gregrn43

Well I have cleaned mine up, but we've got a lateseason muzzy hunt starting dec 13 here in Arkansas. So I will have to get them back out and dirty them up again or hopefully bloodly one up again lol.

bronko22000

Very nice Dave. That's a shooter for sure.
(I told you those orange dot help. Only problem is I haven't seen any deer with them on em yet.)

Nimrodder

Dave, I just got home. Its time to clean the oil out of the bore, load 'em up and hit the woods. Taking Chief and some army buddies out to deer camp this weekend for the muzzy opener. 5 straight days of nothing but hunting. Can't wait.

BrushPopper

Mine stay dirty... was target shooting with an old .45 CVA "Frontier" riflejust yesterday (I likes my sidelocks too).

Need a good cold spell here in central Texas to get the deer moving, I hunt in a 5 deer county and got more tags to burn...

Pretty fine shooting there Cayugad!
BP

cayugad

If I ever see a deer here, I am going to run out and plant one of them orange stickers on them if I can...

The news last night gave the hunting harvest report. The harvest was low last year. It was blamed on the weather. I said it was from lack of deer mind you. And hunters were upset. So the DNR had a big media blitz this yearabout how the herd increased and there were deer all over the place again. Well now they said the harvest was down 20% so far from last year. So much for the herd increase I guess. As usual, they lied to the hunters to sell license. They did say the herd was right about where they wanted it to be now.

And their other excuse, well deer do not scatter all over the place. The deer are bunched up in some parts of the state and few in the others. Wonder why they never took that into consideration when they were slaughtering the does for the past few years in my area. They were giving out kill permits. I am really upset. I'm not greedy. Ilike to get at least a deer a year for my Venison Salami and some steaks. But the DNR had some other plans. Sell license, shoot off the herd (which makes the insurance companies happy), and cheat the hunters of this state. They should be ashamed for selling the hunting public a worthless bill of goods. I hope all the hunters in this state stop buying a license for about three years or morein a rowand let the deer really populate again.

I've seriously considered hanging up my deer hunting hat around here and instead, book hunts for elk, moose, hog, etc each year and for the rest of the time punch holes in paper.

I've talked to seven other hunters that live around me. Between all of us, there has been one doe spotted. And thank goodness he let her walk...

TNHagies

It wouldn't take long that's for sure. We have a WMA here in TN that they did not allow any hunting on this year because of a plant being opened nearby. Deer are everywhere now, they look like roaches and after fawns start dropping this summer it's going to get even worse. Soon I'll hear complains about too many deer being hit by cars...

That's not a bad idea cayugad, I started hunting other species as well because A) I get bored w/deer really quickly and B) I no longer have access to a lot of the land I used to be able to hunt.

bronko22000

Dave, I feel you pain. PA has done the same thing. Oh they are right, there are lots of deer. Just drive down any snow covered road. All the deer tracks are right where the POSTED signs are.
But on the Game Lands, or other public land, its extremely tough to see a deer. I was fortunate enough to bag a nice buck during archery as you know but I wish the PGC would swallow their pride, admit their mistake, and stop doe hunting for 2 years like they did in the 50's.
My friend and I have spoken to several different hunters (good hunters too) who have hunted the past 3 days and haven't even seen a tail. They've put on several drives in heavy cover and still no deer.
Now we know of one whopper of a buck with a drop tine in the area but no one has gotten a crack at him yet. I was out pushing for my friend this morning and I think I saw his track from a couple days ago when it was raining. Wow, I would have thought it was an elk if we had any in this area. His print is about 2 1/2" wide and about 3" long.something went crashin past my friend in the laurel as I came through but he never saw it. I could easily have been this guy or even the bear we had been seeing.

cayugad

It sounds like a great way to relax. I hope you see some deer.

cayugad

I think some hog hunting or elk hunting with muzzleloader would be a great way to start. I have watched on other forums about some of the fun they have on hog hunts and that really sounds like a blast. Then when I read the posts of some of you that are hog hunting, and you just make it sound like something I have to do...

I really enjoy reading about all the hunts the different members have on this forum. There is a lot out there to do. Plus a lot of places to see.

alleyyooper

I know if I were deer hunting and not seeing any thing I sure would be open to a travel hunt. I know a couple of people who live in the north eastern part of our state. When the DNR issued the kill all deer that move tags because of the TB scare. They no longer deer hunt in Michigan because they just were no longer even seeing tracks and they live there year around. Decided if they got to travel to hunt they would leave Michigan.
One of them and 5 of his buddies hunt northern Ontatio Canada as they don't need to have guides there and they hunt crown land (National forest here). The other one goes to Manitoba with a couple of buddies each year. They both have been getting some huge bucks.