Well the day has ended & NOBODY was shooting during the last few minutes of legal light in my area. I went back out at 3p & still there were no nearby shots, just a few sporadic distant ones.
Thunderflight
Dignitary Member
Wow.... Sounds like I'm not missing much. My buddies in Knox county didn't have that exciting of an opener either.
I haven't seen as many people out. I am thinking a lot of people shot multiple deer during bow and aren't taking vacation time to gun hunt . I hunted yesterday afternoon and saw 6 does and 2 bucks . One was a maybe shooter . I did shoot 2 does tho. Was only gonna shoot one but after I shot and recovered the first one a one came by towards dark with a noticeable limp . I assumed she was injured so I shot her . She had been shot in the front leg earlier in the day. She would of recovered but I didn't know that at the time .
Not much shooting in my area either yesterday. Almost no shooting today. The neighbors friend shot a 40 lb yesterday.
I had 5 does & fawns withing 100 ft early today. I have one tag left for a buck only.
I didn't see any deer yesterday in 11 hrs. Hunted 11 hrs again today.
Frank
I had 5 does & fawns withing 100 ft early today. I have one tag left for a buck only.
I didn't see any deer yesterday in 11 hrs. Hunted 11 hrs again today.
Frank
oakswamper
Member
26 deer in Lucas county (urban county) lol , what a joke, the metro parks have so much land locked up in my area, unless you are buddies with a landowner you can't find a place to hunt. I have heard 4 shots in 2 days and 3 of them was my neighbor shootin pigs lol.
I had 3 guys waitin for me when I got back to my truck wanting permission, seemed like nice guys but I'm still after my buck.
I've seen 5 does and a little 8 so far
I had 3 guys waitin for me when I got back to my truck wanting permission, seemed like nice guys but I'm still after my buck.
I've seen 5 does and a little 8 so far
dante322
*Supporting Member*
The rise in popularity of bowhunting is one part of it. The economy is another, guys just cant afford to take that time off anymore. They cant take the whole week so they just take monday, which would explain the drives so early in the week, as well as the increase in harvest numbers. Or they take off the later part of the week. I expect there to be a lot of activity this weekend.
My drive home takes me from Xenia, up route 68, across on 334 to route 4 and north to Marion and then 309 to Galion. 115 miles from door to door I was looking for hunters in the woods on the way home yesterday and spotted 3, I saw more deer than I did hunters. Today, I didn't see any at all.
My drive home takes me from Xenia, up route 68, across on 334 to route 4 and north to Marion and then 309 to Galion. 115 miles from door to door I was looking for hunters in the woods on the way home yesterday and spotted 3, I saw more deer than I did hunters. Today, I didn't see any at all.
buckstar25
Junior Member
I couldn't hear a damn thing Monday morning besides dozers, excavators, welders and trucks! Before they started working I counted 0 shots as of 7:30. I could only hear close shots with all the commotion but I totaled 18 by the time I climbed out at 1:30. Had wide open shots at 7 does but the swarm of workers made it impossible to shoot.
Back home it sounded like gun season, about every minute a shot or volley o shots. Difference in hunting, a lot of deer drives around here. On the way home I saw 2 orange vests where I normally see countless. Anxious to see what the final total is.
Back home it sounded like gun season, about every minute a shot or volley o shots. Difference in hunting, a lot of deer drives around here. On the way home I saw 2 orange vests where I normally see countless. Anxious to see what the final total is.
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You guys are nuts. I've seen more people out today than I ever have even on the weekend. Seemed like everywhere I went today the orange army was out. It's almost to the point where a bowhunter has to forget hunting shotgun and drive around asking people who they are and who gave them permission. I think it's a combo of people being out of work and the price of meat at the grocery store. Stupid. Makes a person want to quit deer hunting or lease a place.
No shortage of hunters here in Highland county, just a shortage of deer. I didn't even carry a gun while I was out. I was waiting for trespassers. The drivers know what properties they can get away with trespassing and where they can not. Makes me want to be at 3 places at once so I could watch them all. My neighbors woods gets raped every year by the slob drivers, I heard them shooting Monday morning, I just can not get there on my land at the same time. Shouldn't have to worry about crap like that.
