Frustrating not seeing deer
- Thread starter Speedwell-Hunter
- Start date
Omega
Well-Known Member
Nothing but squirrels today for me as well, so maybe it's just the warm weather.
Skunked this evening myself
catman529
Well-Known Member
if they're showing up regular on camera but not when you hunt, it's likely they know you're there. Either they see or hear when you come in, or the wind is bad and they smell you. Also, you've only hunted it 4 times. 4 hunts without seeing a deer is frustrating but it's not the end of the world. Especially if you're new to hunting...you're gonna have some slow days. But it's all a learning experience.
Also I'd quit spraying all that scent. It probably does nothing to help. If they can smell the spray they can smell you too. If they can't smell the spray then it's not doing anything anyway. No win
Also I'd quit spraying all that scent. It probably does nothing to help. If they can smell the spray they can smell you too. If they can't smell the spray then it's not doing anything anyway. No win
encore06
Well-Known Member
Claiborne county
Easy3actual
Well-Known Member
Welcome to the world of hunting. All it takes is time. one second it's dead the next deer are all over the place.
Quoting my hunting buddy…"if you killed something every time they'd called it killing and not hunting."
Quoting my hunting buddy…"if you killed something every time they'd called it killing and not hunting."
It happens to everybody from time to time.
I spent nine hours in the woods today, and never saw a deer. I did see 6-900 hundred squirrels, and around 40 turkeys that tried to take me hostage during my midday nap. Had to shoo them off with my hat.
And, I swear I saw a possum that was a large as a Koala Bear.
I spent nine hours in the woods today, and never saw a deer. I did see 6-900 hundred squirrels, and around 40 turkeys that tried to take me hostage during my midday nap. Had to shoo them off with my hat.
And, I swear I saw a possum that was a large as a Koala Bear.
Madbowh
Well-Known Member
Change your cameras to video I did for the first time this year and you get so much more info. Change spots, if that's the only spot for sitting that's no good don't put all your eggs in one basket. Try just a little regular doe pee or even a small squirt of some acorn spray its just a hopeful cover scent along with scent away and rubber boots, I scent away everything and wear rubber boots and scouted new areas just to set up and watch a big buck walk the same way I did. If I have a few days really close together I will not just hammer the same spot 3 days max in the same area and I'll move out sit different spots morning and evening, take different paths in and out I don't mark trails ever
brassmagnet
Well-Known Member
So, it's not like fishing, it's deer shooting?? And the deers aren't doing right? Dumb deers, step up and be shot, like you're spossed to. Next up, why aren't these crappies biting?, I've been fishing for like two minutes and nothing!!! I've got to get done so I can go to the car show and let people look at my car.
RedDawg
Well-Known Member
If the only reason you go to the woods is to get a deer, then you will be frustrated as the deer are not informed of your intent and would probably not oblige you if they were. A more robust appreciation of all the experiences available when communing with nature and wildlife may help alleviate the frustration. Stick with it. Take in all that the experience has to offer.
lol man you should've tried hunting in the late 70s and early -mid 80s where I grew up we were lucky to see a few deer all year long!
Ive had the privilege to hunt lands loaded with deer, own lands that had a few deer, and now own land that has a healthy deer density, and I feel your pain. there were many many times I almost gave up hunting for lack of having deer sightings, but instead my love for the challenge cause me to dig deeper into what I was doing and what I could do better
You may be coming in and bumping the deer out in the mornings changing up their routines in the evenings. I have a field that's secluded from everything else on my farm. If I try to hunt it in the morning and get busted the whole day stinks. but if I wait and go in the early afternoon the late afternoon is awesome on that field.
How new are you to hunting, you'd may be better served to get a climber or ladder stand and set it up outside the area (like 2-300 yards if possible) you think deer are or are getting photos and take you binos and watch them. Sometimes they act dumb and mostly are but they know their living rooms, dining rooms, and bedrooms very well and adding scent to them and noise puts them on alert.
jmo. good luck. don't give up. I hunted 5 days in MO two weeks ago from daylight to dark and saw very few deer. but then the last day the switch turned on and I saw more than I could keep up with.
