Deer are hitting the brassicas hard

[Bowhunter2004]

Can I ask how you knew he wasn't going to make it to the next year? (Besides being killed by you lol)

He was stupid! I grunted him in and chased him away three different times in one afternoon, I finally shot him the third time after thinking about all the Guys in every tree with crossbows surrounding me. He never had a chance.

Edited January 8, 2018 by Bowhunter2004

[MZ7Extreme]

Gotcha...  Am not so lucky lol. Never shot a buck yet (4ht season) but my goal was 2 1/2 or better buck. I could have shot at least 20 year and a half bucks but I let them walk in hopes I will get my opportunity.

 

Although I did have 4 opportunities and failed on every try lol. 2 different bucks I shot over them one busted me grabbing my bow and the other I came to full draw and he hung up at 50yrd, and never came in.

[MZ7Extreme]

I hear you on your health issues, and glad you are working on them, the thing that gets me is that you say there aren't any deer that get you excited by you. I used to be a trophy striper fisherman, I didn't think a fish under 40lbs was worth targeting. I have 3 50lbs fish and one 63 1/2lb fish under my belt. (I literally fished for stripers 300 days a year)

 

One day I said to myself what the hell happened to me, I lost it, I lost the happiness in striper fishing. I said I will go back to light tackle and fishing the pier in the shadows at night. Grab my rod and went on my way. My second cast I caught a 5lb fish and from that moment I was back, the thrill was back the fun was back, I was back.

 

Guess what I am trying to say is, try and bring the fun back. I love the woods and if it takes me 10 more years to kill my first buck then so be it. To me it's about the scouting, hanging new stands and just observing nature, whether it is squirrels, fox, birds, owls, deer and everything else. I just enjoy nature.

[_X7]

I’ve been here for 10 years now, but I only hunt behind the house now, and honestly I hardly ever do that anymore. I use to have pretty big Deer around that would excite me enough to want to get me in a tree before getting serious and leaving for illinois but it’s been really lame lately. Lately I’ve turned into one of those guys that talks a lot about hunting but hardly ever gets out anymore. My health, my knees, my weight, my heart, my Lyme disease, my age, I’m falling apart at the seams, I hate to admit it, but no matter how hard I push, I just can’t physically do what I use to do anymore. I’m trying to turn it all around, but I have some serious health hurdles to overcome. I repeat myself on here a lot, but it really has to be a high probability situation for me to be willing to put the effort in locally anymore. This sucks!

Don't feel like the lone ranger is a favorite line of mine. I've been off my feet for the better part of 2017 and only got out a few times. I was happy I was out when I could go with the help of a friend. I might complain about it now and then, but I'm not going to become a drama queen about it. It is what it is. Sucks getting old. Be happy you are upright. I just made a video for a girl who passed away from the complications from Lymes. She was only 51 years old.

 

Deer hunting used to be an obsession with me like it is with you. I used to lose sleep over it and spend countless hours playing the game. I can talk about it because I lived it and breathed it. In the end its just hunting. It is what it is. If it makes you miserable maybe its time to pack it in or at least try and get your health squared away. It appears you don't want for anything other than a booner. I'd give my left nut just to walk without problems let alone just get in the woods to take it as it is and realize there is more to life than obsessing over giants. I found out the hard way about putting my wants over my needs. Oh yea, did you ever see the deer in the 3M plant in Hillsborough.....        

[Bowhunter2004]

I hear you on your health issues, and glad you are working on them, the thing that gets me is that you say there aren't any deer that get you excited by you. I used to be a trophy striper fisherman, I didn't think a fish under 40lbs was worth targeting. I have 3 50lbs fish and one 63 1/2lb fish under my belt. (I literally fished for stripers 300 days a year)

 

One day I said to myself what the hell happened to me, I lost it, I lost the happiness in striper fishing. I said I will go back to light tackle and fishing the pier in the shadows at night. Grab my rod and went on my way. My second cast I caught a 5lb fish and from that moment I was back, the thrill was back the fun was back, I was back.

 

Guess what I am trying to say is, try and bring the fun back. I love the woods and if it takes me 10 more years to kill my first buck then so be it. To me it's about the scouting, hanging new stands and just observing nature, whether it is squirrels, fox, birds, owls, deer and everything else. I just enjoy nature.

Thanks for the Great story, very inspirational. I just hope I figure it out real soon. It’s very complicated. At least with fishing you can toss the small ones back while actively pursuing the big ones. Edited January 8, 2018 by Bowhunter2004

[gregtpal]

I suggest a doe hunt for good karma....& some meat....

