billkay Posted November 29, 2012 Report Share Posted November 29, 2012 So far I have hunted the archery openers in Indiana and Kentucky, and the firearms/rifle openers in Kentucky, Michigan, and Indiana, and have a second season tag for Iowa next week. To date, I have taken 1 doe. Seen plenty of deer at times but typically they're does or small bucks. Where have all the deer gone? I've seen some tremendous deer taken all around me. I'm beginning to think I'm jinxed! Anyone else struggling? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted November 29, 2012 Report Share Posted November 29, 2012 I think our numbers here are down, despite the twra putting out that harvest numbers are up. I am not seeing the numbers of deer I have seen in the past, with the drought this year the ehd dieoffs may be higher or maybe the liberal limits on does here have finally gone too far. Don't know about where you are, but been a weird rut here Bill. We saw good activity early November then seemed like the rut just turned off, now seeing some chasing again as of last weekend. Typically our rut is peaking around the third week of November, rut seemed to come early but has been weak and saw very little signs of rutting activity mid November. I am pretty sure there were a couple does around as of last weekend that had not been in estrous yet, that of course could have changed by now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbHunterNY Posted November 29, 2012 Report Share Posted November 29, 2012 tough season here in a sense that a lot of big deer happen to be falling to the neighbors at each property i hunt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeramie Posted November 29, 2012 Report Share Posted November 29, 2012 Its not just you.... I am hearing the same thing in Okieland. Really wierd. I havent hunted much this year but I know a LOT of people complaining about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fly Posted November 29, 2012 Report Share Posted November 29, 2012 I'd say my season has been better than average as far as total deer seen on private ground and less than average on public ground. I've seen 3 shooters this season and have had one shot opportunity - I was fortunate to make it count. We'll see how the late season goes - historically I see a lot of does that flock to the green pastures cattle graze on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tominator Posted November 29, 2012 Report Share Posted November 29, 2012 My year has been tough from the standpoint of not having time to hunt, but I expected that. To date, I've had one button buck in range, but I've only hunted about 10 times. My buddy knocked a nice one down yesterday, it might score in the 160's. It has a 26 3/4" inside spread! :jaw: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MUDRUNNER Posted November 29, 2012 Report Share Posted November 29, 2012 I think our numbers here are down, despite the twra putting out that harvest numbers are up. I am not seeing the numbers of deer I have seen in the past, with the drought this year the ehd dieoffs may be higher or maybe the liberal limits on does here have finally gone too far. My thoughts exactly. Gun season harvest numbers are up about 5,000 from last year, but my counties and surrounding counties are all down about 50-100 per county. I can't really complain much though. The season has been a real struggle, but I had one good week where I tagged a nice buck and two does. We just have seen a steady decline in deer numbers over the last three or four years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
too_pointer Posted November 29, 2012 Report Share Posted November 29, 2012 My rifle season here in Mi. has been a bust. I'm going out for my last hunt very soon, and sure would like to bring the venison home ! too_ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethan Givan Posted November 29, 2012 Report Share Posted November 29, 2012 (edited) It was tough here in Kentucky all season. I started hunting hard in late October with the bow, and hunted hard all the way through November with both rifle and bow. I saw a good amount of deer, but I never saw nothing of size. Biggest buck I saw was probably 110 inches. I really didnt see as many does as normal, I saw more small bucks cruizing than anything. On the last weekend I finally got my belly full of the lack of movement of mature deer, and filled my last doe tag to put another one in the freezer. Im done with deer hunting for the year. When I took that last doe to the processor I use, I had a conversation with the guy that works there about the lack of mature deer moving. He told me they have seen a huge reduction in big deer coming in compared to last year. I think the acorn crop might be partly to blame. Edited November 29, 2012 by Ethan Givan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbarcheryhunter Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 We seen more deer in the two spots I hunt this year so I was impressed.Perry county was down for a few years but this year we seen a lot of doe and some good buck for that part of the state.here in Lancaster pa the deer heard is only getting better.some really good buck shot..here is a 162 that was shot about half mile from my parents place... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbarcheryhunter Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 Here is a scouting Cam pic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkneck Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 Been a little slow here. Finally passed a nice and tall but young ten yesterday. hope he does make an appearance for my kids though. We got two full months left though, hope things look up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SourthenILdeerhunter Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 Tough Season, Just Me? Been real slow here I know ppl who are killing tons around the county but yet have only seen one deer so far this season Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowhunter97 Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 I have seen a lot but havent shot at one yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scbasshunter Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 Tough Season, Just Me? I haven't been seeing much and what I have seen have been buttons and spikes. I'm all bucked out, so does only for me for now on. I'll be hitting food plots the rest of the year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoosierhunter Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 Tough Season, Just Me? I've seen the whole spectrum this season. Overall I'd have to say its a well above average year in my areas. Big deer going down across the Midwest this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruttinbuc Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 I have been struggling to get a good one close in the bow season and when I did I had an issue with the bow. As far as seeing deer I saw some good bucks, but the doe numbers are just not showing up. I saw them everywhere preseason, but is if they disappeared once the season got going. I did see a bunch of chasing and seeking from late October up until a week ago. If it is anything, it is not being in the right place at the right time. I truly believe that is all it comes down to. You set yourself up to be in the best possible spots, but it is still up to the deer to show up within range. