Anyone else have the “itch”

[JmacD]

It’s been cooler (like 50s) this last week in the mornings in NE. Yes, triple digits this weekend, but!!! It’s still given me that fall feeling… I have my November firearm tag for my desired unit. I have my doe tags. I have my statewide Muzzleloader tag… I finished this for my dad…It made the itch worse… anyone else marking off the days on the calendar?

 

[Armored farmer]

I'm sitting in my living room and can see two GIANT racks sticking up out of the soybeans across the road.
We have trail cam pics of this guy roaming our neighborhood.
I have been working with my new .45-70, getting sighted in and developing a load for my 340gr cast bullets.

This guy, and some of his gang keep hanging out at my hunting blind.

Archery turkey and archery deer seasons run concurrently in Illinois.....that adds to the fun to have both a turkey tag and deer tags in your pocket!
One of my most favorite things is roaming the woods in early October with my faithful Bear 52# recurve, scouting stand sites, looking for deer sign, and getting in the hunting "groove".

 

[horsemen61]

Oh yes I can’t wait we are seeing some damn fine deer around my parts SW Mo and I’m counting down the days with much anticipation!

 

[Chuck R.]

This past week has been unique, high 50s and low 60s in the morning, feel like the season is upon us. Buuuuut, any thoughts of pending fall and hunting season will be crushed come SAT when we go back into triple digits.

Bad news is I've got to mow food plots to get ready for tilling and cut some strips in a dove field this weekend and it's going to suck. I've also got to fence my little fruit trees to keep the deer and the %$#^ rabbits off them.

We might have to call this period "False Fall" kind of the opposite of "False Spring".

Even though our muzzle loader and archery seasons open in SEP, I won't bother chasing deer till the weather cools. Hanging and butchering in the heat takes the fun right out of it.

 

[WisBorn]

A little bit of an itch . I bought my archery and rifle licenses. Also picked up an antlerless tag. Stopped at Cabela's and Scheel's looking at gear and not just guns.
I have to go to my hunting land, then I will get excited about hunting

 

[Kingcreek]

Looking forward to a great deer season. NW Illinois the deer numbers and health as I see them are the best I’ve ever seen in 40 years of huntingI have my own 40 acres plus 2 other farms exclusive access. The other hunters that have been causing me some problems on the best piece of ground are now denied access by the owner and the new farm renter.
Pulling my bow has gotten harder and I just caved in and bought a smoking fast crossbow that shoots like a rifle and hits hard. Still getting it tuned up and dialed in. I’ll start cutting trails and putting up stands next week after I get the old Honda atv going.

 

[JmacD]

have been working with my new .45-70, getting sighted in and developing a load for my 340gr cast bullets.

I’m fiddling with a new load for both my 308(178 eldx over N150) & my Brothers 308(165 gr interlock); my Dads 270 is all squared away and using the same as last year(140gr Hornady SST over H4831)

Also have a new inline to finish setting up. First time trying blackHorn 209… might try running my Dads Hawken to… dunno

 

[JmacD]

A little bit of an itch . I bought my archery and rifle licenses. Also picked up an antlerless tag. Stopped at Cabela's and Scheel's looking at gear and not just guns.
I have to go to my hunting land, then I will get excited about hunting

Is Wisconsin OTC license for deer?

 

[WisBorn]

Is Wisconsin OTC license for deer?

Yes they are. Antlerless permits are area driven. Some areas have free permits other are limited and are $12.

You Still can buy a nonresident tag OTC gun for $200.

 

[JmacD]

Yes they are. Antlerless permits are area driven. Some areas have free permits other are limited and are $12.

You Still can buy a nonresident tag OTC gun for $200.

Wow. In Nebraska, all the firearm tags are by management unit. There is a state wide buck tag you can buy, but it is like $150 or something. Other tags are $37. You can also buy the “seasons choice” antlerless tags, which cover all of the seasons, and get you 2 antlerless deer. They are also by management unit. They are also $37.
The muzzleloader and archery tags will also get you one deer of either sex, but you are only allowed any combination that will let you have 2 buck. They are also $37 each. You also have to have a $25 Habitat stamp. So, it sounds confusing, but it really isn’t it is an overly cheap either

 

[LoonWulf]

Ya know, i though id lost that drive to hunt somewhere along the line. I enjoy it, but i havent had the urge to go all the time like I used to.
Lately its been there in the back of my mind.


I really only deer hunt when we're home on Molokai, though I have hunted on Lanai and Maui.....
We'll be going home again in October.

I can hunt sheep, goats, and pigs here pretty much year round.

Ive been spending a few hours sitting and glassing an area every other weekend. Haven't shot anything, but still feels good to get out there.

So yeah, The itch is still there.........

 

[Duster340]

Yep! Prepping for next month's bow season. Itch is an understatement!

 

[flatsticks]

Have had the itch for sure . cant wait get out into the woods and see what happens to come by.

