# Anybody else not seeing a thing?



## lg_mouth (Jun 7, 2004)

Most frustrating bow season for a long time. I haven't seen a deer for over 2 weeks (neither has my neighbor). Not sure what to attribute it to whether it be full moon, acorns, poachers, coyotes, not sure. 

Anyone else been seeing far less activity than normal?

Lg_mouth


----------



## Nitro_boy (Apr 1, 2005)

It's been a rough season for me as well. I have seen 5 deer total in 15 sits and nothing close enough to shoot.


----------



## Shaun69007 (Sep 2, 2009)

Dont feel bad I am hunting the farm i live on for the past 15 years. I will go MAYBE two times a year where I dont see them at least from a distance. Im 0 for 6 this year out. I am off all next week so im hoping my luck changes and i will start seeing them again


----------



## luv fishing (Mar 5, 2009)

I'm wondering if last winter was hard on them


----------



## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

The acorns this year have the activity like I&#8217;ve never seen it. Early summer was normal with 10-20 bucks in the beans every night. Then the wind blew in late July and they haven&#8217;t been back since. I&#8217;ve never seen an empty bean field until this year. The deer are still out there, but a lot harder to pinpoint.


----------



## lg_mouth (Jun 7, 2004)

...but I am glad to hear others are having similar experiences. Misery loves company.

My neighbor mentioned last winter as well. He has lived in the area for decades and he said this is by far the fewest deer he has seen in a very long time. 

I am going to hit it hard this weekend and hope my results change. Good luck to you guys as well.

Lg_mouth


----------



## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

Warm temps and full moon I think may be affecting a lot of guys. Typically the full moon phase can eliminate some daytime activity and the dawn/dusk hours in particular. Give it a few days and I think most guys will see a change. The temps should be a bit more seasonal later in the week and the new moon phase will be in.

Personally I have only been in the stand 3 times so far this year, once with my boy and twice by myself. I passed on the only deer I saw by myself the first night, a small buck. My boy and I saw 5 deer, one buck but nothing in range. Last night I saw 4-5 deer and passed on a doe. I was not really comfortable with the shooting distance and didn't like the prospect of letting one lay and then tracking it in those temperatures.


----------



## EMRDUCKS (Jun 28, 2004)

Took my son to mosquito on the 17th for a youth gun hunt. Didn't see a tail.


----------



## lg_mouth (Jun 7, 2004)

I am hoping the moon had a lot to do with it. It was so bright last night I swear I could have read a book in my front yard at midnight!

Lg_mouth


----------



## saugeyesam (Apr 20, 2004)

Haven't been seeing anything either, and I was getting tons of pictures up until about 3 days ago. Not a one picture in 3 days not even turkeys..... Is it this full moon and warmer temps?????


----------



## icefisherman4life (Aug 5, 2007)

find the oak flats. we've been seen tons of deer eatin acorns. its gonna get real good starting later this week.


----------



## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

Yeah everyone seems to be indicating that the acorn mast was great this year. That would suggest that a lot of deer have been spending their time deep in the woods thus far.


----------



## BassBlaster (Jun 8, 2006)

I have been getting tons of pics up untill a few days ago as well. I even put out 10 pounds of acorns at my corn pile and the couple deer that did show up chose the apples over the acorns or corn. Maybe these city deer dont know how good the ole acorns are!!

A buddy from work and his boys have usually stuck several does by this time of season but none of them have seen a deer from stand this season at all.

Another buddy from work did manage to tag a decent 8 point yesterday evening.


----------



## angler69 (Sep 26, 2005)

can you get near/hunt over water source ?

I have seen alot of deer near water.


