2022 Deer Pics/Chatter/Excuses

[retrieverman]

Birdhunter, Congrats on your nanny, and I hope the rush never wanes.

Only one buck taken off my place this year, and I’m ok with that. At some point, I probably need to reevaluate taking a few does. I know the neighbors are, so…

I’ve really been hoping to see deer numbers get back to what they were prior to the 2011 drought, but in truth, the herd health is probably better with lower numbers with less impact on the environment.

 

[BobbyV]

I'm guessing the last several weeks of the season have been miserably slow for everyone else too. That changed on Sunday when a buck I've been chasing since early December daylighted for the first time in a month.

I've been playing chess with this backyard buck, hunting before and after work many days when i thought the conditions were favorable (and plenty of days where they weren't). He was here last year through the rut before disappearing. He showed up on December 5th this year. His most frequented spot was a stand 150 yards from the back porch and occasionally using the food plot 50 yards from the stand. View attachment 339082

He was extremely erratic in his timing and approach direction, but i was able to nail down his preferred approach, which was downwind of the "best wind for the stand."

I'll shorten the story by saying i hunted 20 times before i saw him in person. Sunday morning the wind wasn't right for his preferred spot so I sat in a stand which doesn't have a camera or corn. At 10am, it was heating up quickly and i was prepping to get down when a camera went off 70 yards away. He was coming onto the property! Knowing he approached and left the same way 95% of the time, i got down and crept 40 yards closer. He fed at my other stand and left without showing himself. Monday night, he showed up at 1150pm.

Alarm went off Tuesday morning and decided the hour of daylight before work was worth the chance and i climbed in the stand. Knowing he would come in quick (he covered 100 yards in 2 minutes regularly based on cameras), i was on high alert. At 730am, i saw something in the food plot through the trees and i got ready, positioning for a left hand shot with the crossbow (didn't have time to spin, stand, etc). He came in like a Sunday morning mall walker, straight at me.

Pause: had i been looking at my phone, i would have seen that he visited a stand at the very back, 250 yards away, where he'd never been on camera. He covered 250 yards in 5 minutes. View attachment 339091
As he crossed the plot i carved out of the woods this year:
View attachment 339092

He got to 18 yards before he turned broadside and stopped, right behind 3 trees, looking straight up at me. He stepped forward twice while turning to face me. Knowing i was spotted and how spooky he was, i aimed for his mid-chest, just inside the left shoulder as he was quartering slightly.View attachment 339093

The arrow punched him hard and he disappeared for a few seconds, bulldozing the woods before appearing 20 yards away. I prepared for another shot as I feared i had hit his leg (which he was favoring). I didn't get it nocked before he started to lay down and fell over on the trail i walk in on! View attachment 339094
View attachment 339095
He has 12" G2s and 3 kickers off his left base. This is the first year I've killed 2 bucks in a season and i couldn't be happier.

Congrats! First time I've killed 2 in a season as well. Felt pretty surreal.

 

[meatGrinder]

Really tough season at our place. Nice bucks on camera at night up until early Nov, only saw some during shooting time a couple times. No shot. I did miss a doe at 125 yards. Not sure what happened. Checked the scope later and it was fine. User error, lol.
Being on a new property is tricky, we'll be better prepared next year.
Just 10 months until the rut kicks off!

 

[kirk1978]

Sat Saturday morning for a few hours and saw 5 young bucks, no shooters. Strange season for me also, not many does like i usually see, couple good bucks on camera but never seen them in person, piles of young bucks.

 

[kirk1978]

Shot my first archery deer tonight 15 minutes before legal light expired. Man what a rush, I'm hooked on deer hunting now! I blame this thread for my new addiction View attachment 339364

Congrats!

 

[makeithappen]

131641 checked in, assuming that doesn't include the GW check in books they carry. Should be a new harvest record.

50 more entered within the 24 hour window, allegedly.

131691 checked now.

 

[dennishoddy]

Congrats to all with the late season deer.
My season was short.
One trip on opening day of MZ season bagging a buck an hour after arriving, and two days in the stand for rifle season taking another mature buck. First time in many, many years taking two bucks, some years taking none.
The cell cams did show the doe population to not be as large as in year’s past in my area at least. Plenty around, but the numbers were down.

 

[dlbleak]

Doe situation was way off this year. I got a couple pics of 10 does at a time. Then nothing during season. All I wanted was nice nanny to fill the freezer. Didn’t see a mature doe while hunting. Strange season.

 

[Master Carper]

Doe situation was way off this year. I got a couple pics of 10 does at a time. Then nothing during season. All I wanted was nice nanny to fill the freezer. Didn’t see a mature doe while hunting. Strange season.

Same here!

 

[Virtuaguyver]

I'm guessing the last several weeks of the season have been miserably slow for everyone else too. That changed on Sunday when a buck I've been chasing since early December daylighted for the first time in a month.

I've been playing chess with this backyard buck, hunting before and after work many days when i thought the conditions were favorable (and plenty of days where they weren't). He was here last year through the rut before disappearing. He showed up on December 5th this year. His most frequented spot was a stand 150 yards from the back porch and occasionally using the food plot 50 yards from the stand. View attachment 339082

He was extremely erratic in his timing and approach direction, but i was able to nail down his preferred approach, which was downwind of the "best wind for the stand."

I'll shorten the story by saying i hunted 20 times before i saw him in person. Sunday morning the wind wasn't right for his preferred spot so I sat in a stand which doesn't have a camera or corn. At 10am, it was heating up quickly and i was prepping to get down when a camera went off 70 yards away. He was coming onto the property! Knowing he approached and left the same way 95% of the time, i got down and crept 40 yards closer. He fed at my other stand and left without showing himself. Monday night, he showed up at 1150pm.

Alarm went off Tuesday morning and decided the hour of daylight before work was worth the chance and i climbed in the stand. Knowing he would come in quick (he covered 100 yards in 2 minutes regularly based on cameras), i was on high alert. At 730am, i saw something in the food plot through the trees and i got ready, positioning for a left hand shot with the crossbow (didn't have time to spin, stand, etc). He came in like a Sunday morning mall walker, straight at me.

Pause: had i been looking at my phone, i would have seen that he visited a stand at the very back, 250 yards away, where he'd never been on camera. He covered 250 yards in 5 minutes. View attachment 339091
As he crossed the plot i carved out of the woods this year:
View attachment 339092

He got to 18 yards before he turned broadside and stopped, right behind 3 trees, looking straight up at me. He stepped forward twice while turning to face me. Knowing i was spotted and how spooky he was, i aimed for his mid-chest, just inside the left shoulder as he was quartering slightly.View attachment 339093

The arrow punched him hard and he disappeared for a few seconds, bulldozing the woods before appearing 20 yards away. I prepared for another shot as I feared i had hit his leg (which he was favoring). I didn't get it nocked before he started to lay down and fell over on the trail i walk in on! View attachment 339094
View attachment 339095
He has 12" G2s and 3 kickers off his left base. This is the first year I've killed 2 bucks in a season and i couldn't be happier.

Beautiful buck! Congrats!

This was a strange year for sure, I saw zero bucks last year. This year I saw 6 bucks, 9 does, all public land.