Pressure!

[Boogieman1]

Do u guys see a diff between bow and gun pressure? Recently I was asked to write a bio and it really got me thinking.. Those early years I didn't have a clue and the deer just worked around me. But I have several properties I'm surrounded by gun hunters and it's a noticeable diff kind of pressure. Also I search out bow only public places and find the pressure is also more Hunter friendly. My state has a lengthy 2 month gun season and Xbows are only allowed on properties which allow gun hunting so a bow only public deff recieves less pressure than kill by any means necessary. But I also think there is something to it....

[Evanszach7]

Do u guys see a diff between bow and gun pressure? Ohio- yes. TN- no. Lengthy gun season. Biggest difference in all the states I hunt is “still” gun hunters. More walking than hunting, but I’m ok it’s that kind of pressure too.

Also I search out bow only public places and find the pressure is also more Hunter friendly.

Hunt a few bow only in Ohio. Pressure is worse there during all seasons than bow/ gun areas during bow season. Lots of ladder stand converted gun to crossbow guys. Friendly if you don’t go through “their spot”.

Also hunt a few bow only in Ky where there is a limited crossbow season. Pressure increases with crossbow opener but still not as bad as gun opener. Agree, both guys are more friendly than gun guys.

But I also think there is something to it....

. There’s a different breed of a hunter that comes out when gun season coincides with November. I’ve come across some real entitled a holes with no regard to etichics or safety. I tend to go to bow only places then or way up in the mountains. Seems like most bow guys get that it’s hard work and through it develop a common respect towards each other.

[oldrank]

Yes, for sure and it happens instantly. Our gun opener is Nov 15th. Up until that point it is not uncommon to take a cruise in the evening and see deer browsing around in fields. After gun season they are gone and do not show again until our season ends.

Also the public I hunt instantly becomes a wasteland. Tracks disappear. Scraping and rubbing basically stops. It's a completely different game after the gun opener. Can a guy still kill deer? Yes but it is not easy at all.

To experience a gun opener on public land in Michigan is a site to behold. The deer get piled up. In my area let's say a mile square chunk of public holds 25 deer November 14th...by November 16th I would bet that number is now below 10.

The bow hunters are picking off one here n there. The gun hunters knock them down in a matter of hours. I don't remember the exact details but a few years ago I hunted a gun opener. I know I heard over 100 shot in a very short period of time. I had 2 guys I could see within a couple hundred yards of me at day light. I still somehow miraculously killed a buck that day...at noon.

[oldrank]

My post from that day from the live from the stand.... This gives a very accurate picture. 200 shots in 4 hours.


Sun Nov 15, 2015 3:38 pm

Here he is. Basically this stand is my favorite stand for gun opener. Its so overlooked. It is deep in the woods and just a small little thicket you can barely tell is there but the bucks love it and they skate the edges feeling safe. Its also a hub where 6 trails all meet. I got in my stand about 530 or so this morning. Not sure of exact timeline but i was posting like crazy on here till daylight so its all laid out..haha. This spot always pays off either right at daylight or around noon. Shortly after I climbed in my stand I started seeing the other hunters come into the woods. I seen 2 guys cut my trails off to the north and to the south. I figured they would pack up n leave before prime time (12:00 noon) anyhow. I counted shots (I think its a Michigan gun opener tradition) n even though i quit posting on here i was well into the 200s by 10 oclock. Some close some far. Around 9:30 the guy to my north shots 5 times quickly so I figured he was shooting at something running and he would be up looking for blood, further helping me out. Well time passed and nothing show but I was planning on sitting all day. At 11:30 I heard crunching coming out of the little thicket to my east and looked up just in time to see him pop out into the opening. I found him in my scope and followed him as he headed right to me. I took the shot at about 20 yrds with the .44 mag rifle and he headed into the thicket with a busted shoulder. I seen him make it over the hill towards the next human trail and the front of the stateland so i figured i better get on him before another hunter popped him. I found good blood n followed him quickly n came up on him bedded. A quick finishing shot to the neck ended it. He is a tight main frame 7 with 4 kickers right at his bass on both side.. 11 pts !!!! WOOO HOO.

