Giving up for this year.

[Pittsburghunter]

Well I have hunted the whole regular rifle season with a m/l this year but I am running out of time and all of my close range woods have been non productive.

I am going into some bigger woods with the potential for 150-200 yard shots and it is buck only so I am going out with my .308 bolt for the rest of the year.

I was hoping to get a deer with my m/l this year now I am hoping just to get a deer. Oh well I did put a pretty good effort in though.

At least I won't have other hunters telling me " You know it is rifle season now" and I won't have to say "This is a rifle". lol

Always next year.

 

[dwarvenchef]

Haha hear ya there, I get that when I handgun hunt as well as when I carry my ML. Some people scare me...

 

[cayugad]

I've had the same kind of luck so far as you. It is our modern rifle season, but I am still using muzzleloaders. Today I carried my Renegade .50 caliber. I figured there would not be a shot over 50 yards.

Although I was up in the tree again this afternoon, the way the wind was blowing and the snow and all, I doubt I could have got a shot if I had wanted to..

You start to wonder after seeing nothing all season, why your up in a tree bundled up against the blizzard and winds, with hand warmers tucked in each glove.. I guess some people just like to hunt.

Good luck in the rest of the season, even if you are using a .308 . You have to consider filling the freezer also.. Go get a nice one now!!

 

[Pittsburghunter]

Odds at this point arn't in my favor. I have not scouted where I am going and it is buck only now. What I can't figure out is how areas can be vacated by the deer so fast unless the scouting it self scared them. We also had real erratic weather this October and I think the real rutt is just getting started.

 

[mikelange]

I've gotten completely skunked on a piece of property where, last year, does did everything but walk up and stick their tongues out at me (only had a buck tag at the time) and I saw a nice buck but choked. It ain't me -- I've had tree fleas (squirrels) pick fights with piles of leaves within a yard or two of me, and a turkey walked up to within 15 feet before it realized I was there and went off like a feathered bomb, straight up. I've seen exactly two does -- no shot possible -- and heard two different ones blow and take off. Much the same story all around this part of the country. It's become as much a matter of stubbornness as enjoyment to go out. I'm not complaining about conditions, just stating the facts. Still have two more days of firearms season, then muzzleloader starting on the 2nd of December -- if by-god perserverence and just being on-site when the deer finally show up counts for anything, my chances are still pretty good. Plus, it means a lot to just be able to do this, however successful or not I ultimately am.

 

[leadball]

That windchill was below zero yesterday. Did you get the lake effect snow?

 

[cayugad]

My buddy that I hunt with said the wind chill was -22ºs and I believed him. Up in that tree it somehow felt colder then that. It really snowed hard for a while. I expected more accumulation though..

 

[Protrucker]

Watch.....you'll be carrying your long range gun now & get a buck at less than 30 yards! :haha:

 

[XXX]

Just returned from hunting 3 days on
the south tip of Diamond Ridge in Pittsburg,
NH. Only deer seen were 2 does driving out
last night. There was pretty decent amount of
tracks and a few beds considering the area.
There were about 10 -15 hunters all weekend
on the 9 mile logging road between Magalloway
and Diamond Ridge.

 

[JeffD]

Good luck to ya! I've had the same kind of season. Been pretty slow and I'm about ready to hang it up. Like you said...there's always next year.

 

[cayugad]

I'm starting to feel kind of silly out there looking at leaves and snow all day... But tonight will be better. I just know it. We got new snow last night and it is still snowing.. maybe they will be moving tonight.

 

[Chiefs50]

I hunted 11 days out of the 16 day Michigan season and didn't see a QDMU legal buck. Four of the other five guys I hunt with all saw multiple bucks though not all were QDMU legal. I hunt in Dickinson and Menominee Counties, in Michigan's U.P. Very changeable weather - going from rain to snow to cold and windy, (down to 9 below zero on the morning of the 26th), then warming and back to rain again. I do plan on getting out at least a couple of days during the upcoming ML season.

 

[Catof9tails]

The weather this year I think has put a spin on deer activities. In the norm, peak rut for whitetails is right on Thanksgiving Holidays in South Dakota in the Black Hills. I've seen this as well in western Montana. However, this year the bucks are about six days behind schedule in my area. I've tried different tatics, but with no luck. It's been a tough season for me with lots of hunts. Only thing I can say is keep trying. A day in the field is a better day than spent at work.

Keep your powder dry and watch your six!
Cat9

 

[tnlonghunter]

It's nice to know that I'm not alone. I've not got a shot all year either. I had one buck bust me from behind during bow season. He turned off because I couldn't turn without him seeing me :cursing: After that, nothing but does 100 yards away, running away, during bow and saw not a hair during firearms season here. Got a few days of ml season after I get done with final exams this week, then it's home to TN for Christmas where the season runs til January 9 or 10!
I'm like Pittsburg now. I'll have to go with my .308 Ruger single shot down south, just to get the best chance to fill the freezer. :shake:
Oh well, thanks for lettin' me gripe.