North Carolina Deer Season Prep and Highlights 2012

[NC BowBender]

Daughter and I ran into a pack of coyotes on the way in - boy can they scream & howl.
Between them and the low flying State helicopters (looking for pot fields, maybe?) we didn't see anything all day.
Will give it a go tomorrow evening.

[erictetterton]

Went hunting off the creek in hookerton the other day. Only accessible by boat. Good spot but just too early in the year for me. Too hot and got carried out of the woods by mosquitos. Saw 2 does and tons of tree rats.

[Don Batten]

Hey Eric, you know Carl Blizzard? I use to play music at his shop from time to time. The creek runs just behind it. He might would let you put in there. good luck Don

[OBXarcher]

4 mores days and I will be chasing a nice one I got some pics of. Hope the weather cools off some

[LCH]

So far no shot opportunities on does every time I go I have a shot at a buck. Go figure. No white oaks dropping where I hunt they dropped last year just red oaks dropping. I need to shoot one or two (does).LCH

[erictetterton]

Don, i dont know Carl but im going to ask around and see if any of my friends do. Thats a beautiful place down there. Good luck to everyone this week.

[smokin joe]

NC BowBender,
I live in your neck of the woods and have seen lots of coyotes and coyote sign too. I think they are effecting the deer population and movement. My trail camera shows mostly nocturnal movement so far this year, and little movement in places that used are normally very busy this time of year.

I surmise that the pressure from the coyotes is changing deer patterns. I am starting to think that I may have to concentrate on coyote hunting for a couple of years to thin them out a bit (if that is even possible).
Joe

[far rider]

Well, after many days of trying to go, I finally made it into my little honey hole today. Problem is that my little spot is full of small drainage areas, and we have had a lot of rain, including a nice storm last night. Nice and quiet stalking, but I wanted to sit. I was completely inundated with mosquitoes which proceeded to harass me without mercy. Silly me, I bought a new Thermacell at the end of last year, but in my haste to get to the woods, I overlooked it. I finally gave up and switched ares, seeking sunshine and wind to help, but no such luck. As I was ready to move out of my last spot, I tossed my strap on seat down to pack up, and nearly dropped it on a bedded fawn. It bolted from no more than 5 yards from me, nearly giving me a myocardial infarction!!! It was at least a winning day, as I did get to witness this amazing creature doing what was so deeply ingrained in it's DNA.

[Bud B.]

far rider, you have me laughing out loud!! Would've loved to have seen that moment!!  

[Longbowwally]

Way to go Cory - you are the deer slayer!

LCH - we had a bumper crop of white oak acorns last year too - but some of the white oaks are loaded this year also. Deer are really searching them out here...You might want to double check your white oaks....

Don't know why some areas the persimmons are ripe and others they are not. In my area I've never seen persimmons ripen till after the frost in October...

Speaking of coyotes as someone did in this thread....The other evening when I saw so many deer, most of the does did not have fawns...That is unusual for my area as I usually try to find a dry doe if I want to kill a doe in September, and its hard to find a dry doe as most does have fawns with them that time of year - which is the opposite of what I'm seeing this year. We've seen coyotes in this area so I think maybe they are impacting the fawn population...

[Don Batten]

I saw two  young cow horns around 11:30 am. problem was I was in and 8pt or better area. Well off to work. I'll make it out a few evenings this week.

[Bud B.]

The mature does I have seen this last week have already started herding up and have left their fawns. I'm not seeng spotless fawns with the does, but am seeing both.

[NC BowBender]

We set from 4 pm to dusk. No sightings, but a great time sitting together.
Starting to cool down. Supposed to be 48 overnite.
Next time to go will be Sat.

[Cory Mattson]

Just got done skinnig my deer. 14 yd shot - deer ran 20 yards and stopped unsure of what happened - a moment later crashed downhill for a 45 yard recovery total. Might leave it hang till morning down to 48 degrees here         tonight. Persimmons again!!! discoverd around 15 trees that day I was watching eagles at lunch time. I am beat - number 3 taken care of. I hunted yesterday afternoon and saw no deer ?? but I did call in a huge Hawk which was fun - it visited quite some time before pusshing out -- I gotta look it up to see what it was - huge and flew through timber yellow feet and some yellow on his face too but I think it was too big for a Redtail? -  today this was the only deer I saw. Bright moon this weekend so I may be scouting more than hunting for till that moon cycles through.

