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beating a dead horse...

5K views 25 replies 17 participants last post by  mus42tang 
#1 ·
I know everyone likes all these extended seasons and all the opportunities to shoot doe. And i enjoy them also, but the deer dont have a chance. Ive been out 4 days since opening day, 2 deer....a spike and a doe. Ive all ready passed up 4 little bucks in archery. (Hunting over 110 hrs) My little brother and cousins told me thursday night..hunting is boring, cold, and you never see a deer. what do i tell them?? I understand the herd will never be the same as it once was, but if a hunter is proud to shoot a little spiker let him. I want to shoot a slammer buck just as much as the next guy, but when i sit for 1o hrs and see one little spiker and have to pass i just want to cry....i am done sorry for carrying on but its been a rough week and i dont have high hopes for tommorrow.
 
#2 ·
Here's what i would tell them to their remark about hunting being boring,cold and you never see a deer,Hunting is just what it sounds like,you hunt.There's no guarantee that your going to see anything,yes it can be down right brutal as far as the weather goes and boring heck yes,it can be down right nerve racking but hunting wasn't meant to be that you go out and see every critter in the woods as soon as you get there.Persistance will pay off maybe not this year and maybe not next but it will happen,be patient and everything will fall into place for you and them.
 
#7 ·
I can understand where the OP is coming from. There are deer all over the place here in 2A and I was sitting with my brother on Monday and he passed on a small 7 and we saw three other sub AR bucks and about 5 doe. We went maybe 3 hours without seeing anything and my brother wanted to call it quits for the day. Now he is not as big a hunter as I am, but he goes out. If we were in an area where we went a few days without seeing a single deer, i could see where he would give up hunting.
 
#8 ·
When I started hunting in 1989, I hardly ever saw anything but was immediately spoiled my first day of archery when a small 7 walked about 15 yards from me and started feeding. I shot and missed. I thought hunting was cake. I only saw 2 deer that year in rifle season of which both were doe. I was humbled. The next year on the first day of archery I killed a small spike. Hunting was cake again. I never saw a doe during that doe season.

For the following 7 seasons, I never saw a buck and only was able to shoot at one doe in season. I saw very few doe during buck season while all of my classmates were seeing 20-50 deer per day. I enjoyed small game hunting more than deer because I at least saw game in small game season. I was bored and felt bad but it taught me one of the most important attributes to life: patience. It took me 20 years until I connected with my first buck with more than 6 points.

I had a chance to kill a 6 and an 8 on Monday, but passed in hopes of a better buck. The better buck I was looking for was killed that afternoon within 300 yards of me and turned out to be a 9 point with a 23" inside spread, shot by a 12 year old kid. I'm very happy that a young hunter got it, but also kind of sad because he may think hunting is easy like I did when I was 12 and 13 and may very well have shot the best buck of his life his first year. Hopefully he will not become bored with hunting and hopefully this will fuel his fire for the rest of his life.

Everyday that I am in the woods, I learn something new that makes me a better hunter so it doesn't become boring to me. Since they are younger hunters, they still have lots to learn before they are good hunters. Perhaps you may be able to teach these younger hunters some new skills that they can use to become better hunters. Rome wasn't built in a day.... or a week for that matter!
 
#9 ·
I like the quality of bucks being taken since AR was instituted. Granted I dont see as many deer, but the ones I do see are bigger. Sometimes it is discouraging not seeing a deer but I'm old enough to remember when there were not that many.
 
#10 ·
I have to agree with the OP..My daughter tried deer hunting for two years...NEVER saw a deer...Let you figure out where she is during deer season..

Hard to teach anything to a new hunter when there is nothing to keep there hope up..I think she may have keep a intrest if she would have seen something even if she couldn't get a shot...Seeing animals will keep younger hunter intrested more than seeing no animals
 
#11 ·
i take them squirrel hunting, because i at least know we prob will see one or two...its just fustrating, i hear guys passing up on little bucks...and think be veryyy thankful for those little bucks do not take them for granted. Last yrs deer came was the abs worst ever at my families cabin. opening day, 7 hunters, not a single deer. thankfully this yr we at least saw a deer. i luv hunting, but you just cant keep going out and seeing nothing everyday
 
#12 ·
Am I the only one who gets it? shoot the only 2 deer you see this year and quit hunting next year when you are sure there is nothing left? well at least you got yours. what does the word conservation mean anyway???
 
#18 ·
If we want to have hunting buddies for life we need to be better hunters so we can position them for success. Here's why I say this. The first year my 11yr old hunted he was 7,we had a good spot sitting in a two man stand at 7:05 he spotted a buck a nice one actually I couldve taken it easily I said get on him I will stop him I did and he was behind trees that happened again and we didnt get him. I spent all day coaching him. also saw a spike. If I would've had a smaller model 243 he probably would've
got a shot at least.The next year he rattled up a half rack and saw a spike again still no shots.My wife was always asking y ain't he shooting,she has never hunted I'm like it's not that easy. His third year we saw some no buck. The last day he was freezing and wanted to go home and I'm like it can all change in a second. That year I sat for three days for bear in some crappy weather I was very cold but would not give in And shot a bear at 4:15 Wednesday Anyway back to our hunt ten deercome by us the last one was a buck but there was a new home over the ridge in the line of fire no shot. 2010 he finally scored on a five point with xbow on last day of season. He was so excited he could barely wait for this year shot a spike on the fourth sat. As I was writing this today we were 16 feet up in two climbers and a button buck snuck up behind us it was my side so to sY the least I was a little upset when he busted us. Fast forward 30 min to doe come full bore into woods I spot them they come right at us we were both shaking they were catching there breath cause they came from a woods a mile away. Anyway it was almost ten minutes before he got to drop the hammer and like a veteran made a 60 yard perfect shot. Note he ran almost 80 practice rounds through the 243.So every year he keeps getting better and he hasn't even taken his hunters safety yet. My point is this I've killed plenty and am always adapting on where to hunt we don't see alot but because I have the knowledge and don't care if I get anything he always seems to get opportunities.Also I hunt SGLands and other open land not private. I have a good life and now I have a hunting partner that has got the fever by making sure we go where there is deer. And we r just getting started, he has four brothers.I hope this isn't a boring read. All I am saying is do the Homework get them out with xbows,great way to get a newbie hooked and if everything goes right you will also have a partner for future hunts
 
#20 ·
Good post! I took my girl first time deer hunting. She had great time saw 10 doe and one buck the first day. We didn't get a shot on the buck, no problem get him next time. It's all bout teaching and coaching. How to see the deer in the woods. Use your eye's for looking for movement. Use your Ear's lessoning for small sound's.
 
#23 ·
Took My 8 year old daughter with Me on opening day this year. Luckily,it was warm. She brought her DS with her and quietly played her video games during the 1/2 hour till shooting time. She got to see about 10 doe and a small 6 point that came by that was already hit. When She said she wanted to go home, I took her. I don't want to twist her arm. I didn't with fishing and now I can't EVER go alone. After I took her home, I went to SGL 156 and shot a 9point. I told her that she helped Me get him because if She didn't want to go home, I never would have been in that spot.
 
#24 ·
I think it is our responsibility to put newbies(kids or adults) in good areas to hunt. Yes, that means a lot of extra effort,but it is worth it.
BTW, I just got lucky with my 9point. Right place,right time.
 
#25 ·
be happy your seeing stuff. really....i havent seen crap since october. so stop your complaining. I put my girlfriend in my spot and shes already missed 2 deer since monday. So just be happy if anyone should be saying stuff it should be guys like me who havent even seen a deer!
 
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