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Post by jjas on May 23, 2021 7:45:25 GMT -5
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Post by Mack Apiary Bees on May 24, 2021 7:07:04 GMT -5
What I have seen hunting many hours in suburbia that the whitetail deer are very adaptive. The suburbs deer have become very nocturnal. Bucks after the 1st year disappear and does around 3 years old. There was a report a dozen years ago that there are almost 200 deer per square mile where I live. Today I it's down a lot with the yotes and cats. That is almost 1 deer per acre. Only a couple times do you see a buck 3 years or older. With the additional pressure year round in the woods will create the similar deer adaptation. Before long you will need to hunt deer like rabbits kicking every bush pile. From 2016 through 2019 I built two wall and the barn and pushed every deer away from my area. Just this year I see the old trail getting used again and seeing does-fawns a lot. It took almost 2 years.
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Post by tynimiller on May 24, 2021 11:59:08 GMT -5
Just in my short timeline of life it is incredible the change on the hunting landscape...from bow let offs basically erasing any significant holding weight to cameras which produce a text to you the second a buck steps in front of your camera....not so long ago I remember hunters had to read sign not pictures to know or learn about a spot - ran into a hunter the other day that didn't even know how to tell from tracks which way the deer is walking.....and this is a guy who has hunted for a few years and killed some respectable deer to boot.
Now on the flip side, I also know the amount of hunters that are aware of nutritional requirements for deer, healthy soils and plant types has increased as well....truly I think the division between the (for lack of a better term) DIEHARD hunters and FOR FUN OR "WEEKEND" hunters is widening exponentially.
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Post by Woody Williams on May 24, 2021 12:32:59 GMT -5
Deer are catching onto the deer trackers and have been walking backwards.
😉
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Post by jjas on May 24, 2021 13:40:04 GMT -5
Just in my short timeline of life it is incredible the change on the hunting landscape...from bow let offs basically erasing any significant holding weight to cameras which produce a text to you the second a buck steps in front of your camera....not so long ago I remember hunters had to read sign not pictures to know or learn about a spot - ran into a hunter the other day that didn't even know how to tell from tracks which way the deer is walking.....and this is a guy who has hunted for a few years and killed some respectable deer to boot. Now on the flip side, I also know the amount of hunters that are aware of nutritional requirements for deer, healthy soils and plant types has increased as well....truly I think the division between the (for lack of a better term) DIEHARD hunters and FOR FUN OR "WEEKEND" hunters is widening exponentially. If I were to pick one piece of equipment that has had the biggest impact on deer hunting in my hunting lifetime, it would easily be game cameras. Throw in the fact that many of today's cameras in use are cellular and can be run 24/7/365 via solar panels and I can't think of any other singular piece of equipment that has offered a larger advantage to hunters? That doesn't mean I like them. I don't. IMO they offer an unfair advantage to the hunter and shouldn't be allowed to be used in any way, shape or form during the hunting seasons. But is that going to happen? Nope. |
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Post by dbd870 on May 24, 2021 14:11:19 GMT -5
Have to agree with you
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Post by Woody Williams on May 24, 2021 15:39:14 GMT -5
Just in my short timeline of life it is incredible the change on the hunting landscape...from bow let offs basically erasing any significant holding weight to cameras which produce a text to you the second a buck steps in front of your camera....not so long ago I remember hunters had to read sign not pictures to know or learn about a spot - ran into a hunter the other day that didn't even know how to tell from tracks which way the deer is walking.....and this is a guy who has hunted for a few years and killed some respectable deer to boot. Now on the flip side, I also know the amount of hunters that are aware of nutritional requirements for deer, healthy soils and plant types has increased as well....truly I think the division between the (for lack of a better term) DIEHARD hunters and FOR FUN OR "WEEKEND" hunters is widening exponentially. If I were to pick one piece of equipment that has had the biggest impact on deer hunting in my hunting lifetime, it would easily be game cameras. Throw in the fact that many of today's cameras in use are cellular and can be run 24/7/365 via solar panels and I can't think of any other singular piece of equipment that has offered a larger advantage to hunters? That doesn't mean I like them. I don't. IMO they offer an unfair advantage to the hunter and shouldn't be allowed to be used in any way, shape or form during the hunting seasons. But is that going to happen? Nope. The biggest deer hunter advantage that I can recall in over 50+ years of hunting is when we took to the trees.. first standing on big limbs, then some 2 X 4s nailed up with a platform, then hangons and climbing stands. as for bowhunting... compound bows made a huge difference. Bowhunting took off like a rocket after compounds were allowed in. |
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Post by Russ Koon on May 25, 2021 9:15:00 GMT -5
I'd also say treestands were the most important factor. They certainly were for me. I'd bowhunted for almost twenty years with only a few very great opportunities that should have resulted in my first kill. Became very familiar with the a sudden white flag disappearing quickly over the next ridge.
Looking back, the improvement in my success rate after going up a tree may have been almost as much due to my inability to get the tree to carry me quietly over the next ridge when I got tired of watching where they weren't. elevating my scent trail and placing my draw movement above their normal sightline also helped, I'm sure, but after I had hunted from a stand for a few years, I finally got the message about holding very still for a very long time, and my ground kills improved quite a bit.
