In the meantime the Virginia deer kill is down.
Sounds like IndianaFrom today's Roanoke Times:===========================
By Bill Cochran | Special to The Roanoke Times
The deer kill in Virginia ran a stable course through the early
muzzleloading season, then dropped significantly the two weeks of the
general firearm’s season.
As of this week, the statewide kill is down 16 percent, or 20,700
animals, and the count west of the Blue Ridge Mountains is off 13
percent, or about 5,700 animals. The late muzzleloading and bowhunting
seasons aren’t expect to reverse this trend,
Hunting pressure has appeared to be light, and many hunters are
reporting that they just aren’t seeing many deer.
“I did not hear a lot of shooting, and I spent the better part of two
weeks in the woods,” said Matt Knox, Department of Game and Inland
Fisheries deer project leader.
In some eastern counties, where the kill is off 30 percent or more,
epizootic hemorrhagic disease could be a factor, Knox said.
Many hunters have been reporting a weak rut, (see Bill Cochran Column
www.roanoke.com/sports/outdoors) but Knox doesn’t agree.
“The rut appeared to be fairly normal to me,” he said. “I saw multiple
bucks chasing does during the muzzleloader season and multiple bucks
‘trolling’ for does during both the muzzleloader and firearms deer
seasons.
Knox has liked the frigid weather.
“It was cold, but I personally would rather have it cold than
warm-to-hot, and any snow should have increased the kill,” he said.
“We have had numerous reports of low numbers of deer sightings, and
have had deer hunters ask, ‘Where did the deer go?’”
One place they went is in the woods where acorns have been abundant.
"When we have a good mast year, like this fall, the deer do not move
as much and are therefore not as vulnerable to deer hunters,” Knox said.
Hunters shouldn’t be surprised when the kill declines because DGIF
officials have been drafting regulations since 2008 designed to
stabilize or reduce deer numbers.
New this year is Sunday hunting, and its impact remains unclear at this point.
“I can tell you that a Sunday is not nearly as big as a Saturday,”
said Knox. “I think it will take several years to fully understand the
impact of Sunday hunting, but I still think that it will not have a
major impact on the deer kill.
Knox said hunting regulations and seasons already are liberal and
spread hunting pressure out over time. Sunday hunting on private land
is another addition to that.