How did everyone's deer season Go?

[born2hunt65]

How did everyone's deer season go? On the rough side here alot of hunting pressure, wolf trouble, and uncoperative weather. But persistence did pay off. Muzzle loader season was better then rifle due to we had snow by then and the deer began to move better. There was not alot of big bucks shot this year and many never even seen a buck. One way of looking at is the deer crop next year should be pretty good and hopefully your chance of shooting that trophy buck will have increased (that is he eluded us this year). Born

[NEhuntress]

Originally posted by born2hunt65:
How did everyone's deer season go? On the rough side here alot of hunting pressure, wolf trouble, and uncoperative weather. But persistence did pay off. Muzzle loader season was better then rifle due to we had snow by then and the deer began to move better. There was not alot of big bucks shot this year and many never even seen a buck. One way of looking at is the deer crop next year should be pretty good and hopefully your chance of shooting that trophy buck will have increased (that is he eluded us this year). Born



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[NEhuntress]

Hi Born, thanks for the forum! I hope you get alot of response from this. I think men are very surprised at the amount of women who hunt, and who are successful at it.
Archery deer season here in Ne was very unusual, to say the least. We didnt have winter at all until mid december. Sept and Oct were extremly dry and not much movement untill way after dark. I only had one shot on opening day with a bow, unfortunatly I hit a branch and missed! I built a stand up higher in the same tree that I shot two deer out of the year before. But being higher I didnt see the lower branch! I was able to harvest a buck with my rifle. My husband shot a doe that morning, same tree, same rifle! He had gotten another doe from that stand during archery. We were hunting over a pond, water was really scarce this year, so water was a key to success!!
The deer population here has gotten out of hand on the Platte river vally. We were able to pick up two bonus doe tags (each) this year. We have 5 in the freezer, and didnt fill 2 tags! Better luck next year I hope!
Happy hunting to you all!



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[DAVER]

Born, Where do you live that you have wolf problems? Just curious. Hope this forum takes off for you. Good luck. DAVER

[born2hunt65]

Thanks Daver. I live near the UP's lake Gogebic area. Wolves were planted here a few years back and the pack is starting to expand. My husband encountered the pack during deer season while he was sitting in his blind. Several of the wolves charged at his blind. There are at least seven in this pack and I have been told that there was pups born last year. They are collared and have been seen by many of the folk that live here. It's hard to say exactly how they have affected our deer population yet but the deer were sure acting hinky this year. Once we did get snow many seen tracks on or near there baits. Despite it all we did good hunting this year no trophies tho. Born

[fishon]

Always glad to see women get into hunting. Question for you huntress: My wife would like to start shooting 3-D with my friends and I, so we are looking into some bows. I don't want to spend alot of $ for her first bow and I am curious to hear from a female hunter as to what sort of equipment you would recomend. I was going to get her a Mathews but I believe their to spendly for a first bow. Please give me you suggestions. Also keep us up to date regarding the wolf population I'm always interested in how they are doing. How close did they get to your husband?

[born2hunt65]

Hi Fishon. I own a Hoyt and am quit happy with it. I bought one that was a last years model so I got it pretty cheap. I know alot of people who own Matthew bows and are pleased with their performance but your right they can be quit pricey. Bear bows are pretty inexpensive. I would suggest taking your wife to a bow dealer and let her try out several different makes and let her find one that the grip is comfortable for her. You can have them measure her draw length and see what poundage she is able to draw back. There are alot of different sites out there now days and your choice depends on what your going to do. Is your wife going to strictly 3-D shoot or is she ging to venture out into hunting? Then you have the decision on the type of arrow rest for her. Is your wife giong to use fingers or a release? If she is using a release I would suggest one that has the strap that wraps around her wrist. Once you have determined everything she will need for a setup and the type of bow she wants check out the bowhunters cateloge or cabela's cateloge you can get some decent package deals on bows there.

[NEhuntress]

fishon,
born has some good ideas for your wife. I agree on her choice with the hoyt. I have shot them, but dont own one, yet! I hunt with a Jennings micro carbon and really love it. but have found for 3-Ds i need something different for longer range. I would never make more than a 30 yard shot in a hunting situation. But as you know you will come on some longer shots. She also wont need as much poundage for 3-Ds either, shooting a bow 40+ times in one day is tireing!! I do believe hoyt will be a great choice for her, with a good price and easy to maintain. And ditto on born's advice, shoot as many bows as she can to get a feel for them. Also if she is new to this, eye dominance can be a real factor.

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[born2hunt65]

Thank you NEHuntress for your input. Sounds like you have done some 3-D shooting in your day. That's one thing that I do not have available in my area we have outdoor shooting ranges. A close friend of mine is active in competition shoots and I know from talking to him that bows for that type of use are very expensive. I used to suprise him when I shot in the league with my little ole hunting bow that I kept up to the guys with their high priced equipment. I guess it goes back to it's not what your shooting but who is doing the shooting. Born

[SalmonSlayer]

Just scanning the area and had to reply. Born- you are absolutely correct. It is not the cost or type of equipment you are using, but how well you use it and know how it shoots. I have an extremely old Darton wooden beam bow that I picked up for $50 from a friend. Last year, my second year bow hunting, I got a nice doe with it. The other guys I hunt with didn't get a single deer in bow season with their new matthews and solocams. When we're at the 3d range, I usually outshoot or at least hang with them with my old bow. My point is that it doesn't matter what brand or how expensive a bow is, they all are capable of shooting well; just as long as you practice and know what to expect from your bow.

Ben

[born2hunt65]

Well said Salmon Slayer. Congrats on your deer. Born

[cande99]

Hi again :)
After several misses with my hoyt bow, I determined it wasn't the bow, it was the lack of practice, patience, and breathing too hard :) This year I was determined to be able to hit my target everytime, so I practiced and practiced. It paid off with a large U.P. buck that scored 125 and dressed out a 204# I love my hoty bow, but now I love the confidence I have when I pull it back. (Still working on the breathing problem) :)

[born2hunt65]

Cande99 what a nice deer congrats. I love my Hoyt bow too. Happy hunting, Born.

[cande99]

Thank you for your warm welcome. What type of Hoyt bow do you use, Born?

[Steve]

You gals picked the right brand of bow! Hoyt's are the best. Go team Hoyt!

[born2hunt65]

Hi Cande99, my Hoyt is a Raider bow. It's about 8 years old now but still does the job. I'm thinking of getting a new bow because I believe I only have a 65% let off. I have maxed out the poundage too. Well we'll see I hate to give her up, it's been a reliable bow for me. Born