I've religiously went out everyday after school bringing a buddy to film and haven't seen a deer this week. Starting to get mad. I spray down i sit still everything i should be doing and nothings coming through any thoughts on what i should do i'm totally confused i had 328 trail cam photos of deer before the season then come season i haven't seen but 10 deer total and that was during the youth hunt. inputs please?
For one patterns are changing due to different food sources and weather...up here tall grasses and low leaf cover is thinning out, so areas that they were comfortable in before are not so comfortable anymore. I am not sure how long you had your camera out, but I get 328 photos of deer on one camera in 4-5 days...thing is these photos are also of maybe 5-10 deer over and over. In some spots I have only 4-5 different deer on camera. So 328 pics doesn't necessarily mean you have a lot of deer spending all their time at that spot. Another thing -this could have to do on how you approach the stand...if you are walking right by or through their bedding area on your way there you may be negating any action you could expect for the evening. If you are hunting over bait and since baiting is only allowed after the 1st of Oct. meaning you just starting to bait there...that is a change to the environment that the deer need to adjust to...this can take a week or more sometimes. I don't know what type of terrain/cover/food sources etc you are hunting around so I am just putting up some general statements here to consider...there are a lot of factors that go into a spot being productive or not. Things like: is there other activity going on in close proximity(crop harvests/farming, other hunters in the area(bear or grouse etc) shaking things up?...did you harvest a deer during the youth hunt while the other deer were there or get busted - they may know to check out your blind or treestand before approaching. Just a bunch of things to consider...and there could be other factors affecting your area(maybe someone elsen is baiting nearby and drawing your deer away). Up here when the wolves come through the deer may move out for 3-4 days at a time. Think about what could be affecting your area and the deers movements and maybe post up a little more info so folks can help you sort it out a bit more. Good Luck.
Yupp. They pattern you just like you pattern them. Back off that stand for a while and try somewhere new.
Same here. Big decrease in activity at a few of my spots. But it's been unseasonably warm here lately
Patience young Grasshopper... Quality over Quantity See the stud in my Avatar (the deer not me) I got him last year.... I saw a total of 5 deer last year.... He was the 5th.... Oh and that was 5 deer over the course of 17 sits.... so again... Patience young Grasshopper
Take it as a blessing to just be in the woods. If you see a deer it's a bonus. "Live Life at Full Draw"
well being skunked is over i left that spot for a week and went back and seen 4 last night thanks for the advice God Bless all.
With all the scent spray, clothing, wipes, wash and ect you will never remove all your scent. The longer you sit in the stand the more scent you leave. Likely when your walking out at night they spot you or hear you. Many times you can't see or hear them but they watch you walk out. Over hunting a stand is death to your setup and location. Try not to hunt the same stand more than 3-4 times a month...
It has been oddly warm here in Michigan for the Last week or so, Now that the temps are dropping you could see another change in pattern. I have sat about 5 times and only heard some does in the distance. Lay off the stand for a bit and then hunt it again hard in late Oct.
Glad they showed up for you. FYI, last year 24 of my 47 sits I didn't see anything. 2011 is was 23 of 29 I was skunked. Sometimes you just have be patient.
Some people go entire seasons with out seeing a deer, but that's what makes a harvest even more rewarding. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free
Last thursday i saw 25 doe and a 3 pointer, went out everyday this week (mornings only) in multiple stands and didnt see anything until walking out of the woods. Which was pretty odd considering this week help the coolest morning temperatures we've had in a few weeks in NY. A lot of my deer, and mostly bucks are still nocturnal most of the time, only have a few wandering around in hunting hours. Hope that changes soon, but just spending time in the woods is enough to put a smile on my face, de-motivating for sure, but you'll be glad when you drag your butt into the stand in the morning
