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Post by drs on Dec 31, 2013 5:08:32 GMT -5
The place where I check my deer in always writes your name and what you checked in on a big board by the counter.They also keep records of previous yrs harvest numbers by season. During gun season they have averaged between 350-400 deer the last few yrs. When I checked my deer in on Monday I was number 113. They had double that in bow last year. I live in NE Indiana and I haven't heard of any weird diseases and I have a hard time believing the deer population has dropped off that much from last yr,so whats going on? Low harvest numbers is any given area COULD be due to several factors, from EHD outbreak, too liberal Doe harvest to a loss of habitat. Too many Hunters, in a given area, might also be a factor. |
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Post by dbd870 on Dec 31, 2013 10:06:58 GMT -5
Seeing as how this seems to be not limited to just our state or part of a state I really think the weather during hunting season and some of the weekends in particular played a part in it. Another telling thing for me is I, and others I've talked to saw a lot deer of over the the summer this year; in fact I really thought this was going to be a banner year. A few of us were talking this morning; we really believe the deer are still there, it's just their movement patterns changed on us.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 31, 2013 10:44:57 GMT -5
deer are still there. thats why i keep reference to ky which has yet another record harvest of 140ooo plus and counting. guys in ky are complaining of low deer sightngs too but are killing deer still.
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Post by drs on Dec 31, 2013 12:16:55 GMT -5
deer are still there. thats why i keep reference to ky which has yet another record harvest of 140ooo plus and counting. guys in ky are complaining of low deer sightngs too but are killing deer still. No shortage of Deer on my property, or adjacent properties. |
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Post by windingwinds on Dec 31, 2013 14:10:12 GMT -5
Online check in. Dragging a deer carcass to a check in station is now old school.
And it's a trend to be more self sufficient and process your own deer. Although on a side note I took a lamb up to Kriders in Columbia City in November, they had at least 10 deer in there. No one mentioned low deer numbers there.
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Post by nodog on Jan 4, 2014 23:20:05 GMT -5
Picked my doe up tonight and they said they took in a little over 450 deer this year. 100 more than last year. That's a boat load of ignorant people. What the heck is wrong with you people who can't butcher a deer. That right there makes me think the up tick in harvest is bs. Lot more people butcher their own these days. You didn't just shoot a doe you shot a whole herd if that doe was allowed to produce. |
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Post by nodog on Jan 4, 2014 23:32:07 GMT -5
140,000 in Ky is a record, where do you people come from that think that's great news? You probably also go on about gas dropping to 3.50. Only people I know that talk like crap is good are people in government, or those selling something.
140,000 IS A TOTAL JOKE FOR A STATE THAT SIZE. 800,00 deer in that state is a start, not an achievement.
Someone took a doe, big freaking deal.
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Post by GS1 on Jan 5, 2014 2:34:51 GMT -5
That's a boat load of ignorant people. What the heck is wrong with you people who can't butcher a deer. That right there makes me think the up tick in harvest is bs. Lot more people butcher their own these days. You didn't just shoot a doe you shot a whole herd if that doe was allowed to produce. Guess the bigger question would be what is wrong with someone who is concerned about what someone else does with the deer that they shoot? We butchered 13 deer one year, kind of over it now. Jerky for $3/lb is pretty hard to beat when you don't have to put any time into it. I'd consider butchering one next season if I hadn't killed the whole herd. |
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Post by drs on Jan 5, 2014 6:19:19 GMT -5
140,000 in Ky is a record, where do you people come from that think that's great news? You probably also go on about gas dropping to 3.50. Only people I know that talk like crap is good are people in government, or those selling something. 140,000 IS A TOTAL JOKE FOR A STATE THAT SIZE. 800,00 deer in that state is a start, not an achievement. Someone took a doe, big freaking deal. I believe you are incorrect about the 800,000 head of Deer in Kentucky. I believe it is much higher something like 900,000 Deer. Our State Deer harvests have remained fairly stable in most counties over the past several years. Kentucky has much more habitat than most Midwest States including Indiana. I even read somewhere on another forum that Illinois's Deer Harvest was lower this past season. |
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Post by boonechaser on Jan 5, 2014 13:58:07 GMT -5
I can butcher a deer, but choose not to. I could butcher my own cow's, but choose not to. I prefer to take to processing plant as they have the equipment to do the job right. Not sure why you would bash on a guy for taking a deer to processor or for taking a doe?  ? Not sure what your trying to say??? |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 5, 2014 14:29:47 GMT -5
I can butcher a deer, but choose not to. I could butcher my own cow's, but choose not to. I prefer to take to processing plant as they have the equipment to do the job right. Not sure why you would bash on a guy for taking a deer to processor or for taking a doe? ? Not sure what your trying to say???  |
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Post by dbd870 on Jan 5, 2014 15:59:46 GMT -5