Putting sights on my old Bear Kodiak a few years later helped a good bit, as I just never could develop consistent distance estimation while wearing my strong prescription glasses. In my case, that was also a great help to hunting accuracy.
Quite a few years later, switching to a compound from a recurve with sights wasn't really that much improvement. I tested extensively, bringing the heavy and not very pretty Jennings four-wheeler ( that was a bow, kids) to all my practice sessions, and the difference in accuracy was only really noticeable in the first half dozen shots. The Kodiak took a little warm-up, but the Jennings put the first arrow where I was aiming, no matter which one I began with. Before season came around, the Jennings was starting to look prettier all the time.
Can't comment on trail cams. Bought just a few with good intentions, but never deployed them. The ones that send the images to my computer do tempt me more every year, as my mobility isn't what it used to be. Wore out several pairs of pretty decent boots along the way, but at 76 years, I'll take some the techno-help if it keeps me in the woods instead of on the couch watching TV or playing bacci ball at the senior center. I promise to pass on that big ole "Swamp Donkey" if he wanders by....I've come to enjoy the lighter weight and more tender deer these last several years.
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Post by tynimiller on May 25, 2021 10:25:14 GMT -5
Just in my short timeline of life it is incredible the change on the hunting landscape...from bow let offs basically erasing any significant holding weight to cameras which produce a text to you the second a buck steps in front of your camera....not so long ago I remember hunters had to read sign not pictures to know or learn about a spot - ran into a hunter the other day that didn't even know how to tell from tracks which way the deer is walking.....and this is a guy who has hunted for a few years and killed some respectable deer to boot. Now on the flip side, I also know the amount of hunters that are aware of nutritional requirements for deer, healthy soils and plant types has increased as well....truly I think the division between the (for lack of a better term) DIEHARD hunters and FOR FUN OR "WEEKEND" hunters is widening exponentially. If I were to pick one piece of equipment that has had the biggest impact on deer hunting in my hunting lifetime, it would easily be game cameras. Throw in the fact that many of today's cameras in use are cellular and can be run 24/7/365 via solar panels and I can't think of any other singular piece of equipment that has offered a larger advantage to hunters? That doesn't mean I like them. I don't. IMO they offer an unfair advantage to the hunter and shouldn't be allowed to be used in any way, shape or form during the hunting seasons. But is that going to happen? Nope. I love trail cameras but cannot get myself to do cell cams...I personally just am uncomfortable with that advantage. Only reason I'd hang one honestly is to watch my main trespasser entrances and not for deer. |
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Post by jjas on May 25, 2021 10:54:48 GMT -5
If I were to pick one piece of equipment that has had the biggest impact on deer hunting in my hunting lifetime, it would easily be game cameras. Throw in the fact that many of today's cameras in use are cellular and can be run 24/7/365 via solar panels and I can't think of any other singular piece of equipment that has offered a larger advantage to hunters? That doesn't mean I like them. I don't. IMO they offer an unfair advantage to the hunter and shouldn't be allowed to be used in any way, shape or form during the hunting seasons. But is that going to happen? Nope. I love trail cameras but cannot get myself to do cell cams...I personally just am uncomfortable with that advantage. Only reason I'd hang one honestly is to watch my main trespasser entrances and not for deer. As the technology has gotten cheaper, more and more hunters have switched over to cellular cameras with solar charging for 24/7/365 deer surveillance without having to walk in to physically check the cameras. I get why people use them, I just think doing so violates the spirit of fair chase. Just my opinion, and I know many disagree with my position and I certainly understand that. |
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Post by tynimiller on May 25, 2021 12:09:10 GMT -5
I love trail cameras but cannot get myself to do cell cams...I personally just am uncomfortable with that advantage. Only reason I'd hang one honestly is to watch my main trespasser entrances and not for deer. As the technology has gotten cheaper, more and more hunters have switched over to cellular cameras with solar charging for 24/7/365 deer surveillance without having to walk in to physically check the cameras. I get why people use them, I just think doing so violates the spirit of fair chase. Just my opinion, and I know many disagree with my position and I certainly understand that. Yup which that is why I cannot find it in myself to use them personally for hunting purposes. I'm right there with you. |
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Post by greghopper on May 25, 2021 12:39:22 GMT -5
As the technology has gotten cheaper, more and more hunters have switched over to cellular cameras with solar charging for 24/7/365 deer surveillance without having to walk in to physically check the cameras. I get why people use them, I just think doing so violates the spirit of fair chase. Just my opinion, and I know many disagree with my position and I certainly understand that. Yup which that is why I cannot find it in myself to use them personally for hunting purposes. I'm right there with you. B&C says you use a cellular camera and get a picture of deer for the book it’s not eligible not mater if you hunting or not for what I have read. Trail Cameras Usage* Trophies taken with the use of trail cameras, including scouting, are eligible for entry in B&C, but only if the hunter has to manually remove film and/or a card from the trail camera itself to retrieve the images. Trophies taken with the use of trail cameras, including scouting, that transmit images to a computer/base station for viewing are not eligible for entry in B&C. |
