|
Post by firstwd on Nov 23, 2015 20:16:01 GMT -5
Personally, I think people watch too many outdoor entertainment shows then judge their hunting success by comparing the two.
|
|
|
Post by chewbacca on Nov 23, 2015 21:23:12 GMT -5
I see so many pics this year live from the stand where people are hunting Open fields. Same here. I never dreamed so many did so. I never started harvesting deer on a regular basis until I started hunting open fields.
|
|
|
Post by Jamie Brooks 1John5:13 on Nov 23, 2015 21:23:40 GMT -5
I didn't think I had many deer around my Martinsville land from my photos the past year, but I was looking in the wrong places.
Officer: What are you looking for? Dudley: Looking for my keys. Officer: Where did you drop them? Dudley: Oh, over there in the dark. Officer: Why are you looking here under the street light? Dudley: Because I can see here.
A bunch of deer have checked in at the deer motel next to my plot. For some reason, this year my deer are leaving the motel and going east. I don't know what is so tasty that way, but eventually they will eat it all and come to my food plot for some winter turnips and I will be waiting ...nough said.
|
|
|
Post by drs on Nov 24, 2015 5:29:29 GMT -5
Some areas may be struggle, but overall the state herd seems to be doing great per harvest totals. Over 120K harvest average for the last 10 years, if overharvesting you'd think by now it'd have caught up state wide. I definitely think some areas though are struggling no doubt. I agree with some areas will always struggle, with maintaining a good hunting population of Deer. This might be due to poor habitat, especially when the "Mast" (Acorn) is lacking. Through prudent habitat management, things could improve. Also need to do away with anterless harvest, until needed and then limit this harvest by lottery draw for anterless tags.
|
|
|
Post by singlestacksig on Nov 29, 2015 19:38:14 GMT -5
Has anyone noticed that there is little deer being seen in some areas, mine has virtually no deer moving. I shot at the only buck I have seen and missed cleanly, other than him deer have been scarce. I did have coyotes kill a doe in my north field and I shot them. I honestly think it's time to start a one doe rule for a while in some counties. I have no problem with taking a buck and a doe, I think that the outbreak of ehd here did more damage than good and the DNR needs to limit antlerless quotas in those areas. I'm hoping to get my buck tag filled by this weekend. If you took shots & did not move your stand , they may just be avoiding you.. plus if you have coyotes still around, you will not have many deer..
|
|
|
Post by kevin1 on Nov 29, 2015 21:19:25 GMT -5
Way too warm temps, EHD, bad mast year, early crop cutting, and those are just a few causes. Toss in habitat loss, and generally low densities in most counties and it all looks pretty normal. I've seen plenty of deer here in Harrison County, mostly at night when the temps have dropped a bit.
|
|
|
Post by swetz on Nov 29, 2015 21:35:01 GMT -5
It was a bad year for us. I saw a 4 point opening weekend. My wife saw a few doe and one 6 point.
Hunted Monday through Thursday Thanksgiving week and only saw a few doe.
I don't know enough to hypothesize what the issue was so I'll spare everyone. I will try to do some work on my place in the upcoming year though and see if I can make next year better.
|
|
|
Post by drs on Nov 30, 2015 5:37:49 GMT -5
Way too warm temps, EHD, bad mast year, early crop cutting, and those are just a few causes. Toss in habitat loss, and generally low densities in most counties and it all looks pretty normal. I've seen plenty of deer here in Harrison County, mostly at night when the temps have dropped a bit. It was a bad year for us. I saw a 4 point opening weekend. My wife saw a few doe and one 6 point. Hunted Monday through Thursday Thanksgiving week and only saw a few doe. I don't know enough to hypothesize what the issue was so I'll spare everyone. I will try to do some work on my place in the upcoming year though and see if I can make next year better. Read "kevin1"s post. It's pretty much gives good reasons for seeing less Deer this year.
|
|
|
Post by piercings4u on Nov 30, 2015 19:16:57 GMT -5
I haven't seen a deer since i shot over a nice buck right before the gun opener...the neighbor sent me a picture of him holding that same buck during firearms season ...im about ready to just quit hunting deer and start socking the freezer with squirrel ...
|
|
|
Post by majyang on Nov 30, 2015 20:47:38 GMT -5
[quote lottery draw for anterless tags.[/quote]
Just have to share that I've lost some heart with "lottery draw" process as I've yet to be drawn for anything in the last 4 years while others repeatedly get to say "drawn again this year for....".
|
|
|
Post by deadeer on Nov 30, 2015 22:09:05 GMT -5
[quote lottery draw for anterless tags. Just have to share that I've lost some heart with "lottery draw" process as I've yet to be drawn for anything in the last 4 years while others repeatedly get to say "drawn again this year for....".[/quote] Hang in there. We get picked more often than not, but blanked this year on the state park hunts. Got an alternate spot at a local nature preserve. Got in due to a guy dropping out, so you never know without trying. Park hunts are no gimme either. Luckier to get drawn than to get a deer sometimes anyway.
|
|
|
Post by Jamie Brooks 1John5:13 on Nov 30, 2015 22:17:14 GMT -5
[quote lottery draw for anterless tags. Just have to share that I've lost some heart with "lottery draw" process as I've yet to be drawn for anything in the last 4 years while others repeatedly get to say "drawn again this year for....".[/quote] I had never gotten drawn until I took the hunter safety course.
|
|
|
Post by firstwd on Nov 30, 2015 22:29:28 GMT -5
[quote lottery draw for anterless tags. Just have to share that I've lost some heart with "lottery draw" process as I've yet to be drawn for anything in the last 4 years while others repeatedly get to say "drawn again this year for....". I had never gotten drawn until I took the hunter safety course. [/quote] This is pretty much the only way to get in the park hunts, it says so right on the regulations page when signing up.
|
|
|
Post by darinfry on Dec 1, 2015 6:27:01 GMT -5
Deer seem to be holding fairly steady here in Franklin co. Went spotlighting with the wife one night and counted 165, and I managed to see deer most sits during the rut. Now in Monroe co on a large 500 acre tract me and a friend hunt we struggled to see any deer, although I managed to kill a decent 8 pt for the freezer. I think people have to remember how much deer were so overpopulated a few years ago in much of the state. Seeing bunches of deer every sit may make for fun hunting but not necessarily a healthy deer herd
|
|