Hi,
I have hit that discouraged point where I've spent multiple hours sitting in trees squirrel watching. I haven't seen even a doe in about 20 hours of hunting in 3 different locations. i did see a headless deer (spotlight victim) near to where I park

So I'm mostly hunting hardwoods near the ridge line which has been very succesful for me in the past. But not at all this year.

So what is the experience of others? are deer staying low near the fields due to the lack of mast?

thanks,

I've been out several times this year. Ohio's early ML season was a waste of good hunting time. 6 of us at our deer camp in Meigs morning to dusk,all totaled up we saw 3 deer. Not very much mast production more that last year which was none. On an average year acorns 1 to 2 inches deep on the hillsides. We bow hunted the rut down there and took 2 deer for 7 hunters, at least we all saw deer. Up here around Dayton the farm I can hunt on you will see deer every time you go out am seeing just about the average # of deer up here,but getting into bow range is 35yds is always a problem.gun season no problem getting a deer on the farm. This year the corn is still up around the farm, so they stay there. Not on the land I can hunt on so I can't set up close to the fields. There is a lack of # and quality of the deer in southern Ohio, the local (poachers) down south were talking about this at one of the local hang outs last week.The deer all have seemed to moved into the suburbs this year for the winter. Good luck Foo

every property i've hunted i 've seen deer during early muzzy season i took 2 & out of 5 guys we took 9 does & are still seeing plenty of deer
don't let anybody bull chit that the early muzzy season screwed up the hunting season if all the shooting from muzzy season stirred up the deer & then why in the hell do we have youth season 7 -8 days before gun season & kill aprox 10 thousand bucks,does & button bucks
& then the monday after thanksgiving the deer are back to normal pattern.and if you hunt public land what about all those stocked pheasant released on turkey day does that drive them off the land WRONG just got to get off your lazy a$$es & look for the deer

I see deer out my back window in the field behind my house almost like right on time out feeding at 9a back in by 930a 2 does. Then around 3p they are back out. Just waiting for a big buck to cruise by. Oh and people around me believe in shooting all day and on weekends. Seems not to bother the Deer on bit.

CVG Ohio

The population is way low