I hate to say it but im about ready to get rid of my bow! First off opening day i see one deer while tracking some1 els deer and then the second day the morning i only saw one deer in the morn and just like the day b4 it started to rain after i got to the stand it about down pored, As i am about to head up the rain stops and about 20min b4 dark i see a nice buck walking to the stand i had wanted to set but already had deer infront of so i could not get to it without running them out of there, So i head out the second nite its about 30 min b4 dark i have not saw nothing and all of a sudden i see a deer head and neck and then it comes out and so does a bigger doe and the big doe sees me turning around in the stand ( my foot just as i was about to finish turning) she looks at me runs around a pot hole and then comes back and takes the other one with it, then this morn i go out and Its the coldest day of the year i go to get into my stand and am missing a rung on my stand so i hike across the field and get in another stand and see 3 deer walk right to my stand! Then tonight i set in this spot about 30yards or so off a road and all i see for most of the nite is cars then all of a sudden i hear a noise look over and 40yards broad side stands a deer she gets about 30yards and is going to step out behind a tree i draw back and hear something behind me and out comes a white tail and takes the other deer out to 35yards i am she is 1/4 away now i let it go and lost site of my arrow about 10min later i find my arrow with nothing but dirt on the arrow :cry: the season started good with the youth hunt and the early doe season bringing me 3 does but they all were with a gun ( 2 with ML and one with my 20ga) SO i cant complain to bad

Sounds like your season is going good do far. I never mind a little challenge from time to time

o never mind a challenge cant wait for the morn my dad saw 13 deer go into where i hope to set

Just be thankful that you are seeing that many deer. Shedego and I go out and see maybe 1 or 2 and thats not even every time that we go out and sit. It sounds like hunting is going good for you. If I could see that many deer in the stand I would feel blessed even if they were going the wrong way or whatever the case may be.

Lance, you have seen more deer then i have... :)

Opening day i saw 3, I shot a doe that evening and hit her shoulderblade , did not recover her. then I saw 3 does out of range that monday morning.... Saturday had me comming up empty. Full moon, nothing had been moving....
Finally at last light a small buck ran out, and i shot, but didnt see where my arrow went.... Got down and tracked it, and if i had hit any farther back i prolly wouldnt have found it. Since then ( sept 20th) I havent seen any more deer.

Yea i cant' complain to bad cause i have been seeing LOTS of deer more then normal they are just really spooky, But maybe tonight will be the night will check back in and let you guys know

I know what you mean. Sounds like regular hunting to me. That's just the way it goes. I have been hunting here in NC since opening day and haven't had a shot opportunity yet, or one even close. Be glad you are seeing deer. I can go two or three weeks at a time without seeing a single deer. That is just my luck. I have to hunt about four or five times more than the average hunter just to see half of the deer. Hang in there and keep a positive attitude. It will all come together.

Well said!!!

I am in the same boat, but I always keep or at least try to keep a positive attitude!!!
Every time I step out to hunt I feel like todays the day!!!

yea the deer movement has stopped just about saw a couple in the moon light Sat morn and couldn't see my pins had a buck 10 yards broadside and was just to dark then tonight i go out to the new place and have the guy we told we would not go on his land unless we had a blood trail and went up and asked waited about 20min for me to set up walks all around his woods where i was waiting for deer to come out of into the field i was setting on with his wife and dog walks 6feet from me and back to his house

Havn't had a shot op either-- Slow year for me 4 sure

yea been kinda slow for bow cause of the gun seasons just hoping this is a sign to come for the rut will be looking better

That's the game lance! Archery is a VERY mental game. As soon as you start doubting or get down on yourself the game is lost.
Just remember what you are attempting to do....
Kill a very weary animal with a "primitive" weapon. Here in MN the success rate is less than 20%.

You have to look at every deer as a learning lesson. learn from every mistake and don't repeat them and you get better every trip out.

Develop the attitude that the reason you bow hunt is for the challenge. As you know...if you just want to kill deer, use a firearm. If you want to HUNT deer, use a bow!
Don't fool yourself, this is not an easy task...one little thing not just right and you won't get a shot. If the deer walks one step to far, comes in from the wrong direction, wind swirls...
anything little thing and you are screwed...that's what makes it fun!

I agree 100% I bowhunt only, and I do it for the challenge of it. Sure I could go out with a gun and tag out every year if I wanted, but that isn't a "challange" to me

O yea its A LOT harder then gun and that makes it more of a challenge and makes it worth it and most of all makes it fun and keeps you going back, rained today or i would have been after them again,

If i ever rains all night during a full moon do everything you can to get in the woods the next morning.

I would hunt the mornings but it seems like more times then not i run deer out on my way back where they are already out in the fields feeding so i just wait tell the pm to hunt
Saw the most deer i have ever saw in one night last nite saw like 40 deer almost got two nice 8pters had them come in stop in the open 20yards the first one i started to draw on and he trotted out a ways and stopped and fed for a while not giving me a shot and then a little while later right from the same spot came another 8pt and i started to draw on him and my arrow came off the rest i let down and he to walked out of my opening not giving me a shot and saw a bunch of does but to many eyes to get drawn and i was only 8ft in the air so i didn't risk getting busted then last 5 min of light i hear them walking right behind me in the corn and it gets dark and they are right on the edge of the corn and at one point came into the fence row i was in about 10 yards but to dark to get a shot off they kept me in the stand on high alert for about 30min after dark, and then when i finally got down and got out on my way up i could heard one take off running that was tracking the fox pee on my boots coming from where the 2 8s came from so was a action packed night,

sounds like a pretty good night to me

O yea was a great night there is only one way it could have been better to be saying BBD at the end of the night LOL
Saw 5 tonight 2 at about 100yards and 3 at 30yards that i let walk cause they were standing infront of tall grass and it was almost dark and when they didn't move i couldn't see them so i let them walk on by

ur having some good luck this season i hav e seen close to nothing. haha

Saw nothing all weekend(Friday to Sunday) so I don't want to hear anything about not getting anything. Atleast your seeing.

I haven't hardly scene any deer yet this season.

Last night was the first night I've scene a buck. Saw a couple of 1 1/2 year old bucks (little basket racks) at last. Than just as I was putting my binoculars down I saw a little movement and spotted a decent 130" class 4x4 66 yards away. He and the smaller of the two basket racks spared a few minutes and than moved on.

About ten minutes later I heard movement and saw a few does running away from them. And than sure enough they all ended up passing within about 15 yards of one of my other stands that I was seriously contemplating sitting in last night.

Oh well, glad I finally saw one worth pursuing. While frustrating I enjoy the game more than actual kill. Try again this evening, now I've got eight hours to think about which stand to sit in?

Sorry I have not been on much are computer is down right now and i have been out in the woods my season took a change for the best i think? I shot my biggest buck ever with a bow last night a 56yards double lung with a Muzzy ( ran out of slick tricks missed a doe twice in one night with my last two slick tricks) my dad also got his biggest bow buck as well and a couple does so it looks like it was just a slow start

congrats on the buck