The Coming Deer Depression?

[Bullfrog 31581]

http://www.outdoorlife.com/articles/...tail-recession

From the article: "...I do think we should be prepared to return to the days when you might have to drive 100 miles to find a place to hunt, or consider it a good day when you saw one or two deer, or even just a track.”

Heck, its always been that way in Florida. If you see a handful of deer all weekend you've had a good weekend. If you see an antlered buck you've done really well. If you've seen a mature buck you've had your once or twice-in-a-season sighting. That's just normal deer hunting life here. It seems odd that its different anywhere else in the country. When I go out of state hunting in places with high deer densities seems ridiculously easy in comparison to what I'm used to at home.

Have hunters across the country become spoiled by high whitetail numbers?

[solus]

no its about the same here in CA

[vineyardhunter]

Here on Martha's Vineyard, I have been seeing anywhere from 3 to 12 deer an evening, We have a high number of deer per sq. mile. The state has 2800 doe permits to sell at $5.00 apiece. The state forest has been doing prescribed burns for a few years, they go in an area and cut all the brush down to 18" with a big grinder, then when it dries they light up, and control the burn this way, the fire runs low and slow. It doesn't get up in the tops of of the bigger trees, so it can't take off. Within a few months, grasses will come back, also blueberrys. the deer love the new growth. some of the conservation land agencys are doing this too all over the Island.
There are still alot of people that don't want you hunting on thier places, The deer ticks are out of control, along with lime disease. I was on stand last Sat evening and had 9 deer run by me at 30', the last two stopped and looked back, I could hear another coming had my bow up, I could hear the antlers hitting the brush as he was chasing the does. He stopped in the opening and turned his front toward me, I put the pin just behind the shoulder and released. He went down on the right knee and forward, kind of sliding, toward the bottom of my ladder, got up and made two bounds along side the wall, then over the wall, and into the thick brush. when he went by my ladder base he was only 6' away from it. It was then that I started to shake, I sat for 20 min. then got down, my bolt was burried almost to the vanes, about 8' beyond where he was standing. Had blood and fat on the vanes, nothing on the shaft, no gut smell at all. I started to track, you could see the leaves all tore up where he slide, couldn.t see any blood yet. I got to the wall and found blood spray on the rocks about 30" apart, going up over the wall, so there was definatly an in and out hit.
I went back to the truck put my bow in and got my little spot light, also my buddy that I hunt with, He shot a doe near the same time. We went back and started on the other side of the wall, got maybe 15', and started to see blood, looked like some one was puring it out. we followed it through some thick stuff, then into a field that goes up hill to three houses, there are scattered bushes along the bottom of the field, he made a big circle like a tear drop shape got on a gravel road and turned up hill again. when he got on the road he had stopped in the middle and there was a puddle of blood. we followed the blood up the road, lost track, searched both sides, middle finally found more red stuff, down a grass path off to the right. come to an opening in a wall that intersects the wall he went over, he turned back to right, into more open woods, layed down behind the wall. my buddy thinks he heard him get up and move, we decided to back out and give him more time.
Next morning we got back in around 7:30, brought 3 more friends and stated where we left off. found a huge puddle where he had layed, he had gone to the right, toward the wall he had originally came over. blood was getting scarcer, we lost it in the thicker brush, couldn't find another drop, we spit up and did grid searches for an area 1000' square, went along the beach to see if he went that way, checked the bluff going down to the beach as it is quite thick and has runs all over it. The five of us looked til 2pm. I went back next morning , still nothing, I wiill continue to look, I hope the wound heals, or I find him. When he came ito the opening, I looked at the rack, it was pretty big and thick almost black, lots of mass, I concentraited on the shot and didn't watch the antlers, I know it was a good hit. We had put this ladder in place that morning so it was the first time I sat in it. I could pull my hair out, but I don't have much!!

[inchr48]

Hope you find him. Anyone have a dog with a "nose" ?My season's not going any better, but so far I have yet to fire a shot...............Bullfrog, here in the crop-land of NW Indiana, deer density is pretty high. That being said, this year, I have seen much fewer deer than the last handful of years. Part of the issue is people in my area allowing their dogs to run free, pushing the deer out of traditional bedding areas. Another reason is big-industry farming methods. Corn stubble is chisel-plowed for planting in soy-beans next Spring. Most of the fence rows have been removed (few native quail or pheasant populations also). Many days last year, I saw 20+ deer a day. This year my highest is 10. Last night, zilch.New stand tonight, have 6 scrapes within Muzzleloader range. Just hope a buck comes through during daylight.

[cjack]

Cool pic. Sighting 10 deer in a day sounds good from So. Cals perspective. Good luck inchr!

[Bullfrog 31581]

That's interesting inchr48. I actually saw 10 in a day last Saturday on my property in Florida. 1 mature buck and the rest does. That's not common though. Up to that point I haven't seen more than three in a day this season and I only see deer once in every three or four hunts.

[Vermonster]

I know I'll get a lot of flak for this, but one of the first sentences says it best. Telling hunters that they couldn't kill enough doe for the last 20 years, but now realizing you need to put on the brakes. Duh!

I have never been a fan of AR's, or QDM so to speak. people try to tell me that it makes the herd more "healthy". Well, the deer never looked unhealthy to me, and I used to see way more of them. It's all this kill a doe attitude that will get them there. Not only are they killing off lots of does, they are turning the sport into nothing but a "trophy" hunt, where landowners can see nothing but the $$$$$$$$$$$ signs. We will have to drive 100 miles not only to find deer, but to find land that is huntable without paying $5000 a pop.

Very sad.....

[T.R.]

I've hunted "archery only" areas of Maryland for many years. But have witnessed a decline of numbers. Some say coyotes are eating most of the fawns.

TR