way too quiet in the woods........?

[Mike Bolin]

I've had the opportunity to spend quite a bit of time hunting this season here in west/central IN. Early season there were several doe sightings along with a few basket racked 1.5 yr. olds. First part of Nov. was dead as far as seeing any deer at all. On Veterans Day, I had 5 different bucks working a thicket in the afternoon for about 30 minutes, then they were gone and no does were seen. The opening weekend of gun season usually brings alot of activity as my 50 acre patch doesn't get any gun pressure and we bow hunt only. The gunners USUALLY get the deer moving right into my lap! Rain and high winds kept things quiet on opening weekend. I usually hear over 100 shots on opening day, but probably heard less than 20 on Sat. and less than that on Sun. Last weekend and over the Thanksgiving Holiday I have hunted pretty hard and have only seen a basket 6 point and maybe 10-12 does in 7 trips to the woods and I saw the 6 point and 7 does during one evening's set! For this area that is equivalent to seeing nothing. The weather the past two days has been ideal and I am baffled by the lack of deer moving and the lack of shooting by the gun hunters. I'm gonna sleep in tomorrow and head out about 9:30 and stay on stand until noon or 1:00. Everyone I've talked to has pretty much the same story as I do. We'll see what happens tomorrow......Mike

[jacobsladder]

Good luck Mike.... I'm not having much luck either..... I've been hunting public land that connects to my property...there's deer around , but not alot... makes for tough hunting.... Hope to see ya at the expo this year!

[painthorse]

Same here.The harvest report for first gun was in the paper today and the numbers are down from last year.
I have seen a few after dark in our pasture but nothing during legal light.
Not seeing the road kills either.
The IDNR says we have too many deer, maybe over in the "triangle" where everything is leased up but not here.
Good luck tomorrow.

[maxfit]

Seems like this is a growing trend everywhere. Here in NY we have seen a few here and there, but man it is tough. We dont shoot does on our 40 acres just because everyone else around us shoots them. Even seeing a 1 1/2 year old buck is tough. Have seen 1 buck all gun season. I have been out 12 times. Each year for the past 7 we have seen a major decline in deer when driving to alll of our spots in the southern tier, over 3 different counties.

[blueslfb]

I have only seen three deer total this year while hunting and they were all a long way off.  It has been a tough year.

[Flinttim]

I think we're still feeling the results of EHD around here  (southern IN) from couple years back. Plus I don't think as many people are hunting anymore.Based on shots heard and number of cars and trucks parked along the roads, I'd say fewer hunters.
 We had a 1400 acre state hunting area that bordered our farm. The hunters there used to push deer out to our place. In order to land the Homeland Security Training Center here in IN there was a trade made with Purdue University for some land they had here. The nexxus of it was we lost a 1400 acre tract of hunting ground. In their defense Purdue does allow hunting on the former preoperty by permit but I don't think many people even bothered. I think it's just fewer hunting.Deer ar not being threatened or pushed as much.

[BOFF]

Mike,

I have to agree with Flinttim. We had a die off last year from EHD or Blue tongue. We didn't shoot any does off our 1800 acres due to not having them, per sightings in our food plots. We also found several dead deer near the water last year and 2006.

Again this year, we haven't seen many deer and the ones we have seen have been extremely small, young does 1 1/2 year old with fawns. Figured due to no older does last year, the yearly fawns got bred, hence, the sightings of smaller 1 1/2 year old does with fawns.

We saw several good bucks last year and several 2 year old bucks this year so far. Just no shooters this year, except on the game cameras.

Just seems to further support we had a die off of some sort.

[Mike Bolin]

Just walked in from the woods and from around 9:30 until 12:15 I saw exactly no deer at all. There is a cold front moving in tonight, so maybe tomorrow things willpick up a bit. Mike

[-Achilles-]

we had a bad gun season in missouri...hardly any shooting around us...took my dads deer to the butcher and he said he didnt get hardly any business

[GingivitisKahn]

I'm seeing fewer hunters this year as well.  Sounds like good news / bad news to me.

