driftrider

Not too unusual if you're hunting an area that doesn't allow feeders or bait. I went up to NW Minnesota to rifle hunt with my brother the weekend of the 8th, and we saw NOTHING all day Saturday (opening day), and nothing all day Sunday until 15 min before sunset a yearling doe stepped out into the clover field I was hunting on. I shot her at 125 yards. My brother, who has never gone without a deer in the 3 years since he moved to MN, got skunked the whole season. He normally fills his first tag on opening day. It happens. I've had years when I didn't get anything, and others when I shot one at first light on opening day.

My advice is to be patient and persistant. Eventually they will come.

Mike

patrioticfarmchick

Wow! Thank ya'll for such quick responses. I am going hunting essentially all weekend. Give up? Me? Heck no! I'm going to keep at it until I do get one! I'm hooked. The aldrenaline that I get just at hearing a (stupid) squirel rustle the leaves. I actually spooked a bunch when I headed out on Wendsday morning. My heart was pounding a mile a minute. Can't wait until I make my first kill!!

driftrider

Yeah, just wait until that %$*# squirrel decides to sit on a limb 20 feet from your stand and bark at you all afternoon. It'll take every ounce of willpower in your body not to blast it into the next county![8D]

Mike

ScottVA

hHAHAHA...yeah those squirrels get me all the time...I will hear them rustling around and SWARE it's a deer..heart pounding soo hard, thinking "awwyeah here it is" and then it turns out to be a tiny squirrel..BAH..

but on the other hand a few of the deer that I have killed, I didnt even hear! they were like ninja's..not there one second, and there the next!

Hey good luck to you tomorrow!!

patrioticfarmchick

Yeah, I've seen a bunch. None have "barked" at me. One did just come and stare at me for awhile. The first time I went hunting I can still remember what I saw; 1 possium and two squirles. [&:]
I'll be sure to keep you all updated and if I can figure out how to post a pic I'll be sure to post a picture of it once I get one.

Robert L E

If there are good numbers of deer in your area, the reason for not seeing deer is likely that you are a beginner and not giving yourself the optimum chance due to your inexperience.

Wind direction is most critical and can change during the day. Position yourself so any human odors blow away from where you expect the deer to travel. Since you are gun hunting, do not set up very close to where sign says the deer will be, they are not too smart but have wickedly keen senses (don't fidget). It also does no good if you will have trouble getting an unobstructed shot.

Try to be very quiet. Deer have big ears but they do not have instant triangulation of sound like we do. They have to "focus" their hearing because of their swivel ears. If you make a very brief noise, it is critical that you are quiet for a time. The deer will not know which direction the noise came from and may not spook because they do not have enough info to tell them in which direction to flee. They WILL have heard the noise though and be on alert. I have seen deer look the wrong way even when they are shot at. A human does not have to focus his ears so we can judge noise direction nearly instantly. We cannot hear as well as a deer though, just judge noise direction faster.

You can get a deer any time of the day but towards first light seems best for me. They seem to be moving to or from something, feed, water, or bedding, both in the morning and at last light too. Try to get set up at least 1/2 hour before legal shooting.

Think about what your set up looks like from where the deer will be. If it stands out to you, it will likely stand out to the deer. It may help to move into a tree's shadow or next to a bush. Anything to blend in better yet still staying safe with your state's blaze orange requirement.

Time in the field is most important. I cannot shoot a deer while sitting at this terminal.

Good luck, and remember the most important requirement..................... pictures, we need picture of your successful hunt when it happens.

Bob

virginiashadow

Best of luck to you. You should be frustrated. You should not be seeing alot of deer when you are beginning! J/K. But when you are a beginner, things just have to work themselves out. Be patient. Hunt the wind and keep your clothes as scent free as possible. Get into your spots early and sit and wait. Make sure you feel absolutely confident in your weapons ability. And here is the most important thing of ALL...have fun! Ask away with the hunting questions to make yourself a better hunter.

RugerM77.270

Down here in Bama its armidillos that fool us as well as squirrels. I have been known to blow one or two in half with my 30-30 when the tensions get a little high.

bigbucks98

Look at where your setup is and try to find a food source, bedding area, crossing, just something to where the deer will be moving around at...

knapper123

PFC
Deer hunting isn,t as hard as they make it seem in books and on TV. Your best bet is to scout your land that you are going to hunt and findthe deer trails and other deer sign such as old or new rubs, scrapes, tracks. find a good trail and sit on the downwind side and sooner or later a deer will mosey on by. I know this method works because I have used it for thirty some years and have taken a fair share of deer. We tend to make things harder than what they really are and hunting can be that way also. Just remember keep the trails upwind of you. Good luck.