Deer season is over...heavy rain

[roundball]

Today is the last day of Deer season in North Carolina and it's pouring down rain.

The good news is we need the rain badly, the bad news is I won't be going on this, the last afternoon as I'd planned to...had found some tracks coming into a field of young winter rye grass, hoped to fill a doe tag...not to be.

Let's see, how long is it until the first week of November again................
:shocked2:

 

[mikee51848]

Too bad, we've got til Jan 14th here in PA, weather permitting.

 

[Keppy]

You guys are lucky.We have a two week muzzlelaoder hunt in Minnesota. It ended December 11th

 

[roundball]

You guys are lucky.We have a two week muzzlelaoder hunt in Minnesota. It ended December 11th

Oh I completely agree...NC has a huge deer herd, and they're excellent deer too.

Our moderate climate yields long growing seasons for vast acreage in soybeans...the deer gorge themselves for months and months...they get plentiful and grow good healthy bodies & racks.

Bow starts after Labor Day, then ML / gun seasons start early October...all run through New Years with a half dozen tags.

Given it's my main hobby, I'm fully aware of how very lucky I am to be right here in the middle of it...

 

[Dave K]

In Ohio, we have bow season till the end of Jan. I am sure I will go out again. I do have a doe tag yet. But, I will probably go out to see the patterns of the bucks that made it through the gun season. Actually, I love it this time of year. No one else seems to go out. The outdoor world is darn near all mine to enjoy.

 

[Jerry M]

Maryland season ended on December 31. I only got out one day during the ML season, did not see a thing. We had a very cold December for Maryland. The Saturdays I was able to hunt (both modern and ML) were all in the 30s. Too cold for me to sit still for hours.

Hoping for beter luck next year.

 

[jdixon]

Roundball - you may have to pick-up of of those funny looking things with the string and those sticks with them sharp pointy things on the end and go hunting with that - I believe that season in most states runs into late January.

 

[roundball]

Roundball - you may have to pick-up of of those funny looking things with the string and those sticks with them sharp pointy things on the end and go hunting with that - I believe that season in most states runs into late January.

Yes, apparently some states do...everything in NC ended today though...bows, muzzleloaders, rifles, pistols, shotguns, etc...this year's deer season ended at 5:40pm this afternoon for everything.

I bow hunted for most of the 90's until I had my chest sawed open for heart surgery in '99...had to lay off pulling anything strong like a bow until my chest healed so I couldn't bowhunt that year...during the layoff I got into Flintlocks and have been consumed with them since...won't be starting back up with bow hunting at this point in my life.

I definitely enjoyed it for several years though, killed a lot of does and small September/early October bucks, but never did get a big one...always switched to muzzleloaders when ML & gun seasons opened in October /November...often thought that everything I learned in bowhunting helped me with close woods muzzleloading...

 

[Slowpoke]

I was in SC over the holidays and spent a couple days in the woods. In the Low Country of SC the season opens mid-Aug but end the last of December. Coming back from home to Maryland,, I about hit Roundballs's doe come through Catabwa county. :shake:

SP

 

[Rocky Johnson]

Jerry M You said that weather in the 30's was was to cold, that sounds like summer here in Michigan. :winking: Rocky

 

[freetrapper20]

Heavy rains here also the last day in NE NC. Rained most of the afternoon into the evening. The only interesting thing I saw that day was a fresh set of bear tracks as I walked into the woods for afternoon/evening hunt. Only put that one 8 pointer in the freezer this season, but overall still had a grand time. Never had a good shot at a second descent buck. For the season, saw a total of:
53 deer
5 fox
2 racoon
2 coveys of quail
1 bear came thru one evening and
one hawk landed next to me in a tree I was sitting in. Many squirrels and birds of course.
I always enjoy spening time in the woods even if I don't see a deer. No regrets at all. Just wish a little at times that in relation to bow and regular gun seasons around here, BP season was a bit longer. Get a bit more quiet time before all the others take to the woods.
Already thinking about spots for next season....

