PA WMU 4B worst season ever..

[Wheels2]

Hunted my usual stands in 4B this year on 12 mornings.  Only had deer sightings on three days, none even close to a shot.
By this time last year I had seen over 20 deer.
Anyone else having a real slow year in this area?

[bunyan]

Yup
 finally spooked a deer on my way out of the woods yesterday. First sighting in five hunts! Lots of squirrels though!

[1flyfish]

Sorry to hear you are having a bad season in 4b,We are seeing some good activity here in 5D and 5C, I shot a real nice 7 point last night he was cruising for does.Hopefully if this heatwave lets up you might start seeing some rut activity.Good luck for the rest of the season

[R Colella]

I thought it was just me.  I live on 18 acres in 4B and things had gotten really slow.  I sat several nights and mornings without seeing a thing.  Squirrels are through the roof though.  I'm sure the weather and late October full moon had them on a more nocturnal pattern as well.  Starting to see some evidence on trees and the ground of pre- and rut activity.  I'm hoping things heat up soon.

[Wheels2]

Trail camera has not done much better.
In last 6 days, one doe at 2:00 am.
Two small 6 pts on October 26, but that was it for 9 days that time.
A few minor rubs and a couple of early scrapes that were not hit again.
Not looking good for a field trial of the Snuffers.
Seems like the October lull is lasting all season

[J. Cook]

Is it mast related?  Last year was a banner year for hard mast in much of that area, and from what I've seen this year in that region it's really low.  Deer follow the food.  Just a thought.  I know the 2 farms I hunt in WV are totally different from year to year depending on mast crop.  In my experience in the mountain forests, there are no "every year stands."

[Tajue17]

my brother in-law lives in New Cumberland, I bought a PA license and a couple tags to hunt when visiting but on some other forums I heard it was so bad..   now one of the tags I got was a Disease tag or something like that I think for 4B but have to check,,,I could have this all wrong and can check when I get home but was wondering if there is some kind of disease problem going on in a few of the areas?

[Roy from Pa]

Not seeing much rut activity here in 2B. Scrapes just started appearing last week. 70 degrees the rest of the week isn't good either.

[Wheels2]

J.,
Not mast related. Hunting farm land surrounded by woods.  One of the three sands I hunt is over an oak with acorns laying on the ground.
All three are within a 150 yard stretch of side hill woods that is a travel corridor.
All of the corn and beans are now harvested and have been for about three weeks.
Over the last few years I have shot at or killed 12 deer in this strip.  Just not this year...

[Doc Nock]

Seen a lot of that in recent years... sometimes it's some m ajor land use change "upstream" of where you are that changed their whole travel pattern...sometimes it's just that the #s are down which i s what the auto insurance companies want...

Mostly I couldn't back track over posted ground but some drive around showed new developments, new house plunked on top a cleared ridge...something that molested their normal habits!

Buddy had same thing this year over in York Co... hunted it for year and seen zippo!

[Biathlonman]

Same right now in Southeast Ohio.  Deer should be going crazy but nothing is moving and very little sign.

[Alvey]

Same here in 4B makes it tough when you have posted property all around you and can't go after em.

[Homey88]

I have been out for 12 evening sits in 4e and have yet to see a deer. There is still a lot of standing corn yet. The last week I have no activity on my one trail cam. Hopefully things will pick up this last couple of weeks.

[RedShaft]

Yeah same for me too. But it's been bad here for a few years now.
Sometimes I even wonder why I try lol

[RodL]

I live in western Maryland and it has been very uneventful so far this year, all my trailcams are showing nocturnal activity and I have seen next to nothing when hunting, hopefully things will change in the coming weeks with the rut.

Rodney

[Jerry Jeffer]

If you only sit the same place all the time, you probably not going to see what is really out there. Just my 2 cents.

[Wheels2]

I guess you missed the comment on past success over the last few years including last year.
That doesn't mean I am opposed to moving but only if forced to do so.  It took a bit of effort to hone in on this strip so reluctant to spend time in season looking around

[Doc Nock]

William,

Jerry perhaps only meant that deer seem to pattern hunters faster and better then we pattern them...

If there is an absence of deer activity in general, then I can see you'd rather hold to that area some...till you see if it heats up...

Sometimes, by the time we find that out or "wait it out" the season is over...

One thing we tried, was to go back after Christmas in the 2nd season and pray for snow... really told a lot.

Only problem was being surrounded by posted ground, we couldn't truly patrol to find out much other then normal travel routes had pretty much been abandoned for some reason... which occurred off our hunting area, but did give us motivation to see if we could cruise and find any new patterns...

Best of luck to you...

My season has been anything but slow, but I will wish you good luck the rest of the season!!!

Bisch

[RedShaft]

I can't belive how hot it was tonight!
It's been a few weeks since I see A deer. I think next week I'm going to do some topo scouting find best funnel I can and go for a hail marry. I really out of choices now as I put my dad is spots all this week as he is on vacation and he seen top back of 1 deer. That's it.
Good luck guys!