Anybody got anything to report from MA???

Hunted the northern end of Zone 3 (Berkshires) Mon-Wed. Winds kept the deer bedded all day. We only saw 2 does. I pushed them out of the beds towards my friend and he took one. Thats it. Very, Very little shooting out there. Spoke with other hunters seeing nothing.

Well, I shot a 6 point in zone 10 just after first shooting light on opening day (Monday).... just haven't found it yet. 10 minutes after sitting in my stand, the buck walked to about 20 yards away. AFter I shot, he dropped immediately, kicked a few times, then lay still. He sure seemed dead to me. As soon as I began to climb down from my stand, the buck got up and, slowly at first but then gaining speed, took off. I went home and waited 45 minutes, then tracked him to and most of the way through a swamp, heavy blood sign the first 60 yards, including two spots where there were pools of blood, which progressively lessened. I lost the trail just as he exited the swamp. AFter looking a little further, I left for work thinking that I had a 9:30 call (which was later rescheduled to the afternoon), looked from 9:00 to midnight that night and again for two hours the next day and the following day. Of course, it began snowing just at dawn on Tuesday so any sign was covered from then on.

I will say that I had hunted pretty hard the last 3 weeks of bow season without seeing many deer (I think a total of two). I arrowed a buck week two of bow, and just missed taking a doe a couple days later (after I made some unnecssary noise just prior to release), but from then on very little. Besides the deer described above, my buddy, who was 120 or so yards away had a deeer under his stand before shooting light on Monday and saw three or four does over the next two hours.

I'm going out again tom. or Sat., to hunt (and look for the buck again), and I'm pretty optimistic with the cold weather that there will be good movement.

Best of luck.

A question,... we have had pretty cold weather since Monday, the temperature has seldom ventured above freezing except for a couple of hours during the day and has been really cold (in the teens at night). Assuming I find the buck before the temperature warms, what sort of condition would it be in if coyotes, fishers, or crows haven't gotten to it first.

Jay-Bar,

I am sorry to hear about your trouble with recovering your deer. [:'(] Keep looking, as it sounds like he's around somewhere.

When you recover the deer, its stomach is bound to be swollen with gas. It may effect the meat, it may not. It may just effect some of it. Best bet is to take it to the butcher and ask what he thinks. Usually game meat smells pretty bad if it is tainted.

Good luck finding that deer. Are you hunting public land on the N. SHore??? It may have been claimed by another hunter if so.

Jay-bar: If you don't find it within one day, the meats no good, about all you can keep is the antler's. I've found deer the next morning with very cold temps all night, and they have been questionable, the only way to know is zip them open, gut them out and see what they smell like after they're hanging. But I can tell you without hesitation, that if you have not found that deer by now the only thing good on it at this point is the rack....sorry.

Slow action down here in SE Mass. also, hoping saturday will be good, good luck out there.

Anyone get out during the blizzard in Mass? I did Saturday morning, and proceeded to blow a great opportunity at real bruiser...ugh. Even worse, the buck ran right through a bedding area spooking 8 others off the land I can hunt ... double ugh!

Some guys I know in zone 10 took 4 doing drives before the snow got to bad.

We didn't hunt Saturday, but did hunt Monday and Tuesday Dec 8 & 9. Again, the northern end of Zone 3. The storm had put alot of deer off the hills and behind the houses, so that didn't help. Some tracks showed some eveidence of the deer climbing back up pre-light Monday and Tuesday. 2 Deer passed 5 ft from my gournd blind before I got there at 6:15am.

Monday was mostly quiet, but Tuesday had alot of shooting 6:50-7:40 am and then it shut down. Alot of deer where moving at night under the full moon and calm winds of Monday night.

We didn't see any deer on the stand, and I saw one flag while tracking one deer in thick cover. Overall, it was very tough hunting this year. 2 of us hunted 5 days, seeing 2does and one flag. :-( What can ya do. Got one more day saturday.

Hope all of you are doing better.

My shotgun season has actually been going pretty well. Opening day was a bust, first time in years that I haven't seen a deer on the first day.

This last saturday was a good day in my neck of the woods though, alot of guys out moving the deer, and we had about 6" of fresh snow. At first light I had two mature does and a fawn come by me and I took one of the does at about 18 yards with a slug, the shot was beautiful and she ran about 60 yards.....double lung. Two other guys on the same property also took a doe a couple hours later.

Took yesterday morning off, and man did the woods look different with all the trees bent over........I'm surprised I found my way in. I was beat by the time I got to the area I wanted to hunt, at 8:00 I had 5 does and 2 fawns walk by me at 15 yards and head into the swamp to bed down. Then at 9:00 while I was lowering my gun I looked up and saw more brown, a scrubby little spike and another fawn came by me at 5 yards, glad they didn't detect me at all becuase I want to set up a couple friends in the area this weekend for their first deer.

Hope this saturday will be another good hunt, the weather doesn't look too bad and I've got a feeling there will be alot of guys out keeping them moving around.

Good luck out there for the last hurrah!

Well Phil, I am glad you'r having a good season. I am a bit frustrated, but will be out saturday barring a rainstorm. (Looks good so far) What zone are ya hunting?

jf5: I'm hunting in Zone 11

Went out saturday morning and set up a friend hoping for him to drop the bead on a deer, neither of us saw squat................another shotgun season comes to a close, it seemed it was over too quick.

Will be heading out a few times with the muzzleloader trying to fill my last tag, I don't think I'll be letting any spikes walk if they come by this time, want to shoot a deer with the front-loader, never shot one with it.

I hunted the northwestern side of zone 5 for 2 weeks, this was the worst deer season I have ever been priviliged to experiance. In 11 days of hunting jumped only two deer, worked on multiple drives and stand hunted every day. Also tried 6 different location that were known to harbor deer every year. I didn't even cut any tracks after the weekend snow storm!! Am going to give the muzzleloader season a good try and if no deer than I know I gave it my best this year.