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Any Luck this year?

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chuck172

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Just wondering how everyone who hunted zone 4 made out so far this year bowhunting?
I got skunked. That's alright though. I really didn't put that much time into it. We had an early rut, lots of acorns. Too many bear hanging around. Seems like the rut started out furious, but didn't seem to last very long. I've hunted this same property, (my land) for the past 40 years or so, so I do have some comparisons.
 
#2 ·
Chuck

I've been hunting in Zone 4, DWGNRA, for a little more than 50 years. Parents had property at Blue Mountain Lakes way before the Tocks Island land grab. Can't say I've been successful every year but usually someone in my group managed to get lucky every couple of years.

I spent all last week in three different locations on the ground, along Hamilton road above the fields, beyond BML toward Hemlock, and then on Kaiser Trail along Old Mine Road. I never even saw a doe. My son saw a spike on Monday, and a 6 or 8 on Tuesday (both too far for a shot) and a lone bear on Wednesday but THAT WAS IT. Even he didn't see a doe from his tree stand.

I can honestly say this was the first time I ever spent 5 WHOLE days in the woods and only saw little birds, squirrels, and chipmunks. I guess the best things about the whole week were spending time with him and having a titmouse land on my xbow, wondering what was behind my mask....
I think my son is going back up before the season ends but I'll wait for six day. Good Luck to you.
bOb
 
#3 ·
Me and two buddies saw two 8 pts and some smaller bucks in late oct. Lately we haven't seen much at all. Sat. saw a half spike and 6 young, small does all solo.
No big does, following or chasing for us. No turkeys, coyote or even the bears have beat it.
 
#5 ·
zone 4 has been pretty dead so far. I think I've seen a total of 9 deer. Ive hunted every weekend since the opener and a couple weeks days.....Two years ago i saw tons of deer. I had a bunch of deer on camera in September. I think the fields not being planted killed my spot this year.
 
#6 ·
My wife and I hunted it for the first time ever, first 1.5 weeks of Nov. Very warm weather. Didn't see a lot of deer, but did see them every day on stand the first week. Saw a couple of good bucks, so I passed on 4 small bucks during the hunt. First week she saw 7 different bucks and I saw 6, then the bird season stared, nothing sighted the last 3 days after the start of pheasant hunting. Seemed like we were there during "seeking" phase, maybe a bit of "chase phase" but the lack of sightings after pheasant season made it tough to tell. Surprisingly, only saw one doe. The rest were bucks. No deer killed, but a good hunt. Watched scrapes being freshened, antlers into the licking branches, grunting, etc. Lots of rutting activity we don't get to see here in Maine because of our long firearms season all through the rut.
 
#9 ·
Very bad year. I have a trailer in walpack camp ground. Every year I had 12 to 15 does come into my back yard. This year 3 , every weekend I was up there same . Ask what happened all the deer. The response I got was to many black Bear, coyotes, bobcats. Which I have seen 3 in last two years. Plus no one hunts up there no more. Opening day I seen one car .

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#10 ·
Also have a trailer at the campground. Second day of muzzleloader i saw 5 does in the field before tent camping. Only one new deer with 5 does.....I had a decent 8 that was cutting through my trailer property in the beginning of November. I have a game cam set up just for fun. During fall and permit bow I would settle in my stand and hear coyotes attacking the geese before the sun came up. Not sure if it was the pa or jersey side but it was pretty intense. This happened pretty regularly. Once muzzleloader is done Im going to start predator hunting. Never done it before but there is a definite problem up there.
.
 
#16 ·
I will be up Friday until the end of muzzleloader season. Im taking vacation the last two weeks of the year. My wife is very understanding............ I will be coming home for christmas and new years unless i see a buck..........which has been difficult this year.
 
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wallpack01
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