[Boogieman1]

My post from that day from the live from the stand.... This gives a very accurate picture. 200 shots in 4 hours.


Sun Nov 15, 2015 3:38 pm

Here he is. Basically this stand is my favorite stand for gun opener. Its so overlooked. It is deep in the woods and just a small little thicket you can barely tell is there but the bucks love it and they skate the edges feeling safe. Its also a hub where 6 trails all meet. I got in my stand about 530 or so this morning. Not sure of exact timeline but i was posting like crazy on here till daylight so its all laid out..haha. This spot always pays off either right at daylight or around noon. Shortly after I climbed in my stand I started seeing the other hunters come into the woods. I seen 2 guys cut my trails off to the north and to the south. I figured they would pack up n leave before prime time (12:00 noon) anyhow. I counted shots (I think its a Michigan gun opener tradition) n even though i quit posting on here i was well into the 200s by 10 oclock. Some close some far. Around 9:30 the guy to my north shots 5 times quickly so I figured he was shooting at something running and he would be up looking for blood, further helping me out. Well time passed and nothing show but I was planning on sitting all day. At 11:30 I heard crunching coming out of the little thicket to my east and looked up just in time to see him pop out into the opening. I found him in my scope and followed him as he headed right to me. I took the shot at about 20 yrds with the .44 mag rifle and he headed into the thicket with a busted shoulder. I seen him make it over the hill towards the next human trail and the front of the stateland so i figured i better get on him before another hunter popped him. I found good blood n followed him quickly n came up on him bedded. A quick finishing shot to the neck ended it. He is a tight main frame 7 with 4 kickers right at his bass on both side.. 11 pts !!!! WOOO HOO.

Do you feel it's the sound of the boom or an increase in numbers? My area is a lil diff I'm sure due to not much public. But I feel it's the sound of the shot. Reason I say this is cause they primarily hunt out of 1 box blinde and recently my state has allowed silencers into the game so deer won't know they are being shot at. I believe there is something to the sound of gun fire that they have been conditioned to react

[oldrank]

My post from that day from the live from the stand.... This gives a very accurate picture. 200 shots in 4 hours.


Sun Nov 15, 2015 3:38 pm

Here he is. Basically this stand is my favorite stand for gun opener. Its so overlooked. It is deep in the woods and just a small little thicket you can barely tell is there but the bucks love it and they skate the edges feeling safe. Its also a hub where 6 trails all meet. I got in my stand about 530 or so this morning. Not sure of exact timeline but i was posting like crazy on here till daylight so its all laid out..haha. This spot always pays off either right at daylight or around noon. Shortly after I climbed in my stand I started seeing the other hunters come into the woods. I seen 2 guys cut my trails off to the north and to the south. I figured they would pack up n leave before prime time (12:00 noon) anyhow. I counted shots (I think its a Michigan gun opener tradition) n even though i quit posting on here i was well into the 200s by 10 oclock. Some close some far. Around 9:30 the guy to my north shots 5 times quickly so I figured he was shooting at something running and he would be up looking for blood, further helping me out. Well time passed and nothing show but I was planning on sitting all day. At 11:30 I heard crunching coming out of the little thicket to my east and looked up just in time to see him pop out into the opening. I found him in my scope and followed him as he headed right to me. I took the shot at about 20 yrds with the .44 mag rifle and he headed into the thicket with a busted shoulder. I seen him make it over the hill towards the next human trail and the front of the stateland so i figured i better get on him before another hunter popped him. I found good blood n followed him quickly n came up on him bedded. A quick finishing shot to the neck ended it. He is a tight main frame 7 with 4 kickers right at his bass on both side.. 11 pts !!!! WOOO HOO.

Do you feel it's the sound of the boom or an increase in numbers? My area is a lil diff I'm sure due to not much public. But I feel it's the sound of the shot. Reason I say this is cause they primarily hunt out of 1 box blinde and recently my state has allowed silencers into the game so deer won't know they are being shot at. I believe there is something to the sound of gun fire that they have been conditioned to react

I believe it is a number of things.

