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Shotgun deer season

Last year we made a few drives with one uncle at the end to catch whatever we pushed through. On our last drive at dusk he sat down leaning on a tree and dozed off.... He woke up to deer pissing on him.... He'll never live that one down as long as he lives...
 
Got in my stand at 5:45 am and got out of it at 5 pm. Never even saw a tail! Very few shots heard around me. Sissys didnt wanna get wet!
 
Solo in the stand in the wee AM -- no action whatsoever. I guess I didn't benefit from any other hunters pushing them, as I didn't spot another hunter all day. Stalking on the way out in the early PM -- I could hear one circling around me but didn't get a look at it. Found some more active looking runs for later though. At this time of the season, I'm wondering what I might be able to use to draw one in if I get near again? Scent, sound(s)?

First time out with a scoped shotgun. Nikon ProStaff 2-7x on a Mossy 535, using Hornady SST slugs. Managed 3" groups at 75 yd. from a benchrest w/bags. Scope looked good from extremely low light to full sun from in front or behind.
 
I'll be heading out Wed. & Thurs. - warmer weather than I expected in the forecast. I'm not sure I own hunting gear for warm weather....
 
I got a small deer at 4:30pm today. Not an impressive deer, but it is my first time hunting... EVER. First day of deer hunting ever in my life, I see a deer, shoot at it with my muzzleloader, and it goes down. Buya.
 
Got the six point first around 7 30 am.
40 yard walking shot with a Brenneke 2 3/4 12 ga. slug.
He jumped about ten feet straight up in the air and landed, dead.



So about 25 minutes later, I call my buddy up who is out scalloping. While I am talking to him I look over to my left and about 80 yards away I see a deer coming through the cattails. I watched to see if it would get closer but it turned towards some thick brush so I fired and nailed it high but it went right down and was dead by the time I could get to it.






After I got the deer I was treated to a rainbow.




Sorry for the crappy cell phone photos.
 
Last edited:
Well...
tomorrow i will not be going to class. Im hunting all day. Im going to harvest me at least 1 deer this season.
 
A couple of us went out yesterday and tried a couple of new spots. Didn't get or see anything. We're going to give it a rest until next week and do some later afternoon hunting.

Congratulations to those that have been successful so far this season!
 
nice work.. congrats

Plural of Mongoose said:
Got the six point first around 7 30 am.
40 yard walking shot with a Brenneke 2 3/4 12 ga. slug.
He jumped about ten feet straight up in the air and landed, dead.



So about 25 minutes later, I call my buddy up who is out scalloping. While I am talking to him I look over to my left and about 80 yards away I see a deer coming through the cattails. I watched to see if it would get closer but it turned towards some thick brush so I fired and nailed it high but it went right down and was dead by the time I could get to it.






After I got the deer I was treated to a rainbow.




Sorry for the crappy cell phone photos.
Click to expand...
 
the jeff said:
Are they still in rut?

i have a few of doe in rut waffers i have not opend.
Click to expand...

Any doe that was not knocked up will go into a secondary estrus cycle around this time. I will be using a little doe estrus when I hunt this weekend.
 
Went out this morning. I got out into the woods right at shooting time. I found a little sign on the trail, so I hung a sent tab, and doused it with doe piss. I walked about 40yds back, and sat on a rock until about 9:30am. I didn't see anything, though I thought I heard something a few times, but it was hard to tell what it was with all the tree rats jumping around.

I'm not upset about not getting anything, to me any day out in the woods is a good day overall. Besides, a guy I used to work with told me "That's why they call it hunting, not killing"

I'm going to be out again tomorrow morning bright and early. I found a couple of perfect trees right by the sign, and the scent I put out, so I will bring my stand out with me tomorrow, and see what happens.
 
Adam_MA said:
WBesides, a guy I used to work with told me "That's why they call it hunting, not killing"
Click to expand...

