# well?



## Loggerhead Mike (Sep 23, 2011)

Any of yall having better luck than I am?

Got winded by a nany doe opening morning and haven't seen a thing on any of the afternoon hunts. Tracks under my stands, sign everywhere but those tricky boogers have got me 0 - 4 now

Yalls deer been moving at funky times like thy have been here ?


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## dyeguy1212 (Sep 23, 2011)

Shoot most the the time it's the morning hunts that are slow in the early season. Consider yourself lucky :lol: 


Opening day isn't until the 1st here in MI. I do get to spend some time in the woods this weekend with my godson during the youth season though.


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## lswoody (Sep 23, 2011)

Don't start down here to 10/15. Hope you get a deer.


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## acabtp (Sep 24, 2011)

I got one last Friday. It was my first time out deer hunting and first deer. Lung shot at about 25 yards... she ran 30 or 50 yards and crashed down in a bush.





some time later on its way to the freezer...




Rules for the zone I was hunting this month are that you have to take something antlerless before you can take a buck (3 pt antler restriction). I am working on September goose season right now, but will be back out for the deer again in Oct. What kind of yearly bag limits do you guys have where you are? Deer are overpopulated here, so the zone I am going to be hunting most is unlimited antlerless + one buck.


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## GTS225 (Sep 24, 2011)

Whoa!?...ACABTP......You're allowed to use crossbow in NJ?
Lucky dog!.....in Iowa, you have to have a handicap and get a permit before one can use a crossbow. It's conventional or compound bow, or shotgun here.

Roger


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## acabtp (Sep 24, 2011)

it used to be that way here too, but a couple years ago they changed the rules so now crossbows are treated the same as any other kind of bow. now they are legal for for anyone to hunt with during seasons open to archery. lots of guys are using them here now. they are not premitted for bowfishing though.


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## lswoody (Sep 24, 2011)

acabtp said:


> I got one last Friday. It was my first time out deer hunting and first deer. Lung shot at about 25 yards... she ran 30 or 50 yards and crashed down in a bush.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



There is a 3 buck limit here in Bama and one of those bucks has to have 3 points or more on one side. You can kill a doe a day here too.


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## dyeguy1212 (Sep 25, 2011)

Is the 3 point limit in combo with a one buck rule? If so, I guess it makes a lot of sense and could at least make sure the smaller bucks live to see another year. Then again, 1.5 year old deer are often 6 points. 

I do like the earn-a-buck approach. I'd give anything for them to try that in MI, as opposed to early gun doe seasons (Sept 15th, lol) and other STUPID tactics to lower the doe population.


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## acabtp (Sep 25, 2011)

dyeguy1212 said:


> Is the 3 point limit in combo with a one buck rule? If so, I guess it makes a lot of sense and could at least make sure the smaller bucks live to see another year. Then again, 1.5 year old deer are often 6 points.
> 
> I do like the earn-a-buck approach. I'd give anything for them to try that in MI, as opposed to early gun doe seasons (Sept 15th, lol) and other STUPID tactics to lower the doe population.


there are a lot of different rule sets for different geographic zones and times of the year here. right now, only fall bow is open (since 9/10) in the zones that are heavily overpopulated. the rest of the zones will open up to fall bow season and there will be no more antlerless first restriction after 10/1. also, only some of the geographic zones have the 3 point antler restriction, these are the ones that have proven to grow nice bucks, so they want to let them grow up a bit, like you said. for pretty much the whole state, you can take one buck each season (fall bow, permit shotgun, permit bow, etc.) except for the "six day firearm" season in dec, when you can take two, but if you take two then you can't take one in permit shotgun season.

i have to keep checking the rule set because it is so complicated, but there are plenty of deer to hunt here and you can hunt 120 days straight or so if you use all three weapons, so i guess i can't complain
https://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/pdf/2011/regsets11-12.pdf


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## lswoody (Sep 25, 2011)

dyeguy1212 said:


> Is the 3 point limit in combo with a one buck rule? If so, I guess it makes a lot of sense and could at least make sure the smaller bucks live to see another year. Then again, 1.5 year old deer are often 6 points.
> 
> I do like the earn-a-buck approach. I'd give anything for them to try that in MI, as opposed to early gun doe seasons (Sept 15th, lol) and other STUPID tactics to lower the doe population.


