Muzzleloader season

[GRIT]

Has anyone else noticed less shots this muzzleloader season.
I have been seeing deer all most ever time i have been in the woods during muzzleloader.I have seen 7 bucks and lost count on the doe,s i have seen so far.
Either other hunters are not seeing deer or the number of hunters are down this year.
Kinda of a strange season so far.

 

[Bone Collector]

I have noticed it. Another theory is people are holding out for bigger deer. Like you i have seen several deer and several bucks, but nothing i want to hang a tag on. Ironically Sunday I got skunked, but heard 4 shots in the distance...

 

[PickettSFHunter]

There's just simply a lot less deer to shoot at where I am.


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[Andy S.]

There's just simply a lot less deer to shoot at where I am.

Same in my area.

 

[Labboy]

I'm also seeing plenty of deer. With the 2 buck limit I'm being a lot more selective. Last year I got my 2 bucks in 3 days. The evening hunt after I tagged out in the am I saw 3 bucks bigger than the 8's I tagged. Needless to say I was sick and my son was having trouble getting a clear shot on em.

 

[hunter0925]

I have been much more selective personally. I have had very few hunts this year that I couldnt have killed on, and usually I would have done just that, but this year I have slacked off and am only waiting on specific bucks unless kids are with me. I think more people are doing the same.

 

[larry ipock]

There's just simply a lot less deer to shoot at where I am.


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This x 2

 

[poorhunter]

Can't blame it on the weather like many are want to do when it's too warm or too cold or too windy etc etc. Can't really ask for better hunting weather so far, but I've heard fewer shots too. As far as deer sightings, I have seen more deer than ever, just no bucks. Today I hunted all but 2 hours of daylight and saw deer all day long, over 30 does, but not one buck. I have never ever seen more than 7-8 in one day. No rubs or scrapes or anything, but I have confidence that'll change next week!

 

[Bgoodman30]

Yes for sure. Peak rut seems to be a few days behind for us.


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[Tennessee Lead]

There's just simply a lot less deer to shoot at where I am.


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For sure
I've been 8 times and saw deer on 1 hunt so far. 4 mornings and 4 evenings. The morning hunts have all been till noon or all day. All public hunts. Have 3 days off this week hopefully the sightings will pick up.



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[bwgarrett3]

I've hunted 4 times and seen one 8pt. He was a bonus deer on Catoosa and I shot him. 3 more full day hunts and haven't seen a deer. Driving me crazy...especially after reading the posts on TNdeer. haha

 

[MUP]

Less shots where I hunt, and less deer, as in 0 deer seen since ML season opened, no does or bucks.

 

[TX300mag]

Deer sightings and sign are up noticeably around here, and neighbors are reporting same.

The newness of liberal doe limits has worn off and people are being more selective with fewer buck tags OR are tagging out sooner.




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[Spurhunter]

There's just simply a lot less deer to shoot at where I am.

Same in my area.

X3. I was blaming the logging but I'm not even hearing shots on the properties around me. I'm not seeing many (any) deer, not getting many pictures on a dozen cameras, and not seeing any sign. I haven't found one single scrape and very few fresh rubs. All this on a property where I could kill a deer pretty much any day I wanted to previously. I can't explain it. I got an invite to hunt a 200 acre river bottom farm that hasn't been hunted yet this year in Mississippi so I'm headed south Friday.

 

[Mike Belt]

This is the first year since I started deer hunting in 1973 and started partaking of all 3 weapons seasons that I haven't bow hunted and only muzzleloader hunted twice. Confidence in seeing many deer outside of the pre-rut and rut is at my all time low... and this is on a massive property that has been under deer management for the last 12 years.

 

[Mr_TTT2]

I have seen a few more deer this year. But I think I heard allot less shots and seen less hunters cars on the public land where I hunt.

 

[CoolBreeze]

Few deer and very few shots. No auto traffic at 5 am where I hunt either. I usually see deer pushed by hunters. Not this year. Maybe most are waiting on Gun season to get out. I still believe it's the weather. Spent hours yesterday scouting and did not see one sign. It's got to get better because it can't get worse.
I know TN has a 3-doe per day limit, but I will not shoot a doe this year. We need to grow more deer and does are the only way to make that happen. I hope colder weather will make them move. :bore:

 

[CHRIS WILSON]

I have noticed it. Another theory is people are holding out for bigger deer. Like you i have seen several deer and several bucks, but nothing i want to hang a tag on. Ironically Sunday I got skunked, but heard 4 shots in the distance...

Yep...I was in the woods several days last week and saw 20+ deer, 7 of which were buck.....just nothing I wanted to pull the trigger on. Played tag a couple of days with one deer I'm sure was a mature buck but never could get a decent shot on him. He wanted to stay in the thick stuff further up the hill, so I could only catch glimpses of him the days I saw him. Didn't really see a lot of chasing going on last week in Wilson county either. I don't believe many does had gone into heat as of last week.

 

[Mike Belt]

Contrary to our club's management decisions or even TWRA's for that matter, I wish they'd eliminate shooting does at all for the next 2 years. I'll still probably shoot a couple for freezer meat but I'm not into the numbers game.

 

[jb357]

There's alot of factors. Mast acorn crop, EHD in the east, 3/day limit is overdue for reduction, public lands are a joke, and our license cost is rediculous.
Not to mention our ML season is stupid. 2 weeks of hunting for the same price as a rifle tag. Your average hunter isn't forking out the money for a ML and a tag when they can wait a couple weeks for gun season.

 

[TX300mag]

I've counted 21 shots this morning in northern Henderson Co. I bet nearly all were bucks.

I've been hunting exclusively with my kids (age 5-13) and we've been seeing deer steadily on the two farms we've hunted. Kids are being more selective than I would have them, but they're seeing deer almost every time they're out.

People around here simply won't kill very many does.


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[Hardwoodmaterials]

All of muzzle loader season I saw 1 big doe with a fawn. I only heard 6-8 shots while hunting. How does the kill numbers look at the end of muzzle loader?

 

[JCDEERMAN]

There's just simply a lot less deer to shoot at where I am.

Same in my area.

X3. I was blaming the logging but I'm not even hearing shots on the properties around me. I'm not seeing many (any) deer, not getting many pictures on a dozen cameras, and not seeing any sign. I haven't found one single scrape and very few fresh rubs. All this on a property where I could kill a deer pretty much any day I wanted to previously. I can't explain it.

Pretty much the same thing here. I'm hard pressed to get any deer on camera (13 cameras on 700 acres). It is blowing my mind. I've seen 16 deer on 4 sits since Thursday, but haven't seen a buck or gotten a pic of a buck I'd like to shoot since August.