Some nice looking deer in those pics , thanks for showing them to us .

 

[footwart]

I see deer almost every day. This is last years bounty.

 

[crestoncowboy]

I have had zero itch for the last 10 years or so. I wish I had any desire to hunt. Plenty of land and depredation kills aplenty. But I just don't care a thing about hunting anymore.

Oddly I had quit riding motorcycles for 10 years and recently got back into that. Adventure bikes, cruisers, supersports.....I'm into one of each again. Lol

 

[.308 Norma]

I have to go to my hunting land, then I will get excited about hunting

I sure wish we were "excited" about deer hunting this year. The fact is though, we had a really long and hard winter in this part of the state, and we lost a sizeable portion of our deer herd because of it.
My wife and I even drew permits again this year in the area where our rancher friend's ranch is located, and we already bought our tags. However, our friends are telling us that while last year they saw upwards of 50 deer every time they drove up to their upper pasture to check on their cattle, they're seeing 5 or less every time they make the trip this year. Unless my wife or I spot a really old, mature buck that probably won't live much longer, I don't think either of us will even shoot a deer this year.

 

[WisBorn]

I sure wish we were "excited" about deer hunting this year. The fact is though, we had a really long and hard winter in this part of the state, and we lost a sizeable portion of our deer herd because of it.
My wife and I even drew permits again this year in the area where our rancher friend's ranch is located, and we already bought our tags. However, our friends are telling us that while last year they saw upwards of 50 deer every time they drove up to their upper pasture to check on their cattle, they're seeing 5 or less every time they make the trip this year. Unless my wife or I spot a really old, mature buck that probably won't live much longer, I don't think either of us will even shoot a deer this year.

I hope you and your lovely wife get out and enjoy the season anyway. I have spent many hours in the stand with little intention of shooting anything that was less than 5 years old....

 

[.308 Norma]

I hope you and your lovely wife get out and enjoy the season anyway.

Oh yes, we'll do that! We don't have to kill anything to enjoy getting out in the hills, and we have a freezer full of beef, pork and chicken, as well as a half-dozen trophy size mule deer racks in the basement that we've never displayed anyway.

 

[Wolfshead]

It always happens this time of year. I’m feeling the need to be in the woods.
I’ve been out doing some last minute scouting on some new to me public, so that’s helped a bit.
But as time goes by, I need to get away from the rat race, and get into the woods, and close to Mother Nature.
I took our dog out at 4:30 this morning and I could almost smell hunting season! The weather, temperature and just that beginning of Fall feeling is making me itch big time!

 

[FL-NC]

We've been having daily heat indexes of 100+. If it rains, we'll have a overnight low in the mid 70's, if not look for a overnight low in the high 80's. But what I have been doing is building a new blind - in that 100 degree day. Also drinking about hald a case of botttled water. So I guess a different kind of "itch".

 

[JmacD]

Oh yes, we'll do that! We don't have to kill anything to enjoy getting out in the hills, and we have a freezer full of beef, pork and chicken, as well as a half-dozen trophy size mule deer racks in the basement that we've never displayed anyway.

You know how many times I’ve gotten so absorbed in watching deer/wildlife I’ve forgotten about my gun?…. That’s as much what it’s about as anything!
And watching my kiddo (she’s 4 now… this was last year) getting excited about it is also incredible!

 

[22250Rem]

Itching for sure this year. It will be my first season for muzzleloader hunting. In addition to my regular shotgun, rifle, and crossbow hunting. Got doe tags for two different areas; one shotgun & one rifle. Will also rifle hunt in S. Carolina next month for 10 days with a buddy of mine. Just resurrected an old ladder stand on my friends property that had been on an old, dead tree that fell over a few years ago. It was still solid when I cut the straps holding it to the downed tree trunk last summer and it sat on the edge of a small field since then. This past week I dragged it about 25 yards into the woods and got it set up against a LIVE tree in a REAL thick section of woods that has numerous deer trails coming through. Put a small overhead canopy above it in case of rain and will be wrapping the sides with camo netting to help hide any movement. Getting psyched; I have shot deer from up in trees but never from a ladder stand, and I have a good number of hours in a ladder stand since I started using them back about 2017. Here's a shot of it when I first got it up and before it even got strapped to the tree. Can't see much in this picture, but the woods will look a lot more open in a few months when all the leaves are down. Really looking forward to using this one. ..

 

[courtgreene]

I haven’t been as excited about a deer hunt as I am now in quite some time. I’m moving beyond just an itch and getting close to a burning sensation here.

 

[WisBorn]

More than getting excited about hunting. I'm excited about fall coming .

Watching the leaves change, a brisk breeze (cooler temperatures), and the birds migration are on top of the list.

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

Those triple digit temps that Chuck mentioned are here in NE Kansas and the only "itch" I'm feeling are from the chigger bites. I'll wait till the first frost before I get excited...