2024 Deer hunting thread

[casts_by_fly]

Hi all,

 

I didn’t see one started so here we go!

 

what are your plans?  Goals?

 

 

my season opens in a week but I’m traveling so I start when I get back on the 27th probably. I’ve been shooting my bow a bunch and it’s pretty dialed in at hunting distances.  I’ve decided I’m not shooting more than 30 yards in the woods this year. I’ve shot out to 40 at targets and all is great. Latest revision of my arrows are flying great. I added 40 grains up front, a wrap, and went to a four fletch. I’ve been shooting it out of my saddle setup. I want to shoot a couple more days of pin gap distances on a 3d target.  
 

I’ve got deer coming in on cameras including a nice 8. And today a bear came through. So far so good!

 

my goal is 4 does. And I wouldn’t mind one good buck. Doesn’t have to be a big one, just a solid 3.5+ 8 pt.   

[gimruis]

I just now saw this when I was going to start the same thread.

 

Our archery season starts on Sept 14.  I don't archery hunt, I only rifle hunt, so my season won't be starting until Nov 9.

 

Its VERY warm here for mid September.  Its gonna be 86 degrees this afternoon, and continued warmth for another week.  Not good to rot away in the woods.  Too many leaves, too many bugs, very little daytime deer activity...not to mention the issue of finding and butchering the deer ASAP in this heat.  I know a couple archery hunters and they are generally pretty die hard about going on opener.  They aren't going this weekend.

 

The 9 day gun season I hunt in November coincides with the rut here.  I hunt in a zone where I'm permitted to harvest 1 buck and up to 2 additional antlerless deer with bonus tags.  My goal is always 1) trophy buck, and 2) food.

 

Its obviously a heck of a lot harder to accomplish goal number 1, only happened 3 times in 29 years.  I usually buy one bonus tag and try to fill that with a small young tender corn fed bambi.  That deer is usually split between my parents and my own family.  I'm not crazy about venison.  Half a deer is plenty for this guy.

[DaubsNU1]

Although I have a bow, I have never bow hunted. Love waterfowl hunting, and that usually gets the nod in fall. And now that I have a good boat, spend more time fishing.

 

Brother and I found a ranch in the Sandhills a few years back for rifle season. We both tagged nice Mule deer that first year...but the Rancher leased hunting rights to another group the next year. We were able to get back on that land last year...but could only hunt whitetails. I tagged this buck

 

 

I absolutely love the Sandhills. Rancher allows us access with ATV's...we ride around, enjoy scenery, and spot-n-stalk.

 

Not sure if I will hunt deer this year...likely wait until next year to head back to that Ranch (If he will allow us access).

 

I've shot some nice bucks...wife really likes the deer brats...that's the main reason I hunt now. And we have bunches of brats left over from last season.

 

 

 

 

[12poundbass]

My son took a doe a month ago with a crop damage permit belonging to a farmer I know. They destroyed a ton of his beans and corn down the road. 
 

This weekend is the youth hunt but he’s sitting it out because it’ll be too dang hot! 
 

We’ve seen a couple bucks on the trail cam in the middle of the night but that’s it. They would be really nice next year. If I hunt I’d pass, I’m not sure if he’d take one of them or not. He passed on a decent one last year which I was proud of him for. We shall see.

 

@DaubsNU1 I’ve hunted the Sandhills of NW Nebraska before and absolutely loved it! Beautiful country out there.

[fishballer06]

We've got a bear on camera who keeps playing with our trail cams. He is the biggest thing on the list to eliminate right now. As far as deer, I usually like 1-2 deer for meat. I'm fine if that's only does. All the bucks I've had on camera this year (cameras have been up a month) are pretty small and not something I would shoot. I had one show up earlier this week that had a massive body but I couldn't make out how big his antlers were with how the angle was of the photo. Hopefully some bigger bucks start coming in once the crops start getting picked and the rut begins. 

[casts_by_fly]

Got out for the first time Thursday. We were out of the country from the season opener until Thursday morning, so I sat the evening. Had two does come in and had a perfect 16 yard quartering away shot on the adult. But I couldn’t pull the trigger because the little one with her was maybe 40 lb and had spots two weeks ago. In two more months?  That’s a dead deer.  In January?  The both get shot. But I couldn’t do it Thursday. 
 

On 9/13/2024 at 2:39 PM, fishballer06 said:

We've got a bear on camera who keeps playing with our trail cams. He is the biggest thing on the list to eliminate right now. As far as deer, I usually like 1-2 deer for meat. I'm fine if that's only does. All the bucks I've had on camera this year (cameras have been up a month) are pretty small and not something I would shoot. I had one show up earlier this week that had a massive body but I couldn't make out how big his antlers were with how the angle was of the photo. Hopefully some bigger bucks start coming in once the crops start getting picked and the rut begins. 

Yeah, I know what you mean.  Completely obliterated the block I had out in about 3 days. The deer wouldn’t come around while he was there. The block is gone and he’s moved on it seems. 
 

the camera is about 12’ in the air so can’t mess with that at least.