100 deer to 9 deer in 4 days
11-12-2007, 11:24 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2004
Location:
Posts: 106
100 deer to 9 deer in 4 days
My uncle has been out hunting this 3.5 sections that we have rights to during archery season. My bow was stolen so I sat out the archery. Anyway we both have doe only tags.
He's been seeing 100 deer a day on this land. Decided to quit hunting it about 4 days before rifle season. We go out there opening day. Had a nice stalk on what turned out to be 3 bucks. Later on in the day a group of hunters pushed 2 fawn, 3 doe, and a buck group onto our land from the neighboring wheat field. They were so jumpy we couldn't get within 500 yards of them.
We're left wondering, what the hell happened to all the deer. We talked to 10 different hunters on neighboring land and most of them didn't see a single deer.
We're hunting right up against the Nebraska South Dakota border, one of the guys in SD said he's seeing tons of does but no bucks, and they're all still herded together. It appears that the Whitetails are rutting farther south on the river beds, but the muley's just left the country and don't appear to be rutting.
One of the bucks we saw with the 2 other bucks was a monster. Damn doe only tag.
Just venting.
He's been seeing 100 deer a day on this land. Decided to quit hunting it about 4 days before rifle season. We go out there opening day. Had a nice stalk on what turned out to be 3 bucks. Later on in the day a group of hunters pushed 2 fawn, 3 doe, and a buck group onto our land from the neighboring wheat field. They were so jumpy we couldn't get within 500 yards of them.
We're left wondering, what the hell happened to all the deer. We talked to 10 different hunters on neighboring land and most of them didn't see a single deer.
We're hunting right up against the Nebraska South Dakota border, one of the guys in SD said he's seeing tons of does but no bucks, and they're all still herded together. It appears that the Whitetails are rutting farther south on the river beds, but the muley's just left the country and don't appear to be rutting.
One of the bucks we saw with the 2 other bucks was a monster. Damn doe only tag.
Just venting.
11-12-2007, 11:33 AM
#3
Typical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location:
Posts: 647
RE: 100 deer to 9 deer in 4 days
sloth,
Don't get too frustrated yet. I know these things are suppose to be big dumb animals but actually they're pretty smart. They may be able to remember when gun season is or something with the length of the day may make them start to change their patterns. They may be bedding down early and getting up really late. I would try still hunting through some of the thick stuff on your properties. You may be able to find something
Don't get too frustrated yet. I know these things are suppose to be big dumb animals but actually they're pretty smart. They may be able to remember when gun season is or something with the length of the day may make them start to change their patterns. They may be bedding down early and getting up really late. I would try still hunting through some of the thick stuff on your properties. You may be able to find something
11-12-2007, 01:02 PM
#5
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2004
Location:
Posts: 106
RE: 100 deer to 9 deer in 4 days
No thick stuff on the place, actually one pond has 3 foot of standing water, only water that's not in a stock tank for probably 10 miles. Drought has been pretty hard, but the Mule deer seemed to of thrived this last year none the less.
We also have permission on another area that's probably close to three sections and half of that is winter wheat, they aren't even showing up there. I think they all went to South Dakota.
We did go to Wolf Butte which is close to us, government land and I walked a couple of the fingers up the draw, couldn't spook anything out of there either.
No wolves here, but the coyotes are pretty darn thick.
As far as going nocturnal, they must be eating pretty early in the night, as we've been there an hour and a half before sunrise the last 3 days, and didn't see anything or catch anything in the headlights as we pulled in.
Here's the real frustraiting part, I live about 40 miles from where we hunt. Every morning and evening in the wheat field that is 100 yards from my house there is about 40 white tails. Unfortunately with the houses/highway/and county road, can't really hunt it.
We also have permission on another area that's probably close to three sections and half of that is winter wheat, they aren't even showing up there. I think they all went to South Dakota.
We did go to Wolf Butte which is close to us, government land and I walked a couple of the fingers up the draw, couldn't spook anything out of there either.
No wolves here, but the coyotes are pretty darn thick.
As far as going nocturnal, they must be eating pretty early in the night, as we've been there an hour and a half before sunrise the last 3 days, and didn't see anything or catch anything in the headlights as we pulled in.
Here's the real frustraiting part, I live about 40 miles from where we hunt. Every morning and evening in the wheat field that is 100 yards from my house there is about 40 white tails. Unfortunately with the houses/highway/and county road, can't really hunt it.
11-12-2007, 01:20 PM
#6
Fork Horn
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 287
RE: 100 deer to 9 deer in 4 days
It always amazes me how little cover it takes to conceal a whitetail deer. A patch of 10" tall grass 15' across with a thistle growing in the middle is enough three of 'em. Once the pressure is on they'll find a tiny pocket right out in the middle of nothing and lay there from can see to can't see. You just about have to step on them to get them to move during the day!
Even if you didn't see anything in the headlights when you pulled into the field, you can bet the deer saw the headlights. And they had you pegged the minute you started moving.
As for the 40 deer behind your house, why do you think they're there? It's because nobody is hunting it. They sense the pressure and go where it ain't.
Even if you didn't see anything in the headlights when you pulled into the field, you can bet the deer saw the headlights. And they had you pegged the minute you started moving.
