Kill or no kill?

[northeast beast]

Nada, have seen plenty of decent bucks, have yet to even lay eyes on one I would pull the trigger on. Maybe too selective for a NY public land hunter but it is what it is.

Passed up a nice 6pt and thought the same thing..NY public doesn't hold many bigger bucks

[stash59]

No buck yet. Disappointed my health crashed so that I missed 6 weeks of season. Health's still not that great but I just gotta hunt the gun opener. Even if it's me they haul out on the sled and cart!!!

Season is already a huge success cause I made my 1st xbow kill, with a nice doe!! Using a system I came up with to allow me to sit in the cattails.

[ckprax]

First year bow hunting and first year beast hunting. So far it is my worst season.

I don't get out near as often as I would like but I've got 10 sits in, 3 differnt properties and always different spots. Playing the wind, using milkweed, hunting transitions, careful entries, pushing in close, etc. I jumped a deer opening day (Oct 1st) on my way in. A week and a half later I walked up on a good buck in the dark on my way out. Haven't seen any other deer while hunting.

It is pretty discouraging. I know deer densities are good, they seem to stick near houses when pressured. I have 3 to 20 deer in my yard regularly. I've hunted a 200 acre property that backs up to my neighborhood, good sign but i see nothing. I know the other guys hunting there and they aren't having any better luck.

On the up side, I've been learning a lot and finding beds, rubs and scrapes. At some point things will come together, but it may not be this year.

In a matter of seconds you can turn your worst season into your best. At least that's what I tell myself.

[BradC36]

Nada, have seen plenty of decent bucks, have yet to even lay eyes on one I would pull the trigger on. Maybe too selective for a NY public land hunter but it is what it is.

Passed up a nice 6pt and thought the same thing..NY public doesn't hold many bigger bucks

It does and doesn't. Some areas are much better than others. I'm in amish country and no real big tracts of public so I have to drive quite a ways to get near anything decent.

[flinginairos]

I feel bad saying "yes" after reading about some of you guy's bad luck! I've been blessed with an incredible season taking two great bucks and a doe all during bed hunts using the info I gained from this site. I scouted my tail off this spring and it resulted in a really quick, efficient season. There was no grind for me this year and honestly it feels very weird. I feel like I should be out hammering the woods and struggling like normal but there's zero pressure on me now and I still have two buck tags. Some years it comes easy, others it doesn't. So I guess i'll enjoy this feeling while it lasts!

[DaveT1963]

Holding out.... one doe in Oct to fill the freezer been close three times.... but nothing within my 20 yard circle....yet. heading out again tomorrow.

[Challenger]

I guess I am lucky as I am hunting a 450 acre piece of public that gets no bow season pressure. I killed two nice does beforekilling my biggest public buck on the eighth.

[Aaron1987]

Not yet. But Zack killed one a few nights ago and I was full draw on a giant this morning. Caught our wind and bailed about 2 feet before he hit the lane.

Tip of the cap to him.

[strutnrut716]

Not yet. Missed an 8 pointer (Nov 10) and stuck a doe (Nov 6th) that we never found.

Still have 2 more days before gun season...never giving up !!

[ThePreBanMan]

Mass has asked bow hunters to track their sightings this year on a state provided report sheet. I've seen 23 deer so far this year. just under half were Bucks. I have yet to release an arrow... The couple of shooters I saw just got lucky really... One came by as I was climbing the tree, bow on the ground. Another ran through the shooting lanes dogging a doe hard. couldn't get him to stop. Another - just too much stuff in the way - didn't like the shot...

I'm okay with it... I used to feel a lot of pressure to succeed. But honestly - I'm over that now. I get just as much enjoyment observing. The walk out of the woods is a lot easier too. At least that's what I tell myself so I feel better about my lack of success...

[MNHUNTER23]

I was lucky enough to get my biggest buck Nov. 2nd exactly 7 years to the day since my last and first mature buck. It feels good to have put a nice one down knowing I put in the work to find "the spot that nobody else goes" as I've heard Dan say many times. It paid off in only the second season of hunting it. Thanks to Dan and everyone else who contributes to this site. I feel I have learned more about hunting deer especially bucks in the last year than all my previous years combined. The pressure still isn't completely off though as I still need to fill a doe tag to have enough meat in the freezer to get me by till next season.

[Net Guy]

Nothing yet. Hopefully this weekend will be the ticket. Had 1 shooter in range but got busted before I could draw. Other than that just small ones.

[Hawthorne]

I had good luck this year. Tagged about a 100” 8 point on public land oct25. Then shot a gross 144” 12point nov3rd. Keep grinding you guys. I didn’t shoot my buck last year till the last day of my vacation.

[Wannabelikedan]

Tagged my largest and oldest buck ever Nov 3 on private. Screwed myself on tagging out on a dang good one about 5 days later on public. It’s been a grind pretty much all season with the exception of that one week stretch. Lockdown has clearly hit here and the weather has been very uncooperative. Very warm and very calm. Making a day of it tomorrow and digging in deep on the river bottom.

[Nelson87]

I havn't seen a shooter from the stand yet this year. Had smaller bucks in range a couple times but I was able to put 2 does in the freezer so it's easier to let them walk.