St. Antlers day

Well, today is St. Antlers day, I can hear the shots all around me. I got my spike buck 2 weeks ago, on the grille on the way to
Church. Totalled my car, now I'm doing the look for a car dance. I don't know why, I just don't have any desire to hunt anymore, its ok if anyone else wants to, there are too many deer here in mid Michigan NW of Ann Arbor.

I used to do a lot of hunting in my younger days, but like you, no desire to kill anymore.

Only thing in my sights are the feral hogs that tear our place up.

I'm with you John. I'm getting too old and too soft to kill animals anymore. I still kill destructive varmints around the farm, but other than that, deer, rabbits, and squirrels are now safe around me.

Tom in TN

In New Jersey there are deer in towns that don't even have any woods left. The next town to me which has alot of woods keeps you on your toes driving . Especially by a guys house that has some type of low bird feeder. That guys yard is wildlife central with turkeys, deer,geese. I saw him get out of his truck once and they were walking towards him. Any feeding of wildlife is illegal. They need a bow season in suburbia.There is one with no lower leg and before that one with no front leg. Car victims to become coyote victims later. Game camera gets 900 something hits a week. [only one coyote and all deer]

Myself and friends do it to bolster our food supply, have some enjoyable products made by an old pork store, with traditional german recipes for frankfurters, sausage etc. I do plant forage when I can, and still look forward to the hunt every year, but this being my 30th year hunting whitetail, its more routine now, but still something to appreciate, often times people come home you have not seen, people take time off, some of us gather to butcher, and prepare the meat.

Sitting in the cold for extended periods of time can get old at times, weather is what usually makes the difference.

No shortage of deer in this area, and they do challenge anything you plant such as a garden etc.

Hey john
I out in the woods right now. Should be looking for deer instead of surfing YT on my phone. Its a nice and sunny 37f here outside of grayling.

No deer yet. not many hunters around either.

Rick

That is why I don't go to church. LOL
Loren, the Acg

don't have to go far at home, son and daughter shot 2 in the garden last fall, hope they bring some friends his year and get 5 or 6 more out of the garden.

I don't hunt them much(stepson does) but the last week I have had 2 does and an 8pt buck in my side yard in the morning on 3 ocasions. of coarse the does are both on the ground sitting up watching while that buck is dancing around. it's usually on my way to work @ 6 am. I do love the taste of deer but don't have to hunt them as the boy loves too, plus swmbo thinks they are cute... until they tear up the trees..haha
Kent

I was out this morning and didn't here a single shot near me. BIL and neighbors hunt next door and are much more patient than I am. I have better things to do than sit all day. Deer season just interrupts running the beagles/rabbit hunting.

Larry

I've seen mature bucks on peoples lawns in basking ridge nj, that I've never seen here, ever, theyh had an article years ago, profiling these deer one the sidewalks and so on. Same area I found a box turtle or whatever that native land species is, crossing the road leading to the train station near Millington, I've never seen another since, this was in '93 or so, we don't have them here, the wildlife in NJ is impressive, I worked on a lot of site jobs down there, and it provided a view of how things are, different species and so on.

Outside of Denville at this huge quarry we used to draw fill from, there was a clear pond that was from draglining years back, and another much older. The newer one had a huge stockpile near it, I would climb to the top and look down into and through the water, the biggest bass I have ever seen, right next to it a snapping turtle the size of a manhole cover, it was said you could ask permission to fish, the older pond and that there was some mature fish in there. Ponds were small lakes, something I will never forget, Jersey is not what people think it is from the NJTPKE or GSP, by any means, just too many houses now, wildlife has to co-exist somehow.

Now, Nancy, Feral hogs are something I would like to hunt, I"ve heard they taste great. And Rick, good luck in Grayling. I used to hunt near Mio. It sounded like a war opening day. Then near Lovells (between Mio and Grayling)the last time I hunted up north, except for a couple of years NW of Rose City.

Last deer I shot was out of the bathroom window, with a Dasy BB gun. They sure can jump! Didnot stop them from eating the garden though.
joe

I heard the buck pole at Skip's had a bunch of deer on it this afternoon. Jack's Sport Shop in Kalkaska didn't have a deer on it all day I heard. We went to Kalkaska for lunch and I know there weren't any on it at that time. Heard a few shots this morning, but didn't hear a single shot this afternoon.

Heard a total of 4 shots opening day, one being my dad. Have 5 buddies over by mancelonia/east Jordan area. They called and said its slim pickings over there. They are on private land but don't bait at all. Usually they get two every year. Nobody had seen one opening day.
Rick