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String-Gun-Shooter

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I have had a year that I would like to forget. Unfortunately last year wasn't much better, For the first time ever, I saved all my vacation for the end of October and the first of November. I was really looking forward to this years hunt.

Well, I can honestly say that I would like to forget this year forever! :confused: It has been by far the worst season that I have ever experienced. I have spent more time in the tree than ever before and was wondering if the Whitetail Deer was placed on the endanged species list. I did see a few otherwise I would have thought they were extinct. I saw 2 shooters that I had on camera. Both were at approximately 700 yrds away. I would have been happy to harvest some does however I think they left the State. Fawns and dinks (1 1/2 yr old bicks) is all I saw for 2+ weeks.

I have been involved in the outdoors my entire life and look forward to Bow Season every year. For the first time in my life I can honestly say I am burnt out and disgusted with hunting. It doesn't help when you hear that others are seeing several shooter bucks or shooting nice bucks. Don't get me wrong, I am happy for each and every one of you that has had success, congrats!:way:

As a last ditch effort, I relocated from the area that I have to hunt and resorted to searching for new area in a different part of the State. A few of my friends have pretty good success on public ground so I thought I would give that a try. I searched and scouted several areas and found one that I liked.

Today I went to this area for an afternoon hunt. When I entered the area, I found that the area was actually privately owned. I did my best to set up as close to the area however I wasn't really confident. After getting set up, I noticed another bow hunter headed my way. He walked past me and set up less than 100 yrds away which actuall cut me off. No big deal, he has every right to be there. About 15 minutes later I noticed 2 does headed my way. It seemed like they had been run hard however I didn't see anything chasing them. 2 minutes later along came a pheasant hunter. Not all bad because he will keep thinks moving. He walked about 40 yrds from me, circled around me, and walked directly under me. He did appologize for not seeing me earlier. No big deal right, public ground.

Well, now my confidence is at an all time low when "RAMBO" decided to open fire about 300 yrds away. There must have been about 100 shots over the next 15-20 minutes. Now it's time to get down and head for home.:thrwrck:

I keep telling myself "that's why they call it hunting" and if it was easy everyone would do it. I believe it's a combination of several things such as too much corn, too hot, and low deer numbers due to over harvest. I don't like to make excuses or complain however I have tested my patients to the extreme.

I have made up my mind that I am going to cut my losses and put the archery gear away for the year. I have also decided that I need to take some time off from hunting and do something enjoyable the rest of the year, so I will miss the gun season for the first time in 30+ years.

Somehow I need to figure out how to make this fun and enjoyable again.

If you have any thought's, please share. Maybe I need to take up bowling:drink2:
 
I know the feeling.I have had a very tough year.I think a lot of people have.I blame the over harvest of does.The late antlerless season is ruining the deer heard in Iowa.Not only are they killing a ton of does but also killing a ton of shed antler bucks and button bucks.The does shot in late Jan. have almost 3 month old fetuses in them.
In my area there is 3 landowners that have shot over 200 deer in the last 3 years of the late rifle season.I talked to one a while back and asked how he was doing hunting and he told me "We aren't seeing many deer this year.It must be the hot weather and all the crops"I told him it wasn't the weather and crops.It was because his group shot 87 deer in 2008 and 64 and 2009.About 30% of those were either shed antler buck or button bucks.
People will keep shooting does though.In the name of "management".The only one benifiting from shooting all those deer are the insurance companies.It surely isn't helping the hunters.
If you wonder how Lee and Tiffany or the Drury's shot monster bucks every year on there property its because they have huge chunks of land that they manage.I am sure they shoot a few does to but I promise you they don't go in and shoot every does they see.
This is a real sore subject for me.I have bow hunted deer in Iowa for 30 years and I seriously believe Iowa's deer heard is in the worst shape it has ever been in.I blame it on the mass slaughter of "antlerless" deer.I really don't have a problem with shooting does.I shot one for the freezer myself but I won't shoot anymore.As far as the HUSH fund,I think that is great.But instead of shooting a doe to donate..I would rather just donate the $12 or even $50 or $100 instead of shooting a bunch of deer just for a reason to be killing them.
I am not alone in wishing they would stop the Thanksgiving weekend antlerless season and the January doe season.I really wonder how many 170'' or 180'' bucks have been killed in the January season just because they had shed their racks and its "legal" to shhot them.
 
