# Still lookin for deer



## RCR 3 EVER (Nov 25, 2008)

After spending nearly every day out on hunting our 120 acres my wife and I did not see 1 deer. We did not even see tracks or signs on the usual runways used for years.:jawdrop: 
Nephew shot a doe opening day but that was the only deer seen by 1 of 5 hunters that day, Lucky dog.

It was easy to look for tracks in the 12 inches of snow but it was difficult to walk in and the golf cart I need to "walk the property" did not do well in snow.

Neighbor who lives adjacent to property said he has only seen 1 buck and 4 does during summer and 2 does after archery season started.

There used to be dozens of turkeys roaming the property so much so I even considered getting a turkey gun. Now for the past 3 years they have been in very serious decline with no turkey sightings for more than a year.

It seems very odd that there is a scattering of corn for miles along road edges, maybe that is why a shortage is occurring as everything is poached?

Since, we were not seeing deer we cut some dead trees down and split more wood for our soon to be installed fireplace.
Maybe next year will be better!!


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## stihl sawing (Nov 25, 2008)

yeah, i know how ya feel. been a bad season for sure.


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## JT78 (Nov 25, 2008)

I have spent several days out and they seem to bed in before I can see them and then wont come out till after dark. I know they are there because I can hear them. I have only killed one this year so far.


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## Madsaw (Nov 25, 2008)

Here is what my friend from Tn took sunday morn.


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## Madsaw (Nov 25, 2008)

LOL
Here is the pics I hit the wrong key.





My 3 does. One yesterday 2 today. Unlimited tags here in my area due to cwd zone and over population. Shoot a doe get a buck tag for every doe shoot.
Bob


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## stihl sawing (Nov 26, 2008)

Well it's gonna be doe time this weekend, The bucks are gone seems like. That is a really nice buck your friend got Madsaw.


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## yooper (Nov 26, 2008)

RCR 3 EVER said:


> After spending nearly every day out on hunting our 120 acres my wife and I did not see 1 deer. We did not even see tracks or signs on the usual runways used for years.:jawdrop:
> Nephew shot a doe opening day but that was the only deer seen by 1 of 5 hunters that day, Lucky dog.
> 
> It was easy to look for tracks in the 12 inches of snow but it was difficult to walk in and the golf cart I need to "walk the property" did not do well in snow.
> ...



perhaps the DNR started planting wolves in the lower peninsula! sounds like areas up here with heavy wolve population.


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## PA Plumber (Nov 26, 2008)

Gun season opens Monday in our area.
During bow season, we have been seeing a few deer.
We've got a couple of buck at the place where we hunt, hopefully we'll see some next week.

BTW Madsaw, that buck is a dandy.


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## JPP (Nov 26, 2008)

Saw this buck 3 times in 1 week during bow season, almost got a shot twice.
Shot him 2nd day of gun season in the same area I saw him during bow season.
As a side note, he was killed within a stone toss of the place I was cutting up a red oak as seen in my avatar. That's me in my Carhartt overalls and with my Stihl 441.


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## KMB (Nov 26, 2008)

Madsaw said:


> LOL
> Here is the pics I hit the wrong key.
> 
> 
> ...



Nice heavy antlered buck your friend shot. I love the antler mass of Northern bucks. I have to get back home (Alberta) one of these years to try and get me a biggun'.

Kevin


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## beerman6 (Nov 27, 2008)

RCR 3 EVER said:


> After spending nearly every day out on hunting our 120 acres my wife and I did not see 1 deer. We did not even see tracks or signs on the usual runways used for years.:jawdrop:
> Nephew shot a doe opening day but that was the only deer seen by 1 of 5 hunters that day, Lucky dog.
> 
> It was easy to look for tracks in the 12 inches of snow but it was difficult to walk in and the golf cart I need to "walk the property" did not do well in snow.
> ...



I have been suprised at the stories I've heard and the deer hanging at the buck poles...I figured with the bait ban,the season would be a bust,but I guess I was wrong.


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## RCR 3 EVER (Nov 28, 2008)

*No shooting heard either*

Last weekend we were outside all day and we only heard a TOTAL of 2 shots all weekend long. This is for the second weekend of the season also.

Maybe hunters were shied away from the 19-24 inches of snow forecasted but only received about 12 inches.
I would love to be a weatherman and get paid even if you are DEAD WRONG.:biggrinbounce2: 

We will try this weekend again but probably come up empty.


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## tree md (Nov 28, 2008)

Whats funny in my area is I have been seeing way more bucks than does. I've prolly seen 15 bucks and had shot opportunities at 11 of them. Would have had shot opportunities at 14 of the 15 but I no longer hunt with a gun, just bow. I took a mature buck with my bow this year. I've only seen a handful of does this year. All in all it seems that I have seen way less deer than I normally do in the areas that I hunt. We are having a bad nut crop this year due to last years ice storm. Maybe that has them running different areas. Not sure what the deal is...


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## RCR 3 EVER (Dec 1, 2008)

*Disappointing year*

Still no deer, but saw tracks at least so that gives hope for next year. Provided they make it through the winter. Still no action on the normal trails, new trails are forming I guess. We did not hear any shots during the whole weekend from Sat. morn. to Sun night.

