Ready for Dear Season to start this weekend

[gsganzer]

Good luck Eddie. I'm heading to my lease after work on Thursday and will hunt through the weekend. For me, it's looking like still hunting or stalking might be the most fruitful, just like last year. My big problem is hogs, we're over run with them and they keep the deer from coming to the feeders. We shot 7 hogs the other week and I could stand to shoot about 30 more.

It's great when you get to view some good deer on the camera and then look for them through the season, hoping that all the stars align and so you can get 'em. I had an old 9-pt that was that way the other year. He had a unique "crab claw" on one tine and a few white spots on his coat. My girls and I got him right at the end of the season.

 

[EddieWalker]

Hey Gordon, are your feeder fenced off to keep the hogs away? I did that late into the season last year and the number of deer we're seeing has increased significantly. I created a problem by allowing them to eat the corn, which drove the deer away. Over time, I saw fewer and fewer deer. Last year was the final straw. There just where not any deer anywhere. Not even tracks of them!!!! Now I know of at least ten that are here most every night, two of them are legal bucks, four are small guys and the rest are doe/fawn combo's. We have deer tracks all over the place now and I can go weeks without seeing a hog track. When they do come in, they seem to stick around for a few days, and if we put in the effort, we sometimes get one of them. Usually we don't bother, but it's fun when we do!!! With only 68 acres, we are very limited on what shows up, when it's here and how long it sticks around.

Good luck with your hunt. We're really enjoying our steaks and sausages that we had made up from out little exotics trip we went on last month. Nothing better then axis meat

 

[gsganzer]

Eddie,
Some of our feeders have a low hog panel fence and some don't. They were mainly put up to keep the cattle away from bumping the feeders and most have cut-outs to let the hogs in and out (this was before the hog population exploded). Now we're putting up fences and closing openings to keep the hogs out. Definitely the hogs are keeping the deer away.

I was emailing with my RSA friends over the weekend, I'm hoping to take them out shooting hogs when they're here in January and February. We also have at least 3 blackbuck rams that are in great shape, so we might put them on those if they're interested.

The exotics hunt looked like you and Karen had a great time. I'm starting to get the "itch" again. Beceite Ibex in Spain is the one that's starting to itch the hardest, but I'm trying real hard to ignore it. To provide a distraction, I'm signing the family up for fly fishing lessons later this winter (a salesman at the local Orvis shop will give private lessons on the side). We'll look at visiting the folks from Alaska that we met in NZ, they offered use of their cabin on the Kenai River. Pretty hard to pass that up and it's a little more affordable at this time.

My hunting crew was pretty active with exotics this year, so we should have some good table fare at camp. I'd love to get hold of some fallow deer or nilgai.

 

[jerrybob]

Nice deer.......we got elk season going right now.........my huntin partner got a nice 5x5 on Friday......got him about 200 yrds off the road.....made it easy to pull him out........he's hanging in the shop right now.....the elk that is!!

 

[Gem99ultra]

I for one, will be glad when hunting season is over. No, I'm not anti-hunting, but on the other hand I no longer hunt either. I have no objection at all to those that do still hunt, as long as they eat what they kill. We have multiples of deer wandering around the acreage here daily. Now - I wouldn't want them so tame and plentiful that they become a nuisance, like I've seen in some urban areas, and farm areas as well. And they truly are a traffic hazard even around here.

But why I'm wanting the hunting season to be over is so I can find a nice well equipped used UTV to buy. hmmm - I suppose that I have a bit of a selfish streak in me.

 

[gsganzer]

But why I'm wanting the hunting season to be over is so I can find a nice well equipped used UTV to buy. hmmm - I suppose that I have a bit of a selfish streak in me.

You're right, they do pop up on Craigslist with some vigor after the season is over. Personal watercraft are the same way when the summer ends.

 

[WoodChuckDad]

muzzle loader started a week ago I took two doe on opening day. Haven't seen a deer since.
This saturday is opening day of general firearms season I'll be out there.

 

[fordmantpw]

Well, he isn't the biggest one I've seen running around, but he was the biggest one I saw this opening weekend, and the biggest buck I've ever taken. He will provide some good meat for the freezer. Actually hunted off our deck. I've got a doe tag yet to fill.

 

[The Deerslayer]

Well, he isn't the biggest one I've seen running around, but he was the biggest one I saw this opening weekend, and the biggest buck I've ever taken. He will provide some good meat for the freezer. Actually hunted off our deck. I've got a doe tag yet to fill.

View attachment 447379

Congrats!! Regular season opener in CT is Wednesday....we'll see how much movement there is with this bumper crop of acorns Nonetheless, just looking to get back out in the woods. Good luck filling that doe tag!

 

[fordmantpw]

Congrats!! Regular season opener in CT is Wednesday....we'll see how much movement there is with this bumper crop of acorns Nonetheless, just looking to get back out in the woods. Good luck filling that doe tag!

Best of luck to you too! We don't have many acorns this year (at least at my place), so there is quite a bit of movement. I saw over 20 deer this weekend and didn't hunt very hard. The best part of my weekend was taking my 6 year old for her first time hunting with me yesterday afternoon. She enjoyed it, but was disappointed because they weren't coming out on her side.