----------



## saugeyesam (Apr 20, 2004)

My stand overlooks an Oak grove that has a small stream that cuts down through it. There is also an alfalfa field that runs right up to the woods, I have half dozen round bails still sitting in the field that I just haven't gotten around to putting away yet. I have yet to see a deer from this stand. My scout cam is in the Oak grove and I also put down a one gallon bucket of corn as the animals eat it. All of my deer pictures are at night between 8:30 pm and 5:30 am Not one deer during daylight hours. I have Acorns all over the place and I'm still not seeing deer. So I don't know how much I'd rely on hunting where the acorns are, at least not in my area anyway. I think once we go back to Standard Time and the temps drop, I'll start seeing deer. Tonight I am going to go through all my journals since I moved onto this farm and see if I can't figure out a pattern.


----------



## mirrocraft mike (Mar 17, 2006)

I didn't see anything my first two outings.This past Saturday morning I finally saw two deer. Both bucks a decent 8pt and a forky. Both where between 10:30 and 11. I also hunt area with very HEAVY acorns this yr.


----------



## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

saugeyesam said:


> I think once we go back to Standard Time and the temps drop, I'll start seeing deer.


I didn't know that the deer ever adjusted their clocks for daylight savings.

Cool temps will definitely help out. You also answered part of your dilemma yourself as well. You said you were seeing them on the game cameras at night. They really liked the bright nights we have been having.


----------



## CasualFisherman (May 21, 2004)

angler69 said:


> can you get near/hunt over water source ?
> 
> I have seen alot of deer near water.


I was going to add the same thing. The areas that normally hold deer this time of year seem to be vacant due to lack of water sources nearby. They seem to be packed into the areas with good water sources. I am hunting adjacent to the river this weekend. The only deer I have been seeing in my usual spots are young bucks that were probably run off the better areas.


----------



## ezbite (May 25, 2006)

since the start of the season ive seen 3 fawns, 2 buttons and 2 mature does, but tonight i put out the old tink bomb and hit the primos estrus can pretty hard and called in a 6 or 8 point couldnt really tell because he came in behind me, had his head behind some trees and it was 6:08 when trotted off


----------



## Bigun (Jun 20, 2006)

Been tough in my woods as well. Have over 40 hours in the stand since oct 1 . And have seen a total of 6 deer. Allwithin the past week though. So I believe it may be starting to pickup a little bit. I can't find acorns on the property I hunt so one of my stands is in a hickory grove. The other is on a field edge with walnut trees and native grass. Saw 2 does and a fork buck on the field saw 3 does in the hickorys. There are about 8 or 10 of us that hunt this woods. And only 2 of us have had shots all year.


----------



## Brian.Smith (May 18, 2006)

I feel the drought or lack of water has alot to do with it. I have started seeing more deer with the colder temps though. This is the driest i have seen it in a while, for this part of the year.


----------



## saugeyesam (Apr 20, 2004)

bkr43050 said:


> I didn't know that the deer ever adjusted their clocks for daylight savings.
> 
> Cool temps will definitely help out. You also answered part of your dilemma yourself as well. You said you were seeing them on the game cameras at night. They really liked the bright nights we have been having.


I know it sounds kind of dumb, but I was going back through the journals I keep for hunting and the first week after the time change has been very active for deer. As for the "Bright" nights, I haven't gotten one picture since the moon was just about 3/4 full. Not one picture day or night, deer or turkey. Hell I haven't even gotten any pictures of raccoons which if anything else I get at least half a dozen pictures of them a night. Very weird indeed, and the thing is everyone I have talked to that has been out consistently has been reporting the same results. I have found three small rubs that are just started and that was about a week ago and they haven't been touched since. And I have yet to find a scrape anywhere yet. I know deer will travel but I find it hard to believe that my property has been completely vacated, but it sure seems that way. Oh well the only thing to do is keep at it right?


----------



## saugeyesam (Apr 20, 2004)

mirrocraft mike said:


> I didn't see anything my first two outings.This past Saturday morning I finally saw two deer. Both bucks a decent 8pt and a forky. Both where between 10:30 and 11. I also hunt area with very HEAVY acorns this yr.


Mike you need to hurry up and stick one! My knife hand is getting itchy over here! I'm all set up to butcher.... If only these deer would be a little more cooperative!


