What's your opinion of the deerherd where you hunt

Deer numbers were down greatly on Skid's farm where I hunt in Jay County, and we're not sure why, as nothing has changed from last year. The other farm I hunted this year was new to me, so I can't say.

Definate decrease this year.

I've been hunting my primary honey hole farm for a while. This makes season #11. When I took over this piece of property, I considered myself lucky to harvest a deer. I'd see a hand full of dear a season (all seasons combined) and if I was lucky one or two bucks. Through my efforts, efforts of neighboring hunters who have taken over their ground in recent years, and talking until I was blue in the face, every year the deer numbers have increased. In the last 5 to 6 years my farm has produced an insane number of deer sightings, especially in the early bow season. It is not uncommon for me to have 6 to 8 deer (mostly bucks) in an evening within bow range and see others out of range. Once gun season hits the sightings drop off as deer in general start to lay low and honestly, I don't spend as much time in the woods during the gun season as I don't enjoy it like early and late archery. In the past 4 to 5 years I have seen way more bucks then does. This year is no different, in fact, I've struggled to get on does this year. My farm is crawling with bucks, as are the farms around me. Small bucks and good bucks. It is not that the number of does is dropping, but the number of bucks is increasing.

In my area, the deer herd seems to still be growing and maturing. Seems to be the general consensuses of most hunters in this area that I know.

Both

I have seen a lot of does but only 2 bucks while hunting this year,same for the rest of the guys who hunt the same land. And these guys usually take a nice buck every year so it's not like I'm hunting with a bunch of hacks. There are 4 of us who hunt roughly 350-400 acres. But i would say I have seen about twice as many does as usual.

Definately more bucks the last few years with a steady increase each year. We took 3 does off of an 80 acre farm we have. I've seen more bucks than does this year on my property. A few miles down the road I saw 12 does feeding few weeks ago in one group.

I spend most of my time hunting archery season and rarely hunt gun season unless I'm chasing a big buck and haven't connected in archery season.

I'd have to say deer hunting is the best I've seen in the 25 years I've hunted. 16 years ago when I first bought my place and started hunting it you never seen a mature buck, just 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 year old basket racks.
In the last three years there has been three HRBP deer taken on the property and several other sighting of deer ranging from 150-165 inch. Always a healthy supply of does every year to boot.. Hunting doesn't get any better IMO...

One thing to consider is, EHD. Ehd has taken many deer out this year. I was talking with my neighbor who is a C.O. and he found 17 dead deer along one crrek bottom this year and that was early in Oct. I heard estimates of 70% loss of our deer herds here locally. I'm not seeing it on my property, but it's something that surely has had an effect on deer harvest for 2006.

I hope they stick that little variable into their equation when they do their deer study for this year, in downtown Indianapolis....

Well i live in Wells county and my house is just a few miles from the Obache State Park. Well i used to hunt along with my father on a handfull of farms that me own until i believe it was 4 years ago they started doing those reduction hunts that wiped out our herd!!!! The frist year i believe they took close to 200 deer and now this year is was only 97. The deer in this area used the park as a safe place and were almost tame in there. Well we no long have any deer around here and i hunt in little corner on the Adams and Jay county lines.
FRUSTURATED!!!!
Kjrackmaster

Although I have not seen as many deer as usual while hunting I continue to see plenty of deer while spotlighting and find plenty of sign while scouting. My best guess would be that the herd in my area is about the same. The poor acorn crop and the late harvest of crops likely reduced the number deer I saw while hunting. From talking to my neighbors it sounds like young bucks took the brunt of the pounding yet again so there should be some older bucks left for muzzleloader season and for next year.

What is a deer. Still have seen more coyotes and turkeys than deer. None since ML came in, None most of gun, None most of archery. What deer herd?