How many deer a season do you guys see?

[RedShaft]

During archery season, how many deer do you guys see on average? or per week, if its to many to count... i know it all depends on how much you get out, i'll say im out every week of the season atleast 3-4 dyas a week with most weeks being 5-6 days hunted(no sunday hunting here. last year i seen 12 deeer, this year i seen a total of 16 deer so far and i got 3 days left in our archery season. to me this is not many deer and gets very frustrating year afeter year. i hunt state land too. i know this has alot to do with it. most around here who have land already hunt and others dont want anyone on their property. its tough puttin in alot of time in the woods and not even seeing deer let alone an oppotunity.

[ron w]

I have kept a record of my hunts since 1989. Total hunts both gun and bow I average 3 deer a season. Yes I said 3 deer a season. This year so far [66hours of time spent hunting] I have seen 9 while bow hunting,6 of them were at one time. I hunt State land a lot, but all the deer this year I have seen on private land .

[buckeye_hunter]

This year I am averaging two deer a hunt roughly, but none tonight. Lots of people out and around....

[Bobhat]

This year I've been seeing anywhere from 3 to 8 deer per sit.  Funny thing is I haven't had a doe within shooting range yet but have had 4 different bucks directly under my stand, one of which I harvested back in October.  Not complaing for sure.  

[Ragnarok Forge]

Thick brush in these parts, some days you see a dozen other times it is weeks between seeing a deer.  Around here it is all about being in the right place at the right time.

[Bowwild]

Yesterday was my 30th bowhunt of the season so far. Gun season opens on Saturday and I hope to get 3-4 more bowhunts in during the next 2 days before it opens. I've seen deer on 22 of these hunts.  The most deer I've seen (I only count deer seen from my stand)has been 6 during one hunt. I saw one last night and 4 the night before. I've probably had 40 deer sightings in the 22 hunts. Of course many of these are repeat sightings from hunt to hunt.

Had I gone to Indiana on Tuesday like I had planned I would have seen as many deer in 3 days as I've seen all season here where I hunt.

My county is a "Zone 1" which means the deer herd is estimated above 25/deer per mile. It is probably about 40 per mile in the area I live.

[Bowwild]

By the way, a certain practice used to attract uncommon concentrations of deer is legal in KY but I don't do it.

[ron w]

My best areas to hunt have 1.5-3.5 deer per sq. mile, I guess I'm lucky to see what I do.I do know that when I went to Pike Co. Ill. last year I was amazed at the number of deer I saw. I guess you have to be in the right place...

[xtrema312]

About 12 different deer I think not counting stuff in the dark I bumped and didn't know what it was.  5 were bucks.  I Think I have seen the same group of 5 does and fawns a couple times so I only count them once.  I have also seen a spike three times, and a small 8pt twice.  That is maybe 1/3 of what I would have seen three years ago.  The last two years have been slow and this is the slowest ever year for me.  I used to see about 8-12 different bucks and a pile of does in a year.  I used to have maybe one in four hunts without seeing a deer.  Now it is more like half the time or more I don't see one even hunting areas with visibility over a large amount of cover.

Now on my trail cameras I have seen something like 17 different bucks and who knows how many does at night.

[swp]

I have seen 12 bucks, 13 does/yearlings and 3 unidentified deer so far this year, I have been out at least 3 times per week so far this year. Like bowwild, the orange army appears this weekend and I would like to get one more down before then.

[Bowwild]

In KY this is an interesting year.  The acorn crop is so extremely heavy the deer went to the woods early and have stayed there.  They are moving less because acorns are everywhere. Hunters who have stayed with field edges aren't seeing as many deer because they aren't in their traditional spots as heavily.

[YORNOC]

When I hunt North Western Maine...if I see a deer in a week I'm happy. Here in Ma. , about 6-8 per season. In Stueben County NY, 5-20 per day.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Very few. I hunt every night and every weekend morning and night. I may see 30-40 deer in 60 hunts. This year? Much less than average, but I was blessed with a nice buck last night and I am thankful for it.

[Huntrdfk]

I've hunted 17 times this year, seen 5 deer.  Last year I saw 2, and I hunted my butt off for three months,it was a bad year for me.  From 2004-2008 I averaged about 25-30 deer a year. Gun season opened today, it will be difficult for the rest of the year......

David

[Chris Shelton]

Interesting thread . . . I was beginning to think I have lost my touch, but it seems like I'm in their with you guys.

Before I throw out my stats, I just wanna say I hunt ALOT. I've been out in the woods, hunting/filming other hunters for almost 60 days just this season alone. And this year my average is two antler-less deer per hunt. And one antlered deer every 10 hunts.

now I would rather see does than nothing at all . . . but I am looking for a specific deer from last year . . . and I have not found him, but my buddy saw him last weekend so I am excited he made it through last season . . .

Anyway my journal says my total this year is 74 deer. But only 22 of them were on public land, that one day at our local WMA I saw 12 deer, and that was the 22 of sept, since then I have only seen two deer there!

One sit filming my buddy on his piece of ground usually results in 20 deer!  Which is awesome, but they are pretty educated and have yet to offer a shot!

Its interesting to track my ability to find deer because last year my total deer count on public land was 34 deer! And I am only a quarter of the way through the season this year!

Interesting thread!

[J-dog]

I dont feel so bad now - right now I have hunted the last 3 weeks a total of 9 times and seen 2 and they were seen together being pushed by a pack of hounds.

You can go a period of time here without seeing squat. Even got on a club this yr thinking maybe the deer numbers/sightings mught be better - NOPE.

We do deal with alot of thick here - many many places you cannot see 10 yrds or walk through the brush.

In the end hunting is what it is - Good thing I can get ehre in Tgang in the evening and see some of yalls pics!

J

[Cyclic-Rivers]

As Many as possible.  I have had banner years with as many as 8 per sit (in range). Lately its been an average of 5 a year. Not including Rifle season.

[dnovo]

5 weekends hunted so far and about 6 mornings or evening sits. 43 deer seen so far with about 21 of those bucks. Mostly small bucks and not legal here with a 4 pt antler restriction. I only seen 4 legal bucks and haven't had a doe within 50 yards of me yet.

[Nole]

I average 2-3 deer per hunt but mostly does.

[Red Beastmaster]

2009-13 deer in six week season

2010-59 so far with three days left

I'm hunting the exact same spots, same amount of time. Can't explain it at all, but I'm having a ball!