If you deer hunt please add your input on this poll

[Kaiser]

Tippeacanoe increase in deer population Maybe scewed beacuse of aera I hunt no pressure and relitively protected

 

[Aaronhome27]

i see an aimless question..
are you speaking about this season? or over the past 5 years?
-----i'll throw my input in. but it doesn't make sence yet..

It is explained in post #1. Asking about what you personally have seen while hunting over the past 1-3 years. The DNR has continually put more pressure on taking does over these years. This year (2012-2013 season) there has been an additional doe only firearms season added as well as other changes directed at taking more does yet again. The popular consensus on many hunting forums is that this is beginning to seriously affect the overall herd and population in large portions of the state.

 

[JStarr]

I hunt in Jay and Blackford counties and have seen a decline in deer numbers. I know the COs will tell you the deer numbers have been on a steady incline, but their full of . If they would actually sit in the woods and hunt, they would see it too. The proof is in the puddin, so they say.

 

[thoroughbred]

I would say in the north western part of the state they are down and I see more and more deer being killed by cars opening day of gun season I saw one doe the whole day but I saw six dead on the side of the road on the way home.

 

[yotewacker]

I think the deer population is down to coyotes. This is why I hunt them so hard. In a magazine called Predator hunting, last year they talked to several states about this issue. North Carolina said they put out 100 tags on newly born fawns. Out of 100. 87 were killed within the first week by coyotes. Tennessee done the same thing with 30 tags. 21 out of 30 were eaten by coyotes within two weeks. We know for sure that the quail population is down over 5 million and coyotes is to blame. We have a rancid animal that is taking up the majority of our hunting game in the Midwest. They have no real purpose in our state. The are going to be classified as a cockroach in our society. When all else is gone, they will survive all other animals, including humans.

 

[armedindy]

morgan monroe/ hoosier national forest area..........2 years ago i saw many deer...this year i saw one......my fault of decrease in population i do not know

 

[Aaronhome27]

I think the deer population is down to coyotes. This is why I hunt them so hard. In a magazine called Predator hunting, last year they talked to several states about this issue. North Carolina said they put out 100 tags on newly born fawns. Out of 100. 87 were killed within the first week by coyotes. Tennessee done the same thing with 30 tags. 21 out of 30 were eaten by coyotes within two weeks. We know for sure that the quail population is down over 5 million and coyotes is to blame. We have a rancid animal that is taking up the majority of our hunting game in the Midwest. They have no real purpose in our state. The are going to be classified as a cockroach in our society. When all else is gone, they will survive all other animals, including humans.

I tend to agree to a point. I know the coyotes are getting out of control. And I would love to learn how to effectively hunt them or trap them. But I know the DNR is still raising the pressure on top of the coyote damage to the numbers. Just doesnt make a lot of sense why the DNR would continue to add the pressure especially knowing the coyote population is continuing to boom, and we all know that they know. Studies like yours are a bit scary when you look at the big picture.

 

[ATOMonkey]

I am seeing MUCH more deer in suburban areas, and less deer in rural areas. They seem to be staying near to creeks, in suburban areas.

I hunt in NW Hendricks County, and have seen many more deer in Plainfield proper than anywhere else.

 

[Titanium_Frost]

Vanderburgh county here. I don't hunt deer but I'm in the woods a lot and I drive through the country on a daily basis. I have seen WAY more deer than usual in urban areas around Evansville and a few more sightings than usual in the woods around southern Indiana and in KY.

 

[Outlaw]

Hancock county. I'm not primarily a deer hunter but I'm in the woods quite a bit. I have seen a decline in deer population but also have seen/ heard an increase in coyote population.

Now I just need to save up for some gen3 to pop them lil bastards off.

 

[singlestacksig]

about 5 years ago the coyote problem in the midwest was already getting bad, Ohio allowed non residents to hunt them year round on private land..
I don't think enough has been done to control their numbers.. The deer are smart, they are moving into town where there is no hunting & less coyotes..

 

[clarky51]

I've been hunting hoosier national forest for 20 years on opening weekend of firearm season. I saw more deer this year on the opening day then I have ever seen. One nice 8 pointer that I didn't get a shot at.

 

[Mgderf]

I hunt Tippecanoe county, a VERY, VERY small plot of it. I have less than 4 acres to hunt on, and it's surrounded by roads and houses.

It's not ideal, and the deer don't bed there, but it is a well traveled path to and from bedding and food.

This year I took a small 6 point buck. This was the FIRST buck I've seen in my hunting plot in more than 5 years!
Does are up, and all over the place in Tippecanoe, but the bucks are illusive.

 

[slipnotz]

I live and hunt in Fulton County, over the last couple of years the numbers have declined.

 

[xring62]

They let too many does get whacked, Ill never kill a doe. Also coyotys take a toll,so kill THEM all off

 

[.458socomhunter]

I too hunt Tipp Co. I have seen more deer these past 4 years than I think I have in a long time.. I also plant food plots, am rather territorial in regards to trespassing and I use trail cameras. If you only count the deer you see during the day, you're missing out on alot. Sure you can't hunt them, but most big bucks don't get that way by being stupid.

 

[rphutchi]

Hunted Green County this past fall on 300 acres w/ food plots and active feeding troughs for as long as legal prior to opening of season. Saw nothing during entire gun season and I was out daily. Others on the property saw little as well. Not sure why because they were their on well marked trails earlier.

 

[MRP2003]

I saw more deer this year while hunting than last year but had less deer on my cameras. Last year, i had a lot of pics of different bucks but only saw one and no does during all of the seasons. Just figured I got lucky this year. Just put my cameras and some feed out today. Hopefully I will see a lot of deer and maybe some bucks. Plan to check cameras during turkey season.

 

[ctbreitwieser]

My dad was just talking about this with me the other day. I have not been able to do any deer hunting the past 4 years but my dad and uncles who hunt our farm in Dubois County have seen a huge drop in deer numbers. I got home for the last day of the season and almost everyone I talked to said they didnt see a thing all season.

I know I havent been out there to see it personally for awhile(next year finally!), but I voted for the decline in numbers for Dubois based off what everyone was telling me.

 

[DanO]

This survey is not useful without listing where the respondents live or hunt.

I live in Porter Co. and hunt in Porter and Elkhart counties. I have not noticed a drop in deer numbers and I am constantly astonished when people on here say they have hunted several days in a season and not taken a deer. I shoot a few does every year for meat and do not shoot bucks unless I see "the ONE". Often, I only get out a few days every season.

I have noticed an uptick in the number of Coyotes here and in Elkhart Co.