Good Luck To All Those Heading Afield For The MA Shotgun Opener.

Im really excited to field the karen calls for the Cape. "Theres people shooting in the woods send everyone!!!"

Yep. I have clients on MV. MV has the second highest concentration of deers in the state. Only Nanny's Tuckus has more. Wanna guess how you can tell without counting deer???

Look at the Lyme disease #'s by county. They go DOWN as you get further from NT and MV. LOL. Too many posted landowners and bunny huggers. So the deer can sit in relative safety, breed more, eat everyone's hostas and spread Lyme throughout the area.

Ditto for the Cape. I used to spend my anniversary mid-cape. I just can't. They seem to be left of Cambridge much of the time. Ergo, when shots are fired, they all go into a severe panic.
 
Anybody headed out Saturday?
I will be out somewhere in zn 7 or maybe head up to Sterling zn 9 .
Cameras have slowed down and all movement seems to be at night now.
 
Anybody headed out Saturday?
I will be out somewhere in zn 7 or maybe head up to Sterling zn 9 .
Cameras have slowed down and all movement seems to be at night now.
I try to stay away from the WMA's on Saturdays but good luck! My cameras have slowed right down since Monday.
 
Anybody headed out Saturday?
I will be out somewhere in zn 7 or maybe head up to Sterling zn 9 .
Cameras have slowed down and all movement seems to be at night now.
Zn 5. I'll probably be out Saturday behind my house, close to the houses, hoping something got pushed in there from the week off of state land.

I have a cam out there but haven't had time to check it, wasn't shit back there early in the season for pics or sign.

After that I have a area of bunches of small swamps and oak ridges, that tends to hold a few bedded deer. I'll try that for an afternoon still hunt/sit.

Fxcking deer will be as noctournal as shit by now if they've seen pressure.
 
Zn 5. I'll probably be out Saturday behind my house, close to the houses, hoping something got pushed in there from the week off of state land.

I have a cam out there but haven't had time to check it, wasn't shit back there early in the season for pics or sign.

After that I have a area of bunches of small swamps and oak ridges, that tends to hold a few bedded deer. I'll try that for an afternoon still hunt/sit.

Fxcking deer will be as noctournal as shit by now if they've seen pressure.
+2000 ac wma outside our back door for them to roam in. Bigassbuck bedded less than 200' from our door. He's even got a scrape going on. I've seen him twice, after shooting light. He was following does early this week, and showed up to another scrape two hours after I left him a note on it. Cams are quiet again, other than a pair of coyotes that I haven't seen in ages.

I'm trying to decide on an ambush spot for Saturday AM, and go for a long sit while other hunters move in. A lot of terrain with very low hunting pressure makes it a a tough call. Odds are good that I'll be out in Monday's rain.
 
I'm trying to decide on an ambush spot for Saturday AM, and go for a long sit while other hunters move in. A lot of terrain with very low hunting pressure makes it a a tough call. Odds are good that I'll be out in Monday's rain.
Got out there early, situated for some movement. A bit after sunrise, the Orange Army made its presence known with a 5-round volley to begin the day. It was miles away though, as were the other few rounds I heard. Nothing in my neck of the woods, so I got up to move. No action but many scrapes, with little sign of other deer activity.

I found the buck I've been after, last night. I minute after shooting time was up, he stood up 30 yards away from me, broadside, as I was making my way through a small swampy area. I don't think he spotted me, and I had the wind in my favor. He just stood there while I stood there. I stomped my boot, and he bounded away after letting out a snort.
 
Nothing today Zone 5...really slow...maybe 5 shots all morning, had a big doe come by at about 35 yards...but I don't shoot them.

nothing in the afternoon for shots at all. I still hunted then got up in my saddle up in a hemlock tree in the middle of a few swamps.
 
Zn 5. I'll probably be out Saturday behind my house, close to the houses, hoping something got pushed in there from the week off of state land.

I have a cam out there but haven't had time to check it, wasn't shit back there early in the season for pics or sign.

After that I have a area of bunches of small swamps and oak ridges, that tends to hold a few bedded deer. I'll try that for an afternoon still hunt/sit.

Fxcking deer will be as noctournal as shit by now if they've seen pressure.
They are so nocturnal as I’ve found out.
 
