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Post by Decatur on Apr 13, 2009 5:48:54 GMT -5
Deer hunters set state record in ’08 season
Indiana deer hunters registered a state record by bagging more than 129,000 deer during the 2008 hunting season.
The 129,748 total surpassed the previous high mark of 125,526 set in 2005 and represented a 4 percent increase over the 2007 season.
“That’s a remarkable increase that reflects the skills possessed by Hoosier hunters,” DNR director Robert E. Carter Jr. said. “It’s good to see them continue to help manage deer populations while putting food on the table.”
The taking of antlerless deer—does and fawns of either sex—played a key role in the sharp increase. The 78,903 antlerless deer that were reported were a single-season record and 5 percent higher than 2007. Antlerless totals exceeded 1,000 deer in 29 counties compared to 25 counties in 2007, and antlerless deer constituted half the total harvest in 88 of 92 counties. The 2008 antlered total of 50,845 was a 3 percent increase over 2007 and was the third highest on record.
Despite bad weather on opening day of the firearm season (Nov. 15-30), that segment still accounted for 67 percent, or 86,454 deer, of the total harvest. That was a 7 percent increase over 2007.
Early archery season (Oct. 1 to Nov. 30) accounted for 20 percent of the total, with 12 percent coming in the muzzleloader season (Dec. 6-21). The youth (Sept. 27-28) and late archery (Dec. 6 to Jan. 4) seasons each accounted for 1 percent of the total.
For the fourth straight year, Steuben County, in the state’s northeast corner, was the top county for deer hunting success with 3,672 deer reported, a slight decrease from 2007. Steuben also ranked first in antlered harvest with 1,214 deer. Kosciusko, Noble and Marshall counties ranked 2-3-4, all with record totals above 3,000. Record harvests were established in 33 more counties and tied in one.
It was the fifth straight season in which the total harvest topped 120,000 deer. Approximately 2.59 million deer have been legally taken during the past 57 deer hunting seasons in Indiana.
A complete report of the 2008 season is at in.gov/dnr/fishwild/files/fw-2008deerseasonsummary.pdf.
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Post by trapperdave on Apr 13, 2009 8:18:15 GMT -5
o8 had the third highest buck harvest of all time.....at a time when they say we are losing hunter numbers and have a "one buck rule". dont see how OBR is saving any bucks.  |
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Post by greghopper on Apr 13, 2009 8:22:17 GMT -5
o8 had the third highest buck harvest of all time.....at a time when they say we are losing hunter numbers and have a "one buck rule". dont see how OBR is saving any bucks. you never will see it......You dont want to see it!!!!!!  |
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Post by freedomhunter on Apr 13, 2009 8:41:40 GMT -5
I've talked to a couple check-in stations that don't understand those numbers. I don't know what to think.
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Post by js2397 on Apr 13, 2009 8:42:18 GMT -5
During the past seven seasons the OBR has been in effect. The average change in the buck harvest over that time period is 0.77% increase per year. The Biggest jump was a 10.5% increase from 2000 to 2004. In the seven years prior to the OBR the average change in buck harvest was 0.57% decrease per year. The biggest jump was a 10.1% decrease from 1996 to 1997. The average harvest during the OBR is 50465 and preOBR was 45893. This is a difference of 9.96%. I have my doubts about the OBR saving any deer but I could be wrong.
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Post by tickman1961 on Apr 13, 2009 8:57:47 GMT -5
I killed more deer this year than in any other season - three.....
Llberal antlerless tags get more people in the field and all of them have a buck tag as well...
This may or may not be a factor...
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Post by lugnutz on Apr 13, 2009 9:51:08 GMT -5
Until tele-check gets here, these numbers are meaningless.
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Post by indianahick on Apr 13, 2009 11:29:15 GMT -5
Telecheck is going to make numbers factual? Now you check in a doe or antlerless if it is an antlerless then sex is asked. Buck is buck.
Don't see much buck savings due to the mighty OBR. What with extras given for urban, military, park hunts, refuge hunts etc. You really want a true O B R then use your buck tag on one of the extras and due away with the extras.
All in all though I would say that Indiana's hunters are doing a fairly decent job.
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Post by Ahawkeye on Apr 13, 2009 12:09:25 GMT -5
I see a dead horse being beaten real soon!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2009 18:41:02 GMT -5
Until tele-check gets here, these numbers are meaningless. Can you explain what your meaning by that statement? |
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Post by vortex100 on Apr 13, 2009 19:24:46 GMT -5
OBR is good for the buck harvest. You will see the number of bucks taken each year increase due to the fact that their are more bucks for hunters to harvest.
OBR = higher buck numbers resulting in more opportunities for hunter to take a buck. Lets face it, 75% of hunters will shoot a buck before a doe.
OBR works!
Did I get the first hit on the dead horse?
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Post by cambygsp on Apr 14, 2009 5:07:01 GMT -5
No doubt, we killed alot of deer of both sex!
Folks, I think I was one of the most ANTI OBR deer hunter in Indiana........It just took a little getting used to. Wether the OBR saves buck deer or not.....I don't know. But I do beleive that the OBR has opened a few doors and I firmly beleive it will open a few more before my lifetime is over.
Lets keep the OBR and work on a single buck tag that is good the entire deer season!