 

66# longbow - 2020s - 165 gr sharks - lone wolf climber

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[Don Batten]

Cory, you should have enough chili meat stock piled now. You know What Gene said, "20 percent of the hunters kill 80 percent of the deer" . You can't kill them on the couch. Good going. I'm heading down to Lukens friday for a afternoon hunt. You aint gonna believe it but I was down there sunday and saw not a single bug. It's scary. Might get out wed or thur here.

[bkbk12]

Back yard hunt last night deer came in few minutes before dark again, looked like 5-6 does. Heading out to franklinville this afternoon, if another one of those big Does comes in tonight film or not I will be letting an arrow go. I messed up last week and my go-pro died as soon as she got in a shooting lane and I let her got at 9 yards.

[J-dog]

Originally posted by Don Batten:
I saw two  young cow horns around 11:30 am. problem was I was in and 8pt or better area. Well off to work. I'll make it out a few evenings this week.

Lukens(sp?)island??

If that is it I could tell you a funny story about a huge 6 pt I got less than 2 yards from once there. Think we both had a heart attack!

Hope everyone's season is going well - the only time I have been someone dumped a pack of hounds in the opposite side of the cutdown! I guess test running his hounds - well they pushed to pretty 8s outta the cutover - watched one circle back and bed down, the other got pushed off into the swamps.

I wasn't mad though as I got to see deer and listen to a good race.

[The Night Stalker]

I really do not sit until it gets a little chilly. Heavy frost in the mountains on Monday morning. Plenty of small bucks and does sighted. I really need to thin the does out a little this year. Anyone heard how Wilkes and Surry county are doing with there hemorrhagic disease. I found a dead deer in the New River about a month ago that was a suspected case.

[Bud B.]

No word except what's on the NCWRC site...

Commission to Hold Public Information Meeting on Hemorrhagic Disease
on Sep 07, 2012 01:34 PM • Views 3786
Message Sent!  

Share This Media Contact: Carolyn Rickard
919-707-0124
[email protected],N.C. (Sept. 7) — The N.C.Wildlife Resources Commission has scheduled a meeting to present information to the public about the scope and impact of an outbreak of hemorrhagic disease (HD) on deer in Western North Carolina.

The meeting is scheduled for 6-6:30 p.m. on Sept. 20 at Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, before the Commission’s annual public hearing on proposed regulations.

“We plan to present information about HD in general, as well as discuss expectations that hunters, landowners, farmers and others can have for this season and future years,” said Chris Kreh, a biologist with the Commission. “This is mainly an informational meeting, though we may provide some recommendations for hunters with specific management goals for deer on their property.”

Biologists are observing an increasing number of hemorrhagic disease cases in white-tailed deer in the western part of the state, especially in Caldwell, Wilkes and Surry counties.

The disease has no human health implications, but is one of the most significant endemic viral and sometimes fatal diseases of white-tailed deer in the southeastern U.S.

Transported by a biting midge (or gnat), the virus enters deer through the blood stream. Common symptoms of sick animals include emaciation, loss of motor control, fever,lameness and swelling of the neck and head. Infected deer often seek relief near bodies of water, resulting in a higher frequency of dead deer near creeks,rivers and ponds than on adjacent uplands. Investigations of these dead deer usually reveal ulcerations on the tongue, dental pad and palate. The mouth may also be bluish in color and the skin flush or reddish, particularly noticeable on the inside of the legs and belly.  

Commission biologists first began seeing deer afflicted with the disease in Wilkes and Surry counties. In August, reports of the disease also began coming from Caldwell, Burke, McDowell, Rutherford and Buncombe counties. The hardest hit counties are Caldwell, Surry and Wilkes.


Anyone go????

[huskyarcher]

Havent seen ary up here in the mountains thank the good Lord. I have heard of some found though.

On a lighter note....i finally scored last night!

5pt shot was abiut 8-10 yards, and he was!
 ballhootin by 20.

Ill post some pics when i get back to my computer