does it bother you to NOT see deer?????

[Chief55]

Originally posted by adkmountainken:
let me follow this up by saying hunting means the world to me and being out there and part off it is precious. i LOVE venison and would LOVE to take a deer with trad bow, that would just be a bonus. hunting and the outdoors is the blood that runs through my veins!

adkmountainken, I feel exactly the same way but for probably different reasons. I have had health problems that made me think I would have to give up hunting. I had so much pain in my legs I knew I would never be able to drag a deer out of the woods and just walking any distance was a chore. Also have tendinitis in both elbows so can't carry to much weight around for a long time anymore.

I grew up running a trap line before I was big enough to push a lawn mower and have always loved being out in nature. I love it all, just to see everything God created blows my mind, each and every time I go out. Don't matter if I see a deer or not, I love to see the squirrels and birds, all of it. It was braking my heart to think I would not be able to spend time in the woods any more.

Well the doctors ended up putting stints in both of my legs cause the arteries were pretty blocked and the pain is so much better I don't have to take pain medicine for it any more. Also found out the middle aorta to my heart is 100% blocked but the other two by-passed on their own so I did not have a heart attack. The bottom line is I have to take a bunch of medicine to keep everything working but I can still hunt. Just can't go in as far as I might like to cause I can't drag a deer hundreds of yards anymore and I hunt from the ground but I can't tell you how happy it makes me just to be able to go into the woods, hunting or just taking pictures with my camera. Can't imagine or want a life without it. Guess I won't have to much time left if I can't stop smoking but I will treasure every minute of it spent in the woods and thank all of you for letting me be a small part of your group.

Gave all my guns to my kids cause it was just to painful for me to carry them for hours and I was ready for more of a challenge these days. It is all about getting out there and hunting now, doesn't not matter if I shoot anything anymore, just want to still be a able to go into the woods and hunt.

I will use my long bow, it is light as a feather, just love it. Just started learning to use it but who knows maybe some day I will get something with it.

I have had a good life. Served the country 20 years and have a great wife, kids and grandkids. Had the chance to hunt all over the country from being in the service. Took a couple of years to learn how to hunt each new location but always had a great time. Have not taken as much game as some from all of the moves I had to make but got to see all of the country. Just don't know which part to call home anymore. LOL

Sorry for rambling on so much.

Best of luck to you all.

[bornagainbowhunter]

Originally posted by Guru:
Heck yeah it bothers me!  It would mean I'm not hunting the right place, or hunting the right place, the wrong way.

Simple as that for me...It's all about effort to be in the right place at the right time.

Sometimes that means hunting your close-to-home spots differently, and sometimes that means more travel time to get to where you have a better chance of success.

With as little hunting time as I seem to get now...that would almost mean a whole season without seeing anything...unexceptable!

I feel the same way.  If I ain't seeing deer, it is because I have not done my homework or I am not putting fourth the effort to scout the area as needed.

If I did not see deer for 2 days, you could bet I would not be there to make a third.  

Hunt hard and hunt right or stay at home.

God Bless,
Nathan

[RC]

It bothers me a bunch. I hunt mostly all public land and I hunt very aggressive. I`m not a guy that hangs a couple stands pre season and hunts them all year. I walk MILES looking for the best spot and will not climb a tree unless I expect to see a deer.I understand some folks are limited on location and acres but if your hunting the same stand a lot and not seeing anything its time to be different. I hunt food and funnels and the best hunt is a feed tree in a funnel.I bet on any given piece of property a fella can find such with worn shoe leather.Just my opinion so don`t beat me up.I grew up in a place with 7 deer per square mile and have never been skunked with a stickbow.Now I hunt an area with 20 psm and feel like I`m in heaven. RC

[hvyhitter]

I've had 'yotes move into one of my prime areas a few years ago and the herd has taken a big hit. Now lucky to see a few deer a year and good scrape and rub lines that were used every year have little or no activity.

[ron w]

The area Ken hunts the most has .5 bucks per square mile...yes that's 1/2 a buck per square mile and only 3 total deer per square mile. That's right for the State of New York.......

[ron w]

I mean from the State of New York...I can't type or spell.....lol

[Encino Man]

Originally posted by ron w:
The area Ken hunts the most has .5 bucks per square mile...yes that's 1/2 a buck per square mile and only 3 total deer per square mile. That's right for the State of New York.......

Well...I that case I would expect to see at least an 1/8 of a deer.  

[Mojo Rising]

4 days where i hunt would bother me.

[RedShaft]

i just seen this post. and Yes it does! im in the woods for one main reason... and thats to put animals on the ground! to take game with my bow and my woodsmanship!

[larry]

yes it does bother me, but I can see Ken's point also, I've been hunting the northern zone opener for a couple years now, and big woods hunting is totally different than farm land hunting...just because the deer were there yesterday, doesn't mean they will be there tommorrow or even in a weeks time..

[IndianaBowman]

Ron W., you are absolutely correct about big woods deer hunting being a tough proposition. I don't know how you guys do it. I love eating venison too much to only get one every year or so. You let me know when you want to drive down my friend and I'll put you in a stand where I'd be surprised if you didn't see a deer.

[Ray Hammond]

if I'm not killin', that's OK. If I'm not seeing them? That's another proposition altogether.

If I don't see any deer- I'm doing something wrong...even if its low density situation like some of the urban properties I hunt in metro Atlanta-

[mookie]

It doesn't bother me too much until the 4th or 5th day and then it starts to get a little old.

[Terry Green]

I enjoy hunting animals....and I do expect to see them when I hunt them.

I enjoy *being* with my wife also.....like hunting, if she doesn't show, it bothers me....and its certainly not as fun.  

[ber643]

When everything is said and done, I guess I feel about like Terry just said. It does bother me to not see any to some extent - BUT I refuse to dwell on it tooooo much until they ring the last bell and I realize the game is all over - then I reckon I'll "fall all apart"    :D

[ron w]

[Herb Calvin]

Your outdoors. What does it matter if you don't see a deer.  

[centaur]

I like to see deer when I'm hunting them, even if they aren't ones I care to shoot. Ten days of elk hunting without seeing one elk this year got pretty frustrating. I'm lucky in that there are lots of deer where I live, so seeing some every outing is usually a given. This morning, I was sitting on a ground blind and saw nothing, which is really unusual. Until I stood up and started back to the truck, when I saw the biggest buck I have seen all year. Now, knowing he is in the area, I will start making some definite ambush plans to see if I can get a shot at him.

[VTer]

Yes, it bothers me, but of course hunting in VT I'm very used to it. This year during our 3 week October season, I saw 1 deer from my stands (I don't count the deer I see while not in my stands). I've learned to be very patient, because you never know what them whitetails are going to do next!

[bad arrow]

Deer numbers way down in this area of Kentucky. So yes it does bother me....Phil