Man the harsh winter we had last year really culled out the herd. Last year I could haved killed a deer every day I went out this year I've really had to work at it, I haven't shot a deer in the last 8 days hunting, that's crazy for around here. I have shot 6 deer so far but I still have 3 or 4 tags left and only 2 deer left in the freezer, that will last till feb. maybe. I just got back from sitting in my stand for 3 hours, it was -10 when I got there and who knows how cold when I left, I know my eye lashes were collecting ice. I hope this winter is warmer and shorter than last year, we need better reproduction this spring. I was talking to some old timers and they said they haven't seen this few deer in years and most of them didn't even shoot a buck this season, guess i should consider myself lucky.
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Worst ND deer season in years
- Thread starter texcl
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Onojutta
45 Cal.
texcl said:
Cry me a river. Where I hunt here in PA, that time is measured in years, not days. Sorry, no sympathy here. :nono: :grin:
"I have shot 6 deer so far but I still have 3 or 4 tags left"
Texcl-how many deer did you shoot last year?-the year before-the year before that---you are experiencing what happened out east when the game was shot out-how long do you think you can keep culling the herd before you get a negative affect? are your neighbors doing the same? multiply the numbers and do the math!. It is not a limitless resource.
the state of Wisconsin is now feeling the pain(in deer numbers) due to unlimited antler less tags.Since the early 1990's the tags were almost free-a couple of real winters add the wolf and bear predation and this is what you get- look in the mirror and then start pointing fingers.
Sometimes you have to let them walk-leave some seed.
Texcl-how many deer did you shoot last year?-the year before-the year before that---you are experiencing what happened out east when the game was shot out-how long do you think you can keep culling the herd before you get a negative affect? are your neighbors doing the same? multiply the numbers and do the math!. It is not a limitless resource.
the state of Wisconsin is now feeling the pain(in deer numbers) due to unlimited antler less tags.Since the early 1990's the tags were almost free-a couple of real winters add the wolf and bear predation and this is what you get- look in the mirror and then start pointing fingers.
Sometimes you have to let them walk-leave some seed.
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Eh you mentioned what happened back East, I know the time period your referring to. But here today our herd keeps growing, a lot due to not many hunters. I harvested 6 deer last year and 5 deer each of the last three and I think 4 every year since the mid 90's. Course I'm layed up and unable to hunt this year. But we just experienced the best acorn crop anyone has seen, which only means more deer next year here.makeumsmoke said:
Swampy said:
Swampy glad to hear the deer numbers are good where you hunt!
You can have the best acorn crop in the world ! You still need deer to eat it. the deer numbers were down last year 2008 in Mich-Wis-Minn and I don't think anything has improved yet! we have had in this region 2 real winters and this one started slow but we are up to speed right now.Look at the deer kill registration less than 200'000 in wisconsin in 2009 last couple of years we were hiting around 450'000, you have to have deer to kill them it's that simple. My point is -something has to give -either the weather or the deer kill to bring the numbers up. At least we can control one of them.
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makeumsmoke said:
Yes I forget sometimes, you guys out there have to contend with winter kill offs. Some years a lot worse than others. Thats something pretty much nonexistent here. We used to get a few on Prudence Island the years after the Navy pulled out and before the State figured what to do with a hunting season over there and that was when there was over 70+ per square mile over there.
Pretty much here now, they only need to worry about cars and coyotes.
Rod Lassey
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It depends on where you go in ND, too. They were really bunching up because of the deep snow and cold, there was a herd of 1000+ at the confluence of the Missouri and Yellowstone last winter. I haven't seen anything like that this year, there's little snow, and the cold is just settling in this winter. However, my dad shot his buck out of a herd of around 30, just 20 minutes or so into his hunt.
I haven't been able to get out much at all yet, too much work to do---time is running out, ML season ends this weekend. Wish me luck!
Rod
I haven't been able to get out much at all yet, too much work to do---time is running out, ML season ends this weekend. Wish me luck!
