Virginia Opening Day
 

The full moon and the warm weather seemed to keep the deer off their feet. Anyone have any luck?

my brother missed a buck and a buddy had a buck come right under his stand was not able to drawback on it i saw nothing, but there is always Monday!

None during the hunt but I saw a nice buck as I walked out at 7pm

Jerry

I headed out this evening, and seen ALLOT of does grouping together just before dark. Nuthin but slickheads this evening.

Nothing this evening but had 9 doe in my backyard about 1 hour ago.

Shot a doe at 35 yards at 6:25 pm. Found the arrow with blood but backed out becuase it wasn't a great shot and I had to go to work. Going back in the morning to find her.

Morning hunt found us getting to the field. It was just turning grey as my partner peeled off the field edge into the oak flat and into his stand. I continued around the field edge making my way toward my stand. About 2/3 of the way to my stand I see the corn stalks in front of me start moving, so I stopped. After a few minutes of watching I was able to make out the back of a deer, so I nocked a arrow and started to creep forward. This deer and I played follow the leader for about 100 yards with me being able to steadily close the distance to within 15 yards and hold it. Finally the deer decided to corss out of the row of corn it was feeding in and into the field edge. At this point I came to full draw in anticipation of a shot. When the buck raised his had I saw he was only sporting a scrubby rack about 10 inches wide or so. I let down and watched him feed into the woodline, never knowing I was there. I continued to my spot and climberd my tree, hunting until 10:00 I saw another deer out in the corn which I was only cathcing glances of here and there and a ton of tree rats. We ran some errands and scouted another tract of land and were back in our stands by 4:30 in a different field on the same lease as the morning hunt. By the end of the evening I had seen a total of 8 additional deer including two shooter bucks that never came close enough to present a shot, the rest were a mix of a spike and does.

My buddy had a 5 pointer walk under his stand so close that he was able to take his hoist rope and move it and touch the side of the buck who tensed up, looked around then continued feeding. IN the evening he was covered with deer totaling 14. He had two does at 15 yards for about 20 minutes and was going to shoot them, but one of the bruisers we are after this season was feeding between 55 and 70 yards for almost 45 minutes never coming closer than that. He finally ran out of shooting light. He packed up and continued to sit in the tree for almost a hour after dark watching the deer in the bright moonlight feed down the field. When they were a safe distance away he climbed down and headed to the truck to meet me.

My brother and his buddy were hunting the adjoining field and saw a total of 11 deer between the both of them.

So in all for as nasty hot as it was, it turned out to be a pretty good day. While we did not harvest anything everyone enjoyed their day in the field. As we all know hunting is not about the harvest but the experience!

Opening Day
 

I saw four deer on the drive out to my stand @ 6:00ish. Two on either side of the road at the same crossing. If I had my foot on the gas and not the brake, I could have "earned a buck." That fourth deer was the last deer I saw all day.

First day in the woods will be Tuesday...best of luck Virginians!

You already know my dismal start! The thiing is I was surrounded by deer al day long, just held out for the big boy I have pegged down to a time of day that he is using trail that my stand is directly over!

Damn hounds!

Went out Sat. morning, jumped one going to the stand and a couple of quail. To brite and to hot for anything to move, even me for an evening hunt. Bring on cooler weather.

Took my youngest daughter to one of our best spots in between a bean field and a overgrown pasture that butts up to the swamp, about a football sized section of the beans look like someone cut the tops out of them, I mean i have never seen soybeans ate up like this, but we saw nothing:s14:. Oh well I had a nice sit with one of my children and she had fun and no deer can replace that.:s1:

By the way my buddy killed a nice 9 on the other side of the farm and saw 8 more.

I will have to say it was nice, that on opening day for a change we did not hear a single hound anywhere in the woods. Nice change of pace from the past years.

My opening day on Quantico went with two does passing by about 8:45 then nothing. I sat on stand till 11am and decided to move to a trail that might have a little more action thinking the deer just haven't been pushed this far back yet.Boy was that a big mistake with the temps close to 80 I was sweating to much to waste a spot.

