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Post by kdog8173 on Dec 16, 2009 6:50:02 GMT -5
got a doe this year. yes it was good meat but i do believe that if i had a 22 instead of my hunting gun or bow, id killed more squirrel and had more meat in the freezer ..0 wind this morning. hopefully see something..changing it up this morning
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Post by UrbanArcher82 on Dec 16, 2009 7:07:26 GMT -5
Ive had a excellent year i harvested three does with a bow and a buck with a muzzleloader and my dad vectrix killed two does with a bow a nice eight with a bow and his biggest buck yet a 159 11 pointer.
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Post by parson on Dec 16, 2009 7:07:27 GMT -5
Not a good year for me either (as far as hunting success). I have a limited area to hunt in southern IN, and I believe that EHD took quite a toll down there.
I agree about the squirrels too. Last time that I was out, at about 3:30, a large beech tree just 20 yards away from me began to ooze little gray squirrels!
I going to try to get out one more time with the Knight. I hope to get at least one deer this year.
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Post by omegahunter on Dec 16, 2009 7:16:52 GMT -5
Best buck so far this year, but my Dad and I have seen a total of 4 does while hunting. Just not seeing near the volume of deer anywhere this year.
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Post by jabba on Dec 16, 2009 7:26:55 GMT -5
I agree and disagee at the same time. While I believe that EHD has hurt the populations, I also seem to think that it is spotty. We had a VERY poor season in the areas we normally hunt. (all southern indiana HNF and MSF) We didn't see a lot of deer for the last couple years, but the deer we have been seeing have been a high number of bucks, and the bucks that have been taken have been good ones. We simply started hunting different areas, and started seeing deer. I killed my best buck ever this year (118 1/8) green, gross) and we had 2 taken at our camp that were over 140". I passed on smaller bucks 2 other times, and killed 3 does as well as passing on 5 or 6 does, and seeing quite a few. They will be back. It's been harder this year than is has been in a while... but it was getting too easy th3ere for a few years. We were gettig lazy. Jabba
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Post by Woody Williams on Dec 16, 2009 9:10:57 GMT -5
It has been a tough year... I've seen a pretty good number of deer, but just not the one I wanted to shoot. The best deer that I had within shootable range was this guy. I had him dead to rights three times..I just coukld not pull the crossbow trigger. I saw three good bucks in Illinois but they were all out of shotgun range. First time in a long, long time I have not put meat in the freezer.
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Post by crazybuck on Dec 16, 2009 9:15:05 GMT -5
It has been a tough year... I've seen a pretty good number of deer, but just not the one I wanted to shoot. The best deer that I had within shootable range was this guy. I had him dead to rights three times..I just coukld not pull the crossbow trigger. I saw three good bucks in Illinois but they were all out of shotgun range. First time in a long, long time I have not put meat in the freezer. Seems like I recall you having a Banner Year last year. It will probably be back for you next year! Something to look forward to!
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Post by dbd870 on Dec 16, 2009 9:37:29 GMT -5
Saw good numbers during bow season; didn't have a shot on anything decent except for a mature doe right after legal hours started in the morning (which I missed). The yearlings and scrub bucks were just all excited to give me a shot at them though. Gun and MZ season sightings have been way down. So yeah, I'd say a below average season but I've had a couple of opportunites to have more than the 8 point in the freezer. Magnum & I are going out this weekend. I'm going to drop anything 1.5yr old or better I run across and after this weekend I'm shutting it down and I'm going to start thinking about the MO turkey hunt my friend in KY and I are going on in April.
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Post by swilk on Dec 16, 2009 9:58:31 GMT -5
Overall deer numbers were way down for me .... as was the overall quality of deer seen.
Maybe quality isnt the correct word ..... most deer seen were healthy but age and size was down from previous years.
I spent somewhere around 150-200 hours in a tree and saw a total of 3 bucks that I would guess to be 4.5 years old or older.
Total numbers were about 1/2 of a normal year.
I didnt have a lot of corn planted within 1 mile of my property so I cant blame a late harvest ..... however, because of how much moisture we had this year the vegetation in my CRP was so tall and think you couldnt see into it .... at all. It seems most deer were perfectly content with staying in the thick stuff all day.