Rod
Swampy don't forget about the fawns that are adsorbed by the doe during a bad winter. One of my co workers has a friend that put a trail camera near a bear den and the number of fawns brought back was very high.Add the car kills and the wound loss rate and the numbers just keep rising.
buttonbuck
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where I hunt near Bloomington Illinois I am about to get ready for 1st day ML I believe it has more to do with Hunting pressure most any strip of timber is hunted heavy and hard but there is adequate areas where there is timber and no hunting the deer know where to hide out when the shooting starts. The DNR did a count in the spring the numbers are higher than in previous years 80-100+ per square mile. The Deer adapt to survive, same as we do. The Dnr added another gun antlerless only season in Illinois over new years weekend hopefuly this works out weather wise it has been harder winter weather over the gun seasons the past couple years.
bigbore442001
50 Cal.
The deer kill in Massachusetts is down. We had a bad winter a couple of years ago along with some misuse of additional antlerless permits.
Saturday is the last day of shotgun season but I really don't feel like going out.
Saturday is the last day of shotgun season but I really don't feel like going out.
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bigbore442001 said:
:rotf: They all moved down here, thanks!
bigbore442001
50 Cal.
Yup. The Ocean State doesn't get whacked as hard with winter as the Bay State. Where I work on the RI/MA line many of the kids who are here are from the southern part of RI. They kind of bug out at seeing the snow.
happyhunter
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"I have shot 6 deer so far but I still have 3 or 4 tags left "
Onojutta pretty much summed up PA. I too have shot 6 deer so far, but it took the past 10 years of hunting. After the "doe extermination mission" the PA game commision has done the past few years, it is even hard to find a deer on private land.
If I were the kind who lived to hunt I would move out of PA. You make ND sound mighty good.
Onojutta pretty much summed up PA. I too have shot 6 deer so far, but it took the past 10 years of hunting. After the "doe extermination mission" the PA game commision has done the past few years, it is even hard to find a deer on private land.
If I were the kind who lived to hunt I would move out of PA. You make ND sound mighty good.
We still have 20,000 doe tags that haven't been bought, the hunting pressure has very little to do with the deer population up here, people are out numbered by deer. In my zone they had to start a speacial herd reduction season to lower the numbers, but nobody takes advantage of it since it is doe only. The winters are the big equalizer up here and if your herd is too big that can make things even worst, the whole herd will starve and or be in poor health bringing low reproduction, this is pretty catistrophic, I was starting to think this was what happened until I went hunting this afternoon and had 40 or so within range in a matter of 2 hours and yes the spell has been broken I took a nice deer at about 80 yards with my .58 virginia rifle. I think it just took this long to drive the deer out early due to a late snow fall. I like to average 10-12 deer a year, to help DNR out you know, it's my duty :wink:
This county has some sort of gun season in for a total of 5 weeks. I think people are to lazy to hunt and the dnr can't get enough deer killed to keep them under control. No mast here either. Expect the coyotes will eat good later on. Larry Wv
Idaho Ron
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roundball said:Friend of ours in ND sent this photo to us last year...how does anything find food enough to survive a winter like this
Well that is only about a foot of snow! Remember the deer are tiny :rotf:
We only get one deer a year here in Idaho. It amazes me to hear that some states allow so many deer to be killed by one hunter. 6, 8, 10 deer a year. If I could shoot that many deer I would be doing some experimenting with some different loads and guns.I get a Muzzleloader tag about 1 year out of 4. Ron
Here in South Dakota there are over 27,000 resident anterless deer muzzleloader tags left over that no one wants. There are also over 9000 non-resident anterless muzzleloader tags that are $55 a piece which includes the price of the non-resident hunting license. A non-resident 2-deer anterless tag is $80 including the hunting license. We still have way too many deer.
What is ironic is that it cost more for a non-resident to hunt pheasants than deer.
What is ironic is that it cost more for a non-resident to hunt pheasants than deer.