So with that kind of temps I guess I made the right call. sometimes I think why not go hunt that spot -stinking , bad wind or what ever because on public land you don't know who might just be in that same area before. so what do you all think about that. would you hunt it just to beat someone to the deer. you can but a lot of time into scouting and come to find some else was in there the day before.its a hard call for me.Thanks

Good luck And have a safe season

Went out Saturday morning and didn't see any deer but did see a jake and tom turkey. One of the guys on our lease did have his 13 year old son take a nice doe but no one else saw anything either.

I hunted Saturday at Quantico and didnt see a deer all day long. It was too warm out in the afternoon

Notredame17, What TA were you in? I spent The day in 6C

Rick,

When are you going to be hunting down in the 'Neck? The oaks are just starting to drop now down there in that area. It was not a rainfall of them yet, but enough to have the deer in them. I will probably be hunting in that tract that borders yours starting next week.

BY the way what do you drive? I saw a small car (not sure of the make beacuse I saw it at last minute) parked near the gate/chain a few weekends ago, thought maybe you were doing some scouting?

I was hunting in 7A

I shot a doe at 0725, saw 4 others. Good day for me. Second time I have tagged out in as many openers from this stand. May be going out tonight, not sure.

I did not see anything on Sat. morning except a medium sized coon. I changed to a different stand for the evening hunt and had a doe and six pointer come out of the hardwoods. I shot the six pointer and when the deer wheeled around to go back the way they had come, I noticed another buck was in the rear and was a four pointer. I waited a half hour then went looking for my arrow but could not find it. Saw a little blood and then quite a bit, but after 70 yards it tickled down to nothing. I came back early the next morning with a friend and trailed it to about 300 yards from where I shot it. Something found the buck before I did and ate one whole hind quarter and half the tendorloin on one side and half the hind quarter on the other side. That was about fifty pounds of raw venison in one sitting. Whatever ate that deer ate the hide and all. There was no hair pulled out at all and not a lot of sign to indicate dogs. Might have been a bear, not sure. The arrow did not come out as it angled up into the body cavity and the other half had broken off. Some tough tracking ony to find half a buck!!!

I would like to be the first to say way to go on the follow though and tracking. I hear and read to many stories of guys who dont follow through if there is no blood at first or as soon as it trickles out. It is nice to see those of us out there that respect the animal enough to follow through with your inital actions!!

Sorry to hear about loosing half the deer though, I imagine that stinks. I have lost parts of ones over the years to this or that but never as much as you have descirbed.

Congrats on the harvest though!!

Shot a doe in the morning and a doe in the evening on two different farms. Saw 15 does total between the two places, no bucks. Pictures are on the team 16 thread in the bowhunting forum contest.

VA Opening Day
 

I probably saw 10 deer or so between 5 and dusk. I had a nice 8 point walk right by my stand about an hour after I got there. I pulled back on him, shaking so bad with excitement, that I missed him. Shot right over his back.

I'm pretty new to bow hunting and that's only the second deer that I've had the chance to pull back on. I'm glad I missed him clean though, rather than make a bad shot.

Notredame17, how is the access to that area is there off 610 or do you stay on base.


Eng40sqd, That was my beater a 87 chevy nova that still get 29 mpg and yes i was out scouting a small track that we just got permission to hunt. My kids and I went out there for youth day and the acorns were falling then but not as bad as it was last year. My son could not get a shoot at the does that came in and my daughter really hates squirrels now, but we had fun. I will be out there this friday for evening hunt with linda and then Jeremy saturday morning. We should get a doe.I talked with the land owmer about a key to that chain but he didnt seem the pressed about said he would talk to the farmer. Thats a long wlk back to the back field but i dont feel like getting locked in.Good luck out keep in touch.

Guys, on Quantico it can be hit or miss. During the first week of the season on Quantico you can bet the farm the deer move from bed to feed the last hour before sundown. It is the "where" you have to worry about, because it is a given they are going to pick up and move, wether it is 85 degrees or 60 degrees. Make it simple. Find a grass field, find the closest bedding area (ie pine thicket) and set up downwind of that bedding area as it moves into the grass field....you will find something moving, I promise. Well, I think...hahahahaha. Good luck guys, my first day on Quantico will be tomorrow.

