cgturner7

All you guys getting two or three (or more) per year are studs! That, or you are VERY good hunters. In my 7 years of deer hunting I' ve taken exactly one deer. Y' all must hunt where deer populations are high. In central Oregon, where I began hunting, there just aren' t that many mule deer to go around. Granted, I was probably doing a lot of things wrong (too much driving and not enough sitting). But since I' ve moved to Texas I' ve seen more deer in my one year here than I did in 6 years of hunting in Oregon. Now if I can just get my brother in-law to sell me his spot on the lease.

timbercruiser

I would say 5 or more each year. I think I could honestly shoot 50+ if I wanted to, but lot of days I pass 20+ that are legal deer.

longbowman

I began bowhunting in 1966 here in Pennsylvania. I' ve had 3 seasons that I didn' t kill a deer since but I' ve had several where I killed 2 a year after 1993 when that became legal. I' ve been getting rather picky over the past few years and last year never did take a buck and so far this year I' ve been having fun but not seeing many deer at all. I enjoy hunting with or without a deer but I do go out with the intention of bagging one every time I go or else I' d give the sport up. There' s no shame in wanting to take a deer, there' s just shame in going past the legal limits just to kill one.

JZarr

Just out of shear curiosity - can those of you who are shooting 5 plus deer a year tell me why? Do you honestly eat that much venison? Or is it more of the bragging rights to say you shot 5 or 9 or 16 deer in a single year?

formula1

I actually use 3-5 deer per year every year currently, plus I usually donate a couple to the local food bank. There' s 3 in my family hunting, so we always have several deer available. All of the deer that I' ve shot, be it 1 or 11 (my max), has always been used and all that my sons have shot have always been used. Nothing goes to waste or I or my family won' t shoot it. It' s as simple as that.

02bhntn

JZarr,

As matter of fact all the deer that I harvest is eaten by three/four different families. I an two others feed four families as well as donate meat to the Hunters for the Hungry in the Commonwealth of Virginia. All the meat is gone by the opener of the next bow season. We put up 14 deer last year and I took out the last pack of steaks the Saturday prior to the season opener on Sat 4 Oct. I didn' t have to wait long to put meat in the freezer. On the opening Monday I harvested a 70 lb (dressed) doe and on that Friday I harvested a 90 lb doe.. So to answer your question it all gets used and is gone prior to the following season

MattInNH

I' m at about 20% right now, but in the past I didn' t hunt as seriously as I could have, so the number is probably a bit lower than it could be.

The other thing is that I' ve only hunted in Maine and New Hampshire, and I' ve gone more than one season without even seeing a legal deer- we just don' t have the numbers up here that some of you guys see. In some of these ' how many deer' posts guys are saying they see as many deer in an average day as I' ve seen in 10 years of hunting. If I saw 20 or 30 deer in a season I' d think I' d died and gone to heaven.

DaveH

With the two I' ve already taken this year, I' ve been successful with my bow for each of the last 20 years. I' ve taken as many as 7 on a couple of years. My family has finished as many as 6 deer before the next season starts (3 teenage sons), so if I plan on taking more than we can eat, I have a needy families already lined up BEFORE I will shoot another deer

JeramyK

I have taken at least 1 every year I have hunted. Never more than 2 though.

thenuge15

I have been hunting for three years and I have shot 4 deer. I' m working on my first bow kill still! I keep spooking them! GRR