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Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 17,242
Campfire Ranger
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OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 17,242 |
Do you guys ever have seasons where it seems that your entire deer herd goes nocturnal for a while? I know too much hunting pressure can do that with deer and hogs, but we've not been hunting much over the last few weeks and deer movement has slowed to a crawl. Cameras reveal lots of deer but only nighttime photos. Everybody around us is reporting the same thing. Our acreage is in a very rural area with a lot of different landowners and several big hunting clubs but it is now rare to hear more than one gunshot on a weekend evening. Everybody is scratching their heads. It's been pretty warm lately and the moon has been bright, but this seems really odd, as we're not doing any very different from previous deer seasons. Of the last 5 times I've been on a stand, I've seen one deer, total. That hasn't happened to me in at least 10 years. It's weird.......
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 57,477
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 57,477 |
Ours at home have done this on ONE side of my property... but not the other???
At the deer lease, its normal as its ever been, if not better, regardless moon etc.... but mostly because they are a bit hungry as the acorns ran out awful quick this fall and I feel for our deer... they will have a tough time come Jan/Mar because all the other dumbazzes quit feeding, while I"m pouring my wallet out to the deer....
But I've seen exactly what you are talking about and have no explanation, other than typically its moving a long way to a new food source, but that doesn't then explain all the night pictures of plenty of deer IE normal numbers you seem to have.
I can tell you that from hunt to hunt sometimes its weird... 2-3 hunts in a row with 20-30 deer and then the next hunt, no explanation, IE no wind rain etc.... might see 5 deer and all might come out 1.5 hours later than they normally do.
And at that time I"m not even seeing them in normal movement on the natural trails, much lesss around the feeders.
I'm lucky that I have a big funnel area and I'm up on ridge and can see lots of movement even in years when they don't come by the feeders. So I tend to see whats actually going on too, vs whats influenced by hunger.
We can keep Larry Root and all his idiotic blabber and user names on here, but we can't get Ralph back..... Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, over....
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Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 17,242
Campfire Ranger
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OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 17,242 |
We had the biggest acorn crop in many years and they've been hammering the hardwood areas up until recently. It had the early season somewhat messed up regarding certain stand locations, but the deer were still moving in the daylight. Our feeders would often go several days untouched but we'd catch deer roaming. Now it seems that they are finally hitting corn and our food plots, but only at night.
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 41,964
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 41,964 |
Been the same for us, this season !
The 2 of us have seen 4 deer on stand in over 120 man hours of sitting, yet have literally 1000's of night time trail cam photos.
Thankfully, we chose to put the hammer to the 2 bucks & 2 does we did see.
Season ended 45 minutes ago.
I do think, the timing of the 2 full moons during our season had something to do with it.
It is normal for our bucks to go nocturnal once the pressure starts, excepting the rut, but never seen it like this year where the does were, for the most part, seemingly nocturnal too.
Paul.
"Kids who grow up hunting, fishing & trapping, do not mug little old Ladies"
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Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 1,583
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 1,583 |
They got a lot of food and or pressure from trail camera usage. I know guys that can't go 2 days without checking multiple trailcams on their place. It's nice to know what's there but I believe excessive traffic to check them causes more pressure than folks think. Oh and temperature has a lot to do with daylight movement I believe
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 3,009
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 3,009 |
I hate to say it, but I'm glad to hear it! Before opening day the deer were at the feeders like crazy. In two days I had 332 pics on the trail cam. I've been going crazy trying to figure out what is wrong this year. The first three days of season were pretty good and then it went downhill. Every time I went to the lease I saw fewer deer. The last three times out I have seen only one deer. And after shooting two hogs they have disappeared also. The local game warden blames it on a bumper acorn crop, but I'm thinking there may be more to it. What I'm not sure, but I've seen more bob cats and gray foxes than normal also. Maybe they are more visible because they can't find the deer either. I still managed to put two in the freezer, but I like to spend the rest of the season watching and taking pics and there's nothing to watch. Anyway, I'm not really glad your experiencing a tough season also, it's just that misery loves company and I'm glad it's not just my lease.
"An open message for all Democrats; "Look you are nothing and your work is worthless. Anyone who chooses you is detestable." Isaiah 41:24 (HCSB)
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Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 17,242
Campfire Ranger
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OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 17,242 |
I know what you mean. Definitely something off at the moment. We've not seen one buck worth shooting on our place. Our neighbor hunts a ton, as he is semi-retired and he says he has not pulled the trigger on a buck yet either, which is unusual. Maybe some weather changes and less moonlight may mix things up.
