This may be a bit early, but tags will be filling up fast so chime in as your season ends. How do you deal with it, once you're done. I mean we put a lot of effort into this archery thing. Many of us are driven and focused for the hunt from at least August-November (or longer), and during the course of the rest of the year, it's never too far away, in our minds. All that effort, all that excitement, comes to a sudden halt as soon as our plan worked! Some have multiple buck tags, I'm glad we don't (kinda). Some can go out of State, (yes I can also) but it's not that easy, it requires more time, money, arrangements to be made etc. Yes there are doe tags still available...but it just isn't the same, plus with 2 in the freezer, and a buck coming..I reached my goal for meat. I had a dream season, it worked out very well. I have no regrets. I'm just not sure I'm ready to let go for a year..but alas I have little choice. So those of you still out there...don't wish you were done, so fast..heck it's you, that we're jealous of.
With 2 antlered tags and 5 antlerless, I have not tagged out and I really couldn't see that happening. I could see myself filling the 5 antlerless tages, but the chances of me seeing two bucks I would want to kill are pretty slim. I can also use the antlered tags for antlerless deer during the archery seasons meaning I could take 7 antlerless deer. I enjoy hunting does and hunt them until the last day of the season. Wish we had an OBR though. I get what you're saying though. You work hard to form a plan, and then when it works, you're done! It could be the first hunt of the season for those with one tag. That would be tough.
can't help ya with archery but when I tag out with gun season ... I sleep in and eat lots of venison :D
I'll shoot my new bow, pheasant and other upland game with my bow. Steelhead. Coyote sporting clays, maybe some indoor 3d and counting down days till i can do it again
I say you and Steve come on down, I'll make up a batch of chili, we throw down some drinks with it and see who can drop the biggest one in that contest!
I sleep in on the weekends and love every single minute of it. Hoping to be tagged out before Thanksgiving. Never cared much for late season hunting anways!
I use the free time to get things done that were being neglected for so long. I just hauled in most of the wood for the winter this past week, I'm installing registers/returns for my wood stove in the floor soon, going to start remodeling the family room, etc. Oh, and I'm sleeping in and loving it as well. Starting to bow shop as well:D
I have a spot (the one in my avatar) that I looked at last winter and thought it would be a great stand site for the this years rut. I didn't hunt it at all until Oct 27th, and on the 28th I shot a decent 9pt. Buck season over! Yes, to me it's a let down even though everything went as I had hoped, planned, and prepared for. Sometimes "the anticipation IS greater than the realization"? I've also gotten 2 doe and I still have 2 antlerless tags, and that gets me into the woods, but it isn't the same when you know you can't shoot a buck anymore.
Many good ideas... Iowa and Germ maybe I'll take one of you up on the offer, either way..I'll need an address though :D.
I have an inlaw thats wanting some meat for the freezer so ill take a break and then go Doe hunting for him and hopefully score a yote to. I had an excellent year from spring until, now so being done kinda feels good, pressures off. guess its honey do's now
To tell you the truth in my very short bowhunting career i have yet to tag completely out, so the past two season i have been hunting on the last day of the season. But in Ohio there is only about a months wait till we start chasing the turkeys and in between that there is plenty of yotes to be shot and sheds to be found.
I don't mind tagging out early. Especially after the last 2 years hunting to the bitter end, I really missed not being tagged out. Yea I like to hunt, but it wears on ya, and when I am done with deer I like to head out for small game & turkeys at a much less "work intensive" pace. I don't stop heading to he woods completely, but it does give me time to do "social" things and chase critters that I don't get after too often.