New York Sportsmen
Hunting- In The New York Area => New York Big Game Hunting => Topic started by: GrizG on December 05, 2022, 07:39:26 PM
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I've heard of very few kills, heard very few shots, and haven't had a legal deer come by me yet... buck or doe. Anyone else having a similar experience this year?
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It’s been very quiet. Heck, where I am in Dutchess my shot was first I heard opening day around @6:49 I think, that was what, 30 minutes after legal light(now that they have added 30 minutes before sunrise time)? Thanksgiving only heard 5 shots one of which was my brother filling his buck tag. My buddies sons are usually 3-4 deer in and have only gotten one doe. So yeah, agreed it’s been quiet for sure.
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I was talking about this very thing with a couple of my friends. It seams to be zone wide, I hunt mostly 3H both bow and regular. +1
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slow here also but I thought it was just me. lol
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I live in Tioga county everyone I talked to is complaining about not only the lack of deer sightings but lack of deer in camera this has been a very unusual season for sure almost every weekend here from the beginning of bow season has been a south wind which in it's self is crazy and full moons when I have had the most deer movement has been when it's raining or when we couldn't get out we still have some rutting going on I saw a couple bucks chasing Sunday
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I'm up in 4a, and am experiencing the same thing. Both my neighbor and I have been hunting fairly hard the past couple weeks, and I've only seen two spikes. My cameras have a few nice bucks, but mostly middle of the night stuff. No shortage on does, seeing plenty of those, just no bucks.
With this being the start of the "2nd rut", I'm hoping to fill that buck tag soon!
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There really isn't a first or second or third rut generally each full moon triggers does which gets things heated up cameras clearly show this and does can continue to come into estrus right into winter I have seen beds with Blood in them from does in January those does bred later produce the smaller fawns that become spikes instead of small racked bucks but eventually catch up by third year this is all based on my personal experience especially with the use of many cameras and seeing the same deer year after year
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The responses make me feel a little better... it's not me or my gun! I've been carrying the flintlock and was beginning to think it being a virgin gun had jinxed me here in 3J... :o
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There really isn't a first or second or third rut generally each full moon triggers does which gets things heated up cameras clearly show this and does can continue to come into estrus right into winter I have seen beds with Blood in them from does in January those does bred later produce the smaller fawns that become spikes instead of small racked bucks but eventually catch up by third year this is all based on my personal experience especially with the use of many cameras and seeing the same deer year after year
This isn’t factually correct. The rut doesn’t have to do with the moon phase. What causes the rut is the amount of daylight exposed to the deer. When the days get short and the night gets longer that’s what triggers the rut. A “2nd” and “3rd” rut happens because of any doe that wasn’t bred in the first cycle they go back into heat exactly 28 days later until they are bred.
As far as the season though, I agree. The lack of shots in my area and stories of deer taken is way down. Cameras are also much slower than usual. I can only assume EHD is causing most of that.
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As said based on my experience full moon cycles produce the most rut activity that's what is being discussed the lack of it
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I'll take one of those late born small fawn spikes right now. (santa) lol
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Very slow year for most in lower Orange.
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not slow for the fortunate ones just for those like me with an empty freezer
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I'll take one of those late born small fawn spikes right now. (santa) lol
Santa's sleigh team better watch out... (santa)
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I'm a bit further north in 4a, and dealing with the same thing.
I have a couple small spikes, one we call "Pretzles" cause he's got 3"-4" spikes that I see occasionally, but the bigger bucks on the trail cameras are nocturnal. Neighbors say they see rack bucks up near the houses, so they must feel safe there, but I'm not seeing anything other than Pretzles in the lower fields or in the woods. Plenty of does around, and the usual sight of a buck following just hasn't happened yet for me this season.
I've been holding out for a rack up until now, but come muzzleloader season, I'll be looking to fill the freezer.
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Saw three bucks on one doe this morning on my way to work
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Saw three bucks on one doe this morning on my way to work
If I used my vehicle for a projectile I could have filled all my tags in a day or two in the residential neighborhoods between my house and my parents' house... ;)
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3H for me. Its been a slow season for mature bucks. Ive hunted a doe Bedding area pretty hard and have only seen some small 4s some spikes and a tall 7 unusual for the area. Cameras even quiet. Last Saturday P.M sitting on stand I counted 9 does with in 40 yards. Not one buck showed the herd eventually headed for there prime P.M food source and that was that
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Where were the deer this morning? I saw bunches (3 to 8 ) feeding in peoples yards--- Why? Because a mouth full of green grass fills their stomachs a lot faster than 0 acorn's in the oaks. Most mast has been cleaned up already and I see very little evidence of much food in the woods. And in my opinion if the winter doesn't stay open (snow wise) what we have left for deer will have tough going come late spring if they last that long. Seeing and hearing lots of K-9's-- probably why the deer are so bunched up.
