Deer Season 2018

[6884]

Figured since we do garden threads on vegetable harvest, the ones that wish too can follow along during the deer harvest season here in North Carolina. We have a pretty long season beginning first of September, Until dusk on New years day. 3 different seasons in one, Archery, Black powder, and rifle (modern firearm). We are in the middle of Archery right now, and I haven't set foot in the woods until a few days ago, went out and checked stands, straps, added new ones were needed. Moved some cameras around etc. I'm pretty excited because tomorrow morning will be my first time this year on stand. My son came home last week and has a few days off so we are going to try and double up Friday morning, would be nice to put a couple fat Does in the freezer With the bow. I haven't harvested a deer with a bow in several years, be nice to break the ice. I'll keep you guys posted.

 

[Nyboy]

good luck

 

[Beekissed]

Same things going on here this weekend...archery season starts Saturday and we are a bowhunting type family. Never really did much with guns during gun season, though one brother always uses our old 16 ga. single shot to get a deer then on opening day of that season. That's been his gun since he was little, bought at Kmart all those many years ago.

This year we have an added excitement to the hunt...game cams show 2-3 black bear on the land for the first time, though I'm sure they've been there all along, we just recently started using game cams to document their presence. One bear, in particular, is about the right size for shooting.

Also show some nice sized bucks, though I don't have those pics on hand...you know how guys are about letting folks know about their bucks. Very secretive around this time of year!

Since that fat doe got into my garden this season, I am encouraging the guys to kill at will...it's now not only about meat, this is WAR.

I hope you have a great season, @Lickbranchfarm !

 

[6884]

Man that's a big Bear bee! We have a few around here, mostly wanderers, nothing you could set your watch too. Yep my boy and I set a stand up on the farm last Saturday to hopefully thin out the doe population that are helping themselves to my beans. Neither of us have set it yet.

We are a bow hunting family too, something about getting that close to an animal you can count their eye lash's Lol. Had that very thing happen this morning, 2 young bucks came within feet of the stand, couple times I caught myself holding my breath, thought they would see me moving. Let these 2 spikes walk, let um grow up a little. We have a ton of does here, way more than your average lease.

I do like a good rifle stand, only because we only get 7 weeks of gun season and our Rut starts around thanksgiving and runs till when ever they get done Lol. Anyway it gives me time to take the young ones, they see a lot of deer out of my box blinds on the power line and gas line right of ways. Lets us see the deer from afar, and they don't have to try and be as still and quite to enjoy it.

Good luck to you and your family this year too Bee!

Here's a couple of close ups from this morning.

 

[ninnymary]

Bee, are you allowed to take Doe's down?

Mary

 

[Ridgerunner]

Arkansas is divided into zones which makes it a bit complicated, but statewide limits are 6 total, no more than 2 can be bucks. Some zones have lower limits. You don't manage the deer population by taking out bucks, you manage it by taking out does. Too many deer is not good for the overall health of the herd.

I have not checked Louisiana limits yet.

 

[Beekissed]

Bee, are you allowed to take Doe's down?

Mary

Yep...in some counties here you have to take an anterless deer before you can tag a second buck for the archery season.

Does are tender and sweet eating. Normally I encourage the boys to concentrate on the scrub bucks(those with spikes, 4 pts., etc.) if they can, but this year we have a surfeit of does, particularly that fat one that kept getting in my garden and eating off all my flowers.

She didn't have a fawn this year or the 'yotes took it early on, as she has showed up all season without a fawn....she looks to be older, so maybe aged out of good breeding/producing. Either way, she's in the jar...it's open season on her fat butt.

@Lickbranchfarm , you guys got good acorns this year? We have plenty and nice, big ones this year, so that makes for some good hunting and sweet meat later in the season, after they've had their fill of all that good mast.

That's one very high tree stand! Be careful...

 

[6884]

@Lickbranchfarm , you guys got good acorns this year? We have plenty and nice, big ones this year, so that makes for some good hunting and sweet meat later in the season, after they've had their fill of all that good mast.

Yep, lots of pin and red oaks, not so many white oaks this year. The winds off the hurricane knocked alot of them down, that's what these 2 little dudes were cruzing through picking up.
I'm with you, I'd rather eat a 80lb. - 100lb. doe, and they are plentiful around here. I have set on 1 stand from daylight till 10:00 a.m. and seen 32 does. That's why this year I hope to have all my doe tags filled before Thanksgiving, Then I'll work on my buck tags.

Watching the weather, I may try to slip back In there this evening, dang mosquitos were horrible. If it hadn't been for my thermocell, I wouldn't have even attempted it.

 

[Nyboy]

I guess the season has not started in NY or the deer don't care, driving to work about 4:30 am I counted 12 grazing on side of highway not a care in the world

 

[baymule]

I don't hunt anymore, no where to go. But I still have the sense of a deer being near and even as we drive along, my head swivels and I say, "Deer." That hunting, tracking and "feeling" has never left me.

When I used to have an old buck to process, I bought a whole brisket, the fattier, the better. I ground it with the buck meat for sausage. The beef and fat tempered the gaminess of the old buck. I then stuffed and smoked it for some fine sausage.