Which Decade do you believe to be the best time for Deer Hunting

[rfickes87]

The last 6 years to the present have been the best for ME. Seeing bigger and better bucks each year. However as a 32 year old I obviously didn't hunt back in the 80s but my dad and uncles did, back in their prime. They would go to camp for a week and drive/push deer everywhere and tell me stories of how fun it was and all the deer they saw (30 does and 1 little spike usually). Then come home and do the same thing around town on all the neighbors lands.
Now everything is posted and neighbors don't get along like the used to. My dad and uncles will whine now and complain that they don't see deer anymore b/c not as many guys are hunting and pushing deer. (but they also don't put the effort in that they used to) and those good old camp days are long gone. As a kid I'd go with my family and my dad's friends and push in big deer drives and it was so much fun, just the laughs and stories, seeing lots of deer. I feel like the hunting camp days are dwindling down to nothing and hunting isn't nearly as big and popular as it used to be (or maybe just not as fun). That is a problem, maybe just a personal problem though.. i don't know? But now I solo hunt 2 miles back with the bow and kinda quit rifle hunting. I see nice bucks, maybe 1-3 does a sit. I shoot one of the bucks and can only share my "trophy" with my dad and uncles once I bring it home. Its just not the same anymore. Its funny how shooting a nice big 8 point and taking it home to show my dad and uncles isn't as fun now days as I remember shooting a little 6pt and have my dad and uncles there somewhere in the woods nearby on the radio with me saying "was that you that shot?" and to congratulate me and come help me drag it out. I never really thought about that until now and all the sudden I'm really sad.

Really makes me rethink my first sentence I just typed in this post.

[bowonly68]

For me it was the 80's. The majority of the bigger deer killed in the area of Louisiana that I hunt were during this era. Even though I was just starting out as a deer hunter back then and was not very good at closing the deal on any deer much less a mature buck, I saw more deer numbers and more mature bucks during that time that at any other.

[headgear]

To sum it up I guess I would have to choose 2000-2010 as the best decade for me just because that’s when I easily had the most encounters with big bucks and even killed a few of them.

I wish I could go back in time and hunt those ten years knowing what I know now.

[UntouchableNess]

Struggled with really bad archery equipment from 1983 until 2000. It was so bad I took a big block of that time off from bowhunting. I was too cheap to go try out new bows at the local shops, so hung on FAR TOO long to outdated gear. I finally broke down and bought a used bow around 2000 and everything turned around for me. Bowhunting became fun and I had confidence. Liberal tags helped build confidence through that decade as well. Shot too many deer looking back, just because I could.

[Dewey]

2005-2012 seemed like a really good time for big bucks throughout the country.

I absolutely 100% agree with this. Those were incredible years for numbers and quality. Looking back at my logs those exact years were crazy. Most hated EAB here in WI but it sure made for some great buck hunting especially in the single buck units. Once we hit 2013-2014 the steady slide started.

[Maverick1]

My best hunt is either:
1. The one I’m currently ON (if I happen to be hunting at that particular moment), or
2. My next hunt.

I’d say 2000-2010 or 2011-2019. But that might just be because I learned the most and improved quite a bit. Didn’t know too much in the 1980’s!

[Ishi Spirit]

2000 to 2009.

The 90s were the best for myself

Less bowhunters or hunters
Hunting public land wasn’t cool at that time
Ease of private land access
Great age structure of bucks
Habitat in general was good

if we are talking results the 90s for me as well... I think 2000 to 2009 had the highest population of big bucks in Wisconsin, but it was not my peak success time

1985 to the present have been awesome but my best success for big deer was 2010-2019.

[moondoondude]

Man, what I would give to have known what I know now. 2000 - 2010 was it here, without a question. Before that, deer were few and far between - for decades prior as well. Considering i entered that decade as a preteen and didn't run trail cameras until 2010, I chose that decade based on limited knowledge and just by what i saw and experienced during that timeframe. Even though i was really young and had limited experience, I still shot some great deer with my bow. I can only imagine what I would have come across if I could go back doing what i do now.

[Uncle Lou]

Right NOW. I didn't even vote, the present is where we have to live. history is the past.

I even think I will shoot a monster some day

[Cutter]

2000-2010 for me. Granted I was young young and learning, but man I saw some big bucks. The public we hunted was prime, now it's a shell of it's former self.

[gsquared23]

During the 2000s, before EHD hit our area, we were seeing some SLAMMERS. I saw a 160 typical and a 180 nontypical in the same 3 weeks. It was also before trail cameras were a thing, so “you never know” what was around, but someone would always see a “jumbo” every year. I would shoot 1-2 deer/year, was jacked up for hunting season every year, and really enjoyed deer camp. I wasn’t very good at deer hunting, and didn’t learn much. It’d be interesting to hunt that decade again with my current, slightly improved knowledge base and mobile equipment. Also I have a decent bow that I’m just so much more confident shooting.

I agree with leaving the past in the past, but it was cool having so many mature bucks around. Our deer numbers seem to be recovering, but it still ain’t like the good ole days.

[tim]

Answered completely based on my own success 2011-2019.

[Wapiti]

I was split between 1990 - 2000 and 2000 - 2010. I grew up and started hunting during the 90's and saw a lot of big bucks go down between my Dad and his friends. The early to mid-2000's were stellar as well, and in fact, if I had to pick an exact 10-year period it would 1995 -2005.

[DaveT1963]

The current one :)

[Dhoff]

Those 2000s for me. We had a huge storm in 1998. A lot of the woods were laid flat and gnarly. For many years after that it was really thick and full of deer. We had a lot of successful seasons after that. Now the woods are starting to clear up again and are more open.