I'm at a loss...

[Jorden]

I dont know what to do anymore. I am getting sick of going out hunting and sitting for hours at a time and not seeing any deer. I seriously have no idea where they are. Back in september and october we were seeing plenty of deer, mostly does. But around the second or third week of october, when most of the activity is starting up we started seeing less and less deer to the point where my dad, my brother, my grandpa and I sat all day on the opening of gun season and did not see a single deer. We've been practicing QDM for about ten years now, planting food plots, letting young bucks go, and shooting does and we've seen some results. We've gotten some huge bucks on camera but they have always been at night and even during the rut we havent seen any shooter bucks when we've been on stand. I've even noticed the past few years less and less rut sign each year. I dont know if the deer have just left or if we are doing something wrong. I dont mean to complain or anything but its getting to the point where I dont want to got hunting anymore. Thanks for letting me vent and if you have any suggestions or ideas that would be great.

[dogdoc]

i hear ya my friend. I've felt that exact feeling your are going thru right now. I don't know where you are from but my deer sightings this year have been down at least 75%. Here in Oklahoma we had a very wet spring and summer--there is so much native forage that the deer are only hitting the food plots at night. Between bowseason, blackpowder, and now rifle season I have seen a total of 1 doe with fawn, 1 small buck, and 1 shooter buck. Lots of hours I've spent in the stand this year and have only seen 3 adults and one doe. That is usually what I see in one morning/evening hunt. There is just so much forage availabe--especially acorns--there is no need for the deer to leave the thick cover until the safety of the moon--at least here in Oklahoma anyway.

hang in there---all it takes is 5 seconds to make a season.

todd

[Guest bowhunter56]

I have spent many 12 hours days in my tree stand this year, seeing nothing and never felt like giving up, get out and scout, perhaps get some topo maps, if they are moving at night, look for trails, rub lines, you gotta put the time in and have patience.

[buckee]

I hear ya too. This year was like that for us. especially the last few weeks before the rut. The deer here always seem to go nocturnal, just before the rut kicks in, and this year, we had the added problem of a bumper apple crop, which kept most of the deer on neighboring property, instead of where we hunt on the farm.

Don't give up. It's just a matter of time.

[birdhunter39]

i feel your pain , i hunt pheasant , dove , and rabbit and tree rats , during the last two years i had a dry spell putting game in the game bag . i haven"t seen or tasted a wild pheasant in a few years , to make a long story short i started going to a hunt club , i"m starting to run out of shotgun shells , i haven"t done that in years . the place i"m going has a ton of scrape"s as well as other deer signs . some dude got a nice 6 point buck from the area not that long a go . i hope your dry spell ends for you . good luck

[Texan_Til_I_Die]

It could be something like Todd mentioned, just an overabundance of some natural food like acorns resulting in no reason for the deer to move any distance to feed. Or, it could be something caused by human activity. Has there been any increase in activity, especially non-hunting related activity, in the area? Maybe people out cutting firewood or gathering nuts or berries? More vehicle traffic on the roads or in the pasture? Has there been any recent forestry or brush clearing? Did you try to push or drive the deer? Spend an extra amount of time in the woods doing pre-season scouting? Or maybe some combination of factors? Lot's of things like that can happen to move the deer or turn them nocturnal.

[RangerClay]

The deer usually disappear off my property about now. In early October my woods are full of deer because the forest floor is covered with hickory nuts. Once the nuts are gone the deer move to the other side of the hill where the corn fields are. Maybe you need to change what you are growing in your food plots. Are you planting an autumn food source like Winter Greens or corn?

[ParrotHead2005]

The last 5 years the same thing has happened to me. In October I see 60-100 deer per weekend. I have pictures I took this year this year with as many as 15 in one shot. Several time I had 7-10 bucks in the field at the same time. There are 3 different alfalfa fields down there that they hammer. Then bam. end of Oct. first of Nov. I go to seeing 5,6,7 8 deer and no bucks. I dont know where they go or why. The alfalfa is still green, there are plenty of accorns there. Plenty of water. Also plenty of cover. I am beginning to think it has to do with the rut.

[muggs]

Not sure where you're hunting, but if you're hunting field edges or over food plots, try moving in deeper into the woods. Setup off their beds, but not too close.

[ParrotHead2005]

Which one of us are you talking to?

[PotashRLS]

I can also sympathize. We experience nearly the same exact overall deer behavior as you are explaining. We also manage our property (100 acres) and have at least partial participation from our neighbors. We spend between $500 and $800 annually on foodplots and have huge success with them. I am beginning to believe that increased hunting pressure on ALL deer and small parcel ownership affects deer movement in a way that can't be measured. I think that deer travel more than one realizes and may relocate to areas 1, 2 or 3 miles away at different times of the year and return again later. God only knows where they end up during the rut, especially when doe group densities vary from mile to mile!!!!!!!!!!!