you didn' t take up chess or some other hobby/sport where you can see a reward for your hard work more often. I agree hunting isn' t like that, you could work your butt off every season for years and have nothing to show for it, or you could score lucky and go out in blue jeans and a jacket (see the other post that was floating around about the new monster buck) and get lucky.
We have all been frustrated with the sport from time to time, and even myself on more than one occassion.
I go out and hunt and get busted or whatever, and yeah it makes you mad and the i shoulda, coulda, woulda' s come into your mind, and you leave the woods sometimes being so frustrated with it, but like a good book I have to come back to it, I have to know what happens, I have to be out there again. I can' t not hunt, even if I am convinced(in my head) that I will see nothing, I have to go, I want to go. I think I can truly relate to what it is like to have an addicition at this point in time.

Anyway, enough of my rant, but as hard as it is, maybe taking a smal break is best, relax for a few weeks, leave the calls and scents and home, hunt the wind and wait for the rut to kick in here in PA and then go try it again.
That is so much easier said than done, I know.

RE: THATS IT!!!!!!!!!! I give up!!!!!!! WHY ME?
 

Perhaps you need to better understand this from the deer' s point of view.

The Spring was invariably wet in the Northeast this year, as was most of the summer. We didn' t dry out until mid-August.

Because of the wet weather, the crops are a little late this year. Corn was planted late, and grew slow due to the wet weather. Alfalfa grew a little slower and is still being cut. Corn is just being cut here in New England and in NY. Acorns are overabundant, with the white oaks and this a red oak year. Apples and fleshy fruits are on time, but with the wet spring/summer they are overabundant and big. This fall has some of the best wildlife forage in the NE and New England I' ve personally seen in 10 years. The turkey poults are almost the size of adults, especially with the late arrival of the hoppers this year (didn' t peak in New England until the last week Sept/first week Oct). I haven' t been to PA this year, but I' m sure you' re also a little behind in the forage department. Just look at how vibrant the grasses still are---usually after 3/4 frosts they' re cooked, but not this year...

In general though it is mast, fruit, and crop season to the deer. October is typically slow because now is when deer really cram their bellies full for the rut and coming winter. It' s also when everyone flocks to the woods, not just us deer hunters but small gamers and wing-shooters alike.

It sounds to me as if you' re not sure how to hunt deer as they alter their travel routes from Summer/Fall/Winter. I' m not saying you can' t hunt BM, it just sounds like instead of analyzing your problem, you' re just blindly poking around the hillside looking for game (as indicated by your multiple and various stand sites). The deer are fattening up right now, so that' s where you have to be...


Find the beds and find the freshest food source---you can' t possibly have that many bedding sites on that much acreage. Go back to square one and look at the topos and aerials. Determine what the deer are eating, where they are bedding and get into a funnel or travel corridor between the two. If you can' t find the deer where you are, start from scratch like you' ve never hunted the place. You' ll be surprised, but you can probably find a new funnel or corridor to explore.

I know on my hunting properties, the deer have moved a major trail a mere 50 yards due to all of the ground water---they just found a more convenient crossing spot. AND, we have had some torrential water the past few weeks, so the water table is very high.

AND if I were you, I' d be saving that oak spot until the chasing phase kicks in heavy. Sounds like you found a territorial corner, with more than one big-boy roaming the area. Save it until the bucks are a little less wary and more intent on " taking care of business" ...

And remember, have fun. Bring some blunts and start picking off squirrels if nothin' else ;) ...

S&R

RE: THATS IT!!!!!!!!!! I give up!!!!!!! WHY ME?
 

Hey Buck, there is a cold front barreling down on you right now and it will drop the temperatures quite nicely in it' s wake. High temperature will be in the mid-40' s for your area tomorrow and low' s will be in the lower 30' s both Thursday and Friday morning. You will be expecting somewhat of a warm up come this weekend. With this frontal passage today I' d be out in the woods first thing in the morning and also tomorrow evening. The deer will be nice a frisky. It doesn' t look like you have too much of a moon over head at night so you should see some daylight movement. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday look damn good. Go here to read your forecast.........

http://www.weatherunderground.com/cg...a+pennsylvania

RE: THATS IT!!!!!!!!!! I give up!!!!!!! WHY ME?
 

Wah! Quit your sobbing I have been skunked every trip to my stand so far this year. It happens it is why they call it hunting. You can' t walk into the woods and say oh large bucks right over there in aisle 5. Fair chase is a part of why it is called hunting. Getting out there is the only way to have some success and some years you won' t see as many.

It is also coming time for the rut. Careless bucks making the tragic mistake of following their noses. Get some Tinks #69 stink bomb canisters, then hang it 15 yards in front of your stand. Sit there wait watch listen. Twig snaps, leafs rustle, the adreniline surges. In comes the buck and he is a shooter, thinking a hot doe is waiting for him to have some ooh-lah-lah. And that smell happens to be coming from your canisiter and in comes the buck he sniffs the canister right in frlon of your stand 15 yards broadside. You get buck fever, you freeze, you choke up, he busts you sitting in your stand because you aren' t wearing ASAT camo. Ok you get the picture. Have some heart.

Sure it gets frustrating but you are disheartened at the point where the game really gets going. Breeding instincts will be kicking in over the next few weeks and they get less cautious and that slow start will be just a distant memory if it picks up to a fast finish.

Good luck and get back out there the tide is about to turn into the hunter' s favor.

RE: THATS IT!!!!!!!!!! I give up!!!!!!! WHY ME?
 

Look at it this way, things can' t get worse!

We' re comming off a full moon phase and the deer might have gone nocturnal for the time being. I' d try scouting some of the trails leading to and from that tree. Look for some bedding sites or new food sources..... also deer in my area seem to change there travel lanes alot.

