2019 Deer check-in thread.

Went for an evening sit on Saturday in zone 10. Bumped 2 does on my way out. I am a new hunter this season and this was the most action I’ve seen so early in my hunt. In total since mid bow season I’ve seen a few doe and a forkie (several times). So I was pretty excited. Pushed in a little closer to a feeding area than normal. About 10 min before legal shoot I hear scratching at the snow behind me. I turn and see a doe with 2 yearlings about 30 yards. Deeper back I see 2 more doe behind trees coming in to feed. I turn back to the feeding area and another doe is dead down wind of me frozen behind brush. Now I have about 5 min left and no shot except for the doe with yearlings so I wait and time expires. Not wanting to blow up my spot and being super excited for all the action I decide to sit wait and watch. They could tell something wasn’t right but kept feeding on acorns. As they begin to move off to the west I hear more noise from behind and 5 more are spread out between 40 to 80 yards all headed in the same westerly direction. I felt like I was watching a migration. So head back to the same spot 1 1/2 hours before sunrise this morning and the forkie shows up just before 7 am. Watched for about 10 min to see if something else showed up but nothing. With an empty freezer and a perfect broadside at 25 yards I decided to drop him and harvest my first deer. He never made 1 step. Very thankful for the meat and clean harvest. I cannot believe what 80-100 yards can do from only seeing a few deer to seeing so many. Any way, had tenderloins for lunch and my daughter and I just had the heart which was surprisingly very good. Cheers!
 

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They are your tags. Fill them as you see fit.

You will know if the population where you are hunting tanks long before MDFW knows and reacts to it.



As a generalization, 10% - 20% of the property will hold 80% of the deer. That 10%-20% of the property changes as food sources change and as hunting pressure changes.

One of the biggest mistakes hunters make is not keeping up with the changing deer patterns.

Keep putting on those miles and putting in the time hunting and you will keep killing deer.

Bob
This is true. Especially in central western Ma, NH, VT and Maine.

Deer in small eastern woodlots only have so many places to go. Not so in big woods. You have to log the miles and scout every year for quality food.
Some years its green fields, some years like this one, its acorns, or apples early, acorns, then apples late. then later if the snow is deep, woody browse and hemlock. They have to be comfortable there during the day, which in my neck of the woods is 90 percent of the problem. Deer are conditioned to being nocturnal because of the high shotgun pressure.
Which is why I mostly hunt bow.
 
Went for an evening sit on Saturday in zone 10. Bumped 2 does on my way out. I am a new hunter this season and this was the most action I’ve seen so early in my hunt. In total since mid bow season I’ve seen a few doe and a forkie (several times). So I was pretty excited. Pushed in a little closer to a feeding area than normal. About 10 min before legal shoot I hear scratching at the snow behind me. I turn and see a doe with 2 yearlings about 30 yards. Deeper back I see 2 more doe behind trees coming in to feed. I turn back to the feeding area and another doe is dead down wind of me frozen behind brush. Now I have about 5 min left and no shot except for the doe with yearlings so I wait and time expires. Not wanting to blow up my spot and being super excited for all the action I decide to sit wait and watch. They could tell something wasn’t right but kept feeding on acorns. As they begin to move off to the west I hear more noise from behind and 5 more are spread out between 40 to 80 yards all headed in the same westerly direction. I felt like I was watching a migration. So head back to the same spot 1 1/2 hours before sunrise this morning and the forkie shows up just before 7 am. Watched for about 10 min to see if something else showed up but nothing. With an empty freezer and a perfect broadside at 25 yards I decided to drop him and harvest my first deer. He never made 1 step. Very thankful for the meat and clean harvest. I cannot believe what 80-100 yards can do from only seeing a few deer to seeing so many. Any way, had tenderloins for lunch and my daughter and I just had the heart which was surprisingly very good. Cheers!
Awesome news! Congrats. Good hunting too!
 
