What'd you take deer hunting this year?

[FJ540]

I've been using my horton vision 175 until the rifle opener when I switched to my 16" 300blk AR. I also have my cooper model 21 .25-06 in case I decide to set up on Shrub Henge this weekend. I'm not sure how far of a clear shot I can get over the mess, but figured I'd have Misha bring it up since he had to pick up my FIL's truck keys anyway.

[hunterfreakhd]

Took a doe last night with the 20 ga, I was surprised whe was alone. Someone must have shot the fawn she shold have had with her.

I have noticed fawn numbers are way down this year.

[hunterfreakhd]

smurfman - managed zone is only 2 deer limit.

I didn't say I was hunting in a a manged zone, I said I was hunting in the managemen zone which allows for 4 antlerless deer (bonus tags) in addition to the primary tag. I still can't think of what it is called though. My primry tag is a lottery zone, that much I remember.

Intensive harvest

[FJ540]

Wolf numbers are up, and winter survival is down. Couple that to the "brown is down" mentality and you're left with drastically lower herd numbers.

Everyone I've talked with has said sightings are way down this year. Shooting is much less frequent around me this rifle season as well.

[yuppiejr]

We had a few hunters indicate bucks ignoring does, rut is not in swing quite yet... Plus the wolves are a big problem in the Rum River state forest we hunted. Also noticed fewer hunters moving them around with the cold and wind. Guessing next weekend will be better.

[LePetomane]

Smith & Wesson 629 to Pa. and New York in a few weeks.

[FJ540]

Still no sign of scraping here. I think Jason's right that rut is late.

Sign of deer and sightings this summer/fall were lower than last year. I'm going to up my habitat efforts before winter sets in to help provide better cover. I cut over about an acre today thickening up a ridge and a flat deeper in where they've been known to hang out.

[oneoldjimmy]

7mm rem mag, savage 110 topped with Zeiss glass... Passed on two does last weekend, see what shows up this next weekend!

[Makarov]

Rem 700 in 243 with Burris scope.
Lots of smaller scrapes on my property.
I also noticed less fawns this year on my game cams.

Hunted my favorite stand Sat pm, just South of the house.
Walking in I passed a camera. The stand is about 50 yds due south of camera, and faces south. The camera looks North.
When I pulled the camera card today, I find that 33 min after I walked by on Saturday, a decent 8 pt buck came and posed for a photo.
I was busy watching deer in the field to the South of me. Classic...lol

[OldmanFCSA]

Waiting for WI opener.
Will take my Remington Model 7400 in 280Rem. Two mags. (4×).
Will take AR 7.62X39 for backup in case 7400 fails me or is damage in a fall.
Falling in the woods is what scares me, with my current condition of legs.
Will hunt for first time in many years with friends in Bayfield County.
I have 80 acres of private wooded land within the National Forest near Drummond.
Neighbors with 120 around mine, have house and invited me to stay with them.
Should be fun, even if Patti and I don't hunt deer.

[yuppiejr]

.. as for what I took, Remington 700 in 7mm Rem Mag backed up by an older style Savage model 10 in .308. Went up Thursday to set camp and back up Friday-yesterday to actually hunt and it was windy and cold as it's ever been while I have been deer hunting. The only deer we shot was on a drive Tuesday morning, scouted stand locations with favorable wind were all skunked. Luckily we had two travel trailers with good propane heaters so nobody froze, we went through 2 pickup beds full of wood and plenty of whiskey in the evenings trying to keep warm.

I'll probably make a day trip or two up the third weekend with a few of the guys from our 5-man group to see if we can fill a few more tags.

[Deputyhiro]

3 lbs of thick cut bacon

...and RobD's Savage 110 in.30-06 with Federal 150gr Fusion loads.

Unfortunately, never got a shot at anything...good thing I had the bacon.

Well.... If you want to go that route.. I only brought 1 lb of thick cut bacon. Wraped it around fresh tender loin and grilled to perfection. Then cracked my bottle of Blanton's Bourbon Whiskey, and finished the night with a couple on the rocks. Life is good.

[photogpat]

3 lbs of thick cut bacon

...and RobD's Savage 110 in.30-06 with Federal 150gr Fusion loads.

Unfortunately, never got a shot at anything...good thing I had the bacon.

Well.... If you want to go that route.. I only brought 1 lb of thick cut bacon. Wraped it around fresh tender loin and grilled to perfection. Then cracked my bottle of Blanton's Bourbon Whiskey, and finished the night with a couple on the rocks. Life is good.

*unprintable word* *unprintable word* You and the *unprintable adjective* *unprintable body part*

[Deputyhiro]

Wolf numbers are up, and winter survival is down. Couple that to the "brown is down" mentality and you're left with drastically lower herd numbers.

Everyone I've talked with has said sightings are way down this year. Shooting is much less frequent around me this rifle season as well.

Numbers may be down but, Bodyshops around here are talking above average deer hits this summer. On our drive back from Rushford to Faribault we counted 12 deer hit. Im sure most were stired up by hunters, the ride down we didnt see close to that. Out of our 5 man group, I was the only 1 who shot something. Doe with my management tag. Others saw small bucks, but where I hunt there is a point restriction, so they were off limits. Most corn is out down there compared to other years. I thought it would be better. Saw plenty of scrapes.

[ex-LT]

Saw four deer opening weekend. One doe Saturday night after leaving my stand, one doe Sunday morning just after I left my parents' house, a fawn on Sunday afternoon while heading to my evening stand, and the monster buck that ran out in front of my truck as I was heading to my evening stand on Saturday afternoon. I was on the brakes as soon as I saw it, missed it by less than 20 ft. Not sure exactly how many points, but based on the size and length of the main beams, I would guess at least eight, quite possibly ten.

Heading up after work on Friday. Hoping my luck changes for the better.