I can butcher a deer, but choose not to. I could butcher my own cow's, but choose not to. I prefer to take to processing plant as they have the equipment to do the job right. Not sure why you would bash on a guy for taking a deer to processor or for taking a doe? ? Not sure what your trying to say??? +2 |
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Post by cedarthicket on Jan 5, 2014 16:24:59 GMT -5
Seeing as how this seems to be not limited to just our state or part of a state I really think the weather during hunting season and some of the weekends in particular played a part in it. Another telling thing for me is I, and others I've talked to saw a lot deer of over the the summer this year; in fact I really thought this was going to be a banner year. A few of us were talking this morning; we really believe the deer are still there, it's just their movement patterns changed on us. Thanks dbd870. It is my opinion that the legal deer harvest for the 2013 season will be noticeably lower than the 2012 season. If this prediction is accurate, I do not think it will be primarily due to a significant number of “extra” deer taken in 2012 by crossbow hunters or to any significant “overharvest” of antlerless deer during the 2012 firearms, muzzle loader, and Special Late Antlerless seasons. I think a large part of the decreased harvest in 2013 will be due to the EHD outbreak and to the weather during firearms, muzzle loader, and the Special Late Antlerless seasons. There is no question that EHD took out a fair number of deer in 2013. How many I do not know, but let’s just say a substantial number. Also , I believe there is a general agreement among deer biologists that the overall deer herd can rebound in population fairly soon, other factors being relatively unchanged. There is also no question that in much of Indiana the weather during several days of the firearms, muzzle loader, and Special Late Antlerless seasons was more severe than normal for Indiana. This could very well have caused hunters to not hunt as much (number of total hours and/or separate days) as in prior years and/or to hunt in a less successful manner (e.g., more fidgeting on stand, more moving around to stay dry or warm, more trips back to the car or truck). Many of us have wished for some snow on the ground during deer season, thinking it would make the deer more visible. But, it also makes us more easily seen by the deer. Snow can make tracking a wounded deer much easier. But, a few inches of snow (especially the crusty kind) can also make it impossible for the hunter to walk without making a lot of the distinctive noise of a 2-legged predator in the woods. Obviously, weather also affects deer behavior. Could it be that a lot of the deer were “holed up” during much of the cold, rainy, windy, snowy days and just refused to come out during legal shooting hours? I concede I am not an expert on deer behavior, so I will just leave it at that. |
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Post by dbd870 on Jan 5, 2014 22:29:44 GMT -5
I'm thinking the same cedarthicket.
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Post by drs on Jan 6, 2014 5:10:25 GMT -5
I can butcher a deer, but choose not to. I could butcher my own cow's, but choose not to. I prefer to take to processing plant as they have the equipment to do the job right. Not sure why you would bash on a guy for taking a deer to processor or for taking a doe? ? Not sure what your trying to say??? I have, in the past, processed several Deer for myself, but now I have a local processing business do the honors. They have more equipment & room, plus they do a better job. |
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Post by chriskline on Jan 6, 2014 13:22:14 GMT -5
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Post by schall53 on Jan 6, 2014 13:36:37 GMT -5
SAD
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Post by boonechaser on Jan 6, 2014 13:53:05 GMT -5
Weird how EHD seems to strike more bucks than does. One guys theory on this is bucks in velvet getting bite by midge's on growing antler's Not sure if that's why but my experience is, we seem to find 4 bucks to every doe found. |
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Post by chriskline on Jan 6, 2014 14:03:51 GMT -5
my friend said he didnt find any does, but a neighbor close to him found around 20. different chunks of land tho.
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Post by duff on Jan 7, 2014 5:51:33 GMT -5
Ouch...those were nice deer.
My deer harvest was same as the last 3 years and probably only slightly less than my lifetime average. Took 1 deer. But I would say my effort and deer seen were towards the bottom. I saw 4 does and 4 bucks spread over 15 hunts. The does were at the same time on public ground with 2 of the bucks...lots of hunts with nothing seen while on stand. Mainly in lawrence county. Back 8 or 9 years ago in madison county i hunted hard one year and saw 0 does. 10 years prior to that i would hunt the same spot and see 0 bucks or a ratio of 1 to 10 buck to doe. The transition has been working, everyone wanted a balanced herd. And recall not long ago certain folks preaching, if you think you have shot enough does, shoot one more.
Funny how quick things change. I wouldn't be surprised to see the deer hunting morph back in 5ish years to a somewhat more satisfactory place. Dnr just doing what they have been tasked to do. And like everyone, if you can perform your task your boss will figure it out for you. That doesn't usually bode well for anyone. If the dnr can show they are capable of managing the state herd i think that will loosen the reigns a bit and the can help increase hunter satisfaction rates. Can't please everyone but must keep hunters hunting and like it or not if satisfaction fades hunter numbers will too and dnr can't afford that.
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? Not sure what your trying to say???