My buddy was able to arrow an 11 point in Nokesville this evening. Very nice deer with a big body

Arrowed a slickhead this evening from a ladder stand I just set up yesterday. Twenty five yard shot. She ran straight into the cut corn field and tumbled at 50 yards. Got to love those shots when you don't need a blood trail.

Two good friends of mine shot does in the morning.

In a diff part of the state, my boss, his best friend, and my bosses son all scored sat afternoon.

I bounced work at noon and headed for the woods. In the tree by about 3pm and stuck a big doe at 445pm. Her shoulder was behind a sapling about 4" in diameter... I had plenty of space but got a bit tree shy and the shot went about 3" further back than I would have liked. Looked at the arrow through the binos and the ground looked like I'd shot her with a rifle... blood sprayed 7 or 8 feet back... arrow totally coated in blood. Made me feel better, at first I thought the shot was pure guts. I figured I at least had all of the liver and possibly a lung.

Waited til after dark and got myself lost as a mo-fo not 15 yards from where I shot her.... spent 45 minutes wandering around lost and came back in the AM with my best friend and found her less than half an hour... she didn't go 60 yards. I got all of the liver and one lung... it was in the upper 40s overnight.... no meat loss at all.

Saw several does and fawns in addition to the one I shot that night and called a group of young deer in to right under the stand... could have caught a fawn in a cast net.... pretty neat watching them play around and butt heads and box each other.... awfully cute little things.

Shot a squirrel with the bow as well, and missed another. Pretty good opener.

On Base. Ill be hunting on Friday dont know what TA ill be hunting in.

Rick,

When yo usay new tract are you refering to the right side going back in there? Or did you get permission to the stuff we hunt as well. We have hung a few stands back in there. I will say that even with the key and being able to get to the parking area, it is still along walk around the field edge with the corn in the field LOL. I have a stand in the bottom you and me were talking about behind your other tracts, we have three spots along the field edge, and two down in the swamp, past the fields so depending upon the wind it gives us a few spots to choose from.

Justin. The new track is the stuff in the middle of mudslide rd and the corn field. I wish I could permission to the land you guys have not the i would hunt any more then what I do with the other land. Just not enough time to do all that but like you said when the wind is blowing its nice to have several areas. My son and I tryed to scout the rigde to that bottom but it was so thick after a 1 hr walk cut a little trail we gave up it was just to hot that day.

When you going to out there be nice to meet up.

Probably won't hunt down there until Monday or next Saturday, not sure yet.

Saw 10 deer today, 7 within range. It was a great first day on Quantico for me today.

Hunted Saturday. In the morning i saw about 15 deer. 5 of which were bucks. 2 of which were shooters. a big 7 and really nice 10 point. They were in range but never gave me an ethical shot. But i didnt spook them so i will be back and i hope the two big boys will be back. That evening i sat in another stand with the focus of taking a doe, about an hour half in i had two does come in with in 20 yards, i got a small window to take a shot through a shooting lane in the brush. I made it count. She only went 20 yards. I staid in the stand for the rest of the night however to see what else came by. I had another 6 does come by along with a 115" 8 point i let pass. It was an eventful first day. I look forward to the weekend, getting out all day Friday, Saturday and Monday.

Good luck to everyone else. I wish you all the best. Hunt hard

thats awesome, I still have not had a chance to get out! its killin me!

Dam Brett that sounds like you had fun. What time of day Afternoon? I am going out thursday morning maybe 14A not sure yet.

went out yesterday evening..knew it was gonna be a good day cause it was cloudy to hide the bright moon and out stepped 2 wall hangers..a decent 8 and a small 6 point all together about 200 yards away then the 2 biggest bucks started brawling..didnt kill any but it was an exciting hunt

Great Opening
 

I took a 13 year old out to one of my NOVA spots and we had a great time. We must have seen 40 deer and he was able to take a 6pt buck, his 1st deer. The young man will be hunting with my son and I this season and is now hooked forever. I think these 2 young men are going to put a hurting on the doe population.