Here is a pic from mondays opener in PA .
270 remington gamemaster, my favorite.
2 doe and a small 8 point. Took 7 hours to get them but I love to put'em down.

Nice mess of deer you have there

Our season is split in two. The first one is a 3 day event that takes place the 3rd weekend in November. The 2nd is a 4 day season that is always starts the Thursday after Thanksgiving (It started yesterday) Our first season sucked. We saw very few deer and heard very few shots fired, not many deer hanging in camp. I found out later that the poor harvest was not only limited to the area we hunted. 13,000 less deer were taken statewide than the previous year. Of course everyone has theories as to why. Mine are these:

1) last years nut production was wiped out by a heavy late spring frost. (Less food available in the fall)
2) Blue Tongue disease has been reported in many places statewide for the past two years.
3) This years nut production was fantastic. (Abundant food available for any surviving deer which might mean they have no real reason to move around much)
4) We hunt a flood plain that has been under water twice, once in July, once in Sept. I don't know how long it takes for the deer to move back in any real numbers? and don't know why they would? Most of the lower level vegitation is gone due to the high water.

I noticed the squirrel numbers seemed to be down this year as well. Plenty of nuts, but not many squirrels eating them.

I have been trying to get out there for hunting this year but work keeps getting in the way. Otherwise all my other friends here in Maine report an avg season.

I don't know how bad your high water situation was, but I could see that as being a big factor in lack of deer.

Just got back from a late plains deer hunt out at my sisters place. Took this one opening morning at about 50 yds. He stood up in the brush and before he could straighten his legs I busted him. 50 yd. shot with a 500 yd. rifle. He wasn't a huge racked beast but he had alot of broken of stuff, heavy rack.....close as I'd get to a trophy this year.
My brother in law had been watching him from the combine/tractor most of this fall so we had a good idea where to start looking. They hide in his corn from the time it is about three feet tall til harvest.

about 5.5' to 6' deep in the deer woods. There's a line on all the larger trees at the flood level and the leaves were all gone up to that height as soon as the water receded. It's a natural event that needs to occur though.



also, the coyotes seem to follow the deer. I've had minimal success calling in these low lying areas this year. I see a few tracks but the population simply is not there. Maybe by late winter?

Looks like a pretty nice one to me SKB.

thats a ribeye from the sky sittin there i would have busted him.

it's a Blue Heron. They're protected here. I can't imagine they'd be very tasty?

Too much BudLight Gunut!

No deer permit for Me this year but, here is a pic of Gunut and his NM Mulie.

They're not too bad... somewhere between the taste of a Loon and a Bald Eagle.

I'll take your word for it

Nice deer guys , and yep that looks like high water to me.