How Many Deer Do You Expect to See in One Hunt?

[SwampCat]

I read on this forum about hunting and not seeing a deer for days. Depending on which stand I hunt on my place, I expect to see from 2 or 3 to 15 or more. I know everywhere is different. If I went several days hunting without seeing a deer - I would quit shooting them. I would expect to see a deer or two everyday hunting public here.

How many deer do you expect to see during a single hunt - and if you arent seeing a deer for days, how do you justify shooting one when you do see it.

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

I did get skunked once this year and was baffled. I must have really stunk. I’ll usually run from 4 on a really bad sit to 25 or so when they are moving well and I can see a lot

I like to think back and remember when I was hunting timber company land in Georgia and we’d go an entire weekend as a deer camp and maybe see a handful of deer. I spend and entire 3 hunts and not see anything routinely.

 

[Natty Bumppo]

Here in the big woods of the Northeast I can go weeks without seeing a deer. Last year I saw a single buck in 3 months of hunting...bow, shotgun, and muzzle loader. That's why tracking is the preferred method for the truly Northern big woods forests. During bow season when I stand hunt in my small food plots I've carved out of the timber, if I see a doe or two every other hunt I'm happy. Seeing a buck is a once in every 7 or 8 stand hunts.

 

[SwampCat]

I did get skunked once this year and was baffled. I must have really stunk. I’ll usually run from 4 on a really bad sit to 25 or so when they are moving well and I can see a lot

I like to think back and remember when I was hunting timber company land in Georgia and we’d go an entire weekend as a deer camp and maybe see a handful of deer. I spend and entire 3 hunts and not see anything routinely.

It has been 55 years ago, but we used to hunt on the Oconee River in GA. We would hunt almost every weekend for eight weeks and might see four or five deer.

Even on my place now, 15 years ago, we would go three or four hunts and not see a doe. We knew the neighbors were killing a few. We stopped killing does for 8 years - and that included the 8 yr old grand daughters.

 

[356]

2025 has been better than 2024 (slightly). So far I've seen 51 deer in 115.5 hours of hunting (40 sits) for an average of just over 1 deer per session. In 2024 I went 100 hours without seeing a deer (an anomaly, for sure). This is just the sighting portion of the log....the other section has weather, comments and harvest data.

 

[Barndog56]

Eight sits during bow season on my own 5 acres and saw a pair of does once, harvesting one of them.

Seven sits on public during this week's rifle season, saw deer on 4 occasions, shot the only doe that was in range.

I justify shooting them because there are more than enough deer in those areas, I just don't have a big destination field or food plot to sit over. I have to pick a trail deer use, and hope I'm lucky enough that one of them chooses that trail as well.

 

[H20fwler]

I feel I’m not average at all for my county.

6-10 a sit. Sometimes more.

 

[Native Hunter]

5 to 25

 

[Telemark]

Totally depends on circumstances, but I get really disappointed if I go a full day without seeing a deer, no matter where I'm hunting.

 

[Brian662]

Very rarely get skunked on a hunt but it does happen on occasion. Normally those occasions are when a season structure has me hunting allowable times (example late doe season in WI) and I can't hunt the weather patterns like normal.

Average hunt is 10-35 deer depending on length of sit, time of year, hunting over food, etc. Had a few hunts of 40-50 deer over late season food. Most bucks seen was on a Nov 9 rut funnel, saw 11 bucks in 4 hours.

 

[Feelslikefar.]

"Expect" to see? None.

If I go sit on the neighbor's right of way, I expect that I will eventually "see" a deer even if it takes several days or a week, even if it's just running across at 20 mph.

The last time I had genuine expectations of seeing deer for sure was in the early 2k's bow hunting. I had a spot were I knew if I was in the stand 2-4 evenings in a row, doe would come down the hill and walk past me at least one of those evenings. Never shot one, it was always right at legal light (or then some) and I never felt comfortable trying to track one in the dark. About that time maple syrup lines went up and changed their travel pattern and my great spot was no more.

