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Post by hornharvester on Nov 22, 2006 14:55:52 GMT -5
Ive been a hardcore deer hunter for the last 10 years and hunted deer for over 30 years. This year has to be the worse I ever seen for deer. The drive to my hunting ground is 20 miles and I always watch for deer in the fields. In past years there are always deer feeding at the back of woods or corn fields but not this year. Im confused as to where they are or if we don't have the deer.
Did the blue tongue disease take more than we thought or with the increased doe tags the last few years is the herd down more than we think?
What do you guys think? h.h.
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Post by drs on Nov 22, 2006 15:19:09 GMT -5
Ive been a hardcore deer hunter for the last 10 years and hunted deer for over 30 years. This year has to be the worse I ever seen for deer. The drive to my hunting ground is 20 miles and I always watch for deer in the fields. In past years there are always deer feeding at the back of woods or corn fields but not this year. Im confused as to where they are or if we don't have the deer. Did the blue tongue disease take more than we thought or with the increased doe tags the last few years is the herd down more than we think? What do you guys think? h.h. I believe you might be correct about the Blue Tongue Disease (Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease) impact on the Deer population. It is my understanding that several central Indiana Counties were hit hard. Those counties will most likely have low Deer numbers for a few years. |
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Post by Old Ironsights on Nov 22, 2006 15:40:38 GMT -5
Nature Culls if we don't...
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Post by danf on Nov 22, 2006 17:30:17 GMT -5
EHD wouldn't have affected you up north. It's those of us in the west central part of the state that will be affected.
I don't know what would be causing the lack of deer sightings. I'm guessing a lot of it has to do with the amount of corn still in the fields. That coupled with the likelihood that a lot of does are sequestered by bucks right now is reducing movement where you can see them.
Hopefully it will pick up in the next week or so.
It could also be with the record harvest last winter we all put the hammer on them and the herd numbers are actually under control....?
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Post by cambygsp on Nov 22, 2006 19:52:20 GMT -5
My son and I have hunted every day since Saturday morning, we have seen a total of 3 deer between the two of us, and killed two of em.
We've hunted Washington County, Crawford, Lawrence and Brown County.....3 deer!
There is stll a bunch of corn standing everywhere, it's gonna be a good muzzleloader season!.......................I Hope!
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Post by solohunter on Nov 22, 2006 19:56:03 GMT -5
My daughter and wife were out last evening up around Hudson and there were deer in the cut corn fields " a 1000 dad" is what my 7 y/o said.....I do not think the numbers are down, our corn just got picked..heck last year it was good early on then I went 3 days w/o seeing a deer then I saw 15 and bagged a nice doe. Alot of variables, cover, temps, how far they have to travel for water/food, pressure, standing corn, how long the cold temps last(consistent)etc.....if you have infinite patience you will get immediate results  Solohunter |
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Post by rockster11 on Nov 22, 2006 20:44:55 GMT -5
Early in the year I saw Booku amounts of does.... Around the end of october those numbers went south like a duck in winter... As for bucks, Ive seen hardly ANY this year... What seems to be down to me is the number of hunters themselves... It has been a rotten year all around for everything, except if your in to taking does!!! Me, my cousin, my buddy, and 2 others have taken does this year with the exception of my buddy's father in law takin a nice 10 pointer the week before gun season...
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Post by 911 on Nov 22, 2006 21:07:54 GMT -5
Lots of corn still up and The Rut IMO pretty much ending when gun season started.
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Post by rockster11 on Nov 22, 2006 22:54:20 GMT -5
This was definetly the crappiest Rut I have ever experienced......
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Post by weasel1134 on Nov 23, 2006 2:22:38 GMT -5
I am glad to hear it is just not the guys who hunt Miami County that are having a tough year.We have seen very little day time activity.My partner got a decent buck opening morning,but that was the first deer we had seen in two weeks! I plan to hunt long and hard these next 4 days.It is way too early to start getting depressed.The lack of shots around our woods means there are still some bruisers running around.Staying with it usually pays off.I do not want to look back in January and think I could have hunted harder, especially if I don't fill my ML tag. GOOD LUCK!