[strikerII]

I have to disagree. Everything works. I can attract deer easily with everything Ive done. The problem is some of our fellow hunters and the states management and bag limits. We get so many buck tags its insane. There is nothing protecting bucks. Everyone wants to kill a buck, if we could get the state to cut back on tags, it may improve. Give out a doe and a buck tag with your license. After that you buy them. Make a doe tag cheap to keep the meat hunters shooting does. Make the additional buck tags much more expensive.

If guys pay are paying a higher cost, they will become more selective.

When the buck quality improves, revenue will increase also. Guys that say they will quit hunting because of a cut back in buck tags is nonsense. Those guys will still get a buck tag or two, will still be shooting does. Trophy hunters only need one or two buck tags as it takes time on stand to pursue the more mature deer.

I agree 100% with this. Deer season goes from early September till March. Guys post on here “they killed 23 deer this year”, which legally they can do. But it does take its toll. I stopped hunting this state 11 years ago. I’m now down in Maryland, where your license gets you 5 doe tags, 2 buck tags. Kill 2 does and you can buy another buck tag. At least by me the neighboring farms are practicing QDM and shooting does and letting younger bucks go. Midwest states have the right idea, 1 or 2 bucks a year and your done. Follow Ohio’s lead.

As for your plots, good work, I’ve planted the same for 2 years down here. Deer love them in green but didn’t eat the turnips or radishes in the cold weather. Wish I’d planted them this year with the frigid weather. But they still hit the clover, even wilted. Now my leases in Iowa, they devastate the brassicas. Almost nothing left.

[Lunatic]

There are some bangers down there. I remember working for a guy in Pittstown who was doing an electric job in Annandale at the car dealership right off of 78 and 31. I made the delivery and headed down  Old Allerton Rd toward the tavern off of 22. I got down by the church and three absolute giants came off the church property crossed right in front of me and headed into that little triangle of woods where 78 and 31 north meet. Seriously had thoughts of trying to get in there somehow. Never did. There was more than a good chance there was already someone in there. I'll never forget I know that. I used to deliver all over down in Princeton, Hillsboro and that whole area. It was sick with deer.

 

We have an unbelievable buck roaming around. Snow white antlers, non-typical more than 15 points at least 180". I almost had a shot at him in November. This is the 2nd year we see him on this farm 

[Lunatic]

I’ve been here for 10 years now, but I only hunt behind the house now, and honestly I hardly ever do that anymore. I use to have pretty big Deer around that would excite me enough to want to get me in a tree before getting serious and leaving for illinois but it’s been really lame lately. Lately I’ve turned into one of those guys that talks a lot about hunting but hardly ever gets out anymore. My health, my knees, my weight, my heart, my Lyme disease, my age, I’m falling apart at the seams, I hate to admit it, but no matter how hard I push, I just can’t physically do what I use to do anymore. I’m trying to turn it all around, but I have some serious health hurdles to overcome. I repeat myself on here a lot, but it really has to be a high probability situation for me to be willing to put the effort in locally anymore. This sucks!

 

 

I hope you can turn it around. One thing you can do and should be easy is getting your weight under control. This could help with your knee and heart problems as well, making you mobile again and able to hunt. Good luck

[Lunatic]

I hear you on your health issues, and glad you are working on them, the thing that gets me is that you say there aren't any deer that get you excited by you. I used to be a trophy striper fisherman, I didn't think a fish under 40lbs was worth targeting. I have 3 50lbs fish and one 63 1/2lb fish under my belt. (I literally fished for stripers 300 days a year)

 

One day I said to myself what the hell happened to me, I lost it, I lost the happiness in striper fishing. I said I will go back to light tackle and fishing the pier in the shadows at night. Grab my rod and went on my way. My second cast I caught a 5lb fish and from that moment I was back, the thrill was back the fun was back, I was back.

 

Guess what I am trying to say is, try and bring the fun back. I love the woods and if it takes me 10 more years to kill my first buck then so be it. To me it's about the scouting, hanging new stands and just observing nature, whether it is squirrels, fox, birds, owls, deer and everything else. I just enjoy nature.

