Gun season opener weather forecast is shaping up to be insanely perfect.

Im on stand in zone 5 in a hemlock swamp where deer like to go in a storm. 6-7 inches of fresh powder. Windy as hell. No track on the half mile walk in at 6am. Not a shot. Quietest opener ever. Seems like I say that every year.

Though the wind and snow cover probably muffle things.

I like to go out opening morning its a tradition. But this year I should have waited til Wed or Thursday for better weather. Cant see shit really with the snow covered boughs. At 11 ill cruise thru the oaks looking for track.
 
Just rain here on the South Coast. I'll head out when the weather clears and the pressure starts to rise. That's looking like Wed AM. Looks like Wed - Sat will be good for all day efforts. Hang and bang in the AM, run and gun mid-day and hang and gang in the evening.
 
OK....here we go....my general paint with a broad brush feeling about shotgun hunters again rears its ugly head. I've bowhunted this piece without intrusion for years and never have seen anyone...nor should I. Now in first day of shotgun...of course I have an issue.

At 930 some clown comes walking in here...in my tracks. Right to my stand. I'm on posted private land where I'm the only one with permission. He sees me in the the tree at 20 yards and turns to leave. Now I have to yell at him to stay right there.

I get down, and ask him why he's following my tracks to my stand, and does he have permission from Mr.X? He says he didn't see the obvious posters, does not know Mr X, but saw my car parked and assumed he could hunt. He said he followed me because he wanted to know where I was so he could spread out. Yeah....OK.

This is where I got mad.

OK.....You have two options.....you let me take a photo of your license on my phone and nothing will happen, as long as I never see your face in here again. Mr. X has given me exclusive permission and I've worked for it over the years helping him out. You do not belong in here.

If you don't let me take the photo I call the warden, I follow you out, get a full description of your vehicle, let Mr. X know and he will follow up with the warden with a trespassing charge.

He picked the photo......and I then told him.....you see that stand there, if that happens to disappear, get wrecked, or have a paint chip flake off, guess who I'm going to see. Thanks for fxcking up my hunt. Goodbye and leave. Guy stomps out of there without a word.

Well there's my opening morning.

I'm going to dry off, have lunch, then probably go track at my club, and if nothing sit some very heavy oak acorn crop for the afternoon.
 
Well there's my opening morning.

I'm going to dry off, have lunch, then probably go track at my club, and if nothing sit some very heavy oak acorn crop for the afternoon.

It's not illegal to be stupid, but maybe it should be. That sucks. Good luck in the PM.

I just finished clearing up the +10" of heavy snow around the house, and will do an afternoon stroll.
 
@Mark from MA, I feel your pain. Almost went out this morning because I figured I could get through the snow piles and park the truck. Then decided against it. I figured everybody was going to be all jacked up about the snow.

I personally hate snow for the exact reason you posted. I do not want a road sign going to my hunting spots. I could care less about seeing fresh tracks that I can try to stalk. Plus with all the antis out there, I could see them following my prints to my trees and mucking them up for good.

I am very bummed about this snow. So I sit here at work instead. Pete
 
It's not illegal to be stupid, but maybe it should be. That sucks. Good luck in the PM.

I just finished clearing up the +10" of heavy snow around the house, and will do an afternoon stroll.
Yeah....honestly the area doesnt have a lot of deer anyway. I was more protecting my stand. Its a good newer setup I dont want it stolen
 
@Mark from MA, I feel your pain. Almost went out this morning because I figured I could get through the snow piles and park the truck. Then decided against it. I figured everybody was going to be all jacked up about the snow.

I personally hate snow for the exact reason you posted. I do not want a road sign going to my hunting spots. I could care less about seeing fresh tracks that I can try to stalk. Plus with all the antis out there, I could see them following my prints to my trees and mucking them up for good.

I am very bummed about this snow. So I sit here at work instead. Pete
I wouldnt be too bummed about today. Its a good tracking day. But for standing. Really sucks.

But yeah, as long as you have snow youll have morons that find your spots easily.
 
Just got done with one drive. Heard multiple shots north of us from the north end of a big swamp. Saw tracks go round and round then right towards residential land. No luck there. Onward......
 
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I think I'm going to do some snowblowing (my house and inlaws), then go to chiropractor at 2:45, then hit the nearby woods in my swishy snowblowing pants and over-hot orange coat for a few remaining minutes of daylight, then walk home. My neighbor said the woods are thick with deer sign. Another neighbor got a small doe in archery season.
 
3 miles of trudging, circling typical bedding sites. Two sets of tracks, feeding on acorns, heading too far down a ridge to pursue. No other sign. One black squirrel. But. I know where they AREN'T!
 
Check station recorded 3.5 y/o 138lb dressed weight and about 180 live weight.

Awesome. All your hard work and preparation paid off. You will never forget a minute of today’s hunt. I shot My first deer almost 30 years ago now and I still remember it like it was yesterday.

Thats a really nice doe and will be great table fare.

Very nicely done.

Congratulations,

Bob
 
Congrats guys.
I cut one trail. Probably hours old.
Everything drenched and drying out now. Exhausted. Should've worked today and gone out tomorrow. Oh well.
 
Man am I sore! Walked for miles in 6-8" of snow. I got it on some fresh tracks. Followed them to the end of DCR land, stopped at the boundary because no hunting on town land that abuts it. Then shots came from 50 yards into the no-go zone and some Hunter harvested A Doe.
 