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Post by daworz on Nov 23, 2006 3:58:34 GMT -5
If you just gun hunt then you missed some of the best rut activity, I think? It was a rockin year, I have been hunting the last couple of days and it seem like it has really slowed down, although i was at mississewna yesterday and the rabbit hunters had the deer up and moving,saw a couple nice bucks,I think right now they seem to be holed up with a single doe, but bow season was rockin,
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Post by deerdude on Nov 23, 2006 5:44:04 GMT -5
dont know if there down but i have saw more bucks around my area this year than ever before.of course if i could shoot straight and hit one it would be better.but it seems to me the deer have moved different this year.its weird ,the two places i hunt the does just didnt move around like normal this year.
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Post by solohunter on Nov 23, 2006 7:40:26 GMT -5
A guy who hunts my property took a fairly nice buck, when we were getting it out, he said he must have seen 20 deer. This was about the 1st week of Nov. Buckhead13 sat in a stand near this spot and saw 12 different bucks. Early on, it was really good. From my 2 trail cameras I DEFINATELY had more buck pics than does. When I started using a Stealth cam 3 years ago, it would be a bunch of does and a raccoon, this year it was 2-3 bucks together at a time and different ones. Yesterday Buckhead13 and I went out and hunted, we were joking about someone winning a prize IF you see a deer, he won. Then we both commented on what an awesome day it was to be in the woods despite the lack of deer. For me, the smell of the woods was the best I can remember, and I dozed off a couple times....zzzzz..first time this year..I must have been really relaxed....have fun today....
Solohunter
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Post by pbr on Nov 23, 2006 9:41:13 GMT -5
Deer numbers are not down. At least not in my area.
I do think that the harvest numbers will be way off.
It will be interesting to see what the IDNR says caused it.
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Post by hornharvester on Nov 23, 2006 10:02:35 GMT -5
I hunted this morning unitl 9am and no deer but i did kill a coyote about 8:30. Shot one Saturday morning about 10am so that two coyotes this year. h.h.
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Post by drs on Nov 23, 2006 10:17:51 GMT -5
I hunted this morning unitl 9am and no deer but i did kill a coyote about 8:30. Shot one Saturday morning about 10am so that two coyotes this year. h.h. I missed a Coyote @ 300 yards while hunting in Kentucky. I still think that the reason, for not seeing any Deer, is due to the outbreak of "Bluetongue" EHD. |
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Post by semisneak on Nov 23, 2006 10:26:14 GMT -5
The deer numbers have got to be down.EHD killed deer so those deer were not being seen by hunters. For every deer found dead how many others were dead that wasnt found ? Ehd definately had an impact on hunting for some people.
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Post by racktracker on Nov 23, 2006 10:31:46 GMT -5
Yes, they are down.
With a continual war on does what did we expect?
EHD is spotty at best. That doesn't explain numbers being down all over the state.
You guys that live in the EHD counties just got a taste of what can happen in this continual war on does to get the buck to doe ratio "right" to have trophy bucks.
For every action there is a counter action.
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Post by mbogo on Nov 23, 2006 10:52:19 GMT -5
From what I have seen the deer numbers are just fine, but I think the harvest numbers will definitely be down. Like others have said, EHD/Blue Tongue is spotty at best and this year it has been pretty much restricted to a handful of counties in the west central part of the state. I don't doubt that the standing corn has saved a lot of deer but I don't think that is the answer either.
My father and I have struggled to see deer, especially bucks since the third week of bow season. Occasional spotlighting trips have revealed plenty of deer every time so I know there are plenty around but I am at a loss to explain when and how they are moving.
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Post by steiny on Nov 23, 2006 11:17:38 GMT -5
Just based on what I have been seeing, I'd have to say we have as many deer around here as we ever have. Unusual not to see some deer on every outing.
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