Why am i not seeing anything?

[Deerhunter21]

ok so last night i was driving with a drivers ed instructor. The first drive was a country drive all the way to a glorious Casey's  . It was prime time to see deer and turkey moving and i was looking everywhere when my partner was the one driving, but... nothing. well not nothing. saw a herd of deer but it was way past sunset and a pretty long drive away. i saw a fox running too against the orange and brown grass in public land, so 1. i wasnt just missing any turkey, maybe deer. 2 man that place looks like it will be good for pheasant!!!

I just find it hard to believe that in a 1 hr drive across mabey 50 miles of what i know is amazing turkey and deer hunting, at the time i should be seeing them the most, (45min before sunset and 15 after) i saw maybe 4 deer too close to a town, no turkey (at all!!)

I just dont know... i really want to get a turkey or a deer this year. or even next! or after that, even if its during rifle season. just kinda frusturating because ive been trying for, what, im almost 16, 7 years and 10 months, and i cant even see a deer or a turkey. 

well anyway ill just chalk my time up of not getting a deer to not enough hunting time, and public land... its strange... feels the same with fishing. the more i try to fish and change lures, use different bait... i just cant catch a single thing... lol! its still fun anyway! 

[BrianS]

Deerhunter,
When I was 16 I did not see much game. Fast forward 47 years of hunting and I still do not see much game. I guess I'm a slow learner but I still keep trying. Good luck on your quest for a deer or turkey.

[mmattockx]

I just find it hard to believe that in a 1 hr drive across mabey 50 miles of what i know is amazing turkey and deer hunting, at the time i should be seeing them the most, (45min before sunset and 15 after) i saw maybe 4 deer too close to a town, no turkey (at all!!)

It isn't a guarantee no matter when you are out. We have an acreage 15 minutes outside of our small town. Sometimes on the drive out to it I see 10+ deer, or a moose or two. Most of the time I see nothing. I drive this route daily in prime farm land with very healthy animal populations and I would say 90+% of the time I don't see a single animal even though they are all over the area. It is just how things go.


Mark

[Hawkdancer]

At driving speeds, it is often very hard to see animals, just because you don't see them, doesn't mean they aren't there!  Keep looking!  Good luck on the hunts!  Dark geese open next week!
Hawkdancer

[Deerhunter21]

geese... ive never hunted them... is it like duck hunting?

[mmattockx]

geese... ive never hunted them... is it like duck hunting?

Depending on how you hunt them they are similar, but I would say geese are much more wary and harder to get into range. I have had no problems jump shooting ducks just by walking along local canals, but geese are long gone before you get anywhere close.


Mark

[Hawkdancer]

Learn to call them, or find a hunting partner who can.  Sometimes you can catch them coming in for feeding if you are in the blind early enough.  But I am not an experienced goose hunter, most of what we will get out here are passing shots.  Matt is right, luckily, the seasons over lap though!  Btw, good question to start the thread!
Hawkdancer

[Will Tell]

My boy got into Goose hunting. He became very good with a Goose call. He had 4 dozen decoys and those camo pads you lay on and you pop up when they're coming in. You have to be fully camoed because they can see you and veer off if they see anything that doesn't look right. He bought a trailer to haul all the gear and it'd take a hour to get set up.  Some days they'd kill twenty to thirty Geese. We got way to many in Western Pa. The limit is six a day and the season goes into February. Most farmers are glad to get rid of them so finding a place to hunt isn't a real problem. Now cooking a Goose is a problem. I call them flying carp. One of the guys he hunted with made Goose jerky out of them.

One year the group he hunted with killed over 200 Geese and didn't put a dent in the population. I was going to try to kill one with my self bow but they're tougher to kill than a Turkey.

[Marc St Louis]

At driving speeds, it is often very hard to see animals, just because you don't see them, doesn't mean they aren't there!  Keep looking!  Good luck on the hunts!  Dark geese open next week!
Hawkdancer

What are dark geese?  Never heard of them.

Up here hunting Canada Geese is quite different than hunting Ducks.  Geese are way smarter and have excellent hearing and sight

[Hawkdancer]

Marc,
Dark geese are the Canada, Brant, and all other goose species except white fronted, snows, and light geese (blue phase snows and Ross).  Non toxic shot is required for all waterfowl hunting.  From the Nebraska hunting guide, likely USFWS Guidelines.
Hawkdancer

[Digital Caveman]

Anyone tried goose hunting from a kayak?  I've read it's an effective way to get close, and arrows can be made to skip off water.