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Post by Sasquatch on Apr 14, 2009 5:45:32 GMT -5
Telecheck is going to make numbers factual? Now you check in a doe or antlerless if it is an antlerless then sex is asked. Buck is buck. Don't see much buck savings due to the mighty OBR. What with extras given for urban, military, park hunts, refuge hunts etc. You really want a true O B R then use your buck tag on one of the extras and due away with the extras. All in all though I would say that Indiana's hunters are doing a fairly decent job. Don't get them started on that! I can see people signing up for special hunts and not being able to shoot a monster buck that happens by. They are special hunts, seperate from regular bag limits and that is the way it should stay. |
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Post by trapperdave on Apr 14, 2009 8:13:39 GMT -5
OBR is good for the buck harvest. You will see the number of bucks taken each year increase due to the fact that their are more bucks for hunters to harvest. That doesnt even make sense |
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Post by Woody Williams on Apr 14, 2009 8:29:38 GMT -5
OBR is good for the buck harvest. You will see the number of bucks taken each year increase due to the fact that their are more bucks for hunters to harvest. Yes, there are more bucks out there just like there are more does out there. IMO - The OBR had nothing to do with that. Just like just about every whitetail producing state, we have a growing deer herd in Indiana. One that we had better get a handle on before Representative Friend actually does get a "kill them all" bill passed. I find it rather strange and amusing that we can kill about 400 antlerless deer in Indiana , but ONLY one buck. |
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Post by oldhoyt on Apr 14, 2009 10:54:58 GMT -5
I see the OBR this way. It makes me fussy about the buck I shoot. I will shoot does as the opportunities arise, but I let small bucks walk until very late in the season at least.
So the OBR does "save" some smaller bucks, and might even save a "decent" buck if I have seen a real big one. The total number of bucks harvested is not a relevant number as the herd is growing. The OBR "should" reduce the percentage of bucks taken from the total buck population. The OBR "should" also produce a higher percentage of older bucks in the total buck population too. The OBR "should" also help control the herd, as hunters that want multiple deer must take antlerless deer.
It would be very interesting to see hard data regarding age, body weight and antler mass of the bucks harvested since inception of the OBR, but that data is probably too hard to gather except on a pretty limited basis.
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Post by jrbhunter on Apr 14, 2009 11:28:14 GMT -5
I've never considered the OBR to be anything but a tool that promotes more mature bucks. Making archery hunters more selective of the deer they're willing to stick with an arrow. That's how it was pitched by the elitist that pushed it: and that's the "success" that it's proven so far. Somehow insinuating that MORE bucks will get killed because of OBR seems far-fetched.
In the last season we could kill 2 bucks, I shot a 128" 9 pointer with a bow four days before the gun-opener. On the first day of gun season I passed up 7 bucks and 14 does... the next morning I shot the largest of those bucks at daylight which scored 139". These were public property deer taken 300 yards apart.
Since the OBR was instituted, I've probably passed up 50 opportunities on 120-130 class whitetails with a bow. I've passed up countless opportunities on 120-140" deer with a gun. Having one tag in my pocket, combined with more mounts than I care to display in the house, keeps me searching for a deer of a lifetime. I kill 4-12 does each season.
I don't think that me passing up 100 antlered deer a year, instead of 50, is helping the buck harvest numbers. Whitetail bucks in my area have a slightly better chance of seeing maturity under the OBR- but I think the genetic defects will eventually catch up to us and leave us with an awful lot of 4 year olds framed like Woody's Avatar.
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Post by Sasquatch on Apr 14, 2009 11:40:29 GMT -5
I've never considered the OBR to be anything but a tool that promotes more mature bucks. Making archery hunters more selective of the deer they're willing to stick with an arrow. That's how it was pitched by the elitist that pushed it: and that's the "success" that it's proven so far. Somehow insinuating that MORE bucks will get killed because of OBR seems far-fetched. In the last season we could kill 2 bucks, I shot a 128" 9 pointer with a bow four days before the gun-opener. On the first day of gun season I passed up 7 bucks and 14 does... the next morning I shot the largest of those bucks at daylight which scored 139". These were public property deer taken 300 yards apart. Since the OBR was instituted, I've probably passed up 50 opportunities on 120-130 class whitetails with a bow. I've passed up countless opportunities on 120-140" deer with a gun. Having one tag in my pocket, combined with more mounts than I care to display in the house, keeps me searching for a deer of a lifetime. I kill 4-12 does each season. I don't think that me passing up 100 antlered deer a year, instead of 50, is helping the buck harvest numbers. Whitetail bucks in my area have a slightly better chance of seeing maturity under the OBR- but I think the genetic defects will eventually catch up to us and leave us with an awful lot of 4 year olds framed like Woody's Avatar. My goodness, where do you hunt? I doubt if I have seen a whole lot more than fifty 120-130 inch deer in 14 years of hunting, let alone passed that many since the OBR came in. If you can afford to pass that many big deer, good for you, but if I see a pope & young deer i'm going to shoot it. Be thankful you can be that selective! |
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Post by vortex100 on Apr 14, 2009 11:59:14 GMT -5
OBR creates a larger buck population, resulting in increased opportunities for hunters to take a buck. So that is why the buck harvest numbers have not decreased. I would be willing to bet that when OBR was first started the buck harvest numbers decrease and now we are seeing the harvest numbers increase due to the larger buck population in the state.
In the area's I hunt over the last couple years I've seen a large increase in the buck population. I guess maybe I'm the only one, but in reading this site during the season a lot of others experienced the same thing.
I don't see how you can argue that I higher buck population (OBR) will result lower buck harvest numbers. You also can't argue that OBR results in a lower buck population.
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Post by huxbux on Apr 14, 2009 12:37:35 GMT -5
You also cannot argue that OBR creates a higher buck population. The numbers I've seen since the OBR took effect show the percentage of bucks harvested to total harvest to be relatively unchanged compared to pre-OBR percentages.
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