Super User gimruis Posted September 14, 2023 Super User Share Posted September 14, 2023 I know there’s a fair number of deer hunters on here and archery season will be opening up soon in many northern states. It starts here in MN on Sat, Sept 16. They’ve legalized the use of crossbows here this season for the general population during archery season. So let’s hear about your plans, strategies, and failures right here for the upcoming season. And most of all, photos of those harvested deer! Good luck out there this season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Global Moderator TnRiver46 Posted September 14, 2023 Global Moderator Share Posted September 14, 2023 Been open for a while already, they allow a velvet buck here now. My strategy is hope my friends have success and give me some food! Hunting is way too expensive for me 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Way north bass guy Posted September 14, 2023 Share Posted September 14, 2023 Opens Oct 1 here, but I doubt I’ll get out with the bow this year ( haven’t in a few years, just too busy). Our two week rifle season is first half of November, I’ll be going to our hunt camp for several days to enjoy the time away from work, and spend some time catching up with about 8 other guys that are just a blast to hang around. Can’t wait! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User gimruis Posted September 14, 2023 Author Super User Share Posted September 14, 2023 1 hour ago, Way north bass guy said: Our two week rifle season is first half of November That's when ours is too. Ours is 9 days. I hunt at least 8 of them, if not all 9. Weather permitting. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User Bird Posted September 14, 2023 Super User Share Posted September 14, 2023 Brother and I are hanging tree stands next weekend. Problem we're having is drought. I'm not seeing the amount of Bucks on camera that I usually see as there's no water up on the mountain. Oak trees have aborted small acorns already due to drought. My level of enthusiasm has taken a hit but I'll still be out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Global Moderator 12poundbass Posted September 15, 2023 Global Moderator Share Posted September 15, 2023 Our bow season starts Oct 1 and rifle season Nov 15. I don’t have the free time needed for bow hunting. 6poundbass wants to give bow hunting a go this year. I’ll go out for rifle season. My friend who’s land we’ll hunt gave me access to his cellular trail cams so I get all the pics sent right to my phone in real time. We’ve seen one nice shooter and a decent one who is board line shooter. Plenty of little ones who could be decent in a couple years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackstrawIII Posted September 16, 2023 Share Posted September 16, 2023 On 9/14/2023 at 12:34 AM, TnRiver46 said: Hunting is way too expensive for me Haha I’ve spent WAY more on fishing gear than hunting gear (not including firearms). But, to answer the OP, we have a new short anterless-only season in September now here in NY for certain WMUs that have too many deer, according to the DEC. Well, I went out with farmer friends and we were able to fill 7 tags on Saturday night. A huge blessing for my family to fill the freezer, with leftovers to share. Will try for a buck in November, but the pressure is off for now… which means I can keep fishing!! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User gimruis Posted September 16, 2023 Author Super User Share Posted September 16, 2023 1 minute ago, JackstrawIII said: Haha I’ve spent WAY more on fishing gear than hunting gear (not including firearms). You bring up an interesting point. I would have to do some math but I imagine all my fishing stuff compared to my hunting stuff is pretty even if I include the firearms and boat. Hunting licenses certainly cost more every year when compared to a fishing license. At least for me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User LrgmouthShad Posted September 19, 2023 Super User Share Posted September 19, 2023 I may hunt but I don’t expressly plan on it, unless it is at home. My Dad told me there are 2-3 potential shooters right now where the family hunts but that the deer are very nocturnal currently. Have been tough to find in a hunting session. He has photos of a new very large buck that arrived recently. That’s the one he and Mom hope to shoot this season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User casts_by_fly Posted September 20, 2023 Super User Share Posted September 20, 2023 Bow season opened last weekend here and I had planned to be out early. We’re in an earn a buck zone until October so I planned to shoot a quick doe and be flexible on shooting an early buck if one came through. 40 yard groups were looking good and even backing up to 55 yards I was looking pretty good (I wouldn’t take a shot at a deer that far). Unfortunately with my mother in law passing we were back in PA for the opener and even once we got back here I had a bunch of catch up work to do. I will get out this weekend for a shake down hunt just to get in the woods. my plan for the year is much like last year. We have a 2500 acre wma at the bottom of our road that has a bunch of deer on it. I can hunt it on sundays also. I have a few locations that I bounce around on it and hunting from a saddle means I can keep moving around. There are two township properties that I get a permit for which are similar. One borders the wma and my own 3 acres which is handy. Then come the rut season in a month or so the bucks start roaming the ridge behind the house. There are a couple doe bedding areas within 200 yards of the house and the bucks run between them in the