Grade your season

[highview72]

D The bow season was ok only because of the number of bucks seen the week after halloween. Before that week it was pretty slim on deer sightings. After that week all the way thru the gun season has been a joke. I even tried hunting in the metro unit around green bay during the gun season for 2 days and never saw a deer. Hunting up north during the gun season was poor at best. I saw 5 does by 7 on opening morning and never saw another deer the rest of the 7 days spent up there. The only good news up by the hunting shack was the total absence of coyote or wolf tracks in the snow and quite a few fawn tracks which were pretty much absent last year. Next year should be better if the winter isnt too severe.

[Legnip]

How low can I go??? Worst season in 26 years. I saw 3 does on Sunday, but the coyotes came out to visit. I hunted five straight days and sat from dawn to dusk, and only saw deer on one day. We barely found any tracks in the snow, except for coyotes. It's a good thing that there is a ban on shooting coyotes....

[deojee1414]

F -- same as last year. The deer herd in Unit 13 is at levels we haven't seen since the late 70's or early 80's. I was only able to bowhunt 8 days spread over 3 weekends this year, all in November, saw a total of 2 deer, doe and fawn. No bucks. gun season was much the same. saw a few does, no bucks for the 2nd straight year. For a year with basically perfect conditions, 2" of snow on the ground for the opener, and good weather all week, the amount of shooting i heard was incredibly low. I suspect and frankly hope our unit is bucks only for a few more years, then hopefully the herd might start coming back.

[Vikinghater]

Guenther, just curious about your comment ,,"hate to shoot doe on our property anymore cause you feel the herd cant take it"  But you go and shoot one in the early doe only season? 
 
I just get a kick out of people on here that complain they dont see deer but proudly post pics of the "beautifull buck fawn" they shot!

[bigwisconsinbucks]

vikinghater- well you see down here in the cwd zone it's earn a buck and we need to shoot a doe to earn a buck tag. That'd be why i have shot a fawn and why gunther shot a doe. Otherwise, we would love to take a few years off of harvesting antlerless deer.

[gunther89]

As BWB said we are in the CWD zone which is EAB.  If I want to go after a big buck I am forced to shoot a doe or fawn to get my buck tag.  As a matter of fact I had to let a 13 pointer go earlier in the season who was 27 yards away because I didn't have that buck tag.  This was the 8th year I believe that the CWD zone has had 4 free doe tags available every day and has had EAB.  The doe herd is down to levels I have never seen before in our area.  Trust me I would love to pass every doe and fawn I saw and hold out for a big buck but I don't have that option. 

[retch sweeny]

I give it an A
 
[blockquote]
While driving back home yesterday I did a recap of the deer sighting from the days I spent gun hunting.
 
Opening day sat dark to dark:saw 17 deer (one buck)
 
2nd day sat from dark to 11:00: saw 1 deer
 
Didn't hunt Mon., Tues or Weds.
 
Thanksgiving day sat from dark to 11:00 am: saw 4 deer (one buck)
 
Friday pm:saw 5 deer
 
Saturday sat from 2:00 till dark: saw 13 deer
 
Didn't hunt Sunday.
 
27 hours hunting and 40 deer seen. I am certain many of the does were repeat but the bucks were diff deer. All in all, this is the most deer I have seen during the gun season in many years. My Sons also saw bucks and multiple antlerless deer. No deer were harvested by the 3 of us. (just like last year) but all in all, it was a good year for gun hunting from a harvest potential standpoint and a relaxing family and friends standpoint.

[/blockquote]

[Relentless]

I assume this is for an overall grade.  Well my first response would be..."overall" it is not even close to over so I am not sure.  If I were grading to date I would have to give it an A.  Sightings were pretty good then dwindled fast as we approached the gun opener here in IL.  I missed my first big buck ever with a bow, then I wounded one two weeks later....both events that still make me queasy.  However, my 8 year old killed a dandy 8 pointer, his first deer ever so no matter how the season ends I will consider it good.  I think that responses to calling have been terrible compared to years past...I had one mature buck 200 yards out stop, look hard at my decoy and keep going...and he was alone.  In the past I have been able to call a deer in like that without a decoy...and yes, the wind was well in my favor. 
 
Since I have had opportunites on two trophy bucks I would have to consider the season a good one.  I do feel I spent much more time in a tree though so sightings, as I stated...started well, but have been slim lately, should have been more frequent.  I have until the middle of January to tag at least one good buck though and second gun season is not even here yet so I am not worried yet. 
 
For all I know the year could turn into an A+ for me???

[Centralwisconsinland]

My seasons would be a B, good bow season 28 days in the bow stand 8 different shooter bucks 1 killed. Not a lot of does, as I have seen in the past, doe to buck ratio 2-1 is my guess from my observation, which I like. Gun season 7 days in the stand 4 bucks no shooters and 21 does probaly the same deer. I enjoy the solitude of the bow season, and the comaraderie of the gun season, come to think about I changing my grade to an A, God I love this time of year!!!!!

[Swandog09]

I will grade this two ways, an (A ) for potential. Our property was covered in buck sign the likes that I have not seen before. We had several shooters caught on trails cams (4 different 10 poniters and 4 different 8 pts). The problem was all the activity was at night. Some of the scrapes and rubs were refreshed during the week. The plus side is that there was not a lot shooting in our area so I can only assume that many are still running around.

The second grade is (D) for results - I only saw 4 deer (all at once) in 5 days of dark to dark hunting. Nobody in our group was successful or saw more than 4 deer for the week, in fact not one buck was seen. As mentioned above, I still love doing it and spending time with my father, brothers, and friends. I have high hopes for 2nd season bow.