Sum up your season:

[JIvers]

Could I get some advice/encouragement from others on this thread?

I'm having a nightmare 3B season so far. Never mind having shot a deer--after three full days of hunting I have yet to see a deer. I know this is not due to a drop in local numbers (Fillmore County) as there were plenty around earlier this fall.

My family has twenty and fifteen acre timber parcels along with about 100 adjoining acres of cropland, and a bit of slough. I have hunted our land for over twenty years, and have never endured anything like this. I am not sure what I can do about it (if anything) to salvage my season. Here are the factors to consider:

The fifteen acre timber parcel is normally reserved for family only. This year, the renter on the building site leased out the timber to a sleazy "outfitter", despite not having the right to lease land he doesn't own, and not telling my cousins who own the property that he was leasing out their land. That problem was discovered and fixed last week, but for two months this scumbag outfitter was marching his clients ($1000 for five days) through the timber to bowhunt. (I kicked this outfitter off our land several years for guiding there without permission from us.)

The twenty acre parcel is usually bow and gun-hunted by some friends of ours, and this year was no different. They did fairly well first season. They also (supposedly) did not drive the woods out, per our agreement to let them hunt for free.

Three days in to second season, and I have not seen a deer. I am not sure if they have gone nocturnal due to hunting pressure (including the scumbag outfitter and his clients), have moved to a large un-picked and posted cornfield a half mile away due to hunting pressure, or have not been moving around much due to the wind. Some snow on the ground would help clear those questions up, but we didn't get enough in Fillmore County to do that, and most of the ground is too hard to leave much in the way of hoofprints.

I hunt on stand, with some daytime stalking mixed in,and my normal productive spots are dead. I have also not seen any deer using other fields. Suggestions?

[96trigger]

Sounds an aweful lot like that land got hunted hard. During 3B it seems that the deer really get pushed and go into deer sanctuarys and won't come out for awhile, give it a couple of days to cool down.

[docc8]

I understand most people did not do well even in our area but we did very well. We shot 5 bucks. I shot a nice 10 pointer, another guy shot a 11 point and we also shot 3 young 8 pointers. I passed on several bucks including a nice 8 after I shot mine. I hope you don't think I am bragging. I thought it was odd that noone was shooting deer around us. It was one of our best years ever.

[2springers]

Who in their right mind would PAY $1000.00 to bowhunt for 5 days?

[BuckKiller]

I sure do like how some people are shooting 2 and 3 bucks. I was pretty sure that you can only shoot 1 buck a year(unless party hunting) what a joke?

you hunt the you want and ill hunt the way i want... i don't do anythin illegal

[Jameson]

My 2008 deer season so far:

First year bow-hunting was educational at best. Figured out I have no problems getting within 20 yards of deer, making the shot is a different story. Much more practice before I pick up the bow again.

Hunted both MN and WI early anterless seasons. No deer shot. I have hunted every year we have had the MN EA seasons, first year with no one in my party getting a deer.

Went North for the first time on firearms opener. Hunting Sat-Wed managed a BIG doe and a separate fawn doe. Party ended up with 7 deer for 5 folks.

Thurs-Sunday of first week I was in farm country hunting. Shot a basket 7 pointer the first evening, the only buck the party on the farm had within range all season. Plenty of does seen, no doe tags.

Didn't get out for the second week of rifle season unlike what I normally would do.

Tried Wisconsin rifle season for the first time this year. Small acreage with close neighbors will stop me from going back for more later this week. No deer seen.

Still muzzleloader season to go. I will have to pick up that license and give it a go.

To sum up the season I would say "average." This year I have 4 in the freezer(party hunting), last year at this time I had 5 in the freezer and managed one more with the muzzleloader. Last year was an above average year.

[Meat-Run]

My season has been fun up till rifle opener and turned ugly since. I can't pattern or even figure out were all the deer went that I was seeing all of September and October. I usually saw 6-8 a night or on a morning hunt and now I can't even find one deer. It's extremely frustrating and not sure what to do so I'm taking Wednesday off and going to hunt two different locations and hunt almost all day. Maybe I can then fill my doe tag.

mr

[The_Duckslayer]

I had a great season. I got to spend 4 days in the woods with lots of time to sit and think and relax. I was up there staying with some great people! I was up hunting with a very good friend! Everyone at the Aurora Legion Club was very friendly! Vi's does have good pizza! Mike makes some dam good "Patsy's"! Oh, did I mention that I even got to harvest a small deer? It's not all about the killing fellas! Take care and N Joy the hunt././Jimbo

[JIvers]

Who in their right mind would PAY $1000.00 to bowhunt for 5 days?

My mistake--the scumbag outfitter (he has been kicked off of other properties in our neighborhood for trespassing as well) only charges $650 for five days of bowhunting--$600 if you shoot something over 120 points.

Four days of shotgun hunting the first half of first season cost $1750. $1300 gets you five days of muzzle loader hunting with this scumbag.

I just spent another fruitless morning hunting the timber this guy screwed up with his fraudulent lease and trespassing--grrr....

[Wanderer]

I had a great season. I got to spend 4 days in the woods with lots of time to sit and think and relax. I was up there staying with some great people! I was up hunting with a very good friend! Everyone at the Aurora Legion Club was very friendly! Vi's does have good pizza! Mike makes some dam good "Patsy's"! Oh, did I mention that I even got to harvest a small deer? It's not all about the killing fellas! Take care and N Joy the hunt././Jimbo

Agreed!

That's why visiting several places in a season instead of staying put in the best one for hunting adds so much. I like the people and the good times.