Legacy- 2015 Deer Season

[steelie]

Ditto, great thread to enjoy on stand. Congrats to all and happy holidays

[Xxx]

Down here in PA. Our Flintlock season opens the day after Christmas Saturday, with our hare season in January but we only get a few days at that, bunny season goes into February for us also so if any thing should arise hopefully the PA. Guys keep this thread going. I must admit this was the best thread since I joined LOU. Congrats to all that partisapated and to those who don't approve of hunting thanks for keeping your thoughts to yourself!!! Great job well done by everyone!! PAP.

[King Slammin]

Deer season has been over for a few weeks for me. My son broke his hand at basketball and we have harvested 8 deer this year so I started tiling my bathroom and broke the traps out 10 days ago and slowly got my line out on one property. With so many pictures of coyotes here, I had to try to do my part at reducing the population. Well, it's been a battle to say the least. I've been dug up by various coyotes and coons at multiple sets, caught and harvested a few red fox, and released a bunch of coons. But the coyotes have been outsmarting me until this morning. Got this nice male in a set made from the cut soybeans. Got a fox here a few days ago too. Hoping this area keeps heating up and I can save a few fawns from the jaws of these predators this summer.

[JakeyBaby]

Cool stuff!

[machzrcr]

Thanks everyone was deffinitely fun reading! And congrats to all who harvested! Broke out the .22 this morning to shoot some squirrels!

Edited December 23, 2015 by machzrcr

[PeltHunter]

I'm gonna have to put an ad like that in the local paper after this year. Hunted hard all of bow and first week of rifle but as JakeyBaby said after that the lack of deer sightings and the weather discouraged me from putting in much more time. Congrats to everyone who go the one they were after and once again this was an awesome and very informational thread!

[Legacy]

Season Ending Rant

Another season in the books. Certainly not one for the record books but a successful season none the less.

The weather will be something that will be remembered this past season. Probably the single biggest factor on the year. Not once this season did I leave the woods as a frozen block of camouflage but instead I wore my early season camo for most of the year. Actually, as I sit and write this, it’s 61 degrees on Xmas eve morning. Crazy! Much of our deer season was spent with above average temps and it certainly affected daytime activity. The rut was barely a trickle and if it wasn’t genetically programmed I would be tough to convince it ever even happened.  For me, I never saw it, daytime chasing was nonexistent and 2015 was far from a text book rut.

The NYDEC… They really put a damper on the first 2 weeks of the season by making the majority of the DMUs that I hunt “antlerless†only and then add to that the much loved late season muzzleloader also hindered by the same rules. What a crock of ***!!! In the end the only thing theses new rules did was keep me from hunting and that is not a good thing. What a terrible decision by the DEC!

In the end, while they were not extensive, I had my opportunities. Every big buck that I saw during the season was within range. During bow season I had a chance at 4 different “shootersâ€. I started with a miss, followed by a kill, and was tagged out at the time, so the other two got a free pass. During the gun season, 2 shooters. I missed a stud 10 point on opening morning and on the last day of the season I couldn’t get an “ethical†shot on a beauty chocolate racked 10 point. It is what it is! The highs and lows of deer hunting. They can also be giant peaks and valleys! I ride it like an emotional roller coaster! On the morning of November 2, everything came together for me and I arrowed a buck that I had been chasing. Trail cam videos told me he was there and a doctored scrape helped bring him within bow range and I am grateful for that experience.

The off season, hopefully while there is snow on the ground, I will make some changes for next year. Each season tends to be a learning experience but you certainly have to pay attention in order to see it. I always have a long list of off season changes to stand sets. Some are simple while others are extreme. But I believe that you got to be aggressive. You can’t sit back and hope it happens. The season goes quick, so if something is not working, change it.

Thanks to all who participated and those who simply followed this thread. Thanks! There is no lack of information on here and that’s what its intended purpose was. I know that it may be tough to believe, but I enjoy my time in the deer woods during archery season as much as my time on the water chasing trout and salmon. I try to share my time on the water the best that I can so the idea of sharing my time in the deer woods is no different.

I know I should be asking if it is spring yet but…Is it November yet?

[rabhunt]

I enjoyed reading most of the posts, and I can agree with just about all that you wrote. Especially the DEC rant, and all of their very dumb moves. I look forward to muzzle loader season and they took that away from me. First time in over 40 years of hunting that I did not hunt one day with snow. Still enjoyed my time in the stand. Thanks for all the great posts and hope everyone has a safe and merry Christmas.

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[dvdegeorge]

Rob summed things up,I can't say I had a bad season as I killed 6 deer but only 1 buck but it was a good one and #2 on my hit list.

Missed the opening day of gun season for the 1st time in my life due to an out of state wedding.I came back on day 2 of the season to find a trail cam picture of a big shooter standing 10 yds from my stand on opening day. I hunted every day of gun season from day 2 on and never saw a shooter buck. I spent over 50 days on stand when all was said and done.

The big guy who was #1 on my list was taken by a fellow on the neighboring property Kudos to him it was a stud especially for NY. Some that I was after made it through so hopefully next season I'll be glad they didn't make it in front me this year.

 

Merry Christmas to all thanks for making down time in the stand more enjoyable!

 

 

[Gator]

I'm on-board with the comments on DEC and the weather. The season wasn't a disappointment by any means...they never are...but the number and quality of sightings were way down compared to what I'd expected.