I have had a similar last 2 years. Last year i hunted hard in every season and only took one doe in shot gun season. I did the same thing this year with finally getting to take the 2nd week of November off. I was in the tree every day and saw lots of deer but like you said, only yearlings or 1 year old deer. But i'm not blaming the late season though it is a very valid point. In my opinion, we have had 2 extremely tough years as the planting and harvest of crops have been off big time. I am certain standing corn fields are to blame in my area because ALL of the deer i have seen are either coming or going from the standing fields. I can also see the opposite side of the fields and the deer are not coming out the other side. So, before I give up all hope, i'm banking on the late season bow hunt. Keep your chin up, they're still out there, just hiding.
 
I am having the same year as you guys. I hunted 14 of the 20 days from oct 29th till november 18th I decided I was gonna keep track of what I saw this year from stand. In the first 2 sits I saw 20 bucks and 0 does not a single shooter in the next five days the HOT part of november I saw 13 bucks and 2 does one shooter that winded me at 100 yards and was gone. The next 7 days were about the same one sit I saw 12 does and 2 little bucks after that I turned from trophy hunting to management there were a few bucks that needed shot before they passed on there pretty horrible genetics and a doe or two for some meat. Well I have yet to see a doe since that day and I have seen 8 bucks all young bucks except for 1 that is a buck that I want to pass this year on normal years I would shoot him in a heartbeat but I finally own a farm where I can kinda control the deer being killed and just wanted him to go another year. Sure enough the next 2 sits I rattled him in 5 times and enjoyed the show but let him go. I guess to sum it up it has been a pretty bad year as far as seeing shooters but the next few years should be great if all the bucks dont get killed during the late doe season. I mean there are no does to shoot so those guys running around with rifles will have to shoot something.
 
I know it is hard because I have done it but buy some ground. You can control everything that goes on there and also do some type of management to actually hold deer on your property. I enjoy just getting out and videoing now as much as harvesting.
If you are one of us that has purchased a vehicle that has cost in the $30-40,000.00 dollar range then you were halfway there to owning something that will never depreciate. Ridiculous what we dump into vehicles and don't think twice about it.
I have done more farting around with my ground this year that cost me nothing more than my sweat and have more plans for the future. My little patch of Ladina has does in it every night and it is an area I classify as a safe zone that I promised my self to never hang a stand so I won't bump them out of there. Ya I know it would be a good sit, but it is nice where they can come feed with no pressure.
The mention of taking a kid is also great. I have a few double stands in my timber where I can sit with them and try to give them advice as things are happening. A great time.
Best of luck, like you said it isn't always easy. But it isn't always about the kill either, I have hit that sportsman era and enjoy watching and don't need to harvest.
 
Don't set unreasonable expectations and don't gauge your hunting enjoyment on the garbage being advertised all around us. Take every moment in the woods as a blessing to be thankful for.

Try to enjoy the challenges as another aspect of testing your hunting skill and savvy. The best thing I ever did to enjoy hunting was forget about the focus on the harvest.
Quit reading magazines and watching videos and wasting money on shortcuts etc... A dead deer is a dead deer. I doubt the walls of heaven have booners hanging on them.

Just like a job if it is not fun, quit and find something different.
 
Don't set unreasonable expectations and don't gauge your hunting enjoyment on the garbage being advertised all around us. Take every moment in the woods as a blessing to be thankful for.

Try to enjoy the challenges as another aspect of testing your hunting skill and savvy. The best thing I ever did to enjoy hunting was forget about the focus on the harvest.
Quit reading magazines and watching videos and wasting money on shortcuts etc... A dead deer is a dead deer. I doubt the walls of heaven have booners hanging on them.

