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2015 Hunting Megathread

it's been AWFUL quiet in my neck of the woods (been hunting North Oxford mostly and some of Grafton Land Trust)...and I haven't seen anything since the shot i passed up on a doe on shotgun opening day (too much brush in the way and she was oscar mike)

granted it's my first year ever hunting, but I feel like i'm doing things 'mostly' right.

isn't it the way though...the last two months my trail cameras have been getting a couple good hits every week (a few four pointers and a 6-8 pointer all more than once), but as soon as shotgun started it's like they friggen vanished.

i haven't even heard any shots go off since maybe day 2 of shotgun and i've been out just about every morning (had drill last week in PA, so obviously couldn't be out then). i'm set up to go into primitive arms, but really thought i'd have at least had a clear sight on one by now.

has it been quiet anywhere else...is this a normal phenomena?
 
Dakar652 said:
it's been AWFUL quiet in my neck of the woods (been hunting North Oxford mostly and some of Grafton Land Trust)...and I haven't seen anything since the shot i passed up on a doe on shotgun opening day (too much brush in the way and she was oscar mike)

granted it's my first year ever hunting, but I feel like i'm doing things 'mostly' right.

isn't it the way though...the last two months my trail cameras have been getting a couple good hits every week (a few four pointers and a 6-8 pointer all more than once), but as soon as shotgun started it's like they friggen vanished.

i haven't even heard any shots go off since maybe day 2 of shotgun and i've been out just about every morning (had drill last week in PA, so obviously couldn't be out then). i'm set up to go into primitive arms, but really thought i'd have at least had a clear sight on one by now.

has it been quiet anywhere else...is this a normal phenomena?
Click to expand...

Thats just the way things go. If this is your first year hunting I'm sure you're making all kinds of mistakes that you dont even realize and wont realize until you teach yourself a better way or miss out because of it. This is my 5th year hunting and I went 3 years without even seeing a deer. The first one I got was at year 4 and that was pretty much dumb luck. Had a similar situation this year with a doe too far out and in the thick stuff so I didnt try to shoot.
 
It only takes one moment of being in the perfect spot at the perfect time on the perfect day and BLAM. There is your first deer. I was dumb-luck enough to shoot a young buck on my very first day out hunting deer ever. It was 100% rookie gold. I haven't fired one round during deer season since then, and I've enjoyed every single day of looking for deer since then. I've seen other new guys get their first deer and it's just as fun to see a good friend take their first as it is to take your own first. The beautiful thing is when you're by yourself with no doe tag, and a doe walks slowly and silently into your crosshairs. All you can do is watch her and appreciate the animal. You may learn more about deer in that 45 seconds than you ever learned crashing through brush trying to bump those slippery critters.
 
OIFer said:
Even in the greatest of hunting spots, it can be pretty random as to if or when you will see deer out there.

Two years ago I must have seen 50 deer throughout the season on one property I hunt - It was crazy. This year I have seen one deer & last year I saw only a doe and her yearling all season long. There's tons of deer in that area, so something drove them away (and it wasnt me - I purposely approach my stand while walking in a stream the whole way, so there is no scent trail whatsoever left by me, and other than dragging a dead deer out, I never walk around the property for any reason.) So what causes them to change 'venues'? who knows? Coyotes, people, dogs?

If it is too quiet, you just have to stick it out or hit another spot. I like to hunt a spot about once a week and go to another spot or two while the other spots lay quiet. I have found that being in the the same spot too much is probably going to scent it up and drive deer away. Also if you are hunting from a stand, don't be tempted to walk around looking for deer too much, you'll really scent up the place. My advice is to get two or three spots and hit each about once a week, leaving as little trace of your presence as possible.

Good luck .
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great advice. i had inadvertently been following your suggestion so far this season, as i've hunted a few different spots (in totally different areas) a few times a week.

i like the idea of walking in a stream as well...i just so happen to have a shallow wetland that basically goes all the way to both of my stands in one spot.
 