 

[roundball]

Heavy rains here also the last day in NE NC. Rained most of the afternoon into the evening. The only interesting thing I saw that day was a fresh set of bear tracks as I walked into the woods for afternoon/evening hunt. Only put that one 8 pointer in the freezer this season, but overall still had a grand time. Never had a good shot at a second descent buck. For the season, saw a total of:
53 deer
5 fox
2 racoon
2 coveys of quail
1 bear came thru one evening and
one hawk landed next to me in a tree I was sitting in. Many squirrels and birds of course.
I always enjoy spening time in the woods even if I don't see a deer. No regrets at all. Just wish a little at times that in relation to bow and regular gun seasons around here, BP season was a bit longer. Get a bit more quiet time before all the others take to the woods.
Already thinking about spots for next season....

Interesting...I saw a covey of quail this year for the first time in several years myself...maybe they're making a comeback??

Saw 5 bucks, passed on 1 and took the other 4;
Saw half dozen does and let the season get past me without filling any doe tags...knew I was going to get at loeast one in a rye field on the last day but it was raining too hard to go.

 

[guncobbler]

My son and I have one more day to hunt in VA. Monday sat in the rain all day and watched for rust. Finally got everything dry and greased last night. When the season is over I get to finish up the flinter I started this summer. Hunting just gets in the way of building guns. GC

 

[roundball]

Hunting just gets in the way of building guns.

:rotf:
I know what you mean...as soon as I filled my buck tags I was back the range shooting Flintlocks on Saturdays when I should have been out after does, but I just love shooting those dad-blamed things...still amazed that they work at all!
:grin:

 

[bigbang1]

Roundball you need to hunt in L.A. I mean lower Alabama. MUzzleloader started Nov 14th for 5 days then gun season thru the end of Jan. You can two deer a day, one buck and one doe or two does for 78 days thats 156 deer limit not counting archery season.Neat part is they have the rut in that area in late Jan. So we still have the best to come.We take a lot of does to keep our herd healthy and the ratio good. Also no bucks under 8 point. Better yet start ML in NC in Oct the finish un LA you could stock the food bank with venison

 

[roundball]

Roundball you need to hunt in L.A. I mean lower Alabama. MUzzleloader started Nov 14th for 5 days then gun season thru the end of Jan. You can two deer a day, one buck and one doe or two does for 78 days thats 156 deer limit not counting archery season.Neat part is they have the rut in that area in late Jan. So we still have the best to come.We take a lot of does to keep our herd healthy and the ratio good. Also no bucks under 8 point. Better yet start ML in NC in Oct the finish un LA you could stock the food bank with venison

I've heard about Alabama's deer population and bag limits...sounds incredible on the surface, and begs questions like what do people do with all the deer they kill, etc.

Also, one question I've wondered about is how many deer does the average Alabama hunter actually take, in spite of the outrageous bag limits and length of season.

For example, North Carolina's herd has continued to grow over the years and the number of deer tags that come with the annual license have increased steadily up to the present level of 6/year.

Yet the average NC deer hunter does not fill all his tags, so from a herd management perspective makes me wonder what benefit there is to simply adding more tags if the ones already provided are not all filled anyway.

So what's that situation like in Alabama...surely the average hunter isn't taking 156 deer/year, eh

 

[Legionair]

NY southern zone

= 1 buck Regular season
= possibly 1 or more doe any season lottery system
= 1 deer (any) Bow season
= 1 deer (any) ML season

Legion

 

[bigbang1]

Legion I would starve to death in NY. I usually give away more deer than you guys can take. Come on down south, Ala. out of state license is $250 for the year, but you probably will go home with some meat :yakyak:

 

[Old Charlie]

Roundball I have only killed one this season. I screwed up on two more I should have got.I think one guy has six in the club I belong to.
I think the thing is with the long season and big bag limits, most people that hunt will get a deer or two. I guess that one will be it for me this year as I go in for surgery thursday. So my hunting is at an end for this season.
Old Charlie

 

[roundball]

"...as I go in for surgery thursday. So my hunting is at an end for this season. Old Charlie..."

Reminds me of hunting season 1999...to make a long story short, it was decided in October that I'd apparently had a mild heart attack and needed bypass surgery...so I foolishly scheduled it way out on December 7th with the agreement to carry nitro-glyercine tabs in my pocket so I could hunt October / November...filled my deer tags, put away my guns, went and had a quadruple bypass.

Only upon reflection did I then realize that the seriousness of my medical condition was exceeded only by my stupidity...thought I was managing the situation OK by dragging a deer ONLY 50yds at a time then resting...just never had a sense that it was all that serious...duh!