My NJ opener

[Jerry Jeffer]

Well it was warm, wet and dark. I started to cross a small swamp of which I was going to hunt the other side. well, I got turned around and ended up back where I started. Decided to take a longer route around the swamp. While crossing a ridge at the end of the swamp I jumped a bear and he knocked me over trying to run away. Glad I heard him going through the woods instead of chomping on my leg. Finally got to my spot and settled down.  
 
 It got hot quick, so only stayed a couple hours. No deer seen, just lots of birds and skeeters. Took one shot at a tree rat, but didn't connect. Hope the rest of the Jersey crew had a more successful time.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

I hit my bow limb on my ladder stand, sent a arrow over the deers back.

[fyrfyter43]

And I shot under a doe....

[Alex.B]

Sounds like a great opening day for you guys, good luck. Great picture, Jerry.
Alex

[Recurve50 LBS]

Glad you didn't get bit Jerry. Very exciting story though. Cool picture!

[Mitch-In-NJ]

I struck out, too.  I had planned on hunting some private land that only I have permission to hunt.  It's a horse farm and I can only hunt it after 1PM.  There are horses in the paddocks and on the track until then.  So I txt my guy at the farm to let him know I will be there and he tells me that they're having a BBQ.  Well, that's out.

So I went to the Wallkill refuge.  A minute after I pulled in another guy pulled in.  As we were chatting he spots a doe about 50 yards from us.  I tried to belly crawl into position as he circled around.  I popped my head up to get a fix on her and got busted.

So I go to my spot and it starts raining.  The wind shifts and I get busted by two bucks.

The wind eventually shifts back and three does come out about 100 yds away.  I know they're coming to me, but I am running out of daylight.  The overcast sky didn't help, either.

Yup, I ran out of daylight.  They were still 50 yds from me when I left.

Not sure when I will go back out again.  Looks like we're in for some warm weather.  Ground hunting and heavy sweating just don't go together well.

[Jerry Jeffer]

Wallkill refuge is a nice piece. I have seen some nice bucks come out of there.

[Mitch-In-NJ]

It's not bad.  I don't think I know more about it than anyone else, but I do have a few spots that are very deer rich and not aggressively hunted... much to my surprise.

Honestly, it's not hunted near as much as I would expect.  I hunt woodcock, ducks and geese, turkey and deer there and rarely see another hunter.  Of course there are days when I can't find a place to park, but that's usually the two early days of muzzleloader and during 6 day.