Anyone else strike out for rifle season?

[tjones96761]

I spent 23 days hunting this year, more than any year previous. Muzzleloader and Rifle combined I never saw anything with antlers past the ears. Game cameras for that 5 weeks showed no deer movement during daylight, outside the occasional young doe. Deer movement was outside the patterned movements they had been making for the weeks leading up to MZ. Strange.
Also have some city folk with a section of land next to me that is 80% brushy hardwoods. Strictly hunting ground, no cows, don't even cut it for hay. Normally there are half a dozen people in there during rifle season, trampling around all day long pushing deer across the fences. It's the only time they ever go out there. This year only 2 hunters, only morning and evening, only during the first 5 days. That may have something to do with mine, but their movement was screwy before rifle season.

 

[deerwhacker444]

I struck out, but I got a little one earlier in the season with my bow.

I want to say I'm proud of you bunch of posters. 10-15 years ago, everybody would be blasting anything with horns, especially the 2 bucks in the previous pics. I've seen and read of more people passing up little bucks this year than every before, waiting for a big one.

I personally got over a dozen different bucks on film this year on the 320 acres I have access to. And believe me, this is no prize deer lease. It's a run of the mill property with roads on every section line.

Shown in the order that they were taken. I tried to give a description of the different deer in the pics. There might be a couple of duplicates, but I'm pretty certain there's at least a dozen different ones:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/15767064@N04/sets/72157622850719568/show/

The deer were mostly nocturnal from the end of Oct till the first week if Nov. After that, everything ceased travel. I don't know where they went, but they've still got to be around somewhere as none of the neighbors did any good either.

I think everyone here deserves a pat on the back and a round of applause for letting the young ones live. Although we don't have much venison in the freezer this year, it will pay dividends in the coming years. These pics I have are a testament to that. I never would have seen deer like this 15 years ago.

 

[Bootleggn]

Took a 325 yard shot at a nice sized doe. When I went to recover her a fawn jumped out and was dropped by my little brother. My shot must have been a gut shot where as we could not find a blood trail and never recovered her. So, count me in for striking out.......

 

[dennishoddy]

Depends on what you mean by striking out. Could have shot several deer but chose to do so only with a camera. Had shots at several doe, a one antler 2pt, a 4pt, and this six. Decided they were all to young for me as I already have meat in my freezer. They lucked out this year!

165 yards away

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75 yards away.

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Good for you! They will be lots bigger next year

 

[dennishoddy]

Always...always....always have your weapon handy when in the woods. Even in camp.

Exactly! I have to walk thru a grass pasture that is 3/4 miles to get to my stand, so I get out there and mow a trail thru the 5' tall grass. Walking out the other day, I must have stepped on a doe's trail that was in heat, as this buck literally walked within 100 yds of the truck looking at me changing my boots. I got the rifle out and looked at him thru the scope. He is one that we decided should be a managment buck, as he has two points on one side, and 6 on the other. Looking at him, it looked like maybe an early injury on the side with 2 points, and let him go untill next year. If he is still that same way, he is out of there.

 

[JCW355]

I've struck out for several years, don't hunt anymore. I have some deer that have been hanging out here lately, one is a buck. I saw him again tonight.

 

[ez bake]

I did this year, but to be honest, my heart just wasn't in it this year since I actually got to see some of my family during the Turkey-day holiday break and had stuff with the family going for most of the rest of the time.

I'll probably break down and get some bow-hunting tags and try it out this year.

 

[RMA1]

No biggun for me either, saw lots of 1 and 2 year olds. Now that rifle season is over they will show themselves. Oh well my kids and I limited on nice fat does that are now rolled into brats, snack sticks, sausage, and jerky. Now for texas hunting and archery!!!

 

[Gator]

Yes and no. First two days saw only one buck, a little 8 that my daughter missed during youth season. Mon morning finally saw a single doe, decided to take her. That night I seen either the same group twice, or 10-12 does, and no bucks. Had 5 within twenty yards of me. Next morning same stand 5 does and a little forkhorn went through. Didn't hunt again till Friday night, saw 6 does and a decent 8pt. Shot him, but made a bad shot, found him the next day, only after the coyotes had feasted on him, so all I got was the rack. Did spot four in a food plot in the WMA next to the house, so one of them may fall to the bow. Oh yeah, missed a buck last weekend of ML, and the following weekend with my bow.

 

[A.J.]

I hunt with my 33 year old son, and mostly want him to shoot one. Me and him are the only ones who eat deer, so we really need only one. Saw a bunch of does, and a one-horned buck, then on the second day of rifle season, saw a very nice, long-tined 10-point chasing a doe in heat. He came within 200 yards and stopped broadside...but was about 30 yards on the wrong side of the fence. I still could have shot him and retrieved him without the other land-owner finding out about it, but I just don't do that. Sometimes I have second thoughts about that decision. Son shot a big doe on the last Sunday morning. Hit her twice (I could hear the bullet striking, and the rifle shot seperate). She left a hefty blood trail for awhile, but just disappeared. Came across a small spike just before dark on the last day but passed on him. It was getting dark rapidly, starting to mist, and if I didn't drop him in his tracks, he'd run back down into a basin, giving us a very long drag in the dark. Since we still have some doe season left, we decided to pass.