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Post by kdog8173 on Dec 16, 2009 10:00:57 GMT -5
i switched it up, went behind my house, and saw 6 doe..while calling them,cause i needed them to move 250 yds to get where i have permision, here comes 6 coyotes..there go the deer..going back to my new spot even thou havent had luck there, have not seen any dogs either..me and singleshooter are going to take care of these dogs as soon as deer season is over..cant wait but need some meat in the freezer..
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Post by colts1888 on Dec 16, 2009 10:30:56 GMT -5
Yes i've had a down year again for the 2nd straight season, i think it's just the property i hunt though. I did see one decent buck during bow, but thats it. Too much activity the last few years. A horse farm went up on the north side about 3 years ago that completely wiped out a crop field that used to hold deer. There is always a ton of activity and noise there. The woods that joins mine to the west that used to have no hunters has had people in it almost everyday since shotgun. They are the type that like to walk around the entire woods leaving scent everywhere too trying to scare up deer. Last 2 evenings i have been out there, 2 dogs have been running free through that woods. I'm just looking for a doe at this point and it's going to take some sort of a miracle to even make that happen. I'll be spending my offseason looking for another property to hunt for next season. It's been a very long time since i had to work this hard for one doe, my freezer is empty for the first time in years.
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Post by BOBinIN on Dec 16, 2009 10:35:57 GMT -5
Being recently retired I have the pleasure to hunt as much as I can take of it. I started on opening day of bow season and I just got back this morning from my latest trip out. Here are my result so far... Buck sightings = 34 Doe sightings = 103 19 trips out I saw nothing 12 days I didn't hunt
I hunt public ground exclusively and to date my best buck was a 9 point that I passed on, twice. It's getting very late in the season and the next time I see him I won't be so generous. Good luck to all still hunting. BOBinIN
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Post by DEERTRACKS on Dec 16, 2009 12:26:14 GMT -5
I had a decent year but my doe sightings have been way down, especially since opening weekend of firearms season.
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Post by NON-TYPICAL on Dec 16, 2009 17:27:16 GMT -5
Numbers way down this year. Called a couple of processors and they said numbers down almost half of last years. Dont get me wrong we killed deer and seen them just not the numbers we are use too. I just think we are letting the doe harvest get out of control everywhere is 8 doe it seems like. I hunt northern and southern indiana we have close to 2,000 acres and deer are few and far between this year.
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Post by indianahick on Dec 16, 2009 17:37:41 GMT -5
While I got 2 this year which is up from the previous 2 years I still haven't seen many deer. But I am positive that where I hunted was more of a night run than a day run due to where it is located at the end of the wooded area. Don't have permission for the larger center area's. Although I have watched guys walk to them and thru them, they don't have permission either. Yes I believe that EHD hit southern Vigo county very hard.
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Post by indybassin on Dec 16, 2009 17:40:03 GMT -5
I've got three days of hunting coming up, hoping to just get a good shot at one. I've passed on questionable shots (brush/distance) at 3 different does but won't get desperate enough to take a bad or questionable shot.
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Post by batchief909 on Dec 16, 2009 17:44:54 GMT -5
I had a good year with a nice buck taken on opening day of firearms. (with a muzzleloader) And a big doe taken on opening day of muzzleloader season. At 53 years of age...I figure any day I can fog up the mirror...is a great day.
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Post by Woody Williams on Dec 16, 2009 17:46:41 GMT -5
...............At 53 years of age...I figure any day I can fog up the mirror...is a great day. BINGO!!Every day, hunting or not, is a gift from God.
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Post by vectrix on Dec 16, 2009 17:51:58 GMT -5
I had a good year with a nice buck taken on opening day of firearms. (with a muzzleloader) And a big doe taken on opening day of muzzleloader season. At 53 years of age...I figure any day I can fog up the mirror...is a great day. I have never heard it put like that but very true! This is possibly the strangest year for me ever. Seems like a bunch of people had terrible years but several people killed some bruisers this season. In years past with late corn my seasons were terrible, and I was surrounded by it ALL season and had a great year.
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Post by huntingman on Dec 16, 2009 18:08:30 GMT -5
It has been a tough year... I've seen a pretty good number of deer, but just not the one I wanted to shoot. The best deer that I had within shootable range was this guy. I had him dead to rights three times..I just coukld not pull the crossbow trigger. I saw three good bucks in Illinois but they were all out of shotgun range. First time in a long, long time I have not put meat in the freezer. Seems like I recall you having a Banner Year last year. It will probably be back for you next year! Something to look forward to! is it me or that deer pretty skinny
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