The big Goose Egg

[Stinger-Hunter]

I've limited the amount of times I've gone out so far this October compared to last year because I didn't see much until November. this year, I've seen even fewer, if any, each time I've gone out.

I know the deer are around, I can see their trails, scrapes, and rubs, but so far I haven't even had an opportunity to shoot, just like last year.

I know i have to be persistent, but man!!!! I'm getting disinterested in my Indiana hunting. The one thing that keeps me going in regards to hunting, is my Minnesota hunt every year. I know I'll have plenty of opportunity to get deer there.

I think what I'll have to do is stop going out until the last week of October from now on. Last year I probably went out 30-40 times and only had one opportunity to shoot a deer, and that wasn't until the second to last day of shotgun season. I basically ate more out-of-state Indiana licenses than I did Indiana venison. With my new baby, I don't feel its responsible to keep going out hunting like I did last year, but I also know that you can take a deer if you're in your livingroom, either.

My goal this year was to only take a 2 1/2 yr old or older, but it looks like I'll be taking the first thing that walks near my stand/blind.

[bowhunter56]

YOu need to spend as much time in the woods as you have, seem like you know that, good luck .

[Tominator]

I hear ya.

My year so far is going like my last 2 years so far. Of all the shot opportunities I've had in the past 3 years, one has been on a sizeable buck (I missed), 3 have been on does, (hit 3, recovered 1), and the rest (well over 50 shot opportunities) have been on little bucks.

So far, just this year in about 8 or 9 trips out, I've had 3 shot opportunities, all of them on little bucks ranging from buttons to a fairly decent 8pter.

I thought does were easy to kill.

[Stinger-Hunter]

Tominator, here in Indiana does are like turkeys. Paranoid, Paranoid, Paranoid. The sad thing is, where I hunt, there are no hunters except for me, for sure.

Seems like every time I feel lucky, I spook a couple does walking in. They sure know where to bed down so they hear me coming, no matter now slow I walk, what time I head into the woods, or route I take.

[Tony]

maybe the deer have you patterned. if you have lots of sign they are around and arent seeing deer , then its either you ran them off , or someone else did , or they are not there during the time you are.

i hunted a farm one time that had tons of sign . heavy trails , rubs , scrapes but no deer when i was there . then the guy who owned that place told me that the deer crossed the gravel road every night at 6:00pm . that when the light bulb went on in my head . i was hunting where the deer were at around midnight.

so i backtracked to where they were seen at 6:00 pm and found a nice stand to get into . i figured that if i was north about 200 yards of the gravel road i might see them.
first night , here comes a bunch of does and 1 nice 8 point that i shot, right at 5:15 pm. they were headed to the crossing ...

so you see you can be in the right spot , but the deer need to be there when you are . if you have the room to hunt , try backtracking the trails to see if this might be ahppening to you..

you might also try hunting during mid day or early morning hunts. try to keep them guessing on when you will pop in. thats the key to getting a good deer.

Shoot Strong
Tony