Too many Deer!! HELP.
 

I had the best evening (deer count wise) ever the other night in the woods. I wasn't in the stand for 10 minutes and I saw deer about 100 yds off thru the hardwoods. No leaves and a nice new snow cover made them stand out nice. They made their way up the hill towards me and I was amazed that they just kept comming. I started getting confused at about 25 deer. They were everywhere all around me. They stayed in the area for about 45 minutes rooting around for acorns and nibbling on pines.

There was not A SINGLE SET OF ANTLERS IN THE BUNCH!!

The rest of the evening I had groups of 2, 3 and 4 at different points of time. I never had 5 minutes when I didn't have a deer in sight. It was by far the most deer I have seen in one evening ever! (short of seeing them grazing in large groups in the summer) I'm sure I saw between 35 and 40 but a few could have been repeates.

WHERE ARE THE BUCKS???
Should I continue to hunt this stand or go elsewhere to find a buck?
I should mention that the 3 previous hunts on the same stand I saw a total of 6 deer all on the first night then the next 2 nights I saw none then the 4th time on the stand was the lotto night.

RE: Too many Deer!! HELP.
 

id shoot a doe but thats just me

RE: Too many Deer!! HELP.
 

I would shoot a doe also. But its up to you.

RE: Too many Deer!! HELP.
 

They may have been right in front of you

But have dropped their "gear" to the ground.

it is happening here as we speak[:'(]

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RE: Too many Deer!! HELP.
 

Thev've started to yard up. Any big bodied deer in the bunch? If so they could be bucks that have lost thier headgear as RA said. I saw two bucks last weekend with only one antler, could it be from the rut or are they dropping all ready. I personnaly think it's way too early for the drop to have started but it has been more than a strange year to say the least. I blame it all on that hurrican that totally messed up the woods and the crop and changed deer patterns ;).

RE: Too many Deer!! HELP.
 

It should be too early for them to be dropping their headgear by at least a few weeks. I was looking hard for knobby heads on the larger deer that might have dropped them early but didn't see any. The biggest deer in the bunch were the mature does and then some younger does and a bunch of yearlings including some button bucks.
The second phase of the rut should be all but over also. With the ugly buck/doe ratio we have around here I'm sure there was plenty to be bread late. I kept thinking that a buck or two would be following them, maybe even way behind or to the side but as hard as I tried I couldn't make antlers grow on any of them. I took a big doe and a nice buck in October with my bow and one more doe with the shotgun so the freezer is full. I have a buck tag left and was hoping to use it (can be doe with bow however). I might stick one more doe if I don't get a chance at a buck. I only have about a week left in the bow season then it is off to the icefishing.

RE: Too many Deer!! HELP.
 

Our deer won't be loosing headqear yet for a while. The bucks have gone back to solitude and hiding out. They've been shot at with guns, muzzleloaders etc and have gone to their nocturnal mode. A blast of real cold weather would help with their movement. I think you'll find if we get that that mid day would be a great time to be hunting. When it gets super cold they bed a lot during the coldest part of the day to conserve energy and wander when the sun is up taking off the chill. Lodi... weren't you the guy complaining a couple weeks ago about NO DANG DEER?:D:D

RE: Too many Deer!! HELP.
 

Dave: Will found a pair of sheds the other day under the stand at Charlie's. He said it was a nice 8 pointer.

I chased a herd of at least 30 deer to Dave last week and then again yesterday I chased another 30+ to him and my son. They are definitely herded up. I also jumped a nice big, 20" spread deer out of his bed before I pushed the 30+ deer to Dave and my son.

My son (12 years old) shot a nice doe tonight. It was his 5th deer of the season with one of them being a nice 8 pointer with a 19" spread on Youth Day.

Happy Holidays to all.

RE: Too many Deer!! HELP.
 

i read in northern new jersey deer will start loosing the antlers as early as the first week of december. i guess once the bucks get run down from chasing and fighting and if a rut that year is particularly rough and food is not good its off with the horns. i usually see it though around the first 2 weeks of january.