Who did NOT kill a deer this year?

[D. Key]

I saw 2 deer all season on my property here in Deeeeeeep East Texas.  The first one I only saw thru the trees and the second I laid down with a rifle on Thanksgiving morning.  I know I cheated but I wanted some venison for the freezer.  Too much food for the deer down here.  No one around here saw much the entire season.  By the way...I hunted between 40-50 sittings this season. Talk about frustrating...

[ChristopherO]

Not that I didn't have any shots, I just didn't cut hair.  Nothing with my bows but I did fill the freezer.

[Chris Lantz]

No Deer for me this season, still haven't connected on one with the bow. At my parents place in Nova Scotia I saw 22 Deer (total sightings, some were repeat customers) in 8 days of hunting, of those were 9 bucks including 2 8 pointers. Shot opportunities were limited, I only really had 2 poor shot opportunities which I passed on. One of those would have been perfect, about 12 yards slightly quartering away but it was late evening and due to an overcast day a bit darker then normal. I couldn’t pick a spot in the low light conditions so I passed.

Here in Ontario I only saw 8 deer through the whole season. One was a pretty nice 8 pointer by my standards but he came from the opposite Direction I was hoping the deer would travel and was shielded by a screen of bush I was using as background cover.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

I traded adventure for table fare this year myself...Although I didn't harvest any venison this year, i had the richest and most fulfilling hunting experiences ever ....

The hunting was excellent carrying a light weight stick and string for the first time.
i enjoyed counting coop on elk a few times, but
I spent more time tinkering in my shop building trad gear than chasing blacktail this year ...

My first white tail hunt was the only serious deer hunting i did this year.....a humbling experience that gave insight to many things i always took for granted....

I have enjoyed being in the 10% that harvest 90% of the animals for many years, but this year was
by far my most enjoyable year hunting....

[Drew]

This was my first year for a trad gear also.

It was an amazing season, I spent all summer shooting and learning the bow and my shooting style and I'm still working on both. Summer ended with 3-D shoot with a bunch of trad gangers and an invite to a fall deer camp.

Fall, found me at a great deer camp and with several new friends. A great ground hunt that ended with me getting busted by a trailing doe at 10 yards.  The reminder of the fall season found me hunting more than I ever had and enjoying the hunt more than ever.

The winter late season, I got another education by passing on a great shoot on a doe to try for a buck. I had a beautiful young 7pt at 8-10 yards but I was hunting a friends property and it's QDM.  So I just enjoyed being that close to a great buck, and praying to see him next season.
I also joined a winter trad league, and I am having a blast, and looking forward to small game hunting.

I'm grateful for being part of the trad gang family and look forward to meeting more of you and flinging some arrows!
 

[B.O.D.]

no meat for me either.

I think last year  and the year before are penance years for me.
the season before those,I shot 4 deer with my longbow.

Maybe the next season will be my buck year---I'm due  

[mike319]

this is my furst yr in19 yrs of bow hunting that i did not get one.i dont feel to bad i did not really put the time in. lot of things went on this yr, divirce,moved,had to put my dog down.this should be a better yr, im going to the blackwidow clinic cuz it just looks like alot of fun and i can always use a few pointers.got a new girl and just got a new hunting spot. im still a lucky man.

[Bodork]

No deer here either. This was my first year in 13 years of shooting a bow that I have actually made an honest attempt. Don't have a place to hunt except public land, of which there is very little in Texas. Found a spot with some potential this year and finally got myself a pickup so I actually went out more than once. Learned alot about the place and plan to go scouting before next season. Maybe the odds will lean in my favor for once.

[Talondale]

Guilty as charged.

[IndianaBowman]

First season in over 20 that I haven't taken a deer with my bow. I did have a great deer hunt in Alaska with my 17 year old son, a couple of good hunts in Indiana, and a few so so hunts in NY, passed on some good deer, saw some awesome deer (18 P&Y or better), killed a really nice grey ironwood limb that was magically placed in front of the vitals of a good P&Y buck, shot as close to the top of the back of a 2nd good P&Y buck as I could without touching him, and had my two boys put 4 deer in the freezer. So, fantastic year all around. I did kill a nice turkey with my recurve though.

[Howard S.]

I had a mixed year.  It was my 9th year with a stick.  I did shoot an elk, the first member of the deer family, in all those years of trying.  I did count coup on a nice doe early in the deer season one week after my elk trip.  The only other shot opportunity I had was during our late deer season and I blew that shot at 13 yards.  The whitetails just get into my head.  It just doesn't seem like it was successful without finally conquering my whitetail neurosis.

Howard

[JO_EZ]

This is a topic that I can relate to. In fact, I registered just to add my $.02.

I've been messing around with bowhunting for about 27 years now (minus a couple for college) and have yet to fill an archery tag.

I just can't seem to get 'em to come in close. In the 27 years I have only had 6 shots. I have gone from compound to long bow, back to the compound and now I am making a long bow for next season. I have tried to quit and just fish, but I can't not bowhunt. It is a terrible mix of addiction and bad luck. I know that many people say that you "make" your own luck, but I've done an awful lot of "making" for the ammount of luck in my bucket...

I usually can laugh off my archery foibles as I savor the one I shoot with my muzzleloader, but this year nothing worked. And I had a hard time laughing it off.

I don't write this looking for sympathy, but to encourage my fellow strugglers. Only hunt for today, always look forward. Always hope. Never look back. Don't hunt to make up for lost time.

To quote Winston Churchill: "Never, never, never quit!"

[lt-m-grow]

Nope none here.   It goes like that though for me.  Last year I shot three and two went to the taxidermist.  This year, I didn't have even one doe in range and passed a least 15 shots at small bucks.

[Ia Hawkeye]

Never took a shot ! Matter of fact, never had a shot opportunity (doe or buck) !!!! First time that's happened since 1964! Too hot in OCT, thought I'd wait untill Nov.  Was sick almost all of Nov., including the Rut.

[JEFF B]

i have not got one this year yet but i will soon for sure. as i need some more deer meat.

[AnointedArcher]

I got a nice 4 point with my 2003 Dodge Mini Van does that count  :D

[Missouri Sherpa]

I was so far behind in my chores after spending three weeks in Colorado and Wyoming for antelope and elk season I did not have time to hunt deer this year. I went out to my southern Iowa farm and scouted some in early November.  I saw several good rubs along a nice scapeline and was itching to go but had too many irons in the fire to get back out and I did not even buy a tag.  I see deer from my window in my woods nearly every day.  I would just as soon see those old does and basket racked little bucks grow older and maybe try for them next year.

[Chris Wilson]

I didn't get anything this year, but I was only in the woods twice the entire hunting season.  Work took up waaay too much time this year.  What little time I did have to play, I spent most of it with the family.  I don't regret that decision at all.  There are many more years left to hunt, but my kids will only be little for bit longer.    

[John Nail]

too much work, not enough hunt....

[va]

Hang a Goose Egg by my name.

My first season with a bow (osage selfbow I made) and I had extreme amounts of fun.

Dennis (Arrownut at hickory creek arrows) took a look at my bow and was such a nice guy he didn't laugh out loud.  I got busted and winded and then finally got to watch undetected.  Finally got to a quarter-draw before the buck took off.  

If I keep this up I'll get to miss a shot in a couple more years.