Tracked a decent track off of club land onto DCR. Deer was meandering a ridge feeding on acorns. Then dropped in a hemlock mess. I went slow, figuring id bump it out but with the wind and snow I saw it bedded.

Tracking isnt my forte and turns out it was a real big doe, and she must have had a big foot. Lol . I dont shoot does
Hung around watching her til dark in case a big buck came in.

Soaked and tired. Was going to take tomorrow off but think im going to take later in the week.

After that I’m done with this snow bullshit. Ill head to Ct.
 
It was a very hard day today. We walked about 4.5 miles up ridges, down slopes, though briars, powerlines, hemlock and white pine stands, as well as oak.

I’m humbled by this experience and after so many miles of scouting, research, prep work, and sage feedback from NES hunters like you all I am thrilled to take fellow part in this ancient skill.
 
Awesome !
She will be good eating
Just pulled the tenderloins and cut the neck to the jaw. She’s hanging now in the garage and the weather couldn’t be better for this. I figure I’ll wait to skin in a week. Just don’t have any energy left after today. I went back out after that doe and pushed for my two hunting buddies in two spots. Couldn’t tell you how crazy that was! But I did find multiple beds and even a huge buck bed with hemlock scrapes a plenty. Some deer ran back through our footprints going in. Oh yes, I’ll be back there for sure.
 
Some deer ran back through our footprints going in. Oh yes, I’ll be back there for sure.

When you’re driving deer with buddies and you’re one of the guys crashing through the woods towards the guys standing, keep a real sharp eye out on your flanks between drivers. If the gaps between drivers are big enough, there’s plenty of room for a smart deer to hug the deck completely out of sight (yes even hefty bucks) and let you and your boys push right past it and bolt in the opposite direction when you’re just several yards past them. It happened to a buddy and I two seasons ago in a fairly small chunk of woods. He was less than 25 yards to my right and we were pushing through somewhat thick briar/ underbrush when a big assed buck exploded up out of the brush between and behind us about 10 yards and was doing Mach1 before either of us could even react. I turned my head just enough to see the white FU flag and his rack. Dammit!
They are dumb and smart at the same time.
 
Just pulled the tenderloins and cut the neck to the jaw. She’s hanging now in the garage and the weather couldn’t be better for this. I figure I’ll wait to skin in a week. Just don’t have any energy left after today. I went back out after that doe and pushed for my two hunting buddies in two spots. Couldn’t tell you how crazy that was! But I did find multiple beds and even a huge buck bed with hemlock scrapes a plenty. Some deer ran back through our footprints going in. Oh yes, I’ll be back there for sure.

As much fun as this is the archery season is 100x better.

Bob
 
When you’re driving deer with buddies and you’re one of the guys crashing through the woods towards the guys standing, keep a real sharp eye out on your flanks between drivers. If the gaps between drivers are big enough, there’s plenty of room for a smart deer to hug the deck completely out of sight (yes even hefty bucks) and let you and your boys push right past it and bolt in the opposite direction when you’re just several yards past them. It happened to a buddy and I two seasons ago in a fairly small chunk of woods. He was less than 25 yards to my right and we were pushing through somewhat thick briar/ underbrush when a big assed buck exploded up out of the brush between and behind us about 10 yards and was doing Mach1 before either of us could even react. I turned my head just enough to see the white FU flag and his rack. Dammit!
They are dumb and smart at the same time.
When we have the man power we post a stander where the drivers start. Many times a deer will circle back and come out where the drive starts.
 
My first day sucked ass. Spent 3 hours pulling a truck out of a ditch for another hunter. Was exhausted by the time that was over.

4x4 is no use if

1. Your tires are "street tires"
2. You haven't engaged your 4x4 in 3 years.

4x4 is a use it or lose it thing. My owners manual states that the truck should be driven in 4 high for 10 miles a month and the 4 low and rear diff lock should be engaged and disengaged once a month. I do this process religiously and my 4 high, 4 low, and diff lock engage and disengage with ease when I need it. My truck has over 100k on it. Yesterday......I needed it! My Tacoma off road pulled like a champ getting a 3/4 ton Chevy out but it took some time. The guy I pulled out had street tires and a 4x4 that would not engage.

After getting the guy out we lost the whole morning. Pushed a few sections that had plenty of fresh tracks but no deer. Did a 2 hour sit in a section of woods that gets zero pressure (pretty secluded and tough to get into) at the end of the day but nothing.

Plenty of season left but yesterday was a total loss.
 
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My first day sucked ass. Spent 3 hours pulling a truck out of a ditch for another hunter. Was exhausted by the time that was over.

4x4 is no use if

1. Your tires are "street tires"
2. You haven't engaged your 4x4 in 3 years.

4x4 is a use it or lose it thing. My owners manual states that the truck should be driven in 4 high for 10 miles a month and the 4 low and rear diff lock should be engaged and disengaged once a month. I do this process religiously and my 4 high, 4 low, and diff lock engage and disengage with ease when I need it. Yesterday......I needed it! My Tacoma off road pulled like a champ getting a 3/4 ton Chevy out but it took some time. The guy I pulled out had street tires and a 4x4 that would not engage.

After getting the guy out we lost the whole morning. Pushed a few sections that had plenty of fresh tracks but no deer. Did a 2 hour sit in a section of woods that gets zero pressure (pretty secluded and tough to get into) at the end of the day but nothing.

Plenty of season left but yesterday was a total loss.

Very nice gesture. Cool. Deer season karma's now on your side.
 
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