How has hunting season been for you hunters??

[Colorado Redneck]

The hunting seasons are winding down in Colorado. There is still an elk season that lasts till January 31 (private land only Cow) so I will continue working on filling that tag. A buddy and I drew black bear tags and gave it a good try. But came up empty. Got a fairly big bear on game cams a couple of times, but we never crossed paths with it.

I got lucky on antelope, had an anterless tag and was really lucky to see some does about 20 minutes after leaving the truck. Only thing is, the entire hunt was about an hour. Then deer season opened and late the first day a nice bunch of mulies wandered into a hay meadow about the same time I did. Got a long shot at a nice yearling doe, and took her to the processor. So we have been eating tastey organic free range venison and speed goat.

Already thinking about next fall.

It would be good fun to read about any hunting experiences from y'all.

[shootniron]

Ours has been pretty good...not the biggest bucks, but good ones, none the less.

[Wyosmith]

I did well, but this was a season that was "light on tags".
Most years I get multiple tags for deer, elk and antelope. But last season I and my wife did super well and we still had plenty of meet from 2015 so this year we only put in for deer and elk and my wife got rejected for both. So I shot a bull elk and a buck deer and then my seasons were over.
We have all the freezers full again now so we are happy campers and we'll eat like kings for a while.

[979Texas]

Well gentlemen, I sure envy yall. My hunting season has been non-existent. Enjoy it while you can fellas. Ive had one opportunity to go out hunting this season. This was the first season since I can't remember that I didn't buy a licence. So the one time that I went out in mid November was just to hog hunt but I only saw a few deer and no hogs so I didn't get anything. Maybe next year, maybe next year. But congrats and good luck to the rest of you hunters who get out there.

[MarkCO]

We have done pretty good so far.

Started off with a bag limit of Doves 2nd day. Got in a few Coyotes hunts early, took 4, one at 780 yards. Next, for Pronghorn, my 15 year old took his at 500 yards and right as we got to it, another herd strolled by, took mine at 400 yards. None of us drew deer tags. We hit ND the week before Thanksgiving and the boys each got their first pheasant and first goose. I think we ended up with 20 pheasant and 28 geese. Three elk tags to fill now that the boys took their last finals today. Will get in a few Eastern CO Pheasant and Goose hunts in Jan and will go after snows in March. It is reloading season for me as well. We went through a truckload of ammo this year.

Then clean and store the hunting guns and back to the competition seasons. Baseball for the boys, 3Gun, Precision, Pistol and Carbine matches for me.

[tahunua001]

I filled my doe tag, I got skunked on deer and elk. I get tags for cougar, wolf, and blackbear but don't actively hunt for them. if I see them I'll take a pot shot but I have better things to do than trophy hunt.

[NHSHOOTER]

Went to So. Carolina in late October, no bucks but took home 2 does. Came back to NH just in time for the Muzzleloader hunt that precedes the rifles season by 10 days. Took a nice 7 point near the end of the muzzleloader season, was lucky to get a extra anterless deer tag for 1 of our southern zones and on Thanksgiving morning Scored a nice doe that some friends pushed out to the powerlines for me. Here in NH the hunter success ratio is less than 10% so I figure I was pretty lucky. I did spend alot of time sitting and still hunting.

[stillquietvoice]

well i did alright during reg gun season, saw 3 adult does with 2 fawns each, 6 in a small herd five are dtill running the woods and one is in the freezer. have one day left of ml season hope to get my buck.

[Boogershooter]

I got skunked our week of primitive weapons season, seeing only does. Been getting pics of a 12pt, a 9pt, and a monster 8pt. My neighbors 10 year old son got the 12. Truely a deer of a lifetime. I got the 9pt last day of november. The big 8 left his marks on both of them. They will both be mounted and cherished. I also shot two culls. A big spike and a messed up 6pt. Other family and friends have taken 4 does off the property. The big 8 has started making rubs now but still not making any scrapes. No one has even got a glimpse of him during the daylight. He still looks very healthy and heavy. My guess is he hasn't come into full rut yet. Im giving him one more week and it will be time to start hunting my squirrel dog pups.

[reynolds357]

It has been terrible. We were in a record (worst since 1962) drought. We had no rain from to speak of during the summer or early fall. Did not get my food plots to come up until this week. Terrible acorn production this year. But, my 6 year old did kill a 5 point and a 10 point.

[Blindstitch]

Lots of different things happened and didn't happen.

I took up duck hunting on the weekends this year on public land in the evenings. I chose the evenings because of my work schedule and not wanting to disturb hunters that know what they're doing along with willing to be out at 4am. I averaged a few shots per day. But the first day I got a goose which I have shot before and a wood duck. My first duck. I eventually picked up a Moorhen, Coot and Bluebill.

I spring a fall hunted turkeys and almost got lucky in the spring. Haven't seen a single bird on public land in the fall.

My main pastime is pheasant hunting and I bagged 32 in two months. Those birds sometimes come out of the woodwork and make for a great day. It's even better seeing the dogs work.

As for deer I was lucky enough to take a 4 point with my crossbow at 35 yards being really skidish.

Opening day of gun season I shot a 5 point.

I still have an Antlerless Holiday Hunt in Wisconsin but I don't really need any more meat but i'm willing to donate it.

One of the funniest things that happened was I saw a lot of Possums. Funny little animals yet most hunters said I should have shot them.

[jmr40]

I still have until Jan 1. But this has not been a good year. It was HOT here until about 2 weeks ago. The heat kept me out of the woods during most of archery season. I literally hunted shirtless in late October when rifle season started. I just wore an orange vest trying to keep cool.