mornings and evenings. Starting around the 26th or so and running into the second week of November I’ll be in the backyard tree as much as the wind permits (I have Wi-Fi in my stand). Last year I was on a guys trip the prime first week of November and have a picture of my target buck under my stand as I was climbing into the car to the airport…. Not going on a trip this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User casts_by_fly Posted October 3, 2023 Super User Share Posted October 3, 2023 had my third sit last night. The first sit was a shakedown hunt ~10 days ago to make sure I remembered how to get into a tree safely, get situated, etc. It was a pretty oak tree in a bottoms on a WMA that would let me watch a bunch of area but unlikely that a doe would come through. It was still 'earn a buck', i.e. gotta shoot a doe before you can shoot a buck in September here, but even then unlikely a buck was coming through either. I did have a pair of acorn eating racoons come through. Apparently my camo is good enough. second sit was last Wednesday evening. Same tree I shot a doe from last year. I had three come through at 25 yards, but it was just a little too thick to get that shot. I was drawn and if she stopped in one or two places I was going to shoot. Alas, I have to go back for her another day. My father in law and nephew are staying with us this week so my time out is limited. However, Saturday evening after I got home from fishing I saw a nice new buck hanging around the back powerline. I had set up a ground blind thinking my nephew might want to sit for the evening one night. He came out with me but only made it to 5 PM before he was bored. This guy came through about 45 minutes later and was the buck I saw Saturday. An ever so slightly quartering away shot buried the broadhead in the far shoulder knuckle and he dropped on the spot. Now, this will open up my october for a little bit of fishing. I get a new buck tag at the end of the month for the 'permit' season and I will be hunting the first week of November hard looking for a crusing buck. We have 3 doe bedding zones within 200 yards of the house and the bucks cruise through them the first week of November during the rut. We get some real bruisers (by NJ standards) so he's to hoping. Then it will be some doe management on the other public ground I hunt. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazoo Posted October 3, 2023 Share Posted October 3, 2023 4 hours ago, casts_by_fly said: had my third sit last night. The first sit was a shakedown hunt ~10 days ago to make sure I remembered how to get into a tree safely, get situated, etc. It was a pretty oak tree in a bottoms on a WMA that would let me watch a bunch of area but unlikely that a doe would come through. It was still 'earn a buck', i.e. gotta shoot a doe before you can shoot a buck in September here, but even then unlikely a buck was coming through either. I did have a pair of acorn eating racoons come through. Apparently my camo is good enough. second sit was last Wednesday evening. Same tree I shot a doe from last year. I had three come through at 25 yards, but it was just a little too thick to get that shot. I was drawn and if she stopped in one or two places I was going to shoot. Alas, I have to go back for her another day. My father in law and nephew are staying with us this week so my time out is limited. However, Saturday evening after I got home from fishing I saw a nice new buck hanging around the back powerline. I had set up a ground blind thinking my nephew might want to sit for the evening one night. He came out with me but only made it to 5 PM before he was bored. This guy came through about 45 minutes later and was the buck I saw Saturday. An ever so slightly quartering away shot buried the broadhead in the far shoulder knuckle and he dropped on the spot. Now, this will open up my october for a little bit of fishing. I get a new buck tag at the end of the month for the 'permit' season and I will be hunting the first week of November hard looking for a crusing buck. We have 3 doe bedding zones within 200 yards of the house and the bucks cruise through them the first week of November during the rut. We get some real bruisers (by NJ standards) so he's to hoping. Then it will be some doe management on the other public ground I hunt. Congratulations, on a nice one! I like roast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User casts_by_fly Posted October 3, 2023 Super User Share Posted October 3, 2023 @Bazoo I like roast too. I also like tenderloin seared in a pan. Alas, my wife doesn't eat it and its just us in the house. So every deer I shoot gets donated to Hungers Helping the Hungry. I take it to a butcher to donate. They get paid by a combination of HHH donations and state matching. All of the meat goes to local food banks. Its a win win for all. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User gimruis Posted October 3, 2023 Author Super User Share Posted October 3, 2023 1 minute ago, casts_by_fly said: So every deer I shoot gets donated to Hungers Helping the Hungry. I take it to a butcher to donate. They get paid by a combination of HHH donations and state matching. All of the meat goes to local food banks. Its a win win for all. I've donated a fair amount of deer over the years here too. I try to split a small corn-fed doe with my Father every season, but anything beyond that gets donated. I have a co-worker who can sometimes take one too, but the donation program here is always an option so the venison does not go to waste. And honestly, I would not shoot a deer unless I had a home for it ahead of time anyways. Some of the more sizable bucks can be tough and gamey especially when they are in the rut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User casts_by_fly Posted October 3, 2023 Super User Share Posted October 3, 2023 @gimruis same here. I won’t shoot anything unless I know I have an outlet for it. That’s what slowed me from getting back into deer hunting when we first moved back here. Then I found the HHH program and looked into it. It’s a really great program. Over the past 25 years over 16,000 deer have been donated across the state. That’s awesome. