Frustrated

As was said it is not really about filling tags it is about hunting. My first couple of years hunting in BC were spent climbing those mountain for countless hours and feeling successful if I got to see a fleeting glimpse of a doe let alone a buck. Finally during third year a dumb fork horn buck walked right up to me and gave me my first chance. The jubilation I felt that day has never been duplicated and I have shot many deer in the 32 years that have followed that day. Many have been memorable and most of the bucks have been a lot bigger but that one is still the best one.

Keep at it. Your time will come. Yes there are some who score in the first twenty minute of there very first hunt but most of us have worn out a bit of shoe leather getting the first one. Enjoy being out there. The best advice I could give is slow down or even just sit still. A moving hunter is much easier for those bucks to see than one moving slowly or sitting in the right spot.


Best of luck.
 
Hang in there man, I live in Nanaimo, and have been skunked for the last 4 years minus this one. I hunted private land outside city limits. There are hoards of deer on the island, and we all would limit out if we could hunt in the city. The rut here is still going strong, and I got another tag, but all I have seen out in the bush is does too. Its not as easy as most think. Good luck bro,
 
I'm just over on Gabriola... And theyre running all over the place here too. I think some are missing the point of my rant, it's not that I want to kill something, more just the fact that I see deer all the time, at least 5 a day everyday all year round. But I see them in yards, on the roads, in the grocery store parking lot for crying out loud. I'm just a bit discouraged that the only place I haven't seen a buck is the place I've spent about 60 hours hunting in so far this season. I find it strange , and ironic to say the least.
Besides that, I get to spend a lot of time outdoors where I live and work. I hunt geese about 5 months of the year here and carry my shotgun at work with me a good 40% of the year. I work outdoors in a beautifully picturesque landscape and I spend all my days "taking things in"... Im just trying to put meat on the table.
It's the irony that on a very small island, I'm hunting one of the only places I don't see deer on a regular basis. That's what I find frustrating.
Anyway... I'm not giving up till the season is over or a blacktail comes home with me. And realistically, I'm thankful for even having a place to hunt locally.
 
Question : Is there an archery zone a little closer to inhabited areas ? If so that may provide you with a better chance.
 
Glad I`m not the the only one coming up empty on the Island. First year hunting and it`s fun, it`s just really frustrating not even knowing if I am doing something ridiculously wrong. Saw a few does early in the season but nothing now. Oh well. I am apparently moving provinces and it will be a whole new ball game in Alberta.

VI
 
Are there any fresh signs of deer where you are hunting? You could be in a area that is not to their liking, ie food, cover, etc. No use hunting an area where they don't hang out.
 
iceman2 said:
Are there any fresh signs of deer where you are hunting? You could be in a area that is not to their liking, ie food, cover, etc. No use hunting an area where they don't hang out.
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Yeah, loads of scat and scrapings, tracks everywhere... The deer are there. I do see does and fawn and I can hear them hopping through the bush, as well as I can see the understory being pushed around often, trees swaying etc. But I need to get under 60yds with my setup (shotgun only) considering the small size of the island deer. They must see/smell me coming. It's as though they can sense the danger, because as soon as I leave the property gates I can literally hand feed the deer on this island... Many people do. I'm going to look into getting a treestand for next season and using some scent.

Powdergun... I could go that route, the trouble is the island I live on is very much tree hugger heaven. That combined with the fact that the population is very small and everyone knows everybody else, and 70% of the population would rather feed the deer and keep them as pets... To go chasing deer with sticks in them through other peoples property opens up the reality that you become the proverbial island pariah. Not good for business. We are the same island that has already had an anti hunting lobby try to ban hunting on the island, and now the neighbors of the gun club are trying to shut it down because of "noise"... See also, fear of guns.
 
mikeystew said:
Yeah, loads of scat and scrapings, tracks everywhere... The deer are there. I do see does and fawn and I can hear them hopping through the bush, as well as I can see the understory being pushed around often, trees swaying etc. But I need to get under 60yds with my setup (shotgun only) considering the small size of the island deer. They must see/smell me coming. It's as though they can sense the danger, because as soon as I leave the property gates I can literally hand feed the deer on this island... Many people do. I'm going to look into getting a treestand for next season and using some scent.
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I know how you feel, not that we got skunked last week during our rifle season(one guy got 2 bucks, the other saw a doe and a fawn but his semi jammed up) but I saw nothing all week lol. Every square meter on the soybean fields you see 20 footsteps and we can hear them at night lol. But the problem is how the layout is on the land we use their out there all throughout the night and tend to move on.

Definitely agree with others that you need to get a couple trail cams if possible. You know they're there, but when? What if spooking them, what if usually during the night, around sunset, around sunrise.. might need to go little earlier or possibly later. And you could always be having bad luck. But I don't think it's a good idea to assume it's that or else if doing something wrong it'll likely continue. Would suggest to change it up if doing the same things.
Powdergun... I could go that route, the trouble is the island I live on is very much tree hugger heaven. That combined with the fact that the population is very small and everyone knows everybody else, and 70% of the population would rather feed the deer and keep them as pets... To go chasing deer with sticks in them through other peoples property opens up the reality that you become the proverbial island pariah. Not good for business. We are the same island that has already had an anti hunting lobby try to ban hunting on the island, and now the neighbors of the gun club are trying to shut it down because of "noise"... See also, fear of guns.
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It's quite ironic really, why don't they go move? Those ranges were there for decades likely, why did THEY move beside them?

We kind of got a similar situation with a piece of land we just got permission to(this farmer has a few thousand acres but scattered in the area), he told us we can only bring our bows with us(can't go during gun season) because past the bush on the one side there's houses on the other road and their ALL against hunting(one guy doesn't allow his brother to hunt lol). The farmer sees herds of them when he goes to work the land(groups of 10-22 deer), and the field is scattered with massive footprints; you'd think there were horses there. The reason for that though is because nobody(to his knowledge) around there allows hunting. He use to hunt but he's in his 80s and also has cancer and doesn't anymore. I told my dad we should bring an extra bow one day if he has the time :)
 
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