Hope to harvest the guy that made this rub. Finally found his bedding area after a long scout. Rub is on a large tree and pretty high off the ground.

pAG0ODq.jpg
 
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Figured i'd put up pics of the two biggest rubs i've seen this season, both in the berkshires not far from one another. Whole place is torn up but it's all from early November. Seems these bigger rubs all take place on brown ash trees, they love em'
4BAE8992-EE8F-4724-BCF3-8E51350692BE_zps7p3twdr1.jpg
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CD2CE94F-57DF-489F-9620-0FB38722D4B9_zpsxvoxl4ew.jpg
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larueminati said:
Not a rub IMO, if anything it's from a moose and it's ancient.
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It's not from a moose. It appeared between Sat and Tue in an area where I missed out a monster 10 pointer earlier this season. There is fresh ice cream coned size pelted scant around.

I will admit it looks nothing like the other rubs along the line in the area. They are all on small trees and lower to the ground. I am on private land that I have hunted for the past few years. I can't image it's man made? Besides a deer I am stumped as to what made that rub?

Edit: According to the MA. Gov website there are moose in the state. You learn something new everyday. I would bet the farm that a moose didn't make that. Regardless of what made it. I just hope I have a tag for it. [wink]
 
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FNHFAL said:
Edit: According to the MA. Gov website there are moose in the state. You learn something new everyday. I would bet the farm that a moose didn't make that. Regardless of what made it. I just hope I have a tag for it. [wink]
Click to expand...

Come out west and you'll see moose rubs (we call them chewins) all over the woods, generally they have gouges running upwards with bark peeling off in an upward direction. Another thing to note is you WONT see any shavings on the ground like you would with a deer rub. They use their teeth and rub up along the tree, and you'll often see the tooth gouge marks.

If a moose did make what you saw, it's from last year minimum and you'd more than likely see more of the same in that area.
 
larueminati said:
Come out west and you'll see moose rubs (we call them chewins) all over the woods, generally they have gouges running upwards with bark peeling off in an upward direction. Another thing to note is you WONT see any shavings on the ground like you would with a deer rub. They use their teeth and rub up along the tree, and you'll often see the tooth gouge marks.

If a moose did make what you saw, it's from last year minimum and you'd more than likely see more of the same in that area.
Click to expand...

My pic isn't the best. I am telling you it's only a few days old. I think maybe the end of both main beam are so close together that he can't really rub the tree?
 
FNHFAL said:
It's not from a moose. It appeared between Sat and Tue in an area where I missed out a monster 10 pointer earlier this season. There is fresh ice cream coned size pelted scant around.

I will admit it looks nothing like the other rubs along the line in the area. They are all on small trees and lower to the ground. I am on private land that I have hunted for the past few years. I can't image it's man made? Besides a deer I am stumped as to what made that rub?

Edit: According to the MA. Gov website there are moose in the state. You learn something new everyday. I would bet the farm that a moose didn't make that. Regardless of what made it. I just hope I have a tag for it. [wink]
Click to expand...

We kicked a moose out in a WMA in Phillipston Saturday. It was big and like said above many of the trees were chewed and very fresh.
 
I'll be out tomorrow in the AM. I was so pissed on Monday. My work generally keeps me from getting home before sundown, so like usual I pull in the drive at 4:30. At 4:35 I walk down to get the mail and I hear crashing in the woods. I walk a little forward and I can barely make out the shapes of 2 bodies in the woods. In flash I see two white flags taking off away from me. If I could have only gotten home sooner, I could have been in the stand. Grrr...
 
I was excited to hunt today. All week I'm like 'Blackpowder Saturday!!!'

I'm in bed with what we are guessing is strep throat. I was supposed to call in sick yesterday but the owners had no one to cover for me. Walk in clinic up the street opens at 8. I may suck it up and get out there after that though.
 
I was out this AM for a couple of hours for my last hunt of the year. Had a yote come in to 20 yards but stayed in the thick pines behind me so no shot. So that's a wrap for the 2015 season for me.
 
Went out this morning; nothing. I haven't seen a deer since the start of shotgun season. Might try a few more times this week.
 
FNHFAL said:
Went out this morning; nothing. I haven't seen a deer since the start of shotgun season. Might try a few more times this week.
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i'm running into the same issue...i've been out every morning since opening and i passed up a shot in the first hour of shotgun because she was moving a little quick...haven't seen anything since.

- - - Updated - - -

ThePreBanMan said:
Saw nothing today... Called it quits at about 9:00 though. When the wind picked up it tends to have them bed down unfortunately. Was a nice morning out in the woods though.
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wasted my whole day out there fighting the wind...still better than going to work! i just wish some cold weather would come in to get these bastards moving around.
 

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