So, who else is flirting with tag soup?

[trimmer21]

In 73 we hung 3 deer with 5 full time guys. All bucks. I personally did not shoot any. In my opinion the numbers were up from last year. This morning on my stand I had a doe go by 250 yards out with a coyote chasing her. After that three more coyotes went by. I actually called one in using a doe grunt and bleat. Not happy about that sight. There was one almost pure white and he was a behemoth.

Looking forward to controlled hunt and ML season. My tag is still intact.

Holy crap,you hit the motherlode. Most of us in the area have yet to connect. Slug guns are cleaned and put away,I have my Bow tuned and broadheads sharp. There's lots of time to put meat in the freezer,yet. We have until New Years Eve.

[Big Jack]

Holy crap,you hit the motherlode. Most of us in the area have yet to connect. Slug guns are cleaned and put away,I have my Bow tuned and broadheads sharp. There's lots of time to put meat in the freezer,yet. We have until New Years Eve.

We did well but honestly I believe the increase in game is due to lower predator numbers. We hit them hard last year and we now see more fawns making it and also have noticed a sharp increase in grouse and turkey numbers as well. Obviously it was not a bad winter either so that is a big factor. I doubt this is a coincidence. Ontario needs a provincial coyote bounty and in some places a wolf bounty.

Spoke to a friend who hunts up North Bay area and they got one but couldn't believe the wolf prints and wolf crap everywhere. Very little deer sign.

[dutchhunter]

We did well but honestly I believe the increase in game is due to lower predator numbers. We hit them hard last year and we now see more fawns making it and also have noticed a sharp increase in grouse and turkey numbers as well. Obviously it was not a bad winter either so that is a big factor. I doubt this is a coincidence. Ontario needs a provincial coyote bounty and in some places a wolf bounty.

Spoke to a friend who hunts up North Bay area and they got one but couldn't believe the wolf prints and wolf crap everywhere. Very little deer sign.

Could you tellus about thus bounty thy have .as I don't think there are any government bounties at all in Ontario. There may be local contests but I don't think there are any bounty ..I would like to hear more about this ...Dutch

[Oddmott]

Could you tellus about thus bounty thy have .as I don't think there are any government bounties at all in Ontario. There may be local contests but I don't think there are any bounty ..I would like to hear more about this ...Dutch

I'm thinking that with the "they got one" remark, he meant they got a deer, despite all the predator sign.

I could be wrong though.

I'm definitely jumping on the coyote cull bandwagon. Joining a couple forum members to learn some of the ropes and get a good idea of what gear is/isn't required before I go blowing my wad on crap i don't need.

[FamilyMan]

Pulled an 8 pointer out of the bush in 64A last week. Half a kilometer pull through the woods sucked. It's a nice buck but not the big boy I was after that's hanging around. Seen quite a bit of activity and my apples disappeared like clockwork. Lot's of tracks of varying sizes and other signs of activity. Got some good pictures as well. They're in there, just gotta get to the thickest, nastiest spot you can find and get them out.

And the 'yotes are everywhere. Time to thin them out a bit me thinks.

[trimmer21]

I'm definitely jumping on the coyote cull bandwagon. Joining a couple forum members to learn some of the ropes and get a good idea of what gear is/isn't required before I go blowing my wad on crap i don't need.

Good idea to get together with other hunters. You don't need a lot of stuff. With a small caliber,high-speed rifle,(.223-.270) a couple of calls and your lunch,your good to go. Dress warm,you'll be doing a lot of sitting....unless the other guys use the "newbie" for dogging.LOL

[racer55]

WMU 73
Pulled in my driveway right at 1/2 hour after dusk on the 14th to find 2 antlerless drinking from a puddle.
Probably doe an this years fawn but equal in size?

Who taught them to read the regs?

[df0010]

got skunked in WMU49... bounced a moose while cutting across a swamp, a few of the guys in camp got grouse/rabbit, but very meager sign, saw only 1 doe on sunday. LOTS of wolf tracks and scat though

[buckchaser]

I put in 51 hours over 9 full/partial days in the "big woods" of 63 A. Saw the flash of a tail while still hunting one day - my only "sighting", although I did hear deer running through the woods on at least two other occasions. This despite knowing the ~750 acre chunk of Crown Land very well, year round scouting, 6 trail cameras for months, etc.

The preparation did pay off when one of the group connected on a mature doe, but the overall amount of sign (droppings, rubs, scrapes, etc.) was minimal. Large portions of the area had basically no sign with small "clusters" of decent sign where the deer were (in small numbers).

Hunting in this area has been like this since around ~2009. We simply don't have the deer population to expect daily sightings/excitement. Hard winters, predation, too many antlerless tags in the "boom years" a decade ago, etc. have resulted in the low (but stable) population we have seen since then. Tough hunting - you have to be prepared to connect on the one shooting opportunity you get each season it seems.

[trimmer21]

WMU 73
Pulled in my driveway right at 1/2 hour after dusk on the 14th to find 2 antlerless drinking from a puddle.
Probably doe an this years fawn but equal in size?

Who taught them to read the regs?

Probably,the same woman that taught them to read the highway signs. LOL