i only got to go deer hunting 7 or 8 times this fall. (long story) the only deer i saw were either running across the road in front of me on the way to, or from, my hunting spot. season is over now. tag soup again. but...i AM seeing deer now. the danged hairy brown locusts have been in my yard 4 of the last 7 nights. when i go out to get my deranged cat late, they just laugh & mosey across the street into my neighbors yard. i'm thinking about doing hot laps through the neighborhood in my truck & trying to bumper-stun one to eat. the way this fall went, i'd probably miss the deer & hit a tree...

Tag soup for me as well. Only hunted 6 times. I did have a doe given to me from a very generous guy. I butchered it myself, but at the risk of sounding ungrateful, I would much rather have had a shot at one myself. I did see a lot of deer in other places instead of the woods where I was hunting.

Next year Pondscum!

Sounds like you have plenty of deer to hunt. Try different properties or different spots on the same land. Maybe different method of hunting. Good luck, killing deer with a bow is not easy.

You must have been hunting with Frisky.

He makes a good tag soup I heard.Lots of practice and many secret recipes.

I know the feeling. We have a lot of deer around here. Just traveling to and from work and errands I often see as many as 200 deer in a day. But I can't hunt the land those deer live on and the public ground around here is just beat to death.

While hunting I saw a total of one doe and one yearling this past season and that was in my little patch of woods behind my house. I gave the yearling a pass because it was still wearing spots (October 1st) and I never really had a shot at the doe.

We had a little snow last weekend so I went out on public looking for a rabbit. LOL I couldn't find one...or even a track.

Bowhunt beat me to it! Hot tip...the secret is in the horticulture. The deer destroy my neighbor's petunias, hydrangea and hosta. My yard is so malnourished and neglected they snicker at my weeds when they bypass it in disgust and gossip about my "black thumb"...."he has monkey grass and no elephant grass"...oh, the shame of it all! The upside to having an ugly yard? My neighbor has given me "carte blanche"....just don't let his wife witness anything!

That's why they call it hunting not shopping. :-)

That's why they call it hunting not shopping. :-)

It's a good year for me when I have my tags leftover. The wife doesn't care for it, and I can't eat a deer and really don't want to at this point. Saw a good many this year, but only a few on the days I hunted which didn't amount to too many days actually. A few of my hunting acquaintances got some so that was good to see. I'm working on a decent stump recipe for me, but probably still can't eat a whole stump so there is that to contend with, 'spect I'll have to parcel one out and freeze the balance.

My wife and I have literally got in fights if I mention I passed on a deer. Now I say out of range or did not see any when she asks so I don't have to argue with her. Turned her into a venison monster.

A friend had a picture of 8 under his stand the other day. Season ended Dec 31st. Deer were jerks all season long and show no sign of letting up.

My wife always tells me "1 more" deer

My wife always tells me "1 more" deer

Passed on a few small bucks and does this year. Don't feel like dragging them out any more.I had a great year.

Thump one in your yard. Drag it to the back, and proceed to reduce it to consumable levels. :)

I love the whitetail deer!!! Splendid, amazing, graceful and tough animal. They fill my heart with wonder and appreciation. Every deer encounter I have in the woods is special to my heart, every one.

AND....they don't cooperate with my hunting plans most of the time. LOL. Let's face it, hunting with traditional archery gear is a challenge.

But a tough season can change in a matter of 10 seconds. There may have been very few deer sightings, no shots and then suddenly the familiar sound of deer hooves in the leaves and a GREAT animal steps out exactly where you hoping with just the right wind, just the right shot angle and a tough season is suddenly a success.

I live for those hopeful moments. Go turkey hunting with your bow this spring, and good luck!!

Stephen, that's so true and hunting in general has a primal draw, even though some of us don't care to kill much of anything it's still there every year. Some are just way more into it than others and that's just fine too.

I'll be in the woods in the spring too during turkey season, and if one is dumb enough to get too close, I'll likely try my hand again at arrowing one, but certainly not on purpose. I grew up within twenty feet of South Mountain in the eastern foothills of the Applachians here in Pa., so the woods has been my respite all my life. I've killed enough over the years, and mostly now just watch and learn in my waning years here on this planet.

Well, the power has been off since last night, here. Major blackout after only 8 or 9" of wet snow. But I have my Welder/Generator running and making my own electricity. And there's deer meat thawing out on the kitchen counter right now. I will be eating deer meat tonight, anyway.

I should have had at least two deer killed with a bow, this year, but I messed up on all counts. I should have tagged out, but I only killed two bucks, however, both were with a gun. I let several others walk with the gun, thinking I would bowhunt the area more. But by the time gun season was over, the deer patterns changed for a while and I got busy.

And I had to let one buck walk with the bow, because I had already used up my buck tags. But that's alright. He will be bigger, next fall, if he's still stupid enough for me to be able to kill him.

As they say.....it's the "hard" that makes it so damn good!

If I wanted to kill one everytime I went out, I'd just raise chickens.

Tag soup for me as well , all the way back to 2017, when my grandson began killing deer at a pace that the processor ( myself) could barely keep up with.

I have hunted quite a bit, but not too seriously like i used to.

The desire, and mostly, the need, is just no longer there.

The freezer is full, what more could we need ?

Not me my friends since I retired 4yrs ago I hunt everyday I can with the exception of this year my wife has health issues

pondscum2,

Increse the chances of nailing a deer with your vehicle. Get a Minnesota license plate as has Frisky.

My friend had 18 years of clean kills on a buck with a recurve, but not this year. He tried with a rifle with no luck. It happens.

redquebec- "go turkey hunting with your bow this spring, and good luck!"

as anyone familiar with my tales of woe would know, i have MORE trouble with turkeys than deer. i think i have shot at either 5 or 6 deer in my life & failed utterly, but losing two. the rest didn't go fifty yards. i have NEVER cut a feather, nor even seriously frightened a turkey with an arrow. a buddy shot at a big gobbler that jumped, and then gobbled & started strutting like it was mad that he shot at it! i'm up to 14 misses now. over, under, left, right, and TWO that saw the arrow coming and jumped, letting it pass between the wickets...

Deer don’t like pressure,,,,, stay out of the pressure ,,,,,,, just sayin

By gosh I want to kill one every time out. When I don't I will not bother carrying the bow. Its ok that some don't however.

YUP! If I didn't want to, I wouldn't go!

In a way, it's like going to school. Deer have been the best teachers I've ever had. The main difference between the deer and my regular school teachers is that I didn't want to kill them! Of course, I didn't want to eat them either! YUCK! ;-)

Pondscum2, here's something to think about and will get interesting comments. I'm going to be 55 this year, been traditional bowhunting for well, a good spell. Have yet to take my first deer!

I killed a doe with a bow, about the second or third time, I ever went hunting with a bow. I thought I had it all figured out, Boy, Was I wrong!

I have had some dry spells since, but eventually bagged several over the years.

TradinOregon - i was in my thirties before killing one with a rifle. couple more for one with a compound, a couple more for a recurve buck. been with my longbow for several years now, nada. not even had a shot at a deer, missed a big gobbler with ol' Buck & my Lone Tree both. own a BBO that hasn't even been in the woods yet. i've made meat with a muzzleloader, but never even seen one when carrying a pistol. i want one with everything...

I hunted very little during bow season (Oct) I had kidney stones and if you know you know and if you don't know you don't want to know. Trust me on they one !!! Killed one deer with the bow. But filled the freezer with the muzzleloader & rifle.

We don't buy beef. Not killing deer just isn't an option in my house.

Death to Moby Dick.Death to deer!

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