Post gun season blues

[doctari]

I just got back from my stand tonight and what a hard time not moving in the cold. About forty minutes before dark i caught movement behind me and it is a nice big eight point coming my way. I was concerned he might wind me, the wind was out of the north today and my stand faces northwest. But he was coming and I thought i was going to see him come on in, He hung up just twelve yards behind me and just stood there for about ten to fifteen minutes, I had no shot until he would get to my left. He could tell something was not right and was scent checking. He was a good pope and young buck and had all his tines. He went around and just left. I am planning to be up early tommorow and tough out the cold again for maybe a chance encounter again. It's tough standing in the cold but you have to be there for a chance to fill your tag. Good luck guys and I will keep you posted. Mark

[Steve O]

Originally posted by xtrema312:
Same every year for the most part, but this year was odd I think with spooky deer and mostly nocturnal activity all of early bow season.  

By the time bow season starts in Michigan now, there has already been a youth firearm   AND an early antlerless firearm season.  Couple that with almost unlimited antlerless permits of the past decade, I find it difficult to go thru the effort to hunt deer here at all...it is depressing    :(    

Good luck!

[CDR]

X 2 Steve O!  

[Autumnarcher]

Steve, I hear ya. Im planning a couple out of state deer hunts for next year. Still debating on where, Ohio, Kentucky, Kansas. Just gotta work on the particulars.

Post gun in Iowa is sharing the woods with the late season inline shooters. They are not the same crowd as the old cap and ball group. Every piece of standing corn will be surrounded by them and every deer that sticks it head out of cover within 500 yards of them will get shot at. I am hoping to find someplace that they won't be.

[Hoyt]

I'm just now getting back into the woods after a layoff of the last wk or so of Oct. and all of Nov. due to health problems.

I jumped a deer going in this afternoon at 1:00 and was all I've seen. Problem is I can't yet make it way back in where they are holed up in a big Locust grove ridge. Will try to get back in there tomorrow.

[Skipmaster1]

I hunted CT January season one year on property that was hounded by gun hunters. The deer were completely nocturnal and you could not approach the thick bedding area without spooking them out. I decided to bust in there and hang a stand that offered me shots to some of the "open" areas in the very center of it. I lightly trimmed some stuff to make my re-entry a bit easier. I backed out waited 2 weeks and on the last day of season I snuck into my stand, as scent free as possible 2.5 hours before first light and waited.( it was Jan 31st, so it was a cold long wait) I could hear deer moving around me an hour before first light. As the sun started to rise I looked down and spotted a young doe on her feet just 15yds from me. A well placed arrow from my Shrew left a short blood trail. I was kneeling by her side at sunrise!

 

[tracker1]

After hunting in Kansas for 10 days in November it is always very depressing to come back to hunt here in michigan.  I always ask myself why do I live and hunt here when there are so many better hunting states may be after I retire.

[DGF]

I'm feeling the pain with the rest of you. I did have 3 deer come through the other day out of range. They were on a steady pace with a mission in mind. I'm still hopefull I'll fill one of these tags but as time passes by I'm getting a bit concerned. I hate to break out the g word late season but may the last week of the year.

[elk nailer]

John, your deer will come to the picked bean feild and scarf up the beans that are on the ground. Try just before dark.