Tomorrow is the last day of the season ( I hunt in georgia..this year). Its been a tough year and allthough I saw a bunch of deer early on there hasn't been much going on since the end of November. This year I passed on a lot of deer that i would normally shoot because I had trail pics of a couple nice bucks that i was chasing. I also missed on 2 in bow season. I have mixed feelings about the season because I let the cam pics dictate my hunting. I'm not sure that i'm gonna let that happen again as I mainly hunt for the meat and I'm not happy about eating tag soup (as far as bucks are concerned). I have 2 does this year and i'm happy with those but I passed on a couple of bucks that i normally would'nt have. I scouted around last weekend and found a beautiful spot with some sign that i haven't hunted all year so tomorrow thats where i'm going. I can't say that im confident on shooting a big buck but the last day of the season is always bittersweet when your on stand and realize that its the last time that your gonna be there for a while. I guess theres always next year......my ranting, whining,and cryin is now complete
The main thing is to hunt for Fun! If you are not having fun you will not stick with it long. Fun can be different things & goals for different hunters. Don't ever let trail cam pics, your buddies, or anyone else dictate how you hunt! Have FUN!!! Dan
I saw more bucks this year than I have in the past, but did not take one. Messed up and clanked my bow on my stand on the only buck I drew on. Overall I consider my season a success. I had fun, saw a lot of deer, got to spend time with friends, even though my freezer is empty. Focus has now shifted to 2011.
Very similar story for me. I saw more bucks than I ever have. I did however hunt off my cams. I used them to find a VERY nice buck. I passed on a lot of deer and it was all my choice. My freezer may be empty and it may be because I was too picky, but I'm just fine with that decision. If you're hunting for meat, then you might as well keep passing on those bucks. Give them a little time, let them grow. Then you'll get some real nice studs, him the chance to reproduce and get his genes into the population, and at the same time, gives the bucks a year younger then him to get bigger as well. I know people do this for fun or meat, but you might as well let the little bucks go, there are plenty of does. A kid I know shot a 4 pointer on opening morning, passed up on 8 or so nice does to get him... what's the point? That's actually the reason IN is changing it's hunting laws. Too many people are passing up on does for baby bucks.
To the OP... I didn't mean that in any negative way towards you... I'm still a little cranky the business next door let people hunt the woods next to mine and they took a 4, 5, and a 6 point buck (all ones i passed because they were too little / young), when the genes in that area have proven to produce 10-14 point 140" + bucks, and they come in a shoot up all the babies. They didn't however take my 10, so I'll be aiming for him next bow season.
My situation was that some buddies and myself took over a lease from a group of guys that just took down everything that walked by. We put some strict restrictions on what could be taken off the property in order to try to increase the quality and quantity of the herd. In the past I have mainly hunted public land with a bow through the entire deer season, so switching over to less pressured hunting lease really increased my sightings. Needless to say I had a blast in 2010 and can't wait to see what 2011 brings. I may be adding a 2nd lease, which would allow me to completely drop public hunting.
No offense taken ....I dont shoot young deer either....I did pass on a 6 that i would have normally shot but I mostly passed on does that i would have shot but let them walk hoping that the bigger bucks would come out which doesnt bum me out other than to say the bigger bucks never did come out ....Down here in the deep south deer dont get that old, your not going to see very many 4.5 and 5.5 y/o deer walkin around because of all the dog hunting. I Have hunted So GA for the last 2 years leasing land from timber companies and its just over ran with dog hunters chasing deer and dog hunters chasing bear. Its definitely not the same as hunting in my home state of Indiana.....its been a fun year, just sucks that its coming to a close. turkeys are on deck!
FlCracker could you give me some advice on leasing land from the lumber companies, or just strategies for getting off of public land in southern GA? I also hunt southern GA, (I live in Augusta), and I just struck out on my first ever serious deer season. Growing up, my father did not, and still does not, deer hunt so I am completely dependant on people who will let me hunt with them and on public land. I am already trying to figure out what I can for next season to get off of public land so I don't get shot.
My season was great with 6 deer killed. I am sorry for your luck but look at it this way, the bucks will be bigger next year. I shot two nice ones, a nice 8 point and a very nice 11 point.
Well up until last week it looked as if I was going to get skunked again but last week on fri I shot my first coyote and got a big doe on Sunday, yeah I'm happy with my season!
Its definitely a learning experience....You will need to keep an eye on the timber company websites, when they list the land you need to pull the lease right then if its a tract that you think you want. If you wait to go look at it before taking the lease it will be gone when you come back ( i learned the hard way) Once the lease is pulled offline you will have 5 days(normally) to get them their money so a certified check overnighted is the way to go there. If you pull a lease offline and dont like the property you simply dont send the money and after 1 week they will repost it...there is no penalty for doing this that i have found. Google maps or any other satellite imagery is your best friend in this process as it will give you a good idea what the property looks like without actually walking it. I lost 2 leases this last year because i went to walk them before pulling the lease and they were gone when i came back. Make sure to read the contracts thoroughly as these companies are very strict with what you can do regarding their trees.