Brings me to a point, how many deer would be killed during gun season if no one did deer drives?? Probably would see the same reduction in kills if no one baited during bow season. I choose to do neither and hunt deer on their terms and not mine. Just a personal choice, but I would not feel right or accomplished doing it any other way.
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I stopped and chatted with a group tonight heading home from work. He asked me where the hell all the deer are? I told him EHD...
I may not be seeing deer during the day, but they're certainly moving about these past few nights around here. I just came in from having the dog out & I could hear some out behind the shed. My phone was chiming away when I walked back in. Just a doe & half rack.
Our drive home Monday was loaded with hunters, not one had a deer in plain sight.
Tons of trucks, treestands, but no deer.
My gun spots sucks these days. Between this and getting cussed out for walking up on a bowhunter the day before gun (on public), I am really thinking about buying a place.
Tons of trucks, treestands, but no deer.
My gun spots sucks these days. Between this and getting cussed out for walking up on a bowhunter the day before gun (on public), I am really thinking about buying a place.
huntn2
Senior Member
Haven't been out do to a work project but talked to a neighbor of a property tonight. He has been out both days with little to no shooting. Saw guys out all over including the Wildlife Officers. He and his wife were stopped tonight and checked.
Said he had a group of buddies hunting all day sits yesterday and today with no one seeing a single deer. Guess I haven't missed anything. I took a quick drive during lunch today to do wonderful e-check and saw 4 trucks within 1/2 mile of when I crossed into "huntable" ground.
Said he had a group of buddies hunting all day sits yesterday and today with no one seeing a single deer. Guess I haven't missed anything. I took a quick drive during lunch today to do wonderful e-check and saw 4 trucks within 1/2 mile of when I crossed into "huntable" ground.
Huckleberry Finn
Senior Member
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I drove up to Seneca County from Columbus and saw less than a half dozen trucks, 3 solo guys (one dude was at least 30 feet up) and one group of pushers leaving a barn. Pretty surprised.
i put on 26 miles this morning scouting for trespassers and for my buddies hunting. I saw zero deer. I saw 2 hunters. That would be my buddies hunting. Now tonight was different. Deer were moving. One of my buddies was out and saw a shooter. I saw a couple other trucks out but my scouting trip was short. Saw a dipshit hunting one of my properties. I see him stand up as I am driving so I roll down the window. Sure enough I hear the shotgun bark and watch 8 deer blow out to the south and 4 to the west. Probably the most deer I have seen in this wood lot in several years. One was a dandy shooter. I got some still pics of him from the truck but they are not great. Diesel truck shakes too much for good photos. I get a phone call from another guy parked along the road in orange across from him. He said this guy knows him and said he shot at "a bullwinkle" but missed. Good. That is about all I can say. Stupid slob hunter shows up twice a year. Got permission from my neighbor because (in my neighbor's words) "he wants to take his boy hunting and film him." Funny. I have never seen his boy with him the times I have watched him walk out of the woods.
Long story short. I can't wait for gun season to end. Numbers are double in both my counties for opening day versus last year. With very few visible vehicles in my road scouting reports all I can think is the ones hunting must be connecting.
Long story short. I can't wait for gun season to end. Numbers are double in both my counties for opening day versus last year. With very few visible vehicles in my road scouting reports all I can think is the ones hunting must be connecting.
lung buster
Senior Member
I took my kids out this evening and we heard 0 shots during legal time. It was scary quiet! Walking out we heard 2 distant shots around 5:30 or so. I had to work 12 hrs last night so i was driving home around lunch time and going through our small town you could definitely tell it was gun season. There was orange everywhere you looked. The two small restaurants were packed and every truck had a 4 wheeler in it. The hunters are out, the deer are not.....
Gordo
Senior Member
Seems like gun season isn't even happening in my world. Strange.
I haven't hunted it in a while, but can always tell its on just by running around the county to do everyday stuff. Not this year
I haven't hunted it in a while, but can always tell its on just by running around the county to do everyday stuff. Not this year
Driving 47 miles on Monday I only saw three hunters in the field. Pretty easy to see usuall in Morrow. This was right at 3P for the ride there and 4:20P for the ride back.
Saw a couple trucks with deer and people in them in Delaware County though.
Saw a couple trucks with deer and people in them in Delaware County though.
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I can't say I've seen less deer up there where I'm hunting. But I've seen way more hunters.