Forest fires burned almost 30,000 acres in one of my favorite spots and ruined that in early November.

It finally cooled off in time for the rut in early December, but I had to work or had other commitments every single day. I haven't been in the woods in 3 weeks.

I should be able to get in a lot of woods time between Christmas and January 1, but it is hard to kill 'em on public land that late in the season.

[shootniron]

but it is hard to kill 'em on public land that late in the season.

It is hard to kill them on private land, late season in my part of south Ga...they have already gone mostly nocturnal.

[Sure Shot Mc Gee]

Was planing on hunting the seasons Opening first week i.e. its 5-weekdays.
Son called Sunday morning (opening weekend) while the wife & I were seated in church. Per son: "Dad were both done deer hunting. Two laying on the ground in front of your deer stand. (7:45 AM) Big bodied Spike following a 2 yr old doe onto your small hay field. So I was informed_"Well that news was just hunky-dory with me on a Sunday morning." Our priest on the other-hand peeked over his glasses at me for a second or two when he observed me hurriedly walking out of church so to answer my son's call. ___"Oh well such is life He'll get over it."

Buck was quartering away the son slipped a 270_ 130 gr Nosler into its ribs from behind. Just one shot is all that was required. 50 ft run and Brown was Down
The doe was spine shot. Dropped immediately.
Kid kept the Buck. I was given the Doe.

[bamaranger]

I'm a whitetail hunter in fall/ winter (gobblers in the spring).

This has been a very slow season thus far. And I have time on my hands and plenty of landscape to hunt. Deer sightings are way down for me, a combo of a hot dry fall, me slowing down a bit on scouting, and what I see as increased pressure on areas that can be hunted. I sense a distinct lack of buck sign as well. I've taken one small doe with my bow, passed up a pair of low percentage shots with a sidehammer BP rifle, and passed a few more does with the centerfire rifles. I've seen exactly one buck, jumped from his bed as I exited an area while bowhunting and was crossing a cutover.......I should have walked around but gave in to the lure of an easier exit. Dumb and lazy.

Overall, a poor year kill and sighting wise, ranking as one of the worst for me yet. Tough, because last year I had my best season ever with kills and sightings. But....

The rut will begin to kick in here in about 2 wks or so. Temps have finally dropped and deer are having to eat and move more......I'm believing things will take a turn for the good in the next month or so.

Hope springs eternal in the heart of the hunter.

[doofus47]

nothing on top of nothing.
It was really, really warm this year; I did lots of hiking but not a lot of hunting.

[kraigwy]

We did alright. Between wife, son, and I, we have two elk, 3 deer, and 5 antelope in the freezer.

[FrankenMauser]

The hunting that I did ... not much luck.
I actually only know one person (beyond friend of a friend of a friend...) that filled a deer or elk tag this year in Utah or Idao. He plugged a spike elk in Northern Utah, with a bow, and then watched the idiot bull run straight over the edge and slide and tumble 400 yards down an 70-degree scree slope with no other reasonable access.

He packed it out himself, and then gave away 80% of the meat, because he got transferred to the Pentagon for 3 years and didn't want to lose the meat in the move two weeks later.


As for my own seasons.
I had a lot of distractions and family medical issues to deal with, and didn't try very hard. My cow elk season isn't even over, but I've probably given up.
I cannot, justifiably feel disappointed about not filling my deer and elk tags this year.


I do feel bad for my brothers, nieces, nephews, and even my father and one uncle. They tried. They really tried. They put in the effort, covered the ground, and paid their dues. Between the nine hunters in that group, they had fifteen elk tags (at least) and hunted for a combined 162 days. (I was there for some of it, as an observer with no tag.)
But all they ever saw was a spike with no shot opportunity, and a few cows at 1,000+ yards -- which they found out was the same thing 99% of other hunters experienced in that unit, as well.

[AllenJ]

Kind of a weird year for me, I've filled no tags but have been successful. Deer hunting I got to help my son with his buck. He made an excellent shot but the buck did not know it and ran in front of me. I provided the finishing follow up shot and we went home happy.

In CO I did not fill my elk tag but helped my cousin on his animal. Since he did not get to hunt last year and since he did draw first blood on the animal he tagged it. No other elk came within gun range for me but I still felt successful for helping, and he did share meat

[lefteye]

Kraigwy -- Did you leave any room for an occasional trout dinner?

[hooligan1]

Me and my oldest son shot does, mine weighed 90 lbs his 100.
But the biggest thing for me was hunting with this rifle I had rebarreled: Remington 1903a3, .270 win, using 150 gen ABLR. Made short work of her, through the lungs at 80 yds.
Sure handled nice, makes for a great hunting rifle...

[treg]

Deer hunting was boring as usual.....

Squirrel hunting has been fantastic this year, as was last year.

Looking forward to some rabbit hunting in a while.


Wow, KraigWY, you've got some awesome hunting out there!

[lockedcj7]

Son killed his first deer this year. It was a cull buck, but he was over the moon about it. I've still got a few days left to hunt and I'm still trying to fill the freezer. I saw two this morning but they were at 400+ and that's 100 yds past my limit. I'll try again in the morning.

[Saltydog235]

As far as putting meat in the freezer, pretty bad. Though having my 8yo hunting partner with me learning and spending a ton of time with his dad, the best season ever. I get frustrated with his wiggling and whispered talking but he's come a long way so far. His shooting on the range has improved and he's about ready to take a shot himself. We just need a deaf and very nearsighted deer to step out.

[Jack O'Conner]

This hunt took place on public land in south-eastern Pennsylvania. I shot this young antler-less buck thinking it was a doe. But it's a "dinner plate trophy" for us.

30-30 is a keeper!

Jack