Early season

[Greybeard]

3 hours ago, Lunatic said:

They created September hunt for this reason. Take away EAB and you take away September. I’m not telling you it’s right or wrong only that this is the way it is 

Also, they took away 2-3 weeks of fall bow for the extended season and added early season in it's place.  It wasn't just about killing doe with eab.

[JFC1]

14 minutes ago, gregtpal said:

If i dont need meat, one big reason i wait for the regular bow season opener is not pressuring or alerting bucks I cant shoot to my presence.  

If you want to shoot a buck early and have the opportunity for multiple spots, then just take a doe from a different stand. I have a "doe" blind at the white oak where I shot my first deer and where I can take a doe first weekend of EAB every season. 

[gregtpal]

1 minute ago, JFC1 said:

If you want to shoot a buck early and have the opportunity for multiple spots, then just take a doe from a different stand. I have a "doe" blind at the white oak where I shot my first deer and where I can take a doe first weekend of EAB every season. 

Yep.  I have a spot where taking a doe in 1 or 2 hunts is easily done.  I usually shoot a yearling for eab & some pink meat (best venison u will ever eat) when i hunt Sept.  I havent hunted yet This year because warm, didnt feel like butchering one right away, work, travel & play kept me busy, etc.

[KBfishing]

I went out a couple times with my son so far. Just not feeling it that much anymore. Too much other stuff going on. I use to live for early season but the last three or four years I lost interest. 

[tcook8296]

Nope. I will pass. 

Losing interest in NJ. 

I do have Iowa and Illinois hunts coming up. 

Edited September 24, 2023 by tcook8296

[bucky]

8 hours ago, Lunatic said:

Why does that have to be?  Why does it matter if a doe is shot before a buck in Sept but not in Oct? 

They act like they are giving us something but its all about killing more deer and making us pay for it, like early season EAB,baiting,150ft,etc and we took the bait, now everyone complains there are no deer left...Sometimes we have to watch what we wish for

Edited September 24, 2023 by bucky

[Liv2hunt]

I had to skip early season just because I haven’t had a chance to get in the woods. If all goes well I can get out this Saturday 

[JHbowhunter]

I love the challenge of getting that early doe - I make it harder on myself than I should, trying to find a dry doe.     Since EAB started, this latest big 9pt was my earliest being the 15th, and have also taken September bucks on 17th, 19th,  29th, and 29th - all before regular season opened.  All my best NJ bucks taken before 10/9 and after 11/10, except for one 6.5 year old taken 10/25....    

Ironic that the weeks I have historically taken off and hunted the most, have been my least successful at what I would consider to be a big, mature buck.    Out of state have done well those weeks but not in NJ. 

Edited September 24, 2023 by JHbowhunter

[Black Bear Bowhunter]

I like the fact that the summer hide is easier to work with and less hair to fight with 🤷🏻‍♂️

[vdep217]

Just now, Black Bear Bowhunter said:

I like the fact that the summer hide is easier to work with and less hair to fight with 🤷🏻‍♂️

I think early hair is worse it comes out more easily and gets every where

[nb6624]

If you know of a big deer and want to kill it before it changes its patterns to acorns and then rut and then hiding from the orange army...there is no better time to capitalize then early season.  Yes the EAB sucks but big bucks are alot easier to pattern before October.  

Too bad you can't "bank a doe" in previous season so you don't have to deal with deer in the heat.

[electric10162]

I guess I would hunt EAB if I had a giant on camera but that hasn't happened yet

[Greybeard]

3 minutes ago, electric10162 said:

I guess I would hunt EAB if I had a giant on camera but that hasn't happened yet

Big bucks are camera shy.  I see them on your property all the time.  It's almost a waste at this point to shoot a doe if you don't want to.  Will be able to shoot a buck soon anyway.

[Lunatic]

2 minutes ago, electric10162 said:

I guess I would hunt EAB if I had a giant on camera but that hasn't happened yet

The world is little bigger than what you see on your cam. 
I have two cams out, but I also have dozens of spots I know can be productive. In early season I hunt then one by one to see and learn what they are doing and what had changed. Many mature bucks never show themselves on cam and I see them short distance away. 

[electric10162]

1 hour ago, Lunatic said:

The world is little bigger than what you see on your cam. 
I have two cams out, but I also have dozens of spots I know can be productive. In early season I hunt then one by one to see and learn what they are doing and what had changed. Many mature bucks never show themselves on cam and I see them short distance away. 

Entirely possible, but running over 30 cams makes it unlikely. Food sources play a big part of the puzzle near me. I also notice the swamps being full of water change the patterns of bucks. The majority of bucks usually move onto the farm in mid October since all the ladies are here. I do have properties I can hunt private in Zone 1 and Zone 50 so I'm really not in a hurry.