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When do you throw in the towel for this season?

When the regulations makes me lol.

Every year I can't stand knowing the season is coming to an end. I got to take my best friends grandson last year for the January Juvenile and that extra two days was awesome! I hope I get to again this year. My grandson is 2 and I tell my daughter weekly that 3 is the year to introduce him lol.
 
We could use one or two more minimum this year. Still trying to stay out of the woods on both properties. One big one on the further property that is closer to my sons. It would be either boys biggest if they can outsmart it.

We self limit our harvest on both properties and where I live is done unless #1/#2 shows up. For here, these mature bucks are not local but I expect a 3 or 4 large buck presence every late December & January. As others have been mentioning prevailing winds will make a difference on if the young does they will pursue will be on my land or neighboring properties. Late chasing either brings them on OR off the property. This is the most interesting time of the year for us...

I may try Yanali WMA later this week if the boys don't score.
 
Great question for this year, I hunt hard through the season and usually look forward to first weekend of January so I can hang it up and get some rest. But this year we can go till January 31. I suspect that I will ramp down over next few weeks and not hunt as hard.
 
You answered your own question. It's been an unusually tough season yet you stuck with it and got it done on a great buck. That's a win, not hardly throwing in the towel. I'd say if you're contemplating it enough to ask then your heart is already there and you just need some affirmation. I'll give it to you. Congrats on a hard earned success this season, and good luck next season! Now go enjoy your family.
 
My wife surprised me a few days ago when she said she wants to hunt, so it's not over here even if I wanted it to be.

However, the last time she went out and sat in one of the blinds she got bored so I'll need to make sure she brings a book...and an extra chair because being quiet in a deer blind with her sitting on my knee didn't work out too well. ;)
 
I found that I hunt hard from bow season through the first couple of weeks of rifle and then I'm done. I rarely hunt in December. Usually after the first few cold snaps I'm ready to do other things. This year I took 3 in 7 days leaving 1 buck tag still in my pocket. I decided to go back to work and picking up OT for the rest of the year. I also mainly hunt small tracts of public where I don't run cameras or anything of the sort to pattern deer.
 
I haven't hunted since I got back from Oklahoma. That was 5 days of pretty much dusk til dawn hunting

But here in unit CWD, we still have nearly 8 weeks left. And I always see good bucks come back home mid to late january.

I'm just restin' :)
 
fairchaser said:
Often I've hunted to the bitter end and have killed my buck in the new year before. Late season offers some opportunities around food and predictable patterns. But, after getting a nice buck already and family obligations I've been wondering about ending the season early this year. What say ye?
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If I had already taken my 1 buck for the season, I'd likely be spending time with the family. As it is, I've not gotten to go but a handful of times so far, and will likely not be going but a handful more if I'm fortunate enough to. That said, I've hardly ever killed a buck past Dec 1st, but I have done it. Dec 28th 2019. I had just finished putting up a loc on stand for next season actually, and decided, what the heck, I'm already out here, and this will be my last hunt, so I guess I'll clean up at the truck and change clothes and just sit for the evening. Little did I know, even with it being in the mid 70's and a front rolling in, that I would end up killing a top 5 buck for me. :)
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each year is different for me. i have hunted less this year than any in the past. headed to arkansas to shoot ducks this weekend. gonna try to get on some cranes also . will probably make one or two more deer hunts
 
As stated already. Once December gets here I'm pretty much done. I may hunt a few afternoon hunts and occasional morning hunt, but 99% of the time it's just not worth it. In all the years hunting I have only ever killed 1 buck in December and that was Christmas day. Got lucky and had a hot doe come by with a buck trailing.
 
My first year livin in Tennessee.
After years of a 7 day season, I'm really enjoying the long season.
I'm not as hardcore as most of y'all.
I love deer hunting but it's just a hobby. I'll hunt a few hours in a morning and take a couple days off, maybe chase squirrels which I love doing even more then go back to deer.
The long season is awesome.
Might get snow on the 23rd and I LOVE sitting in the woods after it snows. The silence is really therapeutic.
Got two tags left. Room in the freezer and the wife and I love venison so I'll be looking to add one more.
My son gets home Saturday from Coast Guard boot camp and he said he wants to go chase some squirrels. That's where I'll be.
 
I wish I would have kept some type of log showing how many days I've hunted this year. I would probably go to say it's the most I've ever hunted in a year. Since bow season opened the first weekend of Sept I have not went a weekend without hunting. Granted there were a couple times it was just a morning sit or an afternoon sit but most of those were morning and afternoon sits. Hunted 15 of the 16 days of rifle and off this week for the late mz.

I must be making up for lost time for being out of state for 5 years and only getting limited amount of time to hunt.

I plan to hunt til it closes mid Jan but if I get up next weekend and decide to call it quits then I feel like I've gave it a good run this season.

As soon as season goes out I'll go into prepare mode for next season. I already have 2 spots picked out to hang stands for next year and I'll get those done while it's cool out and not wait until the dead of summer.
 
fairchaser said:
Often I've hunted to the bitter end and have killed my buck in the new year before. Late season offers some opportunities around food and predictable patterns. But, after getting a nice buck already and family obligations I've been wondering about ending the season early this year. What say ye?
Click to expand...
I have already killed two, cwd zone so I get another. I will hunt to the end, or until I tag out, but I have not been hunting nearly as hard. Part of that has been due to having the crud though.

We have had new bucks show up late in the season in the past. Killed one of my best 8 points late in December, and my youngest daughter killed a very big bodied 8 on December 30th. I have had a few very nice bucks that I would consider to be wallhangers show up in January. I will hunt the most favorable days that we have left.
 
In the past, once the rut was over on my place (usually first days of December) it was over, and older bucks literally left the property. December hunting was a waste of time. However, recently, as our doe population has rebounded, we're seeing some 2nd rut activity. Yet already having killed a buck, a second buck would have to be something special - like a Top 10 buck all-time - for me to kill it. Cameras show there isn't such a buck using the property, so hunting would be a bit futile. Only thing that's going to get me back out there is if my daughter wants to hunt again. She said she might between Christmas and New Years.
 
I have a total of 3 for the season, deer from family land in Middle Tennessee but I really want to get another deer in North Cumberland WMA. I have been there half a dozen times but hard to connect with a deer. I seem to be good at bumping them when walking in early trying to get to my spot.
 
Boll Weevil said:
This is the 1st year I haven't killed a deer in at least 2 decades...towel is definitely in hand.
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It's been an unusual and rough season. I don't recall ever having to hunt this hard or this long to get it done. The fall shift was way late and lackluster, pre-rut didn't even happen, and rut was sporadic & short. Nothing I thought I knew about hunting seemed to apply this season. Humbling to say the least.
 

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