[adeeden]

Mike,
     I just got home (right at dark) from driving from just south of Rockville, IN up u.s. 41 to Attica, IN then back down 41 to I-74 and west to home. I'm not sure the mileage but it was somewhere close to a 2 hour trip (maybe a bit more). I saw exactly 0 deer! I normaly would lose track on this trip on the amount seen. I also only saw 1 roadkill. I have noticed a huge decline in the sightings in the area in Indiana I hunt (northern Parke county), I have also noticed a decline in the area in Illinois that I hunt (Vermillion county). I'm not sure if it is from the EHD that came through here 2 years ago or not but I don't think it is. There is also still quite a bit of standing corn around this year compared to normal and I think that may have alot to do with it after all it's been a really wet year and all the windy days we have had is not helping at all. We still got quite a bit of time though and I have managed to put a couple does in the freezer!

[Flinttim]

I have seen a total of 4 deer this gun season. Basically I see the same 3 does every day and the one buck just once. Two yearling does and one old doe and the 8 point. Around here that's pretty abnormal but I will say that last year I saw a total of three all season and shot one of them. Last year it was EHD most likely and I would have to offer up that same thing this year. I heard that over in the Wildlife Refuge near me that they quit counting EHD dead deer at 300. That alone could account for maybe 600-700 less deer the next year. Extrapolate that across all of Southern IN and that's a ton of deer missing. The numbers released from the DNR should tell the tale after the season ends but I'm betting it's way down.

[George D. Stout]

I think it's space aliens.            :eek:    :rolleyes:

[Afraid a snake]

I live in southern In. also,and I agree the EHD outbreak last year has taking a toll on our deer herd.In Crawford county last fall we were finding dead deer everywhere.Alot of the older deer died.I found 1 buck that scored 171 .

[Billy]

I don't know about aliens ,George...
but, a gun totin poacher got 2 deer off a 12 acre private spot, that I am the only one with permission to hunt.
Found the shells and tire tracks.
The trash left behind could choke a pen full of hogs!! Cigarette butts, candy wrappers, soda cans ..at least it weren't beer !!   :eek:  
That spot is done until late season.....
my sightings are down too...but three a day and road kills are almost normal around me.
My two spots are travel corridors. Picking a trail is hit and miss. I guess wrong for shooting, more than I hit; and just watch from a distance, mostly.

[JESSE69]

Things seem to be about normal here,I'm seein quite a few deer.While the army is out I'm huntin on a PHA called goose island that is bow only.It is about 640 acres and ate up with deer.  

[painthorse]

I spent 6 hours today in a stand with not even a tree rat moving.We have a winter storm moving in late tonight/tomorrow so every creature in the woods should be getting ready for it.
Stopped by the local bow shop and got the same story so I called my friend who is a biologist for the IDNR and he said that its just a bad year.Several things all have contributed to this.EHD and habitat loss are at the top.Weather also caused some fawn mortality in several areas.He also included a couple of things that Illinois needs to fix but that's not affecting other states.Hope he's wrong about Illinois deer heard future.

[stevewills]

well it seems like my property is the best it has been in years if we dont see 10 to 20 deer an evening it was a wash.but on the down side they are not on a definate pattern.seen a 160 class 10 pointer just grazing a field and does eating next to him they left he stayed and payed them not a bit of atention.my deer arent even staying on trails seems there wondering wherever...oh well hope you all smoke a big one...good luck

[Mike Bolin]

Just came in from the woods. Cold front with snow moved in last night. Should really see a spike in the movement........right? I did not see one deer from the stand and decided to walk the property and check fresh snow for tracks to try to pinpoint the movement. Cut 3 sets of tracks and jumped a small buck. I have had had exclusive hunting rights on this property for 12 years and have never seen so little deer movement. Early season showed the usual movement and as I posted earlier on Veteran's Day I saw alot of buck movement but no does. Just kinda weird? Crops are picked on the adjacent properties and the only difference that I can find is that on the property to the south, there was some selective logging done this spring. Walked the perimeter of that property this a.m. and saw very little sign. Oh well, we'll see what the late season brings! Good luck to all! Mike

[trapperDave]

deer sightings have been way down for me this year, both at my woods and on the roads. East central IN