I haven't been hunting in several years, and wasn't very successful then anyways. But one of the best days was when I was sitting on a rock overlooking a small field in Milford. The sun was out and I was finally warm. I was sitting very, very still. Still enough that a bluebird mistook me for a rock and approached in a landing pattern. About 2 feet from my head, the bird figured out I wasn't a rock, and hovered there for a few seconds before landing on a branch six feet away.
 
i went out yesterday to otis, saw no sign at the place i was hunting execpt some deer trails off the fire roads. i haerd of know one who took any deer these last two days there. tomorrow is supposed to be warm so im planning on heading out friday to some places near my house. hopefully i will get at least a doe unlike these last two seasons i got nothing.
 
Had three doe come tonight , two minutes before the end of shooting time.
Got one with a Brenneke slug but couldnt get another before they disappeared.
This was the first deer I have shot with the newer Brenneke Black Magic slugs.
I use the older felt wad version but they are getting hard to find.
Massive, orange sized entry wound right in the lower shoulder. Major damage. The deer still went 30-40 yards with no heart.
 
Ham Slam said:
Even great hunters go years without a kill.
Click to expand...

No they don't. Not unless they have decided to challenge themselves and restricted themselves to trophy animals only.

I have shot at least one deer with a bow in 9 out of the last 10 years here in Mass. Nevermind gun season. Most of my friends are just as successfull.
 
Success comes with experience, scouting and sometimes group effort. I am a meat hunter but Ill shoot a big one if I see it. Plus... the little ones are easier to drag out.[wink] I used to hunt with a large group of guys and we shot tons of deer. In the past few years, Ive hunted more on my own and with just a couple guys and still have great success. Hunting on Nantucket gives me an advantage as there are many deer here and I have access to private property that is posted and I alone have the ability to decide who hunts with me on those properties but sometimes its just a matter of being in the right place at the right time , putting in the hours on stand and being able to make it all come together when you take the shot. Here is a photo of last nights doe.
shotgundoe08jy2.jpg
 
Plural of Mongoose said:
Success comes with experience, scouting and sometimes group effort. I am a meat hunter but Ill shoot a big one if I see it. Plus... the little ones are easier to drag out.[wink] I used to hunt with a large group of guys and we shot tons of deer. In the past few years, Ive hunted more on my own and with just a couple guys and still have great success. Hunting on Nantucket gives me an advantage as there are many deer here and I have access to private property that is posted and I alone have the ability to decide who hunts with me on those properties but sometimes its just a matter of being in the right place at the right time , putting in the hours on stand and being able to make it all come together when you take the shot. Here is a photo of last nights doe.
shotgundoe08jy2.jpg
Click to expand...



Nice
 
arlow said:
No they don't. Not unless they have decided to challenge themselves and restricted themselves to trophy animals only.

I have shot at least one deer with a bow in 9 out of the last 10 years here in Mass. Nevermind gun season. Most of my friends are just as successfull.
Click to expand...

So much for giving the kid a little self-esteem [thinking]
 
Also, just because you took a deer 9 out 10 years doesn’t make you a great hunter. I will admit that is VERY impressive, however many different aspects go into hunting, like land access and time in the woods. If you told me you only go hunting three days a year and always get a deer I would be impressed. Like I said 9 deer is VERY impressive and I am not even close to that.

I am not saying that you did, but you could have shot those deer from you kitchen window. Again that is a very impressive head count, but I know great woodsman that do go years without a kill.
 
Ham Slam said:
Also, just because you took a deer 9 out 10 years doesn’t make you a great hunter. I will admit that is VERY impressive, however many different aspects go into hunting, like land access and time in the woods. If you told me you only go hunting three days a year and always get a deer I would be impressed. Like I said 9 deer is VERY impressive and I am not even close to that.

I am not saying that you did, but you could have shot those deer from you kitchen window. Again that is a very impressive head count, but I know great woodsman that do go years without a kill.
Click to expand...



Time in the woods is paramount. I take a lot of ribbing in my non-hunting/shooting circles for not taking many deer. But, I'm lucky if I can get out the two full saturdays of shotgun. Need to be a lot more lucky than good when you can't get out to scout.

This year I've gotten to do some scouting and had a whole day bowhunting already - so I am pumped for tomorrow. Now if it could only start snowing at 2pm....
 

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