Biggest change you've seen?

[waligators]

So whats the biggest change you guys have seen as far as deer hunting goes in your area the last 5 years? For me it would have to be groups making drives is nearly non-exsistent. Only saw one group make a drive all season. I like that hardly any one around here does it any more.

[Boar]

I was the first in our party to start stand hunting when we bought our 80 now thats all we do an that was ten yers ago or more. Niehbors stand hunt, pretty much the whole area dose now till the last day an then there are little drives done sometimes. Thats probaly the biggest change ive seen too. I grew up party driving an grew tired of it quick.

[hunter322]

+1 on the less drives. we used to do drives all the time during the afternoon now we never do. mainly due to the acreage we can hunt has diminished big time and its getting harder and harder for us to get permission where we hunt. but for me i would have to say the biggest change ive seen in recent years is the diminishing size of our deer herd. i dont see near the number of deer that i once did. i still see a good amount of deer just not as many.

[lakevet]

Slob hunters and jerks who hunted rifle season and now can hunt muzzleloader season too.

Not all hunters who hunt both seasons are slobs, but a significant minority are.

Never used to have any hunter conflicts in muzzleloader season. Now have them pull up and chew us out for hunting "their spot and their buck" on what is public land that we were at first. Tying up private property access because they might be hunting muzzy season if they didn't get what they wanted in rifle season. And trespassers during muzzleloader season. Oh well, got a few good years in. And it still is better than rifle season zoo. At least there is always the hope for brutal weather that chases the bad apples into their house (home or fish house).

lakevet

[mrklean]

Havent seen as much pressure on the public land that connects to ours, saturday morning is busy then dies fast which im fine with

[Pinusbanksiana]

5 years ago we didn't hardly see deer. Or tracks. I have seen 4 so far this year, one buck that didn't get shot yet.

[surewood]

Increase in bowhunters. Many more people have taken up archery around here.

[Meat-Run]

I have to second surewood there's more people bow hunting and competing for the same public and private land.

MR

[96trigger]

It would have to be either the decrease in deer numbers during the 2011 and 2012 season, or the 3rd year after APR. I saw a close to 200 inch typical buck in the bed of a truck yesterday, it was shot Sunday night, but I don't want this to become an APR debate.

[paceman]

I would agree with the less drives and more sittig in stands theme. Perhaps were getting older and smarter but more enclosed heated stands are being built and folks are just sitting and waiting. I do that as well and enjoy it more than pounding the swamps. Also we now have Twolves on our land. have them on the cameras and this year saw very few fawns... Not good.

[Jameson]

1)Fewer deer. (not saying any of these are bad/good things.)

2)less deer drives/more stand hunting.

3)more bowhunters.

4)more women afield.

[eyeguy 54]

My body doesn't work like it used to.

[Musky Buck]

Lots more bow hunters, thickest muzzy zone in the state, more stands, thank goodness I have access to the cover in the area because these deer are so spooked by all the field stands that it's getting tougher for them to have deer surface in shooting light which means if they are moving at all they're staying in the cover where I am.

[slimngrizzly]

I see less deer, less hunters, less drives, but longer more accomodating seasons... so in the end, most everything still seems to get shot.

[jay83196]

More complaining, seems like instead of us hunters just enjoying getting out we complain about each other, antler size (APR) , baiting etc etc. I remember when I first started hunting and listening to my dad and other hunters they just had fun. Now its like everyone is a biologist and thinks they are right and their way should be everybody's way....I know its cuz there are more of us and less land but still gets old! I spend a lot of time scouting putting out cameras traveling etc and I haven't shot a deer with a gun for 3 years either cuz I let small bucks go didn't have doe permit or saw nothing! I still had fun just nice to get out we can't all shoot a trophy every year.

[hockeybc69]

Definitely more hunters in the woods with the combination of all the weapons, seasons and lengths.

[bigbucks]

For me & my group, a lot less drives. A more spread out hunt. A lot more stands that I can say I've sat in with a gun & not just bow. Overall it's a much more relaxed deer hunt. That said we don't have quite the same camaraderie we had when we all got together by 10am & spent those two days driving together. We were all kind of there when somebody got one doing that & it was more social. We're better deer hunters now, but there are elements that I miss too.

The other thing that's really changed the atmosphere of the hunt is all the texting. You see pics of your buddy's deer or get weather reports from everybody who are hunting 20 miles away or across the state, whatever. You shoot a deer & send your wife a pic right from the spot. She rolls her eyes, which you can't actually see, & then texts back, good job...

