Deer numbers down

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  • clfergus

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    I just looked at the current deer harvest numbers for 2016 and it appears that we are only at around 105,000 dear taken so far. Last year we were at around 123,000 deer killed and with muzzleloader And late firearm left I wonder if we will get to that. Looks like the warm weather had an impact. I guess the new calibers didn't bring as much devastation as some thought.
     

    gregr

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    I just looked at the current deer harvest numbers for 2016 and it appears that we are only at around 105,000 dear taken so far. Last year we were at around 123,000 deer killed and with muzzleloader And late firearm left I wonder if we will get to that. Looks like the warm weather had an impact. I guess the new calibers didn't bring as much devastation as some thought.

    The usual suspects were weeping and wailing about the centerfire rifles being made legal, but it`s just the trophy guys, and I could care less about their agenda. I have heard, and it`s unsubstantiated, that the DNR is hoping for some non-lethal incidents in which centerfire rounds get away from the shooter and cause property damage. Their goal is, supposedly, to have the use of centerfire rifles removed well before the evaluation in 2020.

    All that being said, in-line muzzleloaders, crossbows, centerfire rifles, Pistol Cartridge Rifles, they`re all wonderful things since they encourage more people to participate in hunting activities. That benefits us all.
     

    bocefus78

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    Wow! 18k less than last year? I would have never guessed that with the late rut this year happening in gun season instead of archery.

    I'm OK with that too. Ever since ehd hit my area, it's been a slow recovery.
     

    clfergus

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    Wow! 18k less than last year? I would have never guessed that with the late rut this year happening in gun season instead of archery.

    I'm OK with that too. Ever since ehd hit my area, it's been a slow recovery.

    I should have said the numbers are 105K as of now with 123K being total last year. I did look at last years muzzleloader and late firearms season and they had a combined 15K so in the end it is trending lower. I would think we would end up around 115K in the end.
     

    42769vette

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    I should have said the numbers are 105K as of now with 123K being total last year. I did look at last years muzzleloader and late firearms season and they had a combined 15K so in the end it is trending lower. I would think we would end up around 115K in the end.

    I dont know about everywhere else, I have not seen near the deer this year as I did last. So much so that I didn't even shoot any doe's this season. In my county I think you can kill 4 does a year (I would have to look to be certain) but this is why its really the individual hunter that manages the area not the state. Could I have taken 4 doe? Absolutely. Could I have used the freezer meat? Absolutely. Would it have had a positive effect on my deer heard? Absolutely not.
     

    jagee

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    I dont know about everywhere else, I have not seen near the deer this year as I did last. So much so that I didn't even shoot any doe's this season. In my county I think you can kill 4 does a year (I would have to look to be certain) but this is why its really the individual hunter that manages the area not the state. Could I have taken 4 doe? Absolutely. Could I have used the freezer meat? Absolutely. Would it have had a positive effect on my deer heard? Absolutely not.

    I was just the opposite this year. More deer than I've ever seen on a hunting trip...but they were mostly all does. I took one, but didn't get a buck because the only 2 I would have had a shot at were little spikes.
     

    42769vette

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    I was just the opposite this year. More deer than I've ever seen on a hunting trip...but they were mostly all does. I took one, but didn't get a buck because the only 2 I would have had a shot at were little spikes.


    You could go 5 miles in any direction from my farm, and probably see completely different results than I experienced. Everyone has to take their own inventory, and do what they think is right for the heard. Ive never found a EHD, but we find quite a few gut shot deer every year. I would expect those numbers to go up with the HPR law. A 243 is not as forgiving as a 12ga.
     

    two70

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    In my county I think you can kill 4 does a year (I would have to look to be certain) but this is why its really the individual hunter that manages the area not the state. Could I have taken 4 doe? Absolutely. Could I have used the freezer meat? Absolutely. Would it have had a positive effect on my deer heard? Absolutely not.

    I couldn't agree with you more on the first part, it is definitely up to individual hunters to manage as they see fit. However, as to the second part I would proceed with caution. You cannot stockpile deer, at least not long term. Sooner or later EHD will hit and reduce the herd if hunters don't keep it in check. It's better to take a few does every year if you can use the meat and keep the population in check instead of letting disease knock it back severely once it exceeds capacity, IMO.
     

    Hookeye

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    I wonder how many were hit and lost by rifles.
    .308 or shotgun slug........blowing off a leg...............bad shooting is bad shooting.

    Property damage from stray bullets...............that happens all yr long.
    Some of it may be crazy folks trying to stop a private range or hunting in an area.
     

    42769vette

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    I couldn't agree with you more on the first part, it is definitely up to individual hunters to manage as they see fit. However, as to the second part I would proceed with caution. You cannot stockpile deer, at least not long term. Sooner or later EHD will hit and reduce the herd if hunters don't keep it in check. It's better to take a few does every year if you can use the meat and keep the population in check instead of letting disease knock it back severely once it exceeds capacity, IMO.

    I have a large bay window on the north of the house overlooking about 1/2 the farm. Year before last (2015-2016) on average I would see 10 deer a day out that window (pupulation has been like that for as long as I recall). This year (2016-2017) I see 1 deer every 3 weeks. I agree with the keeping the population in check, but I like to think I spend more time paying attention to the heard than most people, and the deer just are not here this year. Im hopeful if I leave the does for this year (mabye next) those numbers will rise.
     

    42769vette

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    Also, and someone correct me if I am wrong (I easily could be).

