Action??

How has everyone elses action been? Mine has been abnormally slow compared to years past as far as deer sightings and I have yet to put a horn on a deer from my stand.

I am thinking it is the overload of mast available that keeps them bedded close to it and able to get up and grab a quick bite under cover during the daylight hours that has activity slow where I am at.

Any other thoughts?

DPMS, I agree 100% on the does theory. Most in my area seem to be fairly inactive, not seeing a ton, although I know they are there. I'm just not buying the "too warm" theroy many people around here are spouting, as I remember much warmer starts to the season.

I'm not frustrated, just curious.

Saw a young buck chasing does this evening.  Heard another too.  That's the first for this season for me.

Ironhed

MM, I agree with the too much food theory. Guy I know saw 10 different bucks on his cameras last month. So far they have yet to see a buck anywhere on the property(private). I've seen more people than deer in the places I am hunting. Give up   NEVER!

Guess I am not doing too bad then.  Only 2 days hunting (1 evening and 2 mornings, both mornings packed it in at 9am due to other things going on) and I have 18 deer sightings from the stand (2 8 pts, 1 a possible shooter and one too small for me) and the rest doe, fawns and a couple unidentifiables.  That doesn't count the deer kicked out on the way in or out or on the drive to or fro. 
 
Wish I could get out more this year.  There is a ton of food within a couple hundred yards of a few of my stands (standing corn, soybeans, several oak flats and oak fencerows, crabapple and regular apple trees, etc. and I think it is helping. 

That's the way it was when I used to hunt Illinois. We never left home until the nephew called to say the farmers were cutting the corn. The first couple weeks after all the deer that spent the summer living in the corn fields got pushed into what woods and swale there was could get real exciting.

I've been hunting a small oak patch between two bedding areas,the ground is pawed bare but only saw 7 doe's in 5 short hunts,but there has been a buck opening a scapes for over a week,but yet to see a horn,it's still early.

+1 I am afraid I ruined one of my spots that way and am quite sure the neighbor ruined another one with his old flash camera.

123 pictures in 4 days but most after dark.

The action where i hunt has been pretty good as always. But the wind direction is killing my best two stands.The other evening I was getting ready to climb down so I lowered my bow down and turned around to climb down and looking down seen 2 doe coming right under my stand and was milling around my tree and 1 of doe started to smell and lick my bow!!! Now I have had plenty of deer walk under my stand as i am getting down But never seen one smell and lick the bow it was awesome. I really wish I had a camera or phone to take a pic with!!!

I've actually been seeing quite a few deer... more bucks than does actually. I shot a nice 8 point last night and saw a basket 5 or 6 point 30 minutes before the 8 came in.

Good and bad morning today.  A doe and two fawns were in a field right outside of my housing plan as I was leaving.  Get near my hunting grounds and the neighbor 1/8 down the road has two 2.5 yr old buck (at least that is what I would call them from the quick glance of the headlights) sparring in his front yard.  Didn't turn around or back up.  Kicked out a mess of deer in two diff. spots on my way in.  Rain started to lightly fall but at least it wasn't as windy as predicted.  At 745am, a pretty red fox comes within video range and then comes 5 yds from my stand and then out the way I walked.  I guess my scent control isn't too bad.  Lots of good video the kids will enjoy.  At 830 am, a lone doe walks by giving me easy 20 yd and 30 yd broadsides if had so chosen.  She then hits the spot where the red fox came in and makes a 90 and comes within 5 yds of my tree and then goes up into the clear cut 10' high saplings.  Around 9am I an thinking of whether I sould get down a little early to preserve some pm time to leave work from my 1/2 day vac and I look over and see a 1.5 yr old 12" spread 5 pt start to make a scrape.  I get him on video.  He walks to within 20 yds of me and then I start to mess with him at 40 yds with a doe bleat and soft mouth grunts.  He didn't like that.  He startes to head out of the oak fence row away from me and I look back to where he came from and see a symmetrical 1.5 yr old 10" spread 6 pt hitting the same scrape the 5 pt did.  I get him on video too and then I notice behind him, yet another buck but this was just a dinky 3 pt.  After 5 min. of scraping, the 6pt and 3 pt tickle antlers for 30 or so sec.  Too thick for video though.  The 5 pt comes back and must have seen something up my way (me) and is acting cautious.  He then boogies out at a slow trot the way he came and the 6 follows.   I lost track of the 3 pt.  At 930am I get down and then walk out the long way and see several more primary scrapes freshened up (these are in the same spots every year).  1/2 way to the truck and not 15 yds from one of my other stand sights, I see the bad for the morning, a dead ear wide, symmetrical med. high tined 2.5 yr old 8 pt (100" range, maybe a little more).  I found him by smell so he has been there a little while.  Guts were opened up and covered by maggots and eyes were gone.   He was in some terribly thick stuff and with the leaves, I wouldn't have been able to see him from my tree.  Looks like it was a fatal gut shot.  I may try and get pics or even the antlers, if they are still there in a few weeks, after the smell abates some.

Walked up on a little 3 point feeding at 1:00 today. That's the first buck I've seen when I had the bow in hand. Did find a rub that his grandpa made. I'll be keeping an eye on that area.

This morning, the only deer I saw arrived about five minutes after I got in stand, while it was still dark. I couldn't even tell if it was a buck or doe, I could only see the outline of the body and hear the deer walking away. Nothing else (other than one clueless squirrel) by 10:15, so I came home.