The inability to escape human scent. Mass human intrusion.

They are all dead.

I also think that deer travel in groups alot of times and when one gets shot it quickly educates the others. The boom may have something to do with it, or some type of chemical (scent alarm) the other deer give off during stress.

They even act different after gun season opens. The ones I do see are so skittish. Like they don't know what to do or where to run. I'v seen bucks literally belly crawl through a thicket like a cat stalking a bird. I never see them act like that during bow season.

A little off subject but I used to raise chickens. My chickens loved me. When I would pull in the driveway they would run to my car. I had to many roosters n they started fighting. One day I grabbed a few n butchered them. From that day on my chickens feared me. I don't know why or how cause I didn't harm any of the other ones but somehow they knew. I think deer know. I see it every year in my back yard. The deer feed all year in my yard. The second youth season opens they disappear.

I also have a strange theory. I believe it is ingrained in their genetics. We have been hunting deer for years. I think they know when gun season starts.

[Boogieman1]

Good thought out answer OD it is pretty much what I see. Same thing happened in my state when auto feeders came on the scene. At first folks were knocking down studs cause they didn't have to constantly lay down scent to bait. After watching afew of there buddies getting blown through the lungs they wised up pretty quick. It's now standard practice and how 99% of my state hunts and I watch how they react on a yearly basis. Some might think this is a thought process but it's just survival instinct. Ring a bell everyday and when your dog comes running kick the crap out of him and it don't take long for him to wise up. Outfitters are aware of this that's why they corn roads all year and back the stand off 300 yards to remove any hunting out of the equation.

[Evanszach7]

My post from that day from the live from the stand.... This gives a very accurate picture. 200 shots in 4 hours.


Sun Nov 15, 2015 3:38 pm

Here he is. Basically this stand is my favorite stand for gun opener. Its so overlooked. It is deep in the woods and just a small little thicket you can barely tell is there but the bucks love it and they skate the edges feeling safe. Its also a hub where 6 trails all meet. I got in my stand about 530 or so this morning. Not sure of exact timeline but i was posting like crazy on here till daylight so its all laid out..haha. This spot always pays off either right at daylight or around noon. Shortly after I climbed in my stand I started seeing the other hunters come into the woods. I seen 2 guys cut my trails off to the north and to the south. I figured they would pack up n leave before prime time (12:00 noon) anyhow. I counted shots (I think its a Michigan gun opener tradition) n even though i quit posting on here i was well into the 200s by 10 oclock. Some close some far. Around 9:30 the guy to my north shots 5 times quickly so I figured he was shooting at something running and he would be up looking for blood, further helping me out. Well time passed and nothing show but I was planning on sitting all day. At 11:30 I heard crunching coming out of the little thicket to my east and looked up just in time to see him pop out into the opening. I found him in my scope and followed him as he headed right to me. I took the shot at about 20 yrds with the .44 mag rifle and he headed into the thicket with a busted shoulder. I seen him make it over the hill towards the next human trail and the front of the stateland so i figured i better get on him before another hunter popped him. I found good blood n followed him quickly n came up on him bedded. A quick finishing shot to the neck ended it. He is a tight main frame 7 with 4 kickers right at his bass on both side.. 11 pts !!!! WOOO HOO.

Do you feel it's the sound of the boom or an increase in numbers? My area is a lil diff I'm sure due to not much public. But I feel it's the sound of the shot. Reason I say this is cause they primarily hunt out of 1 box blinde and recently my state has allowed silencers into the game so deer won't know they are being shot at. I believe there is something to the sound of gun fire that they have been conditioned to react

In my experience deer are pretty good at interpreting the distance and frequency of shot to know if it’s an imminent and immediate threat. I filmed a 2-3 year old doe with 2 fawns a month ago on public in KY. Someone was target shooting 1/4 mile away. Mom looked up and at the direction of shots from feeding and went back to feeding within 10 seconds. Fawns mirrored the mom, but hadn’t been conditioned yet to immediately take notice. I’d say if you coupled it with an increase in pressure the mom would have bolted or walked to cover depending on the distance. At least that’s what’s I’ve observed during season.