Live from the Stand - 2025

A few almost lives from yesterday morning and evening.

This doe snuck into ~10 yards and caught me in the tree. She blew like crazy but curiosity let to her demise.

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After taking care of the doe I hunted the back of our property in an area that I don’t get to very often. This coyote bedded 15 yards from my tree.

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Just remember shooting your mature does is the quickest way to have no bucks in my opinion. I truly believe that shooting a 6 month old doe fawn is a way better choice than a matriarch doe. I just don't understand why anyone would shoot a doe that has higher percentage of producing buck fawns and a better capacity to get the next generation through healthy. When someone pipes up and says it meat than they sure don't understand deer management. If you don't believe me read john ozoga assessments on doe harvest.
 
victory said:
Just remember shooting your mature does is the quickest way to have no bucks in my opinion. I truly believe that shooting a 6 month old doe fawn is a way better choice than a matriarch doe. I just don't understand why anyone would shoot a doe that has higher percentage of producing buck fawns and a better capacity to get the next generation through healthy. When someone pipes up and says it meat than they sure don't understand deer management. If you don't believe me read john ozoga assessments on doe harvest.
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I guess the majority always needs someone to disagree with.

We have 50+ deer per square mile in our county. We don’t grow large bucks largely in part to a lack of resources. ALL of my plots are at lip level by mid November.

I bow hunt so I’m not picky. I only shoot the does that make it to 20 yards. And later my kids will shoot all they can until our freezer is full.


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I never heard of John Ozoga, but I have heard of several other “deer experts” that claim that shooting any doe is good management if you have too many of them. I agree, a dead deer is a dead deer. They ain’t cattle, that you can breed to suit yourself, and in a wild herd you don’t know much about them even when you know a lot. The “experts”, who have differing opinions of the “facts”, don’t know much either, even after studying them for the last 50 years. We have been hunting and killing deer for many, many years, and killing a great scoring buck is still about 50% luck, maybe more. The textbook hunts get written up, but the “I had just climbed into my stand when he stepped out at 15 yards, I had no pictures of him and had never seen him before” stories usually don’t. That story ain’t gonna get read much, but it happens many times a year.

My personal management plan is: kill no bucks under 3 years old, kill the 1 or 2 year old does. I don’t even care if I kill a buck ever again. There ain’t a trophy bone in my body. The deer mounts in my living room are memories, not trophies. I love the hunt, as well as the end product. I can sit in a stand all day if deer are moving. That’s what turns my crank. YMMV, and if it works for you, that’s good. Mine works for me.
 
We capitalized on one of our hunting spots tonight, bucks are moving on our PA cold snap. This is not a high scoring buck, but it's a very unique rack, and an older deer that needed culled.
 

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I’m hunting the last evening of our early 2 day ML season. I’m surrounded by deer and it’s 40 minutes till dark. Biggest so far is a 10 point 3yo that will be a hoss next year.

Edit - now a fight between two more 3yos.

Edit - 3 more bucks and more sparing.
 
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Native Hunter said:
I’m hunting the last evening of our early 2 day ML season. I’m surrounded by deer and it’s 40 minutes till dark. Biggest so far is a 10 point 3yo that will be a hoss next year.

Edit - now a fight between two more 3yos.

Edit - 3 more bucks and more sparing.
Click to expand...
Deer activity really jumped after that weather front went through
 
Mennoniteman said:
Deer activity really jumped after that weather front went through
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The timing for that was perfect on my hunt. The big rain and strong winds had just passed a couple of hours before, and the sun got to break through for a few minutes before dark. I've seen this scenario many times in my life. I told my wife before I left home that I was about to see every deer on the place.

I had one more update I didn't post. I had an 8 point that I estimated at easily over 220 lbs and scoring about 135 to come out just before dark. I watched him through the scope for over a minute. Might be able to get a better look when I check my cams.
 
Native Hunter said:
The timing for that was perfect on my hunt. The big rain and strong winds had just passed a couple of hours before, and the sun got to break through for a few minutes before dark. I've seen this scenario many times in my life. I told my wife before I left home that I was about to see every deer on the place.

I had one more update I didn't post. I had an 8 point that I estimated at easily over 220 lbs and scoring about 135 to come out just before dark. I watched him through the scope for over a minute. Might be able to get a better look when I check my cams.
Click to expand...
Sits like that are what it's all about, that's why we put all the habitat effort in during the off-season. Having all your deer on the property out at last light is such an interesting time it's almost a sacrilege to shoot something 🤔
Id love to see some pics
 
Mennoniteman said:
Sits like that are what it's all about, that's why we put all the habitat effort in during the off-season. Having all your deer on the property out at last light is such an interesting time it's almost a sacrilege to shoot something 🤔
Id love to see some pics
Click to expand...
I know that 8 point went by a cam but not sure how good of a pic it will be. If I get any good pics I will post in my habitat thread soon.
 
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