Not much action in zone 7 where I was today spooked some Turkeys out of roost going in this am while it was dark. They mulled around my stand and got back together and wandered off. Had to leave at 11 to do some errands for my parents saw a nice 8pt on some posted land on my into town. Back into the woods at 1pm still hunted till dark saw on idiot crashing around looking down at the ground on his phone not sure if he was lost or what he wandered off and never saw me even though I was about 70 yards away. Didn’t see anything else.
 
Not much action in zone 7 where I was today spooked some Turkeys out of roost going in this am while it was dark. They mulled around my stand and got back together and wandered off. Had to leave at 11 to do some errands for my parents saw a nice 8pt on some posted land on my into town. Back into the woods at 1pm still hunted till dark saw on idiot crashing around looking down at the ground on his phone not sure if he was lost or what he wandered off and never saw me even though I was about 70 yards away. Didn’t see anything else.
Dammit! I knew I dropped an OnX pin on Sparkey's stand.

Where the Fxck is he???
 
Dammit! I knew I dropped an OnX pin on Sparkey's stand.

Where the Fxck is he???
This guy could have had a buck right in front of him and he would have had no clue always amazes me the things I see during shotgun season. At least he had Orange on. Last year we had all that snow first week I see a kid no orange and he had sneakers on blue jeans and a hoodie WTF.
 
I'm getting on deer. They're out there and they're moving....

Get into the THICK shit. That's where they go when shotgun hits. How thick you ask? Can you see 20 yards in front of you... If so... then that's not thick enough. Right about now you've got about 80% of the deer stacked up in 20% of the woods. When you find them, you'll be on them for sure.

Find the thickest nastiest highest stem count piece of woods.... That's where they are. Don't just hunt the parameter either, you got to get up in there.... All the open areas where you can walk around, hang and get to your cams, etc... You'll probably only see deer there at midnight.

Find the water. Little streams, brooks, rivers.... They often have thick thick cover along the edges... Find the low areas in the swamps and where they start to meet the higher ground. The cover will be thicker there... Places like that... If you have areas with clear cuts from a few years ago, land that was timbered, etc, check that out too. The land should be super thick after a few years.

It may sound crazy, but this time of year I ditch mornings and go entirely evenings. In fact the late AM when people are coming out, that's when I'm headed in. Passed 2 fellas on my way in today actually. Asked them if they say anything, heard any shots... Nope, quiet morning.. The Parking lot had 7 trucks in it.

Meanwhile, I had to shoo deer away from my tree when it was closing time... It's not a big secret really. I go in late AM. Sometime around 10:00 to 11:00. I have a general idea of where I'm headed. Sometimes I make it there. Sometimes not. I'm scouting my way in and I let the sign tell me where to go. But I'm always looking for cover... I then scout for sign around known areas of heavy/thick cover. If I find it I know the deer are in there and I hunt it. If not... no tracks... no scat... I move on...

Forget the food... IMHO, during gun season cover is king..
 
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I'm getting on deer. They're out there and they're moving....

Get into the THICK shit. That's where they go when shotgun hits. How thick you ask? Can you see 20 yards in front of you... If so... then that's not thick enough. Right about now you've got about 80% of the deer stacked up in 20% of the woods. When you find them, you'll be on them for sure.

Find the thickest nastiest highest stem count piece of woods.... That's where they are. Don't just hunt the parameter either, you got to get up in there.... All the open areas where you can walk around, hang and get to your cams, etc... You'll probably only see deer there at midnight.

Find the water. Little streams, brooks, rivers.... They often have thick thick cover along the edges... Find the low areas in the swamps and where they start to meet the higher ground. The cover will be thicker there... Places like that... If you have areas with clear cuts from a few years ago, land that was timbered, etc, check that out too. The land should be super thick after a few years.

It may sound crazy, but this time of year I ditch mornings and go entirely evenings. In fact the late AM when people are coming out, that's when I'm headed in. Passed 2 fellas on my way in today actually. Asked them if they say anything, heard any shots... Nope, quiet morning.. The Parking lot had 7 trucks in it.