Ive had the privilege to hunt lands loaded with deer, own lands that had a few deer, and now own land that has a healthy deer density, and I feel your pain. there were many many times I almost gave up hunting for lack of having deer sightings, but instead my love for the challenge cause me to dig deeper into what I was doing and what I could do better
You may be coming in and bumping the deer out in the mornings changing up their routines in the evenings. I have a field that's secluded from everything else on my farm. If I try to hunt it in the morning and get busted the whole day stinks. but if I wait and go in the early afternoon the late afternoon is awesome on that field.
How new are you to hunting, you'd may be better served to get a climber or ladder stand and set it up outside the area (like 2-300 yards if possible) you think deer are or are getting photos and take you binos and watch them. Sometimes they act dumb and mostly are but they know their living rooms, dining rooms, and bedrooms very well and adding scent to them and noise puts them on alert.
jmo. good luck. don't give up. I hunted 5 days in MO two weeks ago from daylight to dark and saw very few deer. but then the last day the switch turned on and I saw more than I could keep up with.
blind hunting is tough, I am almost always glassing so I don't get board.
Hunted with a youngish man and his son this year, not together but the same farm. When we met up in the evening we talked. They had seen 2 deer jump as they left for the day, disappointed and excited. I asked if they had bino's they said yes and then mumbled something about looking through their scope. My advice was the deer were there, they just didn't see them because they weren't looking, they need to be glassing and see the deer before being seen. I had just arrived earlier that day and hadn't gone yet.
Next day I'm up and out before all but 1 of 6 of us are even up. Years ago I scouted out the farm, locked in all the sign, created a map of the place and still use it today, the patterns are clear with the map. By 10am I had a deer down, but would never have seen it without glassing. I saw it's hind sticking out on one side of a tree, head and neck the other. Standing still except for pounding a hoof It new something was wrong but hard't picked me up. It was the shot opportunity that decide it for me, a tough neck shot, my heart raced at the opportunity, the Mossburg went off, the deer hit the ground.
I saw the kid later, he asked how it happened and I said I saw it before it saw me. Don't know if they brought anything home as I left, but I hope the kid puts down the phone he was playing with to bide his time (his words) and starts hunting like he means it.
I had hunted with his dad when he was a kid, he still tells stories about me, used that very Mossburg then too. Just before leaving I showed him the new scope that sat on the 12ga. I could see the emotions stirring in him as he held it. He said "the Mossburg took another one". Took me a second then smiled and said "Yes it did".
I hunt a lot out of ground blinds now. I cut a hole with the screen down to shot out of and leave all the others closed. Get deer 10 yards from me. Shot this one at ten yards never knew I was there. People are right get rid of that scent stuff only thing I do is wash my clothes with Scent wash. I do use the Tinks doe and heat 10 foot spray have had a lot of luck with it he came in with it. Everyone has gone thru what you going thru just keep at it.
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Levee Jumper
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After a whole 4 times without a sighting and considering giving up, I believe your long term options are Pork, Beef or Chicken.
Chiflyguy
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Just spent 20 hours in a tree this weekend and saw nothing.
All deer movement at night up here in Northern Illinois
Plus we have a stray dog problem.
They've been green lighted
Chiflyguy
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I hunted 11 years before I got a deer.
4 seasons before I ever saw one.
I just dig being out in the Big Guys creation.
Hopefully your not in East TN. Imagine growing up in middle TN used to almost always seeing deer and then get lucky to see 10 in a season. I knew it moving here though
Also sounds like a change up would be beneficial. Just go in and change spots. Set against a tree in a different area and see what happens. I've killed almost all my deer from the ground btw
Cheshire
Well-Known Member
I don't know your situation, but if you can plant food plots. I use to struggle to fill my freezer some years. Now I in in late October/ early November I see deer almost every time I go to my plot