Just like a job if it is not fun, quit and find something different.
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Thank you BW, make your advise X2:way:
 
I certainly agree with most of the above. I am tired of the Insurance companies controlling and lobbying for control of the deer population. I have hunted for 18 yrs with a bow and this is by far the least amount of deer I have seen. Of course I have said this now for the past three seasons. I doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that if a doe is killed that is essentially like taking 3.5 deer out of the herd. You take the doe and the 2.5 fawns that she doesn't produce and that is the problem. I would agree that 10 years ago there was too many deer, I won't deny that. But they have gone too far with the doe harvest in our area. My dad has hunted every bow season since it started. He used to tell me when the season first started that it was a really big deal if you saw a deer and everyone at hunting camp would listen to the story of who ever saw a deer while in the stand. Now, it isn't that bad yet but I have been out numerous times this year without a sighting. I was able to harvest a nice buck and glad I did but I think there could be a happy medium established for the hunters and insurance companies. I have not seen my insurance premiums reduced because I am a deer hunter? Of course, we really are in the drivers seat, We as hunter's just need to make the decision not to harvest the doe's it is pretty simple and educating people is the key.
 
Wow, you guys make me feel like I had a banner year. I did kill a nice buck and doe early bow. Nov 4th I tore a tendon in my bow pulling shoulder and last week (two days before IL gun season) I herniated a second disk in my back. I didn't really do anything to hurt myself just bad luck.

I did get to watch my 17 yr old son take over, help get us in the woods, set up and all the things we had worked on for years. Basically he led me around like a zombie/newbie. He made two great shots one doe/one buck and is ready to start teaching some other kid how to hunt.

Long story but back to earlier comments. If you're burned on the outdoors, take a kid it makes it fun again. I don't have any pictures but I'm sure it's obvious - yeah I'm really proud of my little monster.
 
At least in my case you are "Preaching to the choir." I have been talking about over harvest of does for a long time. Our harvest has gone down from 211,000 to 142,000 last year with a much lower harvest almost a certainty for this year. So far bow hunters and early ML hunters have only harvested 29,000 as of today. On a three year basis if you shoot a doe today you have removed her 2 fawns from next fall and their 2 fawns from the next fall as well as the original does 2 fawns. So that is at least 7 deer removed with prospects of about half being the highly desirable bucks. Now project that out for the 75,000 does killed in the 2007/2008 season and it isn't so hard to see why harvest and even sightings are spiraling down fast enough to make us all dizzy. :eek:
 
I've been bowhunting for 39 yrs. I've owned my on land to hunt for 13 yrs. I guess you could say i've seen the good, and bad (if that is what you can call it) in bowhunting. I enjoy the outdoors, and all kinds of hunting as much as the next guy. Even though i can control my little section of timber as far as deer harvest goes; i can not control any other aspect of deer harvest. I would have to say the extended doe harvest the last several years, and late season antlerless harvests has taken a big toll on the deer numbers in my area. I might add that my land is in north east Iowa. So if you are one of the many shotgun hunters that come to north east Iowa to hunt; be prepared for a less than banner year. You're not going to see too many of those tall-wide racks this year! I would have to estimate the deer herd to be about the same as it was in 1979.
 
I am glad to hear that more are seeing this downward spiral. I hunt eastern iowa where the deer numbers are "supposed" to be too high. I have noticed a pronounced decrease that I truly cannot chalk up to the "corn still being up", or too much pressure, etc.......The last few years I have watched the mentality change to the point where "some" hunters think they are doing wonders by "whacking" as many does as they can? And I do realize some areas in the north and south counties may have too many deer yet, but if you look at the locations of a lot of these posters they are not in these counties. Bowhunting has become much more popular these days and with the above mentioned mentality we are only condemning ourselves. I will not participate in the posts that keep track of the doe harvests as if it is a contest? Don't want to ruffle feathers, but this is my opinion. Good luck to all that are hunting!
 
Wow, I'm officially depressed after reading your guys' posts!!! I've had a pretty tough year as well. Seen far less deer. I have seen some good shooters, just couldn't capitalize, but overall numbers are way down in all three of my main areas. In one case I've hunted the same farm since my first days of bowhunting 7 years ago (or so) and have sat out there numerous times this year without seeing a deer. I used to see at least a dozen every time out. I started noticing the decline in pop. about 3 years ago. I will not hunt there anymore...

Will the DNR get the hint, or are we in for some sad years to come?
 
Finally,people are starting to see the effects of the extermination of our deer herd that has been going on for the last 5-6 years. The "shoot every doe you see" mentality makes me sick.....I grew up in the 60's and 70's where just seeing a deer was the highlight of my season. Does anyone else remember the lottery for doe tags? I sure do.......keep killing every doe in sight and that's what we will have again! The insurance companies need to let the DNR controll the herd with hard scientific facts, not political crap !
 
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