I started deer hunting in 1985? Back then a hunting "season" may have been 2-3 days. I didn't get a shot at a deer til 1990-91? Didn't kill one till '93.
Now my "seasons" are 7-10 days of gun. 3-4 days of bow. MAYBE 2-3 days of muzzleloader. My success rate's about the same now though despite more days in the field.
I shot a deer this year, last one before that was 2018-2019?
(I am also the "luckiest" hunter in the world , in between those years I shot at and missed 4 deer. "Missed", meaning I hit branches and other vegetation deflecting shots. I can shoot at a deer in an open field and hit the one damn little twig thing growing in it. I've had scopes lose their zero for seemingly no reason, I've had a scope mount fall off a gun after being rock solid for 50 years prior. I'm blessed in that way. lol )

 

[bueller]

How many deer do you expect to see during a single hunt - and if you arent seeing a deer for days, how do you justify shooting one when you do see it.

Bow season I expect to see 1-3 deer per sit but zero sits are not uncommon at all.

Gun season I expect to see on average a deer every other day. Sometimes it's a group of 4 one time in 7-8 days of hunting.

I typically pass on several opportunities each year and only harvest one leaving a number of tags unfilled. If I waited until I was seeing 10 a sit before pulling the trigger I'd be dead before eating venison again.

 

[Catscratch]

"Expect" to see zero. Usually see 3 to 10.

Depends on time of season and how I'm hunting. I could sit the edge a bean field and see 20 does and spikes a night. Or I could sit a mile away on a small bedding area and maybe see one mature buck and nothing else.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

About the same as Busller
Bow season I expect 1-3 deer on average. Gun season, if I see 5 for a nine day hunt, it is above average.

 

[BuckSutherland]

North Central MN rifle hunter (wolf country w/ severe winters)

This year I saw:

9 deer opening day on my land (1 decent buck that I let walk by an hour into the season)
Nothing on day 2
Nothing on day 3
Nothing on day 4

Then I left and went home for 8 days and came back on Wednesday heading into final weekend

Wednesday I saw nothing
Thursday I saw 2
Friday I saw nothing, but heard them after I kicked them out of some THICK cover
Saturday I saw 8. Kicked some out of beds walking then had another group bust me from behind (new spot)
Final day I saw 10. (new spot)

I expect to see 1 decent buck per year that I wont shoot. Average is closer to .75.

I expect to see 1 buck that I want to shoot about every 5 years. My last chance was 2019, I think. I really bungled a nice 10pt with about 1/2" of ice on my scope. Totally my fault. It was freezing rain/sleet, 25-30mph wind. I was probably the only idiot in the woods that day. Was too busy trying to keep my balls out of my throat to worry about the scope.


Adamantly against shooting does in my zone. We used to have LOTS more deer. Most I ever saw at one sit was 27. Saw around 20 several times back when our population was strong. Now its at 15-20% of what it used to be.


Don't need to see a deer every time out, but I start getting pissed by the 3rd or 4th day.

 

[BenA]

Usually I see 1-3. This last week was horrible. I saw 4 deer total over 7 days.

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

Usually I see 1-3. This last week was horrible. I saw 4 deer total over 7 days.

Dang. What do you think happened

 

[BenA]

Dang. What do you think happened

I'm at a loss. My property has extremely limited pressure all year, even during the off season. My cover is better than ever. I have basically a funnel where all my food is on one end. One of my stands is set to where I can see almost anything that even tries to move towards the food. Even my cameras were showing few deer. Baiting is big around me, but I would have thought I would have at least had some of the best bedding cover they would stay in during the day.

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

So this was last week as in post rifle season? Would seem like most folks bait piles have likely run close to dry. It’s interesting for sure. Wish I had some insight into why it was so slow.

 

[BenA]

So this was last week as in post rifle season? Would seem like most folks bait piles have likely run close to dry. It’s interesting for sure. Wish I had some insight into why it was so slow.

Yes. After rifle season. I didn't hunt rifle season this year. Neighbors are still getting pics of bucks over bait. These are cob piles. I guess on the ground cobs trumps on the stalk cobs. I don't blame the neighbors or anything like that. They're great people. I just wanted to try making great natural habitat in hopes that it would make baiting not necessary. I think the amount of cover in the area makes food so much more valuable. There's plenty enough timber with topography to hide deer in this area. Food is limited. That is the direction I'm going to move in.