Manitoba Deer Hunting Report - Week 1

Mad-Dog

Mad-Dog

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While this post doesn't belong in the "Successful Hunts" thread, the weekend wasn't entirely unsuccessful either. The weather has been unseasonably warm all fall, which doubtless has mitigated against the deer moving around more. GHA 30 and environs had lots of signs of deer activity, but comparatively few sightings.

Not surprisingly in view of the weather conditions, there seemed to be somewhat fewer than average hunters out. Some shooting heard throughout the day but lots of misses - the deer must be laughing!!! I'm looking forward to lower temps and little snow on the ground to help with the hunt in the coming weeks.
 
Can't believe I'm thumb typing from my deer stand, but...similar story here in Interlake Manitoba. Unseasonably warm, no snow, lots of very windy days. Lots of scrapes and rubs, but the activity is mostly nocturnal. Seeing good numbers of deer in the very first and last hour or so of legal light, very little movement throughout the day. I've seen 3 or 4 (think one was a repeat) decent bucks that didn't quite tempt me enough to pull the trigger in the first week of a three week season. Very few shots heard all the first week.

After waiting all year for the deer opener...I didn't even go out on opening day thanks to 60+KPH winds in exactly the wrong direction. Saw a bruiser early on day 2, but he was moving too fast, too far away and in too windy conditions to even consider a shot; only in view for a second or two. The kind of deer that ruins my season because now I'm kinda sorta fixated...:) I'm sitting out all day every day; I usually do some still-hunting around noon each day but haven't this year. I'm limited to my 100-acre parcel so it doesn't take much walking around to stink up the whole place.

Temps are now dropping, moon is waning, and this morning was still and frosty. I think that our first honest stay-on-the-ground snowfall will turn things around in a hurry. High hopes still...
 
I was in SW Manitoba, opening day, crazy windy, didn't see a single deer, but there are lots of tracks and fresh droppings. Put up two trail cameras and checked them in the morning. Saw a doe at one and a buck at the other. Next day, sitting near the buck camera, had a buck walk right up to within 30 feet of me. I might have rattled him in using rattling sticks in a bag. Not sure if that is what brought him in so close during the day (approx 11 am).
 
Same here, hunting in interlake area, nothing moving during the day, seeing a few on trail cams but they are mostly active at night. Skunked so far, nice weather for being out hunting but poor weather for success.
 
More of the same here. Seeing deer each morning and evening, very few during the rest of the day. Still way too warm, no snow on the ground. Been tempted a few times, but...still have a week left so I'm still being selective. The big deer from my first day (I think...) made another momentary appearance, but still no shot opportunity. :(

I missed two entire days of our three week season: one due to weather, another because of a doctor's appointment. That's still a bunch of hours in the field, but I still have another 8 days after today. Forecast calls for falling temperatures all week; fingers crossed. Tick, tick, tick...any second now...:)
 
Hunt in area 30. Probably fewest deer seen in last few years. Have only seen one decent buck and few smaller ones. Does even seem more nervous than usual.
 
Halfway through the last week of our 3-week rifle season. I cannot believe that it is still so warm, and that there is no snow on the ground...or in the forecast, for that matter. But at least the temperatures have finally dropped into the negatives for day-time highs, so there's still hope for an increase in daytime rutting activity in these last days.

I'm seeing deer, both does and bucks, moving past and through the yard each night when I check through the windows of the house...but not when I'm in one of my stands. There's a stinky scrape right behind the shed in the corner of my yard. There is no deer shortage; they're just not moving around in daylight. Very few shots being heard. My wife regularly drives past the butcher shop where we get our deer cut and she says there's never any trucks there.

I'm starting to think about lowering my sights a bit in terms of what I will shoot; I always want a nice buck, but ending the season with meat in the freezer is important to me as well. I'd probably have shot a smaller buck already by now, but the big guy I saw on day 2 (my first hunting day) of the season has now given me 3 brief glimpses, just hasn't presented a shot opportunity. Hope springs eternal...
 
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