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Post by Ahawkeye on May 25, 2021 14:16:05 GMT -5
Yup which that is why I cannot find it in myself to use them personally for hunting purposes. I'm right there with you. B&C says you use a cellular camera and get a picture of deer for the book it’s not eligible not mater if you hunting or not for what I have read. Trail Cameras Usage* Trophies taken with the use of trail cameras, including scouting, are eligible for entry in B&C, but only if the hunter has to manually remove film and/or a card from the trail camera itself to retrieve the images. Trophies taken with the use of trail cameras, including scouting, that transmit images to a computer/base station for viewing are not eligible for entry in B&C. Very interesting, I own 2 cameras both are OLD school, one is even 35 mm. I’ve not used them for years. I think the cellular cameras are pretty neat but I like the notion of not knowing exactly what you are scouting or tracking. I guess I still like the “Christmas morning” feeling that comes when you see a buck you want to shoot. |
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Post by tynimiller on May 25, 2021 15:24:45 GMT -5
B&C says you use a cellular camera and get a picture of deer for the book it’s not eligible not mater if you hunting or not for what I have read. Trail Cameras Usage* Trophies taken with the use of trail cameras, including scouting, are eligible for entry in B&C, but only if the hunter has to manually remove film and/or a card from the trail camera itself to retrieve the images. Trophies taken with the use of trail cameras, including scouting, that transmit images to a computer/base station for viewing are not eligible for entry in B&C. Very interesting, I own 2 cameras both are OLD school, one is even 35 mm. I’ve not used them for years. I think the cellular cameras are pretty neat but I like the notion of not knowing exactly what you are scouting or tracking. I guess I still like the “Christmas morning” feeling that comes when you see a buck you want to shoot. I've slowly checked my cameras vastly less than I used to - except the ones right at the trespassing spots of course. We're talking when spring plot work is being conducted....then usually sometime in June - Fall plotting and then from then it could be when blood tracking or into January and cams are completely dead. Definitely adds a tremendous amount of unknown compared to prior but it also applies immensely less pressure as well. My cameras are my next year's scouts anyways so to me their main value is for the next year. |
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Post by steiny on May 27, 2021 9:34:57 GMT -5
If I were to pick one piece of equipment that has had the biggest impact on deer hunting in my hunting lifetime, it would easily be game cameras. Throw in the fact that many of today's cameras in use are cellular and can be run 24/7/365 via solar panels and I can't think of any other singular piece of equipment that has offered a larger advantage to hunters? That doesn't mean I like them. I don't. IMO they offer an unfair advantage to the hunter and shouldn't be allowed to be used in any way, shape or form during the hunting seasons. But is that going to happen? Nope. I use them, but agree with this and did just fine hunting pre trail cams. Wouldn't hurt my feelings to ban use of them during season. |
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Post by boonechaser on May 27, 2021 11:32:14 GMT -5
Honestly I do not hunt much different today than I did in 1978 when I started. Sure treestands are more comfortable than when I started hunting and I do more nutrition wise on my farm than my first few year's. I do use trail camera's , but have been since first they came out. Primary uses are inventory of deer on property and figuring out preferred trail systems of individual bucks. Mostly use in offseason but will run a couple early pre rut looking for signs of daytime activity from mature bucks. I suppose my biggest change is being more selective on buck harvest's and just enjoying my hunts more.
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Post by parrothead on May 27, 2021 17:45:46 GMT -5
ONe big change for he better is safety harnesses. I remember when I was young taking a single piece of rope around tree then between two buttons on my coat. One big loop. Dont know how I didnt get hung and killed.
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Post by duff on May 27, 2021 18:40:45 GMT -5
If I were to pick one piece of equipment that has had the biggest impact on deer hunting in my hunting lifetime, it would easily be game cameras. Throw in the fact that many of today's cameras in use are cellular and can be run 24/7/365 via solar panels and I can't think of any other singular piece of equipment that has offered a larger advantage to hunters? That doesn't mean I like them. I don't. IMO they offer an unfair advantage to the hunter and shouldn't be allowed to be used in any way, shape or form during the hunting seasons. But is that going to happen? Nope. The biggest deer hunter advantage that I can recall in over 50+ years of hunting is when we took to the trees.. first standing on big limbs, then some 2 X 4s nailed up with a platform, then hangons and climbing stands. as for bowhunting... compound bows made a huge difference. Bowhunting took off like a rocket after compounds were allowed in. You forgot when you could buy broadheads and not knap your own arrowhead from chest rocks |
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Post by boonechaser on May 28, 2021 7:45:51 GMT -5
I would add that in late 70's I was happy just seeing a deer. Then by mid 80's through early 2000's it seemed like a deer was behind every tree.. Then came the deer reductions and populations in many areas were reduced drastically. Luckily for me I met my now wife of 18 years and bought her 143 acre family farm in Switz. CO. in 2003. By managing our farm, leasing a neighbors and working with couple other adjoining landowners we have been able to maintain a healthy population and enjoy great hunting throughout state reductions. One thing is a certain. CHANGE. Hunters must learn to adjust.
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