Firearms deer

Well you folks are a chatty bunch, lol. Not one post about their rifle deer adventures or successes. I was at camp for 4 days. While I had doe tags, I was not interested in filling any of them yet. We had 5 guns and went 0/5 on bucks despite the guys seeing 5 legal bucks. They all hunt just a few days of the year and still want to hunt the same stands they did 20 years ago when the deer were pressured and running through the wide open woods. Now, in our area, there is little pressure and the deer are naturally moving and feeding in the thicker areas where they were not able to get shots or they were too far. Meanwhile I am sitting in my archery stands and all of the deer I see were within 30 yards. I try to tell the guys they need to hunt tighter but they want the visibility. 
 
Anyways, we got one coyote for our efforts. Very little shooting and very little pressure. 
 
Anybody see success on opening weekend? 

A harvested (killed, whatever) an 8-point. It was following 3 does, but not dogging them. I talked to 6 other hunters in the immediate area and the only deer they saw was the one on my carrier.

There was some degree of shooting in that 1/2 mile away or more zone, but less than a dozen shots within 800 or so yards.

I saw 28 doe and 5 bucks(3 legal)on the opener couldn’t get any shots on them. Sunday I saw 19 doe and a 4pt. Gave a big doe a free ride in the back of my SxS. My wife also got a big doe.

First morning I hunted till 10 seen 5 bucks 1 was legal and a giant doe I couldn't shoot because of a house. The band got back together on Tuesday to push. We got an 8pt and 7 does. I shot 2 does passed on a few tiny deer and had a red fox come to 15 feet before spooking. Had that 8pt come to 7 yards stop and look at me. (That would never happen if I had a buck tag) really wish my gf would come hunt. She was sick that day ,and Saturday she was few hundred yards to my right. If she wasn't afraid of heights she could of shot that buck Saturday. Heard probably close to 200 shots by 10 on first day so if ammo wasn't in short supply it is now lol

Passed on a lot of nice good bucks with the crossbow due to poor shot selections.
Opening gun it was game over as I'll take that easy 50 yard shot with a rifle.
3 guys hunting high mountain private property. Never heard another shot all season except from us.
Took a 9pt opening day, an 8pt 6 days later and passed on a 10pt the following day due to tag was filled the day before.
We seen a LOT of young and mature bucks.
Very few doe. If you seen a doe, there was surely a buck on her heals.
I know EHD has taken a huge toll on the lower more southern areas but we found no indications of it where we hunt.
The future looks very good next year with the crop of deer we passed on .

Managed to get my last doe tag filled yesterday, it was the biggest doe by far I have ever killed it was giant. Wish I had a scale. that was a wrap for our crew well the people that actually hunted. 5 of us tagged out. 4 of us killed our bucks in archery so that made rifle go much faster.

Fresh ones are easy to do with a simmer and pressure washer. Idk about those older ones could come off once hydrated again. I take mine to a guy with beetles 75$ no headache I actually just picked my buck up from this year the other day turned out great

Congrats on the 7pt harvest. I personally have one more day to hunt tomorrow. Then the rifle goes away and I start thinking about flintlock season. 

lol...yeah, rain, warm...probably very windy....I'm angry it will be delaying ski season!  Wishing it was all snow and not rain...need one of these big "rain" makers to collide with a cold front and make it all snow for us, just before Christmas....

Well we took Friday off and we hunted all day Friday with some slow pushes. One of our inexperienced shooters missed one of the largest bucks on the property Friday afternoon. Saturday was a combination of sits and slow pushes. It was downright scary out there in the afternoon. When the front moved through I found the sturdiest looking tree I could and hunkered down for about 30 minutes in blinding wind and rain. Trees were crashing down, limbs falling everywhere. After it passed we finished out the last push of the day and moved some doe and a small buck past out guns. 
 
I finished rifle season without pulling the trigger on a doe. Had many opportunities included a few on the last day but just wasn't feeling it this year in rifle. Now with flintlock and late archery coming, which I enjoy better than rifle, it will be game on for me.