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scbasshunter Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 Tough Season, Just Me? All the deer I have seen have been within bow range. Even drew on what I thought was a doe but turned out to be a button once he got into range. I haven't seen any does since Sept. I thought it would be easy hunting does, since I usually see so many of them. Guess that's a good sign of bucks to come in a few years... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitetailfreak55 Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 Yep I've been both ends of it also. Alot if big bucks have been going down here in Iowa but the radio said yesterday that the deer population is down 10% from last year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitetailfreak55 Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 What part of Iowa are you going too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billkay Posted November 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 SC Bass, I'm coming to hunt with you! With no buck tag in your pocket, you're garanteed to be a big buck magnet... WF55, I'm in ECentral/NE, Jones Co. I really don't know exactly where it is. All my times there previous have been between Centerville and Exline. I love Exline!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 I have been struggling to get a good one close in the bow season and when I did I had an issue with the bow. As far as seeing deer I saw some good bucks, but the doe numbers are just not showing up. I saw them everywhere preseason, but is if they disappeared once the season got going. I did see a bunch of chasing and seeking from late October up until a week ago. If it is anything, it is not being in the right place at the right time. I truly believe that is all it comes down to. You set yourself up to be in the best possible spots, but it is still up to the deer to show up within range. Dunno Mike, seems the does are just not here like they used to be. Not sure exactly what our buck to doe ratio is, but it is definitely out of whack with there being more bucks around than there are does. I have seen 2-3 bucks for every doe this year, problem is the majority of those were young bucks and seems maybe we just do not have enough does around now to keep any big bucks sticking around. Agree on right time and right place, we know that is what it all boils down to. Try to make your best guess on where you are going to get your best opportunity, of course the deer change the game on us all the time and throw us for loops. I think the acorn crop might be partly to blame. Kinda thought the acorn crop would be an issue here early season too, but saw about what we normally do in the way of young bucks, but not as many does as what was normal say 5 or so years ago. Seeing less and less does here every year, where we would see groups of 5 or more upwards to 10 or 12 does in a group not all that long back, lucky these days to see 3 or 4 does in a group. Acorns been pretty well gone here for a while, deer should be using food plots but not seeing much activity there during legal shooting times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhino Posted December 10, 2012 Report Share Posted December 10, 2012 (edited) Tough season? Well yes and no. I really don't like to judge my season based on what I kill but more so on what I see and the overall experience. So far this year I've killed 1 doe...that's it. It ain't over yet though. I've spent almost all of my deer hunting time bowhunting this year in MO. I've had a couple of mature bucks in range while bowhuting in MO but they weren't what I wanted. I've also had some great 3.5 year old bucks in range that will be shooters next year. I thought one of them was going to put a whipping on my decoy. Cool experience. I did see one super 11 point but he was 275 yards away in a cut corn field & went the other way. About a week later I got trail cam pics of him and 2 of his tines were broken off...bummer. Around the 3rd day of the MO gun season he was shot by one of our neighbor's older sons. One of our other MO neighbors fullfilled his life long dream of killing a B&C class buck. My buddy that hunts with me in MO killed his best buck ever with his bow...a 158" main frame 10 with 2 scorable kickers. I loaned a ground blind to our neighbor that lives next to our place & set it up for him and he killed a 167" 11 point while hunting it opening day of the gun season. His biggest buck ever too. So...even though I haven't killed another buck for the wall (yet), this season has sure been memorable. We've also gotten to know some of our neighbors in MO and most are great people with the same deer management goals we have. That will pay off for everyone over time. A few of those have become good friends too. In a nutshell I sure can't complain about my MO hunting experience even though I haven't tagged a buck yet. Made some new friends, a couple will probably be life long friends, friends (new & old) have killed their biggest bucks ever, and I've experienced some very memorable close encounters while bowhunting there. At home here in MS I really haven't spent much time in the woods. About 4 or 5 days is it. Been up in the woods in MO a whole lot. I have one young buddy running 3 of my cams here in MS along with his 2 cams and so far he's only gotten 1 nice mature buck on cam and a number of mature cull 6's & 7's. Weird! So far only 6 bucks have been killed on our MS club (~2,750 ac.) with 3 of them being mature. 2 of those bucks were killed this past weekend. They were the 1st 2 bucks killed since bow season ended on Nov. 16th. The rut is just starting to crank up here though. As for doe kills, the club's doe harvest is way down based on prior years. The club goal is to kill 45. So far only 27 have hit the dirt. I don't recall us ever being this far behind our doe kill quota this late in the season. Edited December 10, 2012 by Rhino Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billkay Posted December 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 13, 2012 Well Iowa was not the answer to my season. I had a great couple of days and hunts with family and some new friends and did manage to take 2 does. Our group as a whole took 7 does and one buck, but not the kind you think of when you think Iowa. There is still time left here in Indiana, Michigan, and Kentucky but it's also time to finish up some work and begin to get stuff in order for the ATA and SHOT shows. It's been a long season, but I am very grateful to have had it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitetailfreak55 Posted December 13, 2012 Report Share Posted December 13, 2012 Dang that's too bad you didn't get anything big here. Some of my buddies have been killing monsters. Here's one that was taken last Saturday Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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