Went for an evening sit on Saturday in zone 10. Bumped 2 does on my way out. I am a new hunter this season and this was the most action I’ve seen so early in my hunt. In total since mid bow season I’ve seen a few doe and a forkie (several times). So I was pretty excited. Pushed in a little closer to a feeding area than normal. About 10 min before legal shoot I hear scratching at the snow behind me. I turn and see a doe with 2 yearlings about 30 yards. Deeper back I see 2 more doe behind trees coming in to feed. I turn back to the feeding area and another doe is dead down wind of me frozen behind brush. Now I have about 5 min left and no shot except for the doe with yearlings so I wait and time expires. Not wanting to blow up my spot and being super excited for all the action I decide to sit wait and watch. They could tell something wasn’t right but kept feeding on acorns. As they begin to move off to the west I hear more noise from behind and 5 more are spread out between 40 to 80 yards all headed in the same westerly direction. I felt like I was watching a migration. So head back to the same spot 1 1/2 hours before sunrise this morning and the forkie shows up just before 7 am. Watched for about 10 min to see if something else showed up but nothing. With an empty freezer and a perfect broadside at 25 yards I decided to drop him and harvest my first deer. He never made 1 step. Very thankful for the meat and clean harvest. I cannot believe what 80-100 yards can do from only seeing a few deer to seeing so many. Any way, had tenderloins for lunch and my daughter and I just had the heart which was surprisingly very good. Cheers!

Awesome. Congratulations on your first deer. Nicely done.

Bob
 
I've had a great year afield. These threads have helped to make me a better scouter, hunter and tracker. Thanks to all for sharing insight and experiences. Got my 3rd bow kill and largest buck 2nd week of archery in zone 9 and then took this nice doe with my new Savage 220. The single doe had two smaller ones in tow this past Monday. Decided to just watch them for 15 minutes. Hoping to get out Monday with the smoke pole and get my first Triple Lindy.IMG_5965.JPGIMG_6113.JPGIMG_6162.jpg
 
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I've had a great year afield. These threads have helped to make me a be scouter, hunter and tracker. Thanks to all for sharing insight and experiences. Got my 3rd bow kill and largest buck 2nd week of archery in zone 9 and then took this nice doe with my new Savage 220. The single doe had two smaller ones in tow this past Monday. Decided to just watch them for 15 minutes. Hoping to get out Monday with the smoke pole and get my first Triple Lindy.View attachment 320685View attachment 320686View attachment 320687
Excellent work! That’s a fine buck and some good meat to fill your freezer.
 
Great year John.

I passed up a small six and doe in archery. Then SG season didnt get out much cause of a trip to FL and terrible snow conditions.
Didnt get out in MZ season much saw nothing. No track where I was even though I was in lots of gobstopper size acorns. Probably 40 hours of hunting in ma and 2 deer seen. Pretty pitiful. Guys at my club and most of my local buddies got nothing. Gotta be less than 5 percent success rate around here.

My buddy gave me some meat for helping cut a deer for him. So that didnt help my yearn to fill the freezer

Ill kill something with the bow or crossbow for the freezer in January in CT. Seeing tons of deer down there. Big bucks have been nocturnal.
 
I have tomorrow off with the wife and kids going off Cape for the whole day so I'm trying to decide what to do with precious down time. First light will probably more productive in the duck blind than walking solo with the smokepole, but who knows. Last day of deer season, but I've never shot a deer on the last day. ;)
 
I have tomorrow off with the wife and kids going off Cape for the whole day so I'm trying to decide what to do with precious down time. First light will probably more productive in the duck blind than walking solo with the smokepole, but who knows. Last day of deer season, but I've never shot a deer on the last day. ;)

......Yet

Bob
 
Stainless Steel Barrel for Deer?

Thoughts on the Savage 220 Slug Gun with a Stainless Steel Barrel? Will the Stainless Steel Barrel be seen by the deer? If it doesn't matter, I'll buy the S.S.
Thanks guys/gals!! I always appreciate the knowledge I gain from my NES Brothers/Sisters!!
 
Stainless Steel Barrel for Deer?

Thoughts on the Savage 220 Slug Gun with a Stainless Steel Barrel? Will the Stainless Steel Barrel be seen by the deer? If it doesn't matter, I'll buy the S.S.
Thanks guys/gals!! I always appreciate the knowledge I gain from my NES Brothers/Sisters!!

I agree with Tweed. It doesn’t matter if it’s stainless or not from the deers prospective. If you hunt in inclement weather stainless might be a plus for you.

FWIW:
I have been killing deer for many years with Remmington sluggers from a Winchester pump smoothbore. It is much lighter than a rifled barrel and the slugs are about a buck apiece.

A rifled barrel may not seem that much heavier in the morning but it will at the end of the day and the saboted slugs are about $5 apiece.

All of my hunting sets are 100 yards max so a smoothbore works well for me. If I was hunting areas like field edges where I was making long shots then I would upgrade to a rifled barrel and saboted slugs.

Bob
 
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