Just Not Into It

[megalomaniac]

I just don't deer hunt unless I'm bored outside the rut. I probably won't even hunt until new years day on my local lease. It's just that unproductive.

Plenty of other stuff to do... hunt mid Nov in TN 1st rut. Fish early Dec. Hunt 1st prerut mid Dec in Starkville. Hunt TN 2nd rut right before Christmas. Fish last of Dec. Hunt early Jan in MS. Fish late Jan. Hunt early Feb in MS. Fish and scout for turkeys 2nd half of Feb and early March. Turkey hunt from mid March till end of May. Sleep after that.

 

[Soft Talker]

This is the first year we've had zero shooter bucks on camera preseason. I know that doesn't mean they aren't there, and I will probably force myself to go this weekend since it's November and I can tote a rifle, but I'm not excited. I guess that's the negative to trail cameras. I think I would rather go fishing honestly, but again, it's November so you never know. The buck I killed in December was slap full of corn. I called the game warden and told him about it. I said, "apparently one of my neighbors is baiting." He said, "it's probably more than one." I suspect the shooter bucks I'm not seeing are living fat and happy around a corn feeder somewhere nearby. I have always been anti-baiting, but I'm starting to question that. If they are breaking the law and seeing shooter bucks, and I'm following the law and not seeing shooter bucks, that just ain't right. However, the influx of people in the woods Saturday should have the deer moving around. I'm ready for the rut when the bucks don't care about corn and will be out looking for love.

 

[Hymie3]

I'm 56 and not feeling it like normally. Haven't bowhunted one day. Not done that in many years. About to go to Missouri for a week bow hunt. I am excited about that.
While I like cameras just for general inventory I have ZERO respect for corn baiters during the season. Worst idea in the history of deer hunting to make that legal (in some states) imo. A sign of laziness and lack of desire to learn outdoor skills. Rant over as some of y'all say….

 

[TNTreeman]

I haven't bow hunted once this year because of time ,the heat , and probably won't but three things get me excited. 1) chasing the bride around the house till I catch her 2) sitting in a tree watching deer 3) chasing the bride around the house till I catch her. Hope that never changes.

 

[Snake]

One of the reasons I quit running cameras

Ditto . Reason I quit was because I hunted this one particular buck and had one decent buck normally I would have shot but held out to never see him . My place is small so I just took my cameras down .

 

[muddyboots]

They will walk by a feeder to eat acorns.

 

[THEdonkey0515]

I went hunting on public land a couple weeks ago by the house it looked like someone's corn bag busted going up a dirt road. They was a trail of corn for 100s of yards it killed the mood for me the rest of the weekend.Being on call 24/7 even on vacation still getting calls asking questions while trying to relax in a stand makes it hard also. Got a call while at LBL last weekend about a busted pipe/flood, then another about someone cutting the lock on our work shop stealing about $700 worth of tools. kind of hard to focus and relax at that point.

The game warden didn't seem to care much about the corn, btw.

 

[bowhunterfanatic]

The older I get and the more I talk to people the more I realize just how few people hunt deer without using corn.

 

[ImThere]

My brain read "just got in to it."
Clicked on this to read the juicy scoop. Needless to say I need to slow down on reading titles! lol.

 

[WestTn Huntin man]

They will walk by a feeder to eat acorns.

Definitely a Bumper Crop.

 

[JeepKuntry]

Lord's willing I will be out Saturday. Then Ky the following weekend. I will say it's getting harder to hunt East Tn. I hunted one time the past two weeks. Maybe I am getting old, and on one hand I think I'm losing the drive. Never thought I'd say that but it may be the truth.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

You never know what will happen in November. I wouldn't worry about what's on camera. Yes, they can tell you a lot. But I've also shot deer I haven't seen since July-august. And some I've never had on camera.

 

[REN]

One of the reasons I've never ran trail cameras all these years. That unknown hope that somehow a 150 class deer is around my spot or something else special is the last bit of "youth" excitement I have left at my age.

Every year I get less and less interested due to busy life and kids etc. that "you never know" feeling helps me get up at 4am lol.

 

[Gravey]

I have mixed feelings on cameras. One of our guys runs them and I love seeing the pics of what's there but on the other hand I like the element of surprise when a buck walks out. If he gets my blood pumping I'm going to shoot and if not he gets a pass. Cellular cameras are definitely the way to go and if I ever do start running some that's what it will be. I'm too far from our lease and the less people in and out the better.

 

[Ski]

I have sat on stand many times and seen multiple deer, but not a single one walked in front of my camera. Had I pulled the card or opened the app, I would have assumed there weren't many deer in the area.

That's why I don't rely on cams to decide whether to hunt or not. Just tonight I was sitting in stand overlooking a scrape that has a camera on it. A 10pt came cruising behind me 50yds from scrape and cam. Never seen the buck before and cam was nowhere near catching him.

I use cameras a lot and really rely heavily on them for a lot of things. But deciding whether to hunt or not has nothing to do with what I see on the cams. They only see a tiny spot, like focusing a telescope on a single star in the night sky, thinking no other stars exist because you can't see them through the lens.

 

[philsanchez76]

That's why I don't rely on cams to decide whether to hunt or not. Just tonight I was sitting in stand overlooking a scrape that has a camera on it. A 10pt came cruising behind me 50yds from scrape and cam. Never seen the buck before and cam was nowhere near catching him.

I use cameras a lot and really rely heavily on them for a lot of things. But deciding whether to hunt or not has nothing to do with what I see on the cams. They only see a tiny spot, like focusing a telescope on a single star in the night sky, thinking no other stars exist because you can't see them through the lens.

That's hilarious, same thing happened to me tonight too. Saw a buck ive never seen on cam pop out just beyond the scrape. My camera probably should have caught him but it didn't. Id never know he existed if I wasn't sitting there watching it.

 

[Spurhunter]

And I really mean that to encourage you spurhunter

That's how I took it.

 

[Spurhunter]

That may be the least assholey thing you've ever posted on this forum cowhumper. I'm guessing your favorite stumpbroke heifer didn't put up a struggle tonight and that put you in a good mood.

 

[deer hunter 21]

I am going through pretty much the exact same thing, as a matter of fact I just posted a new thread about it before I seen this but I'm still gonna hunt I'm just not as excited about it.

 

[AT Hiker]

That's what she said….