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Shotgun deer season

Underwhere said:
If you guys were tree stand hunting right now, would it still be appropriate to use calls and if so which ones?

I have a long can call and a buck grunt tube.

Only a few days left.
Click to expand...

I am still carrying my can and my grunt tube. At this point in the season the deer typically pretty skittish so I will not call unless a deer is insight and is moving away from me. At that point I figure that I have nothing to lose.

JME,

Bob
 
Underwhere said:
If you guys were tree stand hunting right now, would it still be appropriate to use calls and if so which ones?

I have a long can call and a buck grunt tube.

Only a few days left.
Click to expand...

The can I'm not getting a response with, so I stopped using it. I have had deer move in to check out a couple doe "groans" and a few "contact" grunts though. The buck has moved in about 30 minutes after I call. Still no clear shot though. I'm running out of time....
 
I use a can, but blow into it. I find when I tip it it sounds fake and to loud. Anytime I have gotten a response from it it is because I am doing very subtle bleats.
 
HH - Told ya!

I found a fresh scrape yesterday, crackin' fresh. So I put some doe estrous near it, and a little deer piss a bit away near some droppings. Hike in this morning to set up neat it, only to find that a BLOODY TREE HAD FALLEN ON IT, and that a branch the thickness of my torso was laying exactly where I had been sitting yesterday.

That paired with the crazy dry frozen leaves this morning, and the hunt was "teh suk". WTH.

What's the over/under on it snowing tonight? I'm actually torn on calling it a season, or hunting tomorrow.
 
I packed up my stand and called it quits today. But I also saw some scrapes that I didnt notice before this week. O well took a mental picture of the area for next season.
 
Depending on how my brew night goes, I should be there as well.

Why is it that new beer recipes always take extra time?!

... I should be in bed by now.
 
davemata said:
HH - Told ya!

I found a fresh scrape yesterday, crackin' fresh. So I put some doe estrous near it, and a little deer piss a bit away near some droppings. Hike in this morning to set up neat it, only to find that a BLOODY TREE HAD FALLEN ON IT, and that a branch the thickness of my torso was laying exactly where I had been sitting yesterday.

That paired with the crazy dry frozen leaves this morning, and the hunt was "teh suk". WTH.

What's the over/under on it snowing tonight? I'm actually torn on calling it a season, or hunting tomorrow.
Click to expand...

It has been a strange season to be sure. To me it seems late for the second rut. Yeah there are sometimes a left over doe or two to be bred but this is more than the usual. IME

The fawns that get conceived now will be awful small next fall and will likely not make it through the winter. They will end up being veal for some predator.

If I go tomorrow it will be a PM hunt. I haven't seen a deer since the buck I shot on December 1st and I have about 60 hours in since then. I figure that I can sleep in and still not see deer.[laugh]

Actually my wife has been sick and it has been interfering with my hunting.

Good luck to all as the clock winds down.

Bob
 
I have been seeing a lot of fresh scraps the last week as well. I was out last Friday AM still hunting with a muzzle loader and came across a coyote at 30 yds. I had him, but only the cap on the gun went off. must have got damp with the snow/rain.

Then I got home and the first deer I see this season is taking a swim in the pond across the street from my house. He was doing some circular laps. Either getting the ticks off or cardio for the next nights ride. Neighbours were filming it, never mind the 150/500 ft rule...

deer_cardio_crop.jpg
 
I may call it quits. The gf wants to talk NH houses and I am getting cold.

Funny though. There is a deer that walks my neighbors yard across the street. Saw him twice in the past 4 days
 
saw nothing for my last day. Oh well.
I also forgot my safety harness. That made for an interesting climb.

Later on tonight I saw 2 does crossing the road in front of me. I rolled the window down and "MURRRRPed" at them. They hung around for a minute or two to mock my first hunting season than turned their butts to me and hopped into the woods.

Next year I'll be more prepared.
 
Ive got three tripods ,two tent blinds and three ground blinds to dismantle and store today and have a nice doe swinging in the tree out back that I got yesterday morning with my bow that Im going to butcher this morning as soon as it gets light. MZ season was tough here on Nantucket this year. The kill was way up for archery and shotgun and the deer that remained seemed to have really wised up during MZ season. I had it all backwards this year. During shotgun season I shot most of the deer I killed with a muzzle loader and during muzzle loader season I shot more deer with my bow. At any rate I ended up with 8 deer in the freezer this year. Im happy and the burgers, steaks and sausages I made sure are tasty.
 
I got nothing. Nothing but fond memories of a fox trotting beneath my stand just before daylight then lapping from the small stream just below me. The moose staring at me from less than 20 yards away I didn't even see until I stood up after setting up a scent. Then the moose I spotted munching, and managed to activate my phone camera with my nose to capture some video footage. The suddenly silent air, then the swoosh of a brace of ducks flying just above the tree tops while I was swaying up in my tree stand. The squirrel that would climb all the way down a tree to get a dead leaf for its nest, then carry it back up some forty feet, instead of just grabbing one off a nearby branch. The Tufted Titmouse that landed on my arrow, inches from my nose, giving me a quizzical look as it cocked its head. The grouse that always surprises me, greeting me in the morning on my way to a stand.

I'm going to use this current snowless stretch of winter to do some lane trimming & bushing in while the ticks are less active. And when we get some snow, I'll see about checking if Wile E. & friends are still active in the area.
 
Great comment. I have nothing as well, except the knowledge that I got a lot better this year as I finally saw deer, now know what sign looks like, and have a good idea about where I'll start next year. I have some good TrailCam pics including several of a fisher. And I have a much deeper appreciation for romping around in the woods, instead of my former view that I was going to a less-refined Stop&Shop to pick up some venison! :)

Hopefully next year I'll join that 10% of the people who harvest 90% of the deer. Til then, I guess I'll spend more time with my family?!?? :)
 
Be there tomorrow all day. Hope I don't get cked by the man, I have a new toy I want to work with.
 
Had one in my sights this morning. I didn't get a clear view of the rack before he tucked his head behind a pine tree, leaving me with a beautiful broadside shot. I held sights on him for about 3 minutes before he darted off. Looked to be 4 point as it was running away.
 

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