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Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 96,121
Campfire Oracle
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Campfire Oracle
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 96,121 |
Most miserable deer season I've had. NOTHING is moving, NOTHING.
"Dear Lord, save me from Your followers"
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Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 9,525
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 9,525 |
As the land ownership, landscape (available deer habitat), and hunting tactics have changed over the last 10-15yrs the deer are becoming much more nocturnal here in ND. In the not to recent past nearly everybody lined up and performed "deer drives". Actively sending walkers through cover whether it was CRP (tall weeds), cattails, fence rows, tree rows, etc, etc, etc, it got pushed. Fast-forward to present day, a goodly percentage of landowners have erected permanent elevated stands and have provided some sanctuary cover for deer. As a result, deer get pushed into these sanctuary areas and also become basically nocturnal because that's when there's no pressure on them. A guy used to see deer moving all day because they were being pushed from one parcel to another by different groups of hunters all day. Now they get pushed around until they find sanctuary and hole up until dark.
I can walk on water.......................but I do stagger a bit on alcohol.
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Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 401
Campfire Member
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Campfire Member
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 401 |
When hunting in West Tennessee on our place its been about normal, except for rutting activity that was early.
On some of the public land I hunt close to home in Middle Tennessee I've definitely noticed earlier than normal nocturnal activity, especially with the does. I expect it with bucks, but not so much with the does.
The Orange Army descends here from about the first week of November until thanksgiving and usually sightings pick up again in mid December. Things seem to be changing though. Fewer and fewer does seen, but heck a lot of them are killed also.
I've often thought we might be killing too many does, and need to rethink the three per day limit.
Last edited by paint; 12/15/14.
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Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 2,214
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 2,214 |
Havent seen one since thanksgiving weekend here in middle tn.
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Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 19,107
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 19,107 |
I have seen this deer disappearing act for several years, with no way to explain it. Hunting pressure the same before they disappear, during and after. Moon phase doesn't account for it, nor does the food supply. I always thing that our deer numbers must be way down and then all of a sudden things go back to normal. Sometimes it is after season is over, but it happens. miles
Look out for number 1, don't step in number 2.
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 10,102
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 10,102 |
Most miserable deer season I've had. NOTHING is moving, NOTHING. +1 .... When acorns started raining my good bucks disappeared. Only pics I get now are in the night. Suck ass season on my lease.
Last edited by slg888; 12/15/14.
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 11,274
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 11,274 |
They have been fairly nocturnal here for years. Folks that move here from other areas really struggle with it. Some of the bigger bucks are almost never seen during the day. There are times when you can hunt for many days without a sighting of a deer. Maybe that is why I am doing more small game and waterfowl hunting.
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Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 109
Campfire Member
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Campfire Member
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 109 |
I'm having the worst season I've ever had. 95% of trail cam pics are at night. Deer sightings in the daytime are almost none. I've seen more coyotes on the trail cam pics than ever before also.
Eric
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Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 4,070
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 4,070 |
Same here. Fewest sightings I've ever had on this property (12 years), and by a long shot.
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Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 9,569
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 9,569 |
heavy acorn crop have not help deer movement here in va. either. coyotes had does bunched up early to.i have not seen many deer just feeding during the day all season. high winds,warm weather didn't help in acrhery season.i know lots of good hunters that have been skunked this year.
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Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 96,121
Campfire Oracle
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Campfire Oracle
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 96,121 |
WTF is that all about? Crazy stuff.
This is only the 3rd year I've hunted my property, but the previous 2 years if I went 2 days without seeing a deer it was odd.
I haven't seen a deer since before Thanksgiving.
"Dear Lord, save me from Your followers"
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Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 26,524
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 26,524 |
Low numbers seen here as well.
Normally I have one shot from the house by now and I haven't seen jack, nor schit, walking the bean field/tree line.
I blame �bama, bad cops, and scotch on the rocks.
I've seen enough squirrels to make up a deer, though.
One tree near the pond I counted 8 running for cover when a hawk landed nearby. 8, from one tree.
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Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 17,242
Campfire Ranger
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OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 17,242 |
Saw 8 rabbits Sunday evening in my grass patch. Three booners....
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