[96trigger]

I find it funny that many people are seeing the same thing across the state. Bigbucks, your group sounds just like mine. At one point in time we had a dozen people that hunted regularly together, we met after the morning sit, did a few drives, then went back out and sat. We are now basically all day sitters and we hunt on our own. I do miss some a lot of the BSing that went on and the excitement of doing drives, but there is more about it that I don't miss. I like being able to hunt all week and know that the deer will still be in the woods.

You also hit it with the texting etc... I have a couple of stands where I don't get any service, and then as soon as I come out of them and get service, my phone goes nuts. It's fun, but it can defeat the purpose of just getting away too. I've tried leaving it in my truck a couple of times but somehow it always ends up back in my pocket.

[Musky Buck]

I guess another change is much smaller deer seem to be the norm, back in the 80's if your buck didn't dress 240 or more you had no chance to win, heck I got a 238 pounder and got third place behind a 265 pounder and the winner a 272 pounder, dozens of 200+ pounders weighed and registered at our local big buck big doe contest until the state shut it down. It's become a rarity the 200 pounder and it used to be every farm in our area had 1 or 2 hanging high, those were the days and it was a short 2 day season for most or 4 day 2nd weekend, most didn't bow hunt and no 1 muzzleloaded and the deer had areas to grow old in, now everything is hunted or it just isn't there anymore meaning the cover. If trailcams would've been around in the 80's our jaws would be laying on our laptops, monsters, multiple monsters were in area 240 then, several boone and crockett class goats and no they weren't easy to come by, they got old and smart for a reason.

[TRZ II]

Musky, Is there anything positive left in deer hunting? Maybe you should hunt a different area or invest in a time machine. Deer hunting was fun in the past and it is fun now. It is not all about the harvest. I enjoyed the friends and family at camp 5 yrs. ago and I enjoy them now. Deer numbers are down in my area too, we really have to work hard to get a deer but that is part of the fun for me, it aint a game farm. Nobody drives anymore, people are too lazy or old. I will be doing alot of drives this weekend and will get some bucks movin again in my area. Good luck to all on this last weekend. AND STAY POSITIVE!!!!!

[rayguy]

I hunt zone 108 and one of the biggust changes is the cutting of the large trees in our area. Now we have much more brushland and cutovers, good for the deer but harder to hunt. Also it seems hunters are now staying further South to hunt. More deer there I guess. Also permits have dropped way down. Only 100 this year.

[257ackley]

It seems like people expect to shoot a deer every year. I remember the years of bucks only when you were lucky just to see a deer. I have hunted very hard this season with limited success so far but still enjoy just being out there!!

[Jeff13]

More people hunting the public land by me. County keeps chopping the woods down and hunters are being squished together. Also we can't hunt out of a permanent stand any more on Cass County Land so you see more hunters getting piled up in the same spots. Those permanents were kind of a sign to everyone that "this area" is being hunted. Now everyone is using portables or ladders and steeping on each others feet more often.

I have noticed more scum bags in the woods though, EX: stealing stands, garbage, thinking you can drive ATVs where ever and when ever.

Not all bad though, Deer population still seems good in my area and it's still fun!

[Getanet]

I find it interesting that so many people are doing less drives. I thought maybe my crew was the only one that just wants to sit in a stand now.

Biggest change for my group is they banned any motorized vehicles on the state forest land we hunt. Our stands are a few miles down an old logging trail, and while I sound like a wuss for saying it, it's made the hunt less enjoyable. Mainly, I haven't found a way to walk 2-3 miles in your hunting gear without getting all sweaty, then you get cold sooner because you're soaking wet. Also, if you shoot one, you better start hoofing it out because it's going to take you quite a while to push it out of the woods on a deer cart. Once or twice I've questioned if I would shoot a deer toward the end of the day, unless it was a nice buck.

Also, hunting with my party is much more of an individual pursuit now than a team activity.

OK, I'm off to get a box of Kleenex now.

[Musky Buck]

Sorry Olden days but that is the biggest change, smaller venison overall, I didn't say it was bad but it aint good in my book, slaughter em then, that's why they're getting smaller. People can use a dowel nowaday to hang them, we used to need railroad ties. The positive side is easy dragging. I'm sorry I like large deer like in the "olden days". What's wrong with having or wishing for more mature deer around ? No it's not about the harvest but apparently it is for many or these deer would grow larger. The years I don't tag one are just as rewarding because I let small deer have a chance to see another birthday and I get to hunt longer. I just like the thought and the chance that there's a few big ones around, they're very very few and far between today. I burned many a tag when there were plenty big boys around, but you always had that optimism the next year indeed, today, that's a different story.