Yeah, it might be better if it were 4 points or more on one side.


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## switchback (Sep 26, 2011)

Season starts here this weekend. Can't wait. Only got to fish 2 times this year and temps were over 100 for like 65 days straight. Hightest temps were 110. So I'm ready for season to start. Been working 6 days a week for over 5 or 6 months. So I'll have to wait til the second day of season to get in a stand.

Good luck to everyone.

Congrats on the doe!


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## Loggerhead Mike (Oct 5, 2011)

Congrats, looks tastey

I've took on a pretty big side job and haven't got to go back to the woods for a few weeks. I've about had it with these 50-60 hr weeks, especially when I have to watch a group of does frolic in the field next to the job sight every afternoon :LOL2: :LOL2: 

It's ml here now but I'm going to see if I can catch a break with the bow Friday

We get 2 buck and 4 doe tags. Only time you can shoot a doe is archery and the last day of ML. no antler restrictions but id be all for it. Very small deer population in the smokies


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## lswoody (Oct 6, 2011)

Still got 9 more days till the archery opener here in Bama. I'm ready!!!!


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## FishingBuds (Oct 6, 2011)

I meat hunt, so mainly does, no trophy hunter here, none on my walls, just meat in the freezer. Now if a big boy walks by and I'm blessed to get him, I will not pass it up, but mainly I set up for does.

But, they went strict in the public areas on when you can get a doe. Usually we are set up on average 4 bonus tags, and one buck tag per county


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## wasilvers (Oct 7, 2011)

going with the kids this weekend. It is more of a camping trip than hunting trip. I'll get after it the last weekend in October. Last time I checked the game camera, deer were moving early evenings, some in the mornings, but not often. Only had one picture of a buck on the camera, so I guess its fill the freezer year.

As to restrictions, we have some areas with earn-a-buck rules, but I'm in a herd-reduction zone. So with my license, I could take 2 does and 2 bucks, with additional doe tags avaiable for $2 each - unlimited supply. I can't imagine seeing a deer of a lifetime and not being able to shoot him because I didn't have a doe yet. I like point restrictions though, let them babies grow up a bit


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## dyeguy1212 (Oct 7, 2011)

Got one the second morning of the season. Since then I've gotten some trail cam pics of a decent 8 point.. Just need these 80 degree days to finish up..


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## switchback (Oct 7, 2011)

Congrats on the doe! 

Going tomorrow and Sunday. Moon phase has mornings so so and evenings coming in about an hour before dark.


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## Loggerhead Mike (Oct 8, 2011)

Good lookin bow dye


As my luck would have it didn't see much in arch, now that its mzl bucks only I've had does under my stand two days in a row :LOL2: :LOL2:


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## wasilvers (Oct 9, 2011)

Nice doe! 

Went with the kids this weekend, absolutely zero deer seen. I blame the moon phase an the heat. We did see 20 turkeys though - the kids had fun watching them. Afterwards we went to find any feathers they might have lost. As luck would have it, they found 3. 

Back at it on halloween.


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## dyeguy1212 (Oct 9, 2011)

Thanks guys. Smokepole season already Mike? I thought that was a late season only deal for most states.


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## Loggerhead Mike (Oct 20, 2011)

We got a two week smoke pole season that ended on the 17th wich was our only doe day for a firearm. I missed a big ole fat nanny at about 110yds iron sights first thing in the am and had to surrender the rest of the day for a wedding. Who gets married in deer season much less on the only doe day?.!.? 

Were back to bow season again thank the lord, I ain't much on muzzleloaders


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