We did get some fallen ash trees cut up though and piled up for next year. It is much tougher cutting trees in the snow. 

Had a wonderful trip home with a full trailer of wood and some in the truck, 4wd that was tempermental, and 5-7 in. of snow and ice on the freeway, very very very slow cars and trucks that should not be driving in bad weather ( yet alone be talking on a cell phone at the same time).:jawdrop: 

All in all a normal drive time of 4 hours took nearly 7 back breaking hours and still no deer in the freezer this year.


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## 046 (Dec 1, 2008)

in Pawhuska... it's been real hit and miss. 

one day I'll see 8-10 deer, mostly does with a buck trailing. 
next time I'll see two (buck chasing a doe) for the entire day...

my normal mode for deer hunting is quietly stalking with a full carbon suit on. sneaking up on deer takes learned skills. 

almost no shots around me... opening day gun season... usually it sounds like a shooting range. this year only a small handful of shots. 

really fortunate to have access to 100 acres of remote indian lands no one else hunts on except me and my deer hunting buddy. 

there's deer signs everywhere.... this land connects up to ten's of thousand acres of wooded lands. very deery primitive woods! you're not hunting on any of these indian lands unless you are family or very_close.


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## RCR 3 EVER (Dec 1, 2008)

*Human wolves*



yooper said:


> perhaps the DNR started planting wolves in the lower peninsula! sounds like areas up here with heavy wolve population.



No wolves down here in Oceana County, we have not even seen a coyote, nor have the neighbors.
We have found shot deer on the property both before and after the legal season with just the tenderloins taken and maybe a hindquarter, the rest was left to rot. One deer was a buck as its head was removed with no meat removed! WHAT A WASTE. This was last year. 
The neighbors also found numerous dead deer on their property.
Wolves in human form!!

It so easy to shoot illegal deer, after all it is legal to shoot at targets year round on your property.Who would know if a deer or turkey is the target or a paper target. Also during gun season it is obvious that target shooting is also going on or harassment shooting since shooting starts before and after legal hours. 
A former neighbor who was squatting on someone else's property did not like hunting so they shot numerous rounds several times a day. They got the boot eventually


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## yooper (Dec 1, 2008)

RCR 3 EVER said:


> No wolves down here in Oceana County, we have not even seen a coyote, nor have the neighbors.
> We have found shot deer on the property both before and after the legal season with just the tenderloins taken and maybe a hindquarter, the rest was left to rot. One deer was a buck as its head was removed with no meat removed! WHAT A WASTE. This was last year.
> The neighbors also found numerous dead deer on their property.
> Wolves in human form!!
> ...



Glad to hear the wolves are not there yet...so far this month Nov. on my 86 acres I found 3 partly eaten deer, all young yearlings the wolves used to teach the young to hunt. they weren't hungry enough to eat very much...I suppose no time, since they had to move on to the next kill. All I can say is S.S.S. (Shoot, Shovel, & Shut up) 
Hope ya have better luck next season.
SSS also works for human wolves!


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## bowtechmadman (Dec 1, 2008)

I've seen more deer this season near my home in Big Rapids than years past, as well as on 80 acres I hunt down in mason MI. Should preface it by saying during bow season. Gun season was very slow at both locations.
My two bow bucks for the year.


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## Ed*L (Dec 2, 2008)

I took this guy last Wednsday. First decen't buck I'd seen all season.
Most of the kill around me have been does. We are trying to get them thinned out a little.

Ed


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## yooper (Dec 2, 2008)

deer count was down 38% where I live in in Ontonagon county....about the same in most of the U.P. some Places like ####ison co. where down around 16% only.


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## Timberhauler (Dec 3, 2008)

It's been feast or famine for deer down here this year as well.I've been lucky as I have killed 6 altogether and two of those have been wall hangers,but some of my friends who consistantly kill big bucks every year have had no luck.We've had a huge acorn crop this year so the guys that usually hunt the open fields and food plots have not done so well,it's also been tough in the woods because the deer are not having to roam far to get their fill.Most of my success this year has been around water.


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## RCR 3 EVER (Dec 3, 2008)

Last season there were 4500 antlerless licenses available of which all were sold out for Oceana County. A limit of antlerless 3 tags was available. Theses were all Private land only.The amount of deer harvested (reported) was 2,286 antlerless and 3,050 antlered bucks.
I got a spike the 3rd day of the season, the only deer I saw during a period of 1.5 weeks hunting. Three other hunters saw a total of 4 deer last year.

This year DNR lowered the number of antlerless tags to 1,200 with only a max of 2 per person. Yet My wife and I did not see 1 deer all season long and nephew shot 1 doe. That was the only deer seen.

Oceana County is in the area of minimal deer forecast, yet antlerless tags are still being sold.  
Mason County to the North and Big Rapids seem to be in a different state with the amount of deer seen and shot.

Instead of deputies shooting abundance of deer in Rochester Hills this January maybe the DNR should transfer the deer to Oceana County, but they would probably starve without the garden flowers and cultivated shrubs for them to feed on!:hmm3grin2orange:


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## RCR 3 EVER (Dec 3, 2008)

I meant to say sharpshooting deputies sitting in a person's yard tree aiming for the deer in someone's garden.


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