she came in with a group on the run but she stopped for just a second and I got the shot off. View attachment 153107
Nice shot
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she came in with a group on the run but she stopped for just a second and I got the shot off. View attachment 153107
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?
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 .
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.
Thats not a rub. Not from a deer at leastHope 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.
Not a rub IMO, if anything it's from a moose and it's ancient.
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.
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.
Took a 128 pound for this morning
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.
Nice doe, is that second pic taken in front of the south royalston country store?
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.
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.