----------



## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

I talked to my buddy this morning and he told me that his son has hunted a few times so far this season and has seen all kinds of deer. He took a doe about 2 weeks ago. Sunday night he apparently made a bad hit on a buck and lost him. He has been seeing deer every time he goes out. And this is in Auglaize county, not exactly a booming area for deer hunting. I asked him if he was in the oaks and the answer was yes, right in the middle of a big hardwoods.


----------



## lg_mouth (Jun 7, 2004)

Well, was really looking forward to setting in the stand last night until I realized the winds was gusting up to 20 mph! I sat in the stand anyway and, of course, saw nothing. There were a couple ***** that came in right at dark and I tried to smoke one and of course, missed and lost an arrow!

I also checked my camera and found a pic of a good sized coyote that ran off some deer that I got pics of minutes before his. This may be attributing to the spookiness of the deer.

I am hoping this weekend swings things back in my favor. 

Lg_mouth


----------



## CatfishWilly (Dec 30, 2007)

I have seen more deer scouting for new hunting spots during the day than I have when I was actually hunting. I will say though that I have been seeing them in both the day and evenning whenever it rains. Everyone I know keeps telling me that the deer lay down when it rains, but thats the only time I have made contact in the field. It was raining at 5 am this morning on my way in to work, and they were all up and down 261 in kent. I just assumed that they were cold and trying to move around for heat. Anyone else see them in the rain?


----------



## musikman43155 (May 14, 2008)

3 sits totalling probably 15 hours & I've seen 0 deer. I hope that changes tomorrow.


----------



## turkey guy 88 (Apr 13, 2009)

I have been hunting hard this week and haven't seen a deer... Not even the trail cam


----------



## player4x4life (Aug 21, 2006)

havent ben seeing much lately compared to a few weeks ago, but this morning the woods lit up, i seen a big doe early and decided its dinner tonite , after half hour not seeing anything else i walked over and got my arrow and confirmed what i tho9ught good hit, didnt even make it back where i was standing on ground and deer came out of no where , had a little fork horn 15 yards , and a 14 inch wide 8 point 10 yards , seen nummerous does also seen a decent buck but hadno good shot, all the bucks was hot on the trail of does, my doe died within 75 yards just over the bank and i swear one of the bucks put a scrape next to her, strait blood up to scrape the nothing just in scrape , other side of it strait blood again, well good luck every1


----------



## lg_mouth (Jun 7, 2004)

Awesome weekend in the stand. Saw 11 deer total with a shooter 8 who refused to come into range. Really lifted my spirits! 

Back at it this evening, then will be out of the stand until Sunday evening. Good luck to everyone.

Lg_mouth


----------



## mrtwister_jbo (Apr 7, 2004)

bow hunting report
10/28 jefferson co afternoon around a 75 acre plot
seen a total of 10 deer all skinheads,hunting oak a ridge an over grown fields
from ground blinds.most were just feeding along the ridge jumped 3 in one of the fields no shots 4 me or fellow ogf bonemann
10/30 jefferson co late mornin threw the afternoon same place
windy so we did a little scouting/hunting found a lot of scapes an rubs that wasn't there the day b4,a couple of the scrapes were real fresh.
as we were leaving one place 2 ride over 2 the other place i spot a nice:! mature buck bedded down over a high wall watching my buddy ride down the logging road below him, i think in my mind that it is like 35/40yrds being that it was so steep blew it big time shot right over his backthen he runs like 50yrds away an stands an stares at me 4 like 5mins then just walks over the hill
my buddy says he thinks it was only like 25yrds from the angle he was watching from.buck was 120 maybe130 nice wide,thick an dark but not real high,ended up seeing no other bucks but 4 more skin heads
10/31 same plot hunted early mornin till the wind blew us out
only seen one deer but it was a buck just a small 4pt
twister
going out this afternoon 2 a differant spot in northern jefferson co around 150 acre plot


----------

