Deer have disappeared!
 

I have been in the woods for over 40 hours this week. I thought that the deer would be moving with the weather systems, snow, coming in and leaving. I have seen one deer, ONE, in all this time in spots that really produce. I have been in the woods with the weather coming in and leaving only to have no movement. Where have all the does gone? Is anyone else in VA finding this. I am talking about property that only I hunt. What is going on?

Mike

RE: Deer have disappeared!
 

They're out there. Here in NY Ialways see less deer in the late season on stand. I usually move to thick bedding and staging areas and still hunt those. That usually produces something. It helps to have a partneror two to positon themselves at the exit routes. Kinda like putting on mini 2 or 3 man drives.

RE: Deer have disappeared!
 

" Plant the corn and they will come"

dd

RE: Deer have disappeared!
 

Hey DD,

You come on up and help me plow the mountain, and I'll try to plant the corn.lol!Unfortunately, I don't have any farm land here in VA to hunt. Finding a field to hunt with crops around here is like finding a gold mine. I do have one land owner who has a 5 acre field in the middle of river bottoms. I am trying to get him to let me pay a farmer to plant a late season food plot in there. He is a little cold on the idea right now. I'll keep trying.

RE: Deer have disappeared!
 

Mike I can relate .. I have spot in Tennessee that the owner has in CRP ...so he say's we can't plant anything ...thus why I invented the CamoCorn suite ... LOL

dd

RE: Deer have disappeared!
 

WELL MIKE....
My SEASON ENDS TOMORROW....:D
I'LL TAKE THE NEXT REDEYE FLIGHT,I CAN BE IN VIRGINIA BY SUNDAY
JUST IN TIME FOR DINNER..:D
SERIOSLY THOUGH....
A WEEK AND NO SIGN? WOW....IF I CAN"T BE THERE, I'LL HELP YOU FROM HERE...
DO YOU HAVE A SITE WHERE WE CAN LOOK AT TOPO MAPS..
SOME OF US MAY LEAD YOU IN A GOOD PLACE JUST BY THOSE.
DO THE DEER MIGRATE THROUGH THIS AREA? IS IT A WINTERING GROUND
OR IS IT A BREEDING GROUND...
IS THERE ANY TRACKS OR FECIS OR OTHER INDICATING THEY HAVE BEEN THROUGH AT ALL..
HOW DO YOU HUNT..STAND WALK GLASS....
LET US KNOW AND I'M SURE WE CAN HELP OUT.....

RE: Deer have disappeared!
 

I hunt some border counties in north carolina and virginia. This last week has been slow here as well. I have seen 3 deer this past week. A small 8 point, a spike and a small doe or button head. It has been my experience that deer become harder and harder to see the farther in december you get. I usually hunt the evenings and try to find some food sources...normally the deer will stay close to them. You might also try to hunt some during the middle of the day. I hunted yesterday evening. Seemed to be a perfect evening and did not see a thing.You just have to get out and try this time of year.

RE: Deer have disappeared!
 

I do have topo's of most of my hunting area's and believe that I am hunting in the correct places. I am thinking now that this early snow, twice this last week, has made them all nocturnal. I think with the moon and the snow, they are up all week. I was noticing last night in the stand at 5pm, I could have hunted until 7 or 8pm with the brightness from the snow. Maybe when it melts in the woods, I'll see more movement.

Mike

RE: Deer have disappeared!
 

I've had the worse season that I have had in my whole life. During the 2nd week of the season I had 5 bucks in a cotton field. The next morning I saw a spike. I didn't shoot because it was just prior to the rut and besides we have a 10 week season here, so I figured I had plenty of time. It's been almost 6 weeks and I haven't seen a single deer. No does, no bucks not even a fawn. I have hunted mornings and afternoons, I've hunted the fields, the cut overs, swamp bottoms, hard woods and nothing....zero!

RE: Deer have disappeared!
 

Mike, I turn to other pursuits during the late season. I too have found that as the days pass into Dec.the deer seem to disappear. I sometimes see as many as 20 deer per day on my farm, but this time of yearI am lucky to see three or four per day. They move much less and try to conserve energy, or are nocturnal by now. The second rut should kick in anytime now, so watch for it. Turkey season wil open again soon, and I'll try to bag one of those to keep me from going insane. Just don't let cabin fever get you! Good Luck!