Keep at it and eventually things will improve.

RE: THATS IT!!!!!!!!!! I give up!!!!!!! WHY ME?
 

plain and simple, thats why it is called hunting and not deer killing

RE: THATS IT!!!!!!!!!! I give up!!!!!!! WHY ME?
 

Buck Magnet,

I hear ya. I was out Friday afternoon hunting from my friend' s stand (with permission). He was seeing deer for the past 2 weeks. I saw nothing after being on stand for 4 hours. Saturday morning I' m hunting my stand which is about 100 yards away. NOTHING! Monday morning I hunted until 10AM...NOTHING! I' m frustrated too, but I keep dreaming about the upcoming rut and November! Hang in there...that' s all I am saying!

RE: THATS IT!!!!!!!!!! I give up!!!!!!! WHY ME?
 

With this warm weather we have been having, I' ve been taking it easy, making sure not to burn myself out to early. I will have my best hunting days ready for when the rut hits here in PA.....not too far away boys.

RE: THATS IT!!!!!!!!!! I give up!!!!!!! WHY ME?
 

Hang in there Buckmagnet. Its been slow everywhere but things are lookin up!. I took the bow out on a doe killin mission yesterday and managed to let the air out of four of em:D! (special regs area, all tagged etc before the next was hunted). I was getting frustarted too. Ya just gotta hang in there!

Now its time to blow the dust off my buck stands!!

RE: THATS IT!!!!!!!!!! I give up!!!!!!! WHY ME?
 

If I was lucky enough to be able to hunt every day, every other day, or even every weekend, I would be darn happy. It would not matter is I did not see a deer for weeks. I am always looking forward to the next day hunting. Tomorrow could be that day when " it" walks by the stand. I notice there are not a lot of real sympathetic people here. Know why? We would all rather be hunting!

RE: THATS IT!!!!!!!!!! I give up!!!!!!! WHY ME?
 

I' M NOT GIVING UP GUYS, I AM JUST FRUSTRATED :D:D:D

The weather has been getting better here this week, but, even with that, and a better moon phase thrown in, the deer still aren' t moving.

This time last year, I was seeing probablly seeing 10 deer per night on an average night. I keep looking back at my log book and it just seems odd that at this time last year, the deer were really moving, and this year they aren' t.

There are a BUNCH of things working against me this year.

1. Part of my " honey hole" was sold off this summer. On a positive note though, my dad told me today that the plans have pretty much fallen through and the bidders are all backing out due to some type of mix up in paper-work. Thursday morning and evening I will be in there for the first time this year and I am REALLY looking forward to hunting " the pond stand" :D

2. No mast crops. Last year we didn' t have any acorns, and that is the case again this year. Heck, the only tree that I have seen dropping acorns is in my best-friends front yard. The crab apple trees around here have produced a FEW apples and they are all gone now.

3. Weather. I will go out hunting no matter what the weather is, but, that doesn' t mean that the deer will have to be out in it. The temps have been going up and down and up and down so much that it seems to have thrown the deer all out of whack.

4. The farmers crops. The farmers around here left ALOT of fields fallow this year, probablly due to the insane amount of rain that we had this spring. Those farmers who did plant had it grow slowly, but, the kicker is that they have ALL cut down their corn already. Yeah, about 3 weeks all the farmers around my area cut the corn. I am not sure what the reasoning behind this was, but, they did it. With the corn being planted late, I don' t think that many of it matured, and then they cut it so early, so, I don' t think that there is much corn laying in the cut fields for deer. I think that this is probablly the major reason why things are so bleek this year.

5. WIND. It has been incredibly windy around here lately. Swirling 30 mph winds are almost expected now. The deer don' t seem to wanna move since there senses are less effective in the wind, plus, it makes finding a good stand area very hard.

I have been using so many different stand locations because there have been so many different varitions in weather and winds. On the hot days, I will try to hunt water hoping that deer will come in and get a drink. On windy days I try to hunt deep bottoms, and with the wind direction changing, I have tried to get a bunch of stand set-ups in a certain area to allow for me to hunt any wind that mother nature is giving me :D

The deer have been very un-predictable. Heck, the deer that I did see this season seemed to be just wandering around. There are some MAJOR trails through one of my stand sites. The deer I saw in that area were not moving on the trails and they weren' t entering the funnel or exiting it where they normally are. The funnel in my woods has a " brushy hillside" on the south side of it, to the east is my back field, to the north is the big woods where the " big pines" are, and to the west is a huge field that was corn last year but is fallow this year. Now, when you are in the funnel, on the west side there is a THICK row of brush that divides the funnel from the fallow field. There is one spot where a old trolly line use to exit and there is no brush there. That has ALWAYS been the area where deer would enter or exit the funnel as the brush on that side of the funnel is so thick. The deer never go through my back field and they won' t cross the fallow field as the highway can easily be seen from that field. That is why this funnel is normally a hot-spot, but, the deer that I have seen in it aren' t doing their normal routine.

Another thing that is frustrating is that the buck were really chasing does at the beginning of the season, they were running doe, grunting constantly, and fighting, but, then the full moon came, and even though it is gone, the bucks just aren' t as fired up as they were earlier in the season.

But, like I said, I am not giving up, I was just venting. I will be out there in the woods every chance I can get, but, it kinda gets to me when I am out there in areas that I had scouted extensively, and I don' t see a single deer. I don' t really care that I havn' t shot a buck, and I am not frustrated that I havn' t shot a buck yet, it would be great to stick that big 12 point, but, that isn' t what has me down. I would just like to see some deer walk by me :D