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazoo Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 I don’t get one every year. But I get one sometimes. I have some in the freezer from 3years ago. Learning how to freeze without freezer burn was a big thing for me. I learnt from a book called Game Care and Cookery by Sam Fadala. My boy and I both like it. I never found a way that I liked loin but I like meat well done. My boy likes it any way he can get it. I like roasts and stew and ground when it’s in helper or spaghetti. I wish I could figure out how to make deer sticks. A co worker had some years ago that were amazing. He had the processor make them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User gimruis Posted October 4, 2023 Author Super User Share Posted October 4, 2023 17 minutes ago, Bazoo said: I wish I could figure out how to make deer sticks. A co worker had some years ago that were amazing. He had the processor make them. I have the processor I take ours to make deer sticks every year. They are vacuum sealed and last for months. I have no idea how to do it myself though and even if I did, I probably don’t have the right equipment or time to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User casts_by_fly Posted October 12, 2023 Super User Share Posted October 12, 2023 With the cold temps the past could days the deer are moving. I was up early this morning and at daybreak there were two nice bucks in the back. This is the little one. He's a ~16-17" inside spread 8 pt that's really symmetric. Top 4 tines are around 8" each. He came around the front of the house to give me this nice pic through the window. The other is a 7 that looks a LOT like the 7 pt I shot 3 years ago. I'm sure its the same genes given the curling up on the tips and the outward lean to the tines. I got some video, but nothing great. He's about 19" inside with 8-10" tines on top. I think I have both on camera from last year when they were much smaller. These will be 3.5-4.5 year old deer here. Either one gets an arrow when the new season starts at the end of the month. Here's to hoping they stick around for me. There are a half dozen breeding age does around for them to want to. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhoffman Posted October 14, 2023 Share Posted October 14, 2023 Deer population by me is lower than I have ever remembered. You dont even see deer driving at night most times. This is of course big woods and on top of the low population there is a food explosion this year. Im once again looking for last years rut sign, checking previous known good spots and waiting till that last week of October to lay into it. Tomorrow I have to go trim a stand. I started archery hunting at 16, Im 42. This is the first year ever I didnt get an antlerless license of any type. Im not joking when I say 2-3 deer per square mile! Its rough to pattern them like this so I have to make only the best of calculated moves to not destroy the spots before they get good or burn myself out from going. Working on a video, hopefully I have one to release as I will not be releasing a buckless hunting video. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User gimruis Posted October 14, 2023 Author Super User Share Posted October 14, 2023 39 minutes ago, jhoffman said: Deer population by me is lower than I have ever remembered. Why do you think that is? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Global Moderator 12poundbass Posted October 14, 2023 Global Moderator Share Posted October 14, 2023 Since our cold snap over the last week or so the deer have really started to move and the bucks are more present on the deer cams. There are two shooters (nothing huge) and 4-5 more that will be nice in the next year or two. Tomorrow will be 6poundbass’s first bow hunt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Global Moderator TnRiver46 Posted October 15, 2023 Global Moderator Share Posted October 15, 2023 The highways have been having an excellent deer season so far here. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User casts_by_fly Posted October 15, 2023 Super User Share Posted October 15, 2023 50 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said: The highways have been having an excellent deer season so far here. The cold weather has them moving a lot more now up here. The rut is going to start kicking off in a week or so and get things really moving. Careful on the rods for sure. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User A-Jay Posted October 15, 2023 Super User Share Posted October 15, 2023 3 hours ago, TnRiver46 said: The highways have been having an excellent deer season so far here. Always the way here too. The vultures and coyotes are very healthy. Roadkill, it's not just for breakfast anymore either . . . . . A-Jay 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Global Moderator TnRiver46 Posted October 15, 2023 Global Moderator Share Posted October 15, 2023 4 minutes ago, A-Jay said: Always the way here too. The vultures and coyotes are very healthy. Roadkill, it's not just for breakfast anymore either . . . . . A-Jay 🤮 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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