16 AND "0"

[longbowman]

Ya know if this were any other sport I would be benched!  I've probably enjoyed this season as much as any I've had over the past 44 years and yet the strangest thing has happened.  Last season I hunted behind my house and ended up with 33 buck in to my stands (some repeats) and never killed one but did kill my doe.  This season I've hunted 16 times over some of the best buck sign I've had back there in years and...I've yet to see a single deer!  No doe, fawns or buck!  I recently purchased the old farm from my in-laws and hunted there 3 times and have seen deer each outing but it's 9 miles away and that seems like a long way to go to deer hunt.  I haven't gotten frustrated or discouraged yet and still feel I'll get a chance if I keep at it but I'm getting tired of moving stand!  Just thought I'd share.

[Walt Francis]

Did you do any pre season scouting?  My guess is that most likely the deer have a new food source.

Sorry, but you won’t get any sympathy from me, or from most others here on Tradgang, for having to travel 9 miles to go deer hunting.  I travel 60 miles each way to my closest whitetail stands, 75 miles to get to my better whitetail spot, and over 350 miles to reach the good spots on the other side of the state.  I know others here travel even farther then me to reach their whitetail spots.

[vermonster13]

9 miles is to far to travel to deer hunt? Man your spoiled.

[Altiman94]

9 miles, that's nothing.  Would take you less than 15 minutes to get your spot.  I'd say hunt where you are seeing deer.

[Stiks-n-Strings]

I havesome ground that I live on and know deer move through often but I Drive to a better spot I like to hunt on that's 30 min away. 9 miles is close.

[longbowman]

Walt,  I've been doing this for a long time and did plenty of scouting.  (Year round).  Just before the season began the deer sightings began dropping away.  I scouted the entire perimeter of the property (272 acres) and found no food sources better than what I had with acorns and a clover field.  I'm really puzzled because I've never had this happen in the past 21 years I've lived here.  Like I said, there's more buck sign than I've ever had but obviously is nocturnal.  As for the 9 mile drive.  Yes, I'm spoiled so I guess I need to bite the bullet and get driving for the rut!

[rappstar]

I wish I only had to go 9 miles!  You are a lucky man!

I'm getting ready to load up and head 72 miles to my place.  Have to come back Saturday to take the kids trick or treating, then head back down Saturday night.  So in the next two days, I'll be driving almost 300 miles in hopes of arrowing a nice buck!

[NorthernCaliforniaHunter]

9 Miles? Heck, I WALK that far AFTER parking!  

[bbassi]

Originally posted by vermonster13:
9 miles is to far to travel to deer hunt? Man your spoiled.

yeah, but it's uphill, both ways, in the snow, with no shoes..  :D

[J. Cook]

You are continuing to hunt a spot and see NOTHING, when you could be hunting a mere 9 miles away and see deer????...just let that one marinate a bit and I think you'll have your answer.

[Ragnarok Forge]

My late season elk spots are 40 miles away and my early season spots vary from 100 to 300 miles away.  9 miles would rock! I do have to say, I can blacktail hunt about half a mile from the house down by the lake ( all public ground ) so that makes it easy to slip in a evening or early morning hunt.

[waknstak IL]

I like seeing deer and like shooting deer so I drive 180 miles round trip to hunt for an evening on public land. Usually 2 or 3 of us go together so we split the gas. I wish I had a decent place to hunt 9 miles away.

[Follower]

Longbowman - I'm in Crawford Co hunting now (from Alabama) and this seems to be a common story.  Nobody seeing many deer yet we have found a lot of buck sign this week.  Did see a few small ones moving this morning though.  Maybe something will break. Hope it happens fast.  Have to head home Sunday.

[razorsharptokill]

9 MILES!?! I travel almost 30 to hunt 80 acres.

[ron w]

NINE MILES.....I have traveled that far to go to the john!!!!!

[longbowman]

OK,OK!  I'm going to pack the wagon with rations and travel to my new farm.  Actually guys, I lived in Montana for 4 years and know what it's like to travel 90 miles just so I can then hike another 2-6 just to start hunting.  It's just that I've killed my last 19 deer behind my house & I just can't get this figured out.  I guess that's why it's called hunting and not killing.

[Danny Rowan]

LOL, 9 miles, I travel over 7,000 to get to my hunting spots in Texas.

[Walt Francis]

Frank,
If food isn't an issue, including the possibility of neighbors having planted different crops or food plots during the past year, has something happened to affect the deer’s security, or even their perception of security?  With 272 acres, is it possible you have others using the property without your knowledge?  I look for three things when the whitetails I hunt change their patterns: a change in food or water, a change in security (including their perception of security), and if it is close to the rut where the does are.  When their patterns change I look for them as if I was looking for my son when he was a teenager, find the food, security, and women.  Like teenagers, the order of importance of these three items can and will change at anytime.

[Ray Hammond]

let's see...I travel 256 miles one way to hog hunt twice a month- every month. Last year I traveled 3900 miles to hunt bear in one 8 day period...you need an attitude adjustment if you think 9 miles is too far to go...heck, Gene and Barry MOVED from Montana to Iowa to hunt deer!

I think you have commitment issues.          

[Covey]

9 miles!? are you kidding me? I drive 40 min to hunt 90 acres and the other ground I hunt is 20 min!! but anyway, the last 5 or 6 times I've been out I havent seen a thing except squirrels, but I'll keep plugging away!! Jason