If you like me I just dang near plain forgot, did it early Sunday morning before going in back in woods.. Would have been easy to just say well deer is home why even bother..I've would never do that but I'm sure some do.

Mac

No argument here about that. Just add that to the long list of rules that make little or no sense.

I saw ya down at millville landing, guessing thats the area your camping! old fella i talked to said yall left with a boat load and was worried about you, told him you do it all the time! hopefully yall had some luck or at least a good time

Had a good time for sure. But it was cut short. stayed in my stand till 11 Saturday morning, did a mini drive towards one of my buddies, and return to camp for lunch. River had come up within a vertical foot of the tent. And was rising. We broke camp and got out of there. First time since 86 I had to break camp before we got wet. Last year the area was already flooded and we hunted in a different location.

Maybe try hunting from a canoe? I've seen several deer along the banks of rivers while checking traps. Some times they just look at you funny, some run, others just walk away.

Wolves moved in by us. Out of 11 guys we got zero bucks and passed up maybe 20 does. We found the remains of 2 wolf kills and sighted 5 different wolves. Right now we have a foot of wet snow with 25 mph winds and still snowing. This is the worst season ever and I've been doing it for over 50 years. Enough whining. Time to put on the knee brace and snowblow a path to the downed tree blocking the driveway.

That works. Have used the technique several times, but prefer a lightweight Jon boat.

You can conduct successful "mini" drives with 2 or 4 hunters leapfrogging down a river. With two, check wind for best side to drive, then drop one off on the bank and quietly row/paddle down 200 yards or so. Pull boat up on bank, take a stand offering good view of river upstream and into the woods along the bank upstream. Dropped off hunter begins still hunting towards the boat. Good technique.

With four hunters you drop off two, one on each bank, go down the river, standers on each side.

We've done this on several rivers down here. Good later season technique when most hunters have found the couch and the deer have somewhat settled down.

I believe it is by 5pm the day after the animal is recovered so that could lead to two days after it being shot when the recovery is made the following day.

Dave

Correct, Alex, the reg's use the word "recovered."

Muskrat, sounds like a fun way to hunt. I can see a jon boat being somewhat more stable for that.

I did the canoe hunt thing for a season in the forest when it was very warm for the opener. Got the canoe in at about 5 AM and paddled the 3/4 of a mile to a big beaver dam where I had seen lots of sign. Got organized and out and when I got to where I planned to sit there was a guy already there. He had come in about 1/2 mile from the logging road. Got in the canoe and paddled to the other side and as I touched the shore a hunter flashed his flashlight 3 times. He came in off a logging road about 3/4 of a mile! So I paddle back and found a place to hunt. That was 20 odd years ago when there were many hunters in the area. Might be doable now. I always pictured in my mind those photos one sees of a guy paddling a canoe with a buck on board. Just never worked out for me.

Bryce

I was thinking more of shooting from the canoe/boat. Obviously you couldn't have a motor. I've seen quite a few deer right along the water's edge when paddling.

I have killed 10 deer out of a boat. All during the bow season.
Set up 30 yards from a major deer crossing (small streams) and fill your tags.

If you're hunting by yourself you do use a motor. Once you're downstream and done, you fire the motor up and head back to the landing.

My nephew. Douglas County. Thanksgiving Day. Within a couple miles of Highway 2 !

My son and I did two push drives through two patches of woods about 10 acres each. We did not move any deer and in two hours heard two shots on T Day. Today I was making 3 gingerbread houses with my 3 granddaughters! That was a 6 hour deal but we had a good time and they enjoyed going shopping for all the candies to stick on. My son still hunted a 30 acre public piece and no hunters and no deer moved this afternoon. I chose to do the gingerbread deal instead of drive the 200 miles to hunt up north with all the weather we have had and will have.

Bryce

Well boys - the traditional 9 day gun deer season is over. Hard weather conditions across the state on the last weekend - torrential rains, sleet, and snow. I have a feeling the overall kill will be way down. The good news is a lot of bucks will make it through so they will be bigger next year.

Hope everyone had a safe, satisfying season.

Brian

Yes one typically does not wish the season to pass but this was the season where the "perfect storm" is probably a good description of the multitude of elements that factored into what for me was a forgettable hunt. I am getting used to eating "vegetarian stew" but I have almost always had A-HAH moments or aspects that one relates in future times but there was a real absence of those for me this year.

Can't say much for trapping weather either however.

Bryce

Most of the guys in our camp headed home Saturday afternoon to beat the storm home. My dad stuck around to plow one last time after the snow that came overnight. Glad I didnt have to try and make that 2 hour drive home today. Would've been white knuckle for sure.

I agree, kill will be way down. It was down 27% after opener when most of the deer are killed, then 2 major snow events in the 2md half of the season. Weather looks good for muzzleloader season though! May try and get out for the late antlerless season to put one more in the freezer, but my focus is quickly shifting to ice fishing.

Filled my tag with a spike buck in the last 15 minutes of the season today. Was really regretting passing up 20+ does early in the season. Dragging the deer out of the swamp through 18 inches of snow was exhausting even with an otter sled. At 68 years old I need to have a better plan. Next year I will shoot a doe the first weekend when I have help. Out of 12 guys 2 small bucks were taken including this one. We had numerous bucks on trail cams preseason. Where they disappear to is a mystery.

I decided to wait to fill my last antlerless tag with the bow even though I had plenty of opportunities last night. Never could catch up to a buck this year that I was interested in. First year that I saw more white bucks than brown ones from the gun stand, but that was just because I only saw one brown buck all gun season.