Season Long Deer Sighting Reports

[sandbur]

We have similar success threads, but let's see a report on how many deer were seen while hunting on stand this season. Please indicate the state and general area of the state. I only count deer seen while hunting. Please also give a count on how many "sits"were made to see these deer.

 

[sandbur]

I hunted 21 morning or evening stands and had some days with many mid day hours.

Twenty one "sits" and I saw 6 deer. Five of these sits were during bow season and early Nov. I did not see a deer with the bow.

I saw one buck this year during rifle season.

My hunting locations are central and northern Minnesota. zones 172 and 221 to be specific.

I will add that most of my time is spent hunting funnels or travel lanes in the woods. I would have seen a few more deer on field edges.

 

[sandbur]

This has become the norm for me over the last 5-10 years. In the old days, I used to see about 20-25 deer per rifle season.

In the early 80"s I once saw 29 deer on opener of rifle season and saw 4 different bucks. At this point you can have selective harvest on bucks.

I strongly feel that those who speak of state wide APR's do not understand the situation that many of us have faced for years. We need more deer before we can make a choice on buck harvest. We need a high enough deer population over long periods so hunters can shoot a doe instead. I just do not see that happening in much of our state.

For now we need more deer so hunters can make a choice.

Get involved!

 

[bat man]

36 deer in 13 sits. Only one morning sit. My sightings were way down this year as the acorns rained good and I mainly sit over food as its the low hole in the bucket.

Muzzle loader season is when deer seen on stand will really go up for me.

SW big Lake Millacy, close enough I can hear the fish spawning with the right wind.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Northern Pa. is where my camp is located. I just spent the last week up there bow hunting. I saw 5 doe and 2 spikes in daylight hours. Mostly all day sits from several tree stands. Deer were not hitting our food plots until way after dark. Loads of acorns over miles of woods = no deer around the fields. It seems deer were filling up on acorns and staying put back in the mountains with no need to venture far. Bucks kept does chased in thicker cover. No shot opportunity for me up there this year.

On a positive note - the rye, wheat, and brassica plots are getting hit hard ( at night ) - so as the acorns decay, those plots are gonna be a bigger draw around gun season. They should provide good nutrition thru the winter as well.

 

[foggy]

26 deer for me while hunting. Four sits with my xbow and three with my gun till shooting a buck. Three bucks were seen.....balance does. Far more deer seen late in the day. Two coyotes.

 

[bat man]

I strongly feel that those who speak of state wide APR's do not understand the situation that many of us have faced for years. We need more deer before we can make a choice on buck harvest.

Get involved!

I would not be concerned with state wide APR's. There is no group 'working' towards that goal. Even the groups that are focused on that do nothing but whine. Nothing but lip flappingZero real action.

If McNamara does the about face we may be looking at, the only hope will be local coops. If our elected do not push the audit and change through, the DNR has no plans of allowing reasonable deer numbers anywhere in the state.

Hunter numbers will decline. It has already started.

 

[sandbur]

36 deer in 13 sits. Only one morning sit. My sightings were way down this year as the acorns rained good and I mainly sit over food as its the low hole in the bucket.

Muzzle loader season is when deer seen on stand will really go up for me.

SW big Lake Millacy, close enough I can hear the fish spawning with the right wind.

Brooks-that ain't the fish spawning you hear. It is the splashing from the spearing of the fish.

 

[sandbur]

I would not be concerned with state wide APR's. There is no group 'working' towards that goal. Even the groups that are focused on that do nothing but whine. Nothing but lip flappingZero real action.

If McNamara does the about face we may be looking at, the only hope will be local coops. If our elected do not push the audit and change through, the DNR has no plans of allowing reasonable deer numbers anywhere in the state.

Hunter numbers will decline. It has already started.

Would McNamara change his mind if MDHA asks for it?

 

[bat man]

Would McNamara change his mind if MDHA asks for it?

It would definitely help. His comments about micromanaging the DNR disturb me. Waiting to hear back from him.

He is not on the audit committee, but any long term changes the audit may suggest have to go through his committee (I think).

And MDHA has not responded to our request for verbage on the audit resolution.

 

[BuckSutherland]

2011-14 deer 5 days
2012-32 deer 7 days
2013- 5 deer 6 days
2014- 2 fawn 4 days, also got to see a propane truck almost smoke a wolf.

And by days I am usually talking 7-8 hours on stand. Absolutely dismal the last two years. NE zone 172. This is for me personally. Others in my group have done worse and much worse.

 

[wklman]

7 deer total in 8 days of hunting. 2 bucks and 5 does/fawns. Mostly seen opening weekend but that's the norm. Lots of pressure on the herd and they go nocturnal and hide in the swamp. I probably would've seen more but I stayed out of my woods as I'm trying to keep as many does alive as possible this year.

 

[sandbur]

The adult buck to doe ratio for my wife and I are about 1:1 and have been so for several years in 221.

The adult ratio for the deer I saw was 1 :1. Yup, one adult doe and 1 adult buck.

 

[sandbur]

2011-14 deer 5 days
2012-32 deer 7 days
2013- 5 deer 6 days
2014- 2 fawn 4 days, also got to see a propane truck almost smoke a wolf.

And by days I am usually talking 7-8 hours on stand. Absolutely dismal the last two years. NE zone 172. This is for me personally. Others in my group have done worse and much worse.

I did not see a deer while on stand in 172 this year.

 

[sandbur]

I fear for your long term deer hunting happiness in your area of 221 Art. I hope I'm wrong, but if 221 doesn't go to (at least) Managed next year I'll be surprised.

I suspect you are correct. 7 dpsm is just too many, I guess.

I feel most of central and northern Mn. could benefit from one deer limits, except for a few targeted local areas. Somehow, we need to target just those areas and not the whole management area.

 

[chummer]

I had roughly 20 sits from end of September to last weekend. My sits averaged 3 hours. I saw one doe and one running deer I could not identify. This is on the Tug Hill in Northern NY. It's already forgotten and I am on to next years plantings. Hoping for a mild winter.

 

[Natty Bumppo]

I've got 4 morning and 7 evening sits (about 3 hours each) and I saw 2 does, a spike, and a small 6. The 6 was broadside at 13 yards but I had a swirling wind and he did not like it. Off he went. Two more weeks of bow season, then 2 of shotgun, and then muzzleloader until the last day of December.

 

[Freeborn]

Difficult to say exactly the number of different deer I have seen. The does were the same group so I would estimate 7 does and 4 different bucks in 12 sits of 3 hours in length. Saw deer both in morning and evening sits with slight advantage to the morning sits.

 

[Bucks&Ducks]

MN gun season
9 sits 20 sigthtings 2 bucks (mostly different deer but a few couldve been doubles).

Easily the fewest deer I have seen. However judging by our trail cameras the numbers were about same as always. Something caused a major shutdown in movement a few days before the season.

 

[Greta&Gus]

East Central MN.

9 'sits' to date, 13 deer seen and only 1 buck while on stand. I have seen more deer while on the wheeler since the opening day of gun season. One more MN hunt on Friday and then off to WI.

In 19 years of hunting this is easily my least productive.

NovemberForever must be in a different world than some of us. I am envious and jealous of your situation.