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Where were the deer this morning? I saw bunches (3 to 8) feeding in peoples yards--- Why? Because a mouth full of green grass fills their stomachs a lot faster than 0 acorn's in the oaks. Most mast has been cleaned up already and I see very little evidence of much food in the woods. And in my opinion if the winter doesn't stay open (snow wise) what we have left for deer will have tough going come late spring if they last that long. Seeing and hearing lots of K-9's-- probably why the deer are so bunched up.
While the mast crop has been pretty well eaten or stored where I hunt, I see a lot more browse than in years past. The EHD thinned the herd to the point where the habitat is recovering... lots more low buds and saplings now. Failing that, there is nearby the ornamental landscaping... the yews at my parents have buck rubs on them and lots of low growth this year... most years the deer eat the green off as high as they can reach while standing on their rear legs!
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This guy isn’t doing any better.
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRVRv3sM/
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YEAH, THE PROBLEM IS NOT THE DEER, ITS THE LACK OF HUNTERS. IT GETS WORSE EACH YEAR. HAS TO BE THESE NEW GUN LAWS. GET RID OF THE ASSAULT RIFLES COMPLETELY..
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Do you know what an assault rifle is it is described by the federal government as a fully automatic weapon if you give them an inch they will take everything the next gun to be called an assault rifle will be a single shot 20 guage
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YEAH, THE PROBLEM IS NOT THE DEER, ITS THE LACK OF HUNTERS. IT GETS WORSE EACH YEAR. HAS TO BE THESE NEW GUN LAWS. GET RID OF THE ASSAULT RIFLES COMPLETELY.. Is this a joke? What does a rifle have to do with lack of deer?
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:o Im confused now.
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slow year buck wise in 3k, definitely less shots than last opening day. No buck for me but not from lack of trying. 3m where I bow hunt deer numbers still way down. I dream of 2018-2019 when I hunt that 3m chunk. I do not have any trail cams up but get a decent amount of time in the field so my findings are just what I see with my eyes and via sign. It was really warm during my 2 weeks of rut hunting. Same as last two years. I did get a buck last year and a real nice one 2020 during gun. But man that heat during first week of November was a bummer.
We saw very little bear sign this year. Granted my bear spot 3 bears have been taken in 2020-21 but still, not nearly as much bear sign as past seasons. I have only been after them a few years so I cannot say for sure what the deal was. Maybe the low mast crap? Maybe the early season knocking down the numbers in Sullivan county enough? We covered a lot of ground in the last 3 months to only see a handful of scat. Either way already looking forward to next September.
Everyday in the woods is a learning lesson and man I learned a lot this year. Good luck to anyone still at it. (beers)
now its time to hang more with the fam (santa)
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now its time to hang more with the fam (santa)
Me... I'm going to continue going out with the flintlock. Hoping the change in the weather will have an affect on the deer, and the trespassing dog walkers and 4-wheelers.
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Went out yesterday afternoon for one last try with the rifle. About 3-4" of snow on the ground at that time, and it was fairly calm with the wind. The woods were really quiet except for every step I took having the sound of the wet snow compacting under my boots. Amazing how loud that can be when the wet snow is muffling every other sound. Saw a few tails from deer that saw or heard me first. I did get to a ridge where I could see down the edge of a field to where the snowmobile trail crosses a bridge, and there were three on the other side of that treeline about 150 yards out. All does, and with my scope being loaded up with the still falling snow, even looking those over wasn't easy. I've only seen two spikes while hunting, and one decent rack way down the bottom of the field, about 300 yards behind the house in early November during bow season.
It's on to muzzleloader now, and I'm telling myself that I won't hold off for antlers anymore. We'll see.
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Hit the state forest by my house today saw more deer tracks on fresh snow than I saw all season on our farm
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Hit the state forest by my house today saw more deer tracks on fresh snow than I saw all season on our farm
Sound familiar... I saw more deer tracks in my city yard, and my parents' suburban yard, today than I saw in the woods the entire rifle season!
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We covered some ground today with the muzzleloaders in the lowlands, saw tons of tracks, a few does and a few small bucks, all in the thickest patches I could find, no deer in the open woods, and they did not want to leave the thickets.
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I have more deer tracks all over the lawn and fields around the house than I could believe. They're along the driveway, along all the treelines, criss cross around behind the pond, and aimlessly all over the lawn. Took the muzzleloader for a walk last night after work, about 3:45 to 5:00, and there are tracks seemingly everywhere in the fields and woods below the house, and all that is since Sunday afternoon when it snowed. You'd think that there's dozens of deer running everywhere from all the tracks in the snow. They do seem to lead into, and come out of the thickest gnarliest areas too. Hmmmmm, might be something to learn from that.
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I was down in pa today and saw the biggest buck I 25 years out cruising at least a 170 inch monster
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I was down in pa today and saw the biggest buck I 25 years out cruising at least a 170 inch monster
Damm, I wish I would see something like that, lol