As for the 40 deer behind your house, why do you think they're there? It's because nobody is hunting it. They sense the pressure and go where it ain't.
11-15-2007, 09:59 AM
#7
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2004
Location:
Posts: 106
RE: 100 deer to 9 deer in 4 days
Going to give this place one more try this evening. Hopefully we'll have some luck.
On a plus note, we've been hunting some small acreages and have seen quite a few deer around where we hunt, just nothing on where we have permission.
Today was a really great day as far as people kindness. We were going to some public hunting land and stopped on the road to watch a deer herd on some private land. Another vehicle parked in front of us watching. There was a monster mule deer buck in there with about 15 does he was keeping together. Figuring the vehicle in front of us was another bunch of hunters without permission. I stopped and said: "This sucks, only deer in the county that aren't jumpy and are nice looking just sitting there mocking us." He said: "Not really, this is my ranch. We have a guy on the other side and we're trying to decide to let this buck grow another year, we got bigger deer in there" After I picked up my jaw. I told him well we just have doe only permits and haven't had much luck seeing anything. He told us, if you don't have anything by this weekend stop by and I'll guarantee you a doe.
Season is suddenly looking much more optimistic.
On a plus note, we've been hunting some small acreages and have seen quite a few deer around where we hunt, just nothing on where we have permission.
Today was a really great day as far as people kindness. We were going to some public hunting land and stopped on the road to watch a deer herd on some private land. Another vehicle parked in front of us watching. There was a monster mule deer buck in there with about 15 does he was keeping together. Figuring the vehicle in front of us was another bunch of hunters without permission. I stopped and said: "This sucks, only deer in the county that aren't jumpy and are nice looking just sitting there mocking us." He said: "Not really, this is my ranch. We have a guy on the other side and we're trying to decide to let this buck grow another year, we got bigger deer in there" After I picked up my jaw. I told him well we just have doe only permits and haven't had much luck seeing anything. He told us, if you don't have anything by this weekend stop by and I'll guarantee you a doe.
Season is suddenly looking much more optimistic.
11-17-2007, 08:34 PM
#8
Fork Horn
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Little Chute, WI
Posts: 143
RE: 100 deer to 9 deer in 4 days
hy do you think they're there? It's because nobody is hunting it. They sense the pressure and go where it ain't.
It always happens when the gun hunters show up every year. Two days before the opener, they are running around the woods on thier 4x4s or quads, stinking up the woods, smoking cigarettes, talking loundly, setting up thier pop-ups, blinds 100 yards on each side of your obvious setup, and hacking/chain sawing on tree limbs. Hell, they were even shooting the night before opener during prime time in the middle of the square mile I hunt, probably poaching. So on opening day of gun season, a mass exodus of people enter the woods, stink it up, make to much noise and shoot to many times because they are lousy shots. By day 2, your seeing very few deer because most have encountered human scent, visuals or have been shot at to many times by lousy hunters, and they go find somewhere to hide and come out at night until the woods stink no more or someone just about steps on them.
I saw something very similar this year, and very noticable on opening morning, when i saw a doe and yearling. What happened to the 25 deer i was used to seeing? Weeks one and two of bow season, I was seeing 20-25 deer a night including multiple bucks. On the second Sunday, I saw 10 different bucks in 1 hunt including 2 bruisers. As the season went on, and the deer got pressured just a little bit from the bow hunters, I started seeing fewer and fewer deer. I was still seeing a resonable amount of deer on the weekend before gun season started, and even passed up on 3 bucks including one medium sized 8 pointer last weekend. Here it is on day 3 of gun season, and I saw 1 doe all day in a spot where i usually see bucks and does all the times at all times of day.
I can't wait for muzzleloading, when most of the bad hunters won't be in the woods.
11-18-2007, 10:26 AM
#9
Typical Buck
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: East Central Illinois
Posts: 660
RE: 100 deer to 9 deer in 4 days
Hey me and my dad gun hunt but we definitely don't chain saw, smoke, use pop ups,or stink up the woods. We scout it and hunt and are as cautious as any bow hunters thatI know. I've killed 3 deer the last three years. Each was one shot one kill. So we're not ALL that bad.
I guess I may be talking smack about slug hunters soon as Ive gota bow now but just didnt get it set up in time for the season.
But now onto the topic-- first day of shotgun season Friday I saw 40 deer. Had 20 yards or less shots at about 25 of them (5 bucks), had 8 within 5 yards of my stand (one real nice 8). Second day, saw 1 deer. The last 2 days since, Ive seen 1 small buck at about 7 am and then last night I one small buck at dark. They're pretty much gone, lol. They're bedded down so tight now it's unbelievable. Guess I shouldn't have passed on the big 8 I saw on opening morning.
I guess I may be talking smack about slug hunters soon as Ive gota bow now but just didnt get it set up in time for the season.
But now onto the topic-- first day of shotgun season Friday I saw 40 deer. Had 20 yards or less shots at about 25 of them (5 bucks), had 8 within 5 yards of my stand (one real nice 8). Second day, saw 1 deer. The last 2 days since, Ive seen 1 small buck at about 7 am and then last night I one small buck at dark. They're pretty much gone, lol. They're bedded down so tight now it's unbelievable. Guess I shouldn't have passed on the big 8 I saw on opening morning.