 

This was our first year owning a 50 acre parcel that's adjacent to what amounts to hundreds of acres of QDM. Despite the tales of huge bucks we heard, in reality there were very few trail cam shots of "shooters" and we only saw half a dozen deer that I'd pull back on. Certainly nothing over a small ten, 120 or 125 class animal. There could be lots of reasons for this...the weather, the amount of work we were doing on the land (spraying invasives, trails, etc...), plain 'ole lack of hunting skills...but overall it wasn't as thrilling a season as I'd hoped. Still, it was great to hunt land that I'd managed all year and I'm looking forward to next year already. If my plan goes as expected, this could be a deer mecca for someone just about the time I'm ready to take a dirt nap 

 

In terms of harvest, we found out that an adjacent orchard owner had shot over 70 doe on nuisance permits, which explained our lack of doe sightings. So, in order to keep a few around for the bucks to chase we didn't shoot doe this year. That kind of sucked, as I enjoy taking them and my graduate students enjoys eating them. I never launched an arrow, although I had two good opportunities, but I was waiting for that stud that I'd heard would surely materialize. I did shoot a decent buck opening day of gun, a buddy shot a doe, and I ended up having a another buddy who needed a deer take a "management" buck late in the archery season. And that was it. Some of the other guys saw shooters that they also passed on (or were tagged out).

 

Like Rob, I have lots of plans for next year. Different stand locations, better access to account for changes in the wind, lots of trees going in for both bedding improvement and, eventually, food production. The fun never ends!

[Gill-T]

It is very easy to blow out deer on your 50 acres if wind direction/ entry and exit points are not planned correctly.  There is more to attracting deer than just planting food plots as it doesn't take deer long to take a walk and visit them during nocturnal hours from neighboring areas if they know you are there.  Hinge-cutting some bedding areas away from entry/exit points would help.  Also, I think if you have a neighboring fruit farmer who is having trouble with deer I would be knocking on his door to gain permission.   

[BSmaster]

2016 winter resolution

1. Hinge cutting
   
2. trail maintenance
   
3. stand additions
   

 

I look forward to Legacy- 2016 Deer Season.  VERY good read.

[MeatHunter737]

1.Got some cutting to do to open up some shooting lanes.

2.Gonna leave my 2 trail cams out to focus on deer trails and get a better idea of survivors.

3. Plant some food that will carry over the winter. I'm 39 yo, and in my hunting have never seen an impact on deer herds like last winter. We saw them in 3 feet of snow, but by spring we didn't see many. Gotta grow high protein root crops to help.....

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[MeatHunter737]

Looking forward to legacy-:2016

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[Xxx]

This was the best long lasting thread since I joined LOU!!! I enjoyed everyone's input and knowledgeable posts. A big two ðŸ‘👠for the future or the continued part of the thread. Great job by all. PAP.

[ray koziatek]

It was a fun read,and a few great stories and pics . If i could give a little advise it would be read non biased books on deer..and deer activity............DONT go to the index and look for the "food plot" section...read it from front to back.  if yer favorate food is prime rib and you ate it for 30 days in a row,after 30 days it would be easy to walk past the prime rib section to satisfy your body's needs..........."White tail Wisdome" is a good book..even with over 50 years in the woods with over 40 years hunting i lernt a lot about them...............the 3 s's      sent,sent,sent...........do apply and i mean the human kind ....Thanks everyone for sharing with a old fart.....next summer when im home if i have time i would be happy to "walk your land " and share a few things them deer lernt me...

 

Ray K.

[Gator]

Hey Gill-T: All true. The first year is a learning process. We don't lack for bedding areas, but the access could be better. We figured out some stuff, always learning or never learning, right? As for food plots, it's not in my plans. Invasive management and establishing a wildlife-friendly woodlands structure, that's my goal. As for the orchard owner...I have no desire to shoot deer after dark with rifles. If he has a deer problem, I get that he needs them to be shot.Just not my cup of tea. I also like to know who I'm hunting with, which is why we purchased and lease, particularly hunting with kids.

 

And Ray, if you got time next summer and fishing Sandy is in your plans, I'd love to get your perspective on our property. I'm sure that you'd have some good suggestions. But ix-nay on the uffy-be part of it, okay? We have lots of bugs and I can just imagine you tromping around Pan-style singing, "there's a 'squeeter on my peter, wack it off". Certain things you just can't un-see...ever 

[Sk8man]

This certainly has been one of the more informative as well as entertaining posts I've seen   I'm already struggling with that image of Ray

[fisherman85]

A couple that made it thru the season one that's missing half his rack already hardly feel like starting the shed season w only one missing half rack so far can't wait till next year thanks for all the advice and encouragement from everyone on the trend some great bucks taken now on to predators n maybe snowmobiling n of course dropping some long beards have a good new year

[Xxx]

I would think that the winters up there take a toll on the population. After sledding up there for some years before the cost of fuel went through the roof, I have pics. Of me walking off the trails to relieve myself of liquids and stepping into waist high snow, and following deer down the trails until they turn to the deeper snow. I also saw piles of hay and other foods for the deer I thought that was pretty cool that the locals care that much for their whitetail's, and after this thread it all makes sense know. This year should be a lot easier on them even know this weather can change in hours, especially with the lakes having no ice. That's a recipe for feet of snow in a short period of time. I'll post any pics of my deer if I'm lucky enough to connect using my Flintlock. .