Tough Deer Season in Midwest
- Thread starter midwesterncrosshair
- Start date
SandyCreek
Active member
i typically kill 8-10.. doesn't even make a dent but fills the freezer for a year
rjthehunter
Well-known member
2 deer is plenty for me and my girlfriend. You guys must have big familiesi typically kill 8-10.. doesn't even make a dent but fills the freezer for a year
Gut Shot
Well-known member
The season has been horrible for most of the people I know in Illinois. I saw no deer at all this weekend. I talked to others who were seeing few, if any deer.
I checked my cameras and the deer that were coming around on regular patterns shifted after first season. I have very few deer on camera since first gun, and then mostly at night. I know it is the guys hunting the property next to mine. They don't seem to have any concept of what a bedding area is and that wind will actually blow your scent to the places where the deer are hiding. The farm they hunt is awesome whitetail habitat, with one of the thickest bedding areas around. If they would take care not to stomp through and park up against the bedding area they would shoot big bucks every year.
I've seen 2 bucks all year, not that there aren't bucks around, they just seem to be moving on a different pattern than what is normal. I think this has to do with a weird growing season and our beans were cut early in the year.
We also had EHD that killed a few big deer. You guys might want to walk your creeks and check for skeletons. I've found a couple on my place and have yet to walk the big creek on the back of the property.
Someone also mentioned flooding. The Rock River has only been in its banks for about a month all year.
I checked my cameras and the deer that were coming around on regular patterns shifted after first season. I have very few deer on camera since first gun, and then mostly at night. I know it is the guys hunting the property next to mine. They don't seem to have any concept of what a bedding area is and that wind will actually blow your scent to the places where the deer are hiding. The farm they hunt is awesome whitetail habitat, with one of the thickest bedding areas around. If they would take care not to stomp through and park up against the bedding area they would shoot big bucks every year.
I've seen 2 bucks all year, not that there aren't bucks around, they just seem to be moving on a different pattern than what is normal. I think this has to do with a weird growing season and our beans were cut early in the year.
We also had EHD that killed a few big deer. You guys might want to walk your creeks and check for skeletons. I've found a couple on my place and have yet to walk the big creek on the back of the property.
Someone also mentioned flooding. The Rock River has only been in its banks for about a month all year.
BrentD
Well-known member
Saw a huge 10 pt yesterday while pheasant hunting. Easy 100 yds on it, if I was a player.
Jmnhunter
Active member
very slow for numbers in northern MN, I did get 1 8pt, but only saw 3 deer for 4 guys in 5 days of hunting; I blame last years snow; and this years current snow isnt helping any for the remainder of the winter...
Mtnhunter1
Well-known member
My wife and I talked to several groups of Minnesota hunters this year while hunting eastern Montana. Your description mirrors what they said about the hunting in northern MN. That is why they greatly appreciated their trip to Montana so much. I hope that the deer numbers improve in that part of your state in the next few years.
TheBenHoyle
Well-known member
I'm in Illinois and this year during archery season, myself and two others all filled tags on the same day. I have been out since and seen deer. I will probably get out for late season with my bow and I feel relatively confident that I will have an opportunity. I will say that the weather (rain) gummed up my early season hunts by totally shifting travel patterns due to flooding. I would doubt that fewer tags were sold in Illinois this year as that runs counter to trends.