Meanwhile, I had to shoo deer away from my tree when it was closing time... It's not a big secret really. I go in late AM. Sometime around 10:00 to 11:00. I have a general idea of where I'm headed. Sometimes I make it there. Sometimes not. I'm scouting my way in and I let the sign tell me where to go. But I'm always looking for cover... I then scout for sign around known areas of heavy/thick cover. If I find it I know the deer are in there and I hunt it. If not... no tracks... no scat... I move on...

Forget the food... IMHO, during gun season cover is king..
Laurel. Find the laurel. That shit sucks to move through. Absolute hell. When they go nocturnal they head for laurel patches to bed during rhe day. Wind in your face.....head into the laurel. You can even find little deer highways through the laurel this time of year. You'll bump em. Use buckshot. That's how my uncles nailed bug bucks back in the 70s when there were hardly any deer....qnd it's how we get to them now.
 
I'm getting on deer. They're out there and they're moving....

Get into the THICK shit. That's where they go when shotgun hits. How thick you ask? Can you see 20 yards in front of you... If so... then that's not thick enough. Right about now you've got about 80% of the deer stacked up in 20% of the woods. When you find them, you'll be on them for sure.

Find the thickest nastiest highest stem count piece of woods.... That's where they are. Don't just hunt the parameter either, you got to get up in there.... All the open areas where you can walk around, hang and get to your cams, etc... You'll probably only see deer there at midnight.

Find the water. Little streams, brooks, rivers.... They often have thick thick cover along the edges... Find the low areas in the swamps and where they start to meet the higher ground. The cover will be thicker there... Places like that... If you have areas with clear cuts from a few years ago, land that was timbered, etc, check that out too. The land should be super thick after a few years.

It may sound crazy, but this time of year I ditch mornings and go entirely evenings. In fact the late AM when people are coming out, that's when I'm headed in. Passed 2 fellas on my way in today actually. Asked them if they say anything, heard any shots... Nope, quiet morning.. The Parking lot had 7 trucks in it.

Meanwhile, I had to shoo deer away from my tree when it was closing time... It's not a big secret really. I go in late AM. Sometime around 10:00 to 11:00. I have a general idea of where I'm headed. Sometimes I make it there. Sometimes not. I'm scouting my way in and I let the sign tell me where to go. But I'm always looking for cover... I then scout for sign around known areas of heavy/thick cover. If I find it I know the deer are in there and I hunt it. If not... no tracks... no scat... I move on...

Forget the food... IMHO, during gun season cover is king..
This is all true. And why i generally don't hunt SG season all that seriously. I don't put enough effort to really be successful.

Totally OK with it....my deer are on the wall and I've done my share of brush busting in my younger days. Not anymore, if I was in some tight eastern woodlot, I'd think about it, as there would be guaranteed to be some deer in the one or two swamps probably.

But I have litteraly 10000 acres of land to hunt in my town and surrounding, there are 100 swamps I could walk thru...with average of 3-5 deer per square mile. No thanks.
 
I did the massive head-high mountain laurel brush busting thing for my PM hunt (hike?), and bumped one that was too far away to be more than just a noise. The very light wind wasn't helping, as the frozen leaves on the ground were surely telegraphing my position well in advance.

Sunday, I'm dragging out the climber to a choke point that looks like it's getting some traffic. I'll try to get some PM sits in there.

I've got one more bedding area to visit on Monday, and it's all head high laurel and tough to get to. I'm hoping for rain, as it makes excellent cover.
 
I did the massive head-high mountain laurel brush busting thing for my PM hunt (hike?), and bumped one that was too far away to be more than just a noise. The very light wind wasn't helping, as the frozen leaves on the ground were surely telegraphing my position well in advance.

Sunday, I'm dragging out the climber to a choke point that looks like it's getting some traffic. I'll try to get some PM sits in there.

I've got one more bedding area to visit on Monday, and it's all head high laurel and tough to get to. I'm hoping for rain, as it makes excellent cover.
High winds and somewhat rainy....great day for a sneak. Except deer are spooky spooky!

Good luck and don't let any trees fall on your head!
 
Take as many of the damn things as you're legally able to. I'm sick of the ticks and my family/neighbors constantly getting tested for Lyme. Good luck!
 
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