 

Don't feel like the lone ranger is a favorite line of mine. I've been off my feet for the better part of 2017 and only got out a few times. I was happy I was out when I could go with the help of a friend. I might complain about it now and then, but I'm not going to become a drama queen about it. It is what it is. Sucks getting old. Be happy you are upright. I just made a video for a girl who passed away from the complications from Lymes. She was only 51 years old.

 

Deer hunting used to be an obsession with me like it is with you. I used to lose sleep over it and spend countless hours playing the game. I can talk about it because I lived it and breathed it. In the end its just hunting. It is what it is. If it makes you miserable maybe its time to pack it in or at least try and get your health squared away. It appears you don't want for anything other than a booner. I'd give my left nut just to walk without problems let alone just get in the woods to take it as it is and realize there is more to life than obsessing over giants. I found out the hard way about putting my wants over my needs. Oh yea, did you ever see the deer in the 3M plant in Hillsborough.....        

 

 

Great advice right there. Get it back to basics and it becomes fun again.

[SPEARFISH]

I rarely see good bucks hanging with does except in the rut.  Kill all your does and some bucks will take over the area.

Just my twisted theory.

[JHbowhunter]

2 flexible buck tags per year - use when and how you wish.  It doesn't have to be more complicated than that, and there is a way to do it while still generating enough revenue for the state. 

 

The first step in the right direction would be for the state to separate REVENUE from MANAGEMENT.   

 

We have the habitat. We have some decent genetics. We don't have the collective personal restraint to improve buck quality. We don't have the regs and management plan to support quality. 

 

I think more hunters want to see more quality bucks than most would care to admit. I think there is a way to keep everyone mostly happy, but the current 6 buck tag system by pinning a tag to every freakin' permit has to stop, it's nothing more than a money grab and has nothing to do with deer management. 

 

2 buck tags, sensible doe regs, and the word "unlimited" should never exist in any regulation, be it fish or game.    Deer quotas should be per hunter per calendar year per zone and should not "reset" with each permit.  Let that sink in - in z5, they attempted to eliminate "unlimited" by making it 9 antlerless, but that is only per permit, you can go from fall bow to permit bow to muzzy and that's 27 antlerless right there...    If they feel "9" antlerless is correct, then make it accumulative per that zone for the entire season.    

 

2 buck tags - flexible...

2 buck tags - flexible...

2 buck tags - flexible..

 

There  I said it three times, am I not in NJ anymore?

[Lunatic]

2 flexible buck tags per year - use when and how you wish.  It doesn't have to be more complicated than that, and there is a way to do it while still generating enough revenue for the state. 

 

The first step in the right direction would be for the state to separate REVENUE from MANAGEMENT.   

 

We have the habitat. We have some decent genetics. We don't have the collective personal restraint to improve buck quality. We don't have the regs and management plan to support quality. 

 

I think more hunters want to see more quality bucks than most would care to admit. I think there is a way to keep everyone mostly happy, but the current 6 buck tag system by pinning a tag to every freakin' permit has to stop, it's nothing more than a money grab and has nothing to do with deer management. 

 

2 buck tags, sensible doe regs, and the word "unlimited" should never exist in any regulation, be it fish or game.    Deer quotas should be per hunter per calendar year per zone and should not "reset" with each permit.  Let that sink in - in z5, they attempted to eliminate "unlimited" by making it 9 antlerless, but that is only per permit, you can go from fall bow to permit bow to muzzy and that's 27 antlerless right there...    If they feel "9" antlerless is correct, then make it accumulative per that zone for the entire season.    

 

2 buck tags - flexible...

2 buck tags - flexible...

2 buck tags - flexible..

 

There  I said it three times, am I not in NJ anymore?

 

I think even if you are a meat hunter you can't really disagree with two buck tags. I like it. I would also make a B.Buck a buck, not an antlerless deer.

[JHbowhunter]

I think even if you are a meat hunter you can't really disagree with two buck tags. I like it. I would also make a B.Buck a buck, not an antlerless deer.

 

every year I threaten to pull off the "Jersey Slam", which is to just kill 6 legal bucks...  Just to do it out of spite... Shoot every buck I see (stop passing them up)  But the very concept just horrifies me too much. 

[tcook8296]

I think even if you are a meat hunter you can't really disagree with two buck tags. I like it. I would also make a B.Buck a buck, not an antlerless deer.

Absolutely no way to enforce it and no way guys will be honest. 

Just think about how many guys cant tell the difference or just dont care especially during early eab season. Might as well include shed bucks but then guys would actually have to look at what they are shooting at

Edited January 8, 2018 by tcook8296