    I believe EHD is caused by stagnate water????

    We have a creek running through our farm that in the wet season gets 7' deep in spots, and in a drought stays moving at 2'.
     

    bocefus78

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    Also, and someone correct me if I am wrong (I easily could be).

    I believe EHD is caused by stagnate water????

    We have a creek running through our farm that in the wet season gets 7' deep in spots, and in a drought stays moving at 2'.

    EHD and bluetongue are spread in cattle, deer and other ruminants by several species of a tiny flying insect in the genus Culicoides. Call it a gnat, a midge, a no-see-um, or any other local name, this is the tiny fly with the big bite. Three species are the primary vectors, or transmitters, of HD viruses, but one of them is considered the most significant vector and the one we know the most about: Culicoides sonorensis. - See more at: https://www.qdma.com/can-prevent-ehd/#sthash.IiMlPYeV.dpuf
     

    two70

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    I have a large bay window on the north of the house overlooking about 1/2 the farm. Year before last (2015-2016) on average I would see 10 deer a day out that window (pupulation has been like that for as long as I recall). This year (2016-2017) I see 1 deer every 3 weeks. I agree with the keeping the population in check, but I like to think I spend more time paying attention to the heard than most people, and the deer just are not here this year. Im hopeful if I leave the does for this year (mabye next) those numbers will rise.

    I'm not saying you're wrong in your interpretation but such a drastic decrease in deer sightings from one year to the next would be more likely to be due to changes in movement patterns than a reduction in the herd unless you have strong supporting evidence of such a population crash. Any major changes in your area in the last year?

    I've been running multiple trail cams during hunting season and using them to do population surveys after season on my property for the past 13 years. One thing I have discovered is that the number of deer in the post season surveys really doesn't change much from year to year most years. Another thing I've learned is that an increase or decrease in my sightings during season rarely translates to a corresponding increase or decrease in trail cam photos, especially during post season surveys.
     

    42769vette

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    I'm not saying you're wrong in your interpretation but such a drastic decrease in deer sightings from one year to the next would be more likely to be due to changes in movement patterns than a reduction in the herd unless you have strong supporting evidence of such a population crash. Any major changes in your area in the last year?

    I've been running multiple trail cams during hunting season and using them to do population surveys after season on my property for the past 13 years. One thing I have discovered is that the number of deer in the post season surveys really doesn't change much from year to year most years. Another thing I've learned is that an increase or decrease in my sightings during season rarely translates to a corresponding increase or decrease in trail cam photos, especially during post season surveys.


    No major changes. We built a house on a corner of the farm, but Im watching fields 700 yds away, so I dont think I would have effected it much. I can basically watch 1/2 of the farm, and hunt the other 1/2. I really dont know what the cause is. Even on trail cams that I usto get hundreds of pictures a week, Im getting 10 pictures a week.

    I have a food plot about 200 yds out my back door that I can see from my chair in the living room. I have seen one deer on it all year. Its mainly a winter plot, since its still not cold enough to call winter it wont really attract them for a few weeks, btu I should have seen more than 1 deer on it so far.

    I will say we are seeing a few more yotes than normal. I just killed the 3rd or 4th of the year from my house a few hours ago.
     

    two70

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    Also, and someone correct me if I am wrong (I easily could be).

    I believe EHD is caused by stagnate water????

    We have a creek running through our farm that in the wet season gets 7' deep in spots, and in a drought stays moving at 2'.

    EHD is not caused by stagnate water, it is the midge that is the carrier as bocefus stated. The midges reproduce in shallow water. Outbreaks tend to be worse when we have a hot, dry late summer/early fall where midges have a lot of shallow ponds from evaporating water in which to reproduce and deer are forced to use such water sources more.
     

    whiteoak

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    I have been managing my farm for deer since 1986, and the deer numbers started falling in about 2009(ish), when my area took the bad hit from EHD. Since then we have gotten worse each year as far as doe population. I have still managed to o But the numbers (at least on my land) are less then half what it was in the 90's and mid 2000's. I have noticed that I am seeing some dandy bucks, and I think that is because they are eating better during the winter, and early spring. My farm use to have a browse line in the staging areas, now its hard to find the staging areas. I have taken down my utilization cages, because you don't see much difference inside them. I am running about 5 to 7 acres of food plot, and could now get by with 2 to 3 acres. My corn plot use to be gone by December or January and I had corn on the stalks this last year until March. And nothing has changed with the plot. Indiana needs to cut the doe harvest limits in half, if we want more deer, but I think in some ways we have healthier deer now. It will always be a trade off, but when there is no competition for food or breeding, it can be hard to hunt deer, as they will go nocturnal quick and stay that way.
     

    farmerdan

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    What little time I was able to get out the number of deer on the property seemed pretty good this year. We have had a lot less people hunting the area for the last couple of years and some of the land around ours is in foreclosure so way less hunters than in the past.
     

    Leadeye

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    Deer numbers are better here in the GSF than I've seen in recent past. What's down here is the number of hunters. I saw two different trucks opening weekend and then only one the following weekend.
     

    gregr

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    Also, and someone correct me if I am wrong (I easily could be).

    I believe EHD is caused by stagnate water????

    We have a creek running through our farm that in the wet season gets 7' deep in spots, and in a drought stays moving at 2'.



    Nosir. Ehd is caused by the bite of a biting Midge. Deer travel to water to get relief from the symptoms of fever.
     
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