2023 Deer Season

[tcecil88]

The good Lord blessed me with a nice one this morning. I got him with my home rolled .350L AR and Winchester Deer Season XP. He went maybe 40 yards and fell over.

 

[model1994]

saw a red fox first thing in the morning. And I’m happy to report a healthy population of squirrels/chipmunks in my woods lol

I also saw a decent buck chasing a doe, but they were gone as quick as I noticed them. Unfortunately they ran to the neighbors land

 

[66chevelle]

We saw one deer this morning in southern ripley county . There is very little deer sign and no rubs or scrapes. We have never seen so many squirrels before. Usually we have a lot of deer sign and turkeys roosting all around us but not this year. No turkeys or feathers were found.

 

[Michigan Slim]

Daughter got a nice one this morning. We both saw a couple does. Great day!

 

[Mgderf]

Brother took this 8 pointer early this morning.
I took a huge doe about 20 minutes later.
Uncle said he didn't even see any deer.
Kind of wonder if he didn't fall asleep.
I saw a total of 8 deer this morning. Saw a decent 6 pointer, but I let him walk.

 

[Tryin']

This morning was an awesome respite from an absolutely crazy week. About 20 minutes after settling in, I saw two does come out of the timber patch, looking behind them every so often. They they meandered about 200yds across the open field, constantly looking back until they ended up about 20 yards in front of me.

Sure enough, a buck stepped out behind them. His body size gave him away as being more than a third doe. He had been chasing them from the looks of things. He was breathing heavy, huge puffs of steam bracketing his skylined head. It was first light, and I couldn't see his rack at all. He traveled from left to right along the woodline, obviously stalking the does. I saw a good flash of white tines against the woody backdrop and wondered if it was the huge eight that had been gracing my cameras.

The does were still nervous, and made more so by my slow movement in bringing my gun to bear. I had dozed back off after my alarm and arrived in the area too late to set up my blind. I was leaned back against a large cottonwood, totally exposed to the close-range deer. I snicked off the safety and the does bolted. The buck froze at 135 yards, quartered-to, and the crosshairs settled.

At the shot, he whirled and plowed into the dirt, going less than twenty yards from the impact. I took a couple of pictures and went to go pick him up. He was not the hoped-for eight, and I don't know if I would have shot him if I had gotten a full look in better light. But he has some good character, and was clearly a fighter. I have some trail pics of two bucks fighting, and I believe this is the victor of that match.

It was a perfect morning.

 

[Gunmetalgray]

This smart little buck is camping out back, waitin for the doe to come to him!

 

[Leadeye]

Still nothing this evening, seems like something combed the deer out of my woods. Heard very few shots though.

 

[cg21]

We sat tonight no shots no deer honest I heard 1 shot…. That is crazy for opening day in my area I don’t know what was going on but the deer were not moving

 

[Hookeye]

Didn't see nuthin but squirrels.
My stand was stinkin, as some buck made a scrape 10 ft from it.
But he busted the sapling trunk and only half made it LOL
Proly one of the little ones seen in bow.

 

[Hookeye]

BTW, anybody remember the ol Lewis "Strapper Retriever" ?
I loved those things.
The new haul lines various places sell suck.

 

[indyjohn]

This is all I got.

 

[bobjones223]

Saw 14 does and 3 bucks in the morning sit from the Bunker.

The bucks were good size 8-10 pointers but with their share of problems. One was missing his left antler and had a bad limp in the front left leg. Another had lost all the points on his left side and had a limp also. The third one was nice on the left side and non-typical on the right side....interesting rack but still have plenty of time to see what else is out there.

Also had a coyote and a Husky come by durring the morning hunt.

We also made hot chocolate and coffee while we were sitting in the bunker.....best hunting I have ever had.

Should have built the bunker YEARS AGO!!!!!

 

[w_ADAM_d88]

Virginia opening day was a success! Dad and I both got a buck! 7 pointer for me, 5 pointer for my dad.

 

[bobjones223]

Is it me?

Judging by the activity I saw with the bucks and does on my camera and in the woods it feels like we are not in full Rut yet in Hamilton County??

 

[tcecil88]

Is it me?

Judging by the activity I saw with the bucks and does on my camera and in the woods it feels like we are not in full Rut yet in Hamilton County??

They were chasing hard this morning in my spot in Perry County. Last week I got lots of pictures of bucks I had not seen before.

 

[Hookeye]

Proly in lock down.

 

[yetti462]

Yesterday was an event filled day. Started off walked down through a pack of howling coyote, my boy was a tad uneasy. Then the first shots of the morning had turkey shock gobbling. We sat in stand till 1:00 only seeing distant does. We migrated to the food plot from our morning perch.

Starting at 1:50 we had spikes chasing a doe, 2 spikes, then 3 spikes, then a fork and 3 point. My 11 yr old passed on all the dinks. The boy did great for an all day sit but was wanting to pop a doe. I explained to him with a hot doe around to be patient. The doe parades by 9 different times. After she got bred by a spike, larger horns appear.

Jr. Did great for an all day sit and has more great memories of his favorite pastime.

 

[phylodog]

Saw a few turkeys yesterday evening. The squirrels aren’t even moving here this morning. I just heard a chipmunk fart 200yds away it’s so dead out here.

 

[phatgemi]

All quiet in Franklin County. Check of the DNR harvest numbers for Franklin show the lowest number for 9 years. Only about half of previous years. Guess the NO doe rule really having an impact!