Deer populations

[morb]

I was just wondering what the whitetail populations are like in different areas.
The whitetail numbers are down a lot due to the severe winters we've had the last 2 years.
Last year the DNR cut us back from 2 tags to one, this year they shortened all the seasons.

 

[dave61965]

The drought here in east texas over the last several years has seemed to keep the population down a little but over the last year or two especially this season they have seemed to come back really strong, I have lots of does and young deer on my place no big bucks but way more total deer than years past, squirrel population seems to exploded also, maybe the huge acorn crop has something to do with it.

 

[pab1]

In this area whitetail numbers are increasing while mule deer numbers are decreasing. I'm seeing whitetails in areas that only held mule deer in the past. Because of this there are more restrictions being placed on mule deer hunting in many parts of the state.

 

[Vaino]

For many recent years the deer populations have been increasing in the southern counties of Wisconsin, but w/ the advent of CWD {Chronic Wasting Disease}, the deer numbers have been deceasing in the southern half of the state.

The northern counties' deer populations have always fluctuated w/ the severity of the winter temps and snowfalls and lately the quotas that determine the licenses have been skimpy. Because of the harsh winters, the surviving deer are much larger than in the other parts of the state.

The area where I hunted for many years is plagued w/ too many wolves....it's a large county forest in the middle of the state and for the last 10 years there's been a noticeable decline in fawn and doe survival due to the over population of wolves. Two years ago, my party of 3 shot 3 bucks and 2 does....previously the bucks were scarce and most deer shot were does. Also the number of deer seen has really decreased. Don't want the wolves exterminated, but finally there's a controlled hunt.

Hopefully the deer population decline is temporary......Fred

 

[cynthialee]

IMHO White tails are out of control in my area. There has been a restrictive limit here of 4 point buck or better only for years. This combined with few predators and plenty of grass and alfalfa fields in the area we are flush with white tail. There is an area not far from here that comprises of a few farms and a number of hay field, very few places to set up a safe shot let alone hunt. So the deer congregate there in very large numbers right around twilight. Hundreds and hundreds of deer.
Recently this fall during the hunt I spotted a Mule Deer mom and a fawn not but 100 yards or so from my front door. A few miles away from here the neighbor spotted a 3 point Mule Deer buck. Which is legal as the law say 3 point or better for Mule Deer. He had to pass on the shot due to the lay of the land and where the buck would fall. (on someone else's property and a 500 yard drag...I would have passed also.)
Neither of us have seen Mule Deer in this area until this year.

As I type this there is a White Tail fawn using my front yard as their personal crash pad.

So from my perspective there are deer coming out of the woodwork around these parts.

 

[bubba.50]

even with season long doe days, due to national forest land bein' un-navigable plus havin' 3 drunks behind every tree for 1/4 mile off the road & most private land either bein' posted, owned by misguided bambi lovers, or havin' a snobby huntin' club that won't let us commoners join-up deer are pretty close to bein' pest animals around here. nothin' rare to see 1/2 dozen or more "sleepin'" on the side of the road in a 20 or 30 mile trip on the interstate.

 

[will5a1]

Ohio's deer herd has, according to ODNR, finally quite growing and stabilized at around 750,000 statewide, this is the population ODNR has set as the max. or target for a healthy herd. Many of the counties have seen a reduction in the bag limits, i.e. some 4 deer counties have a limit of 3 this year.

My county still has a bag limit of 4 and I still see a lot of deer and they look healthy to me, last year's cold winter did not seem to have any affect and the coyotes (having spread statewide) don't seem to kill many either. So far we have not had any reported cases of CWD in this state and I hope it stays that way.

 

[satx78247]

And To ALL:

The Commonwealth of VA has more WT in many areas than PEOPLE.

For example, RICHMOND, NEWPORT NEWS, ALEXANDRIA, PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY & FAIRFAX COUNTY have numerous areas where there are MORE than 200 WT per square mile. ======> I can think of no place in the USA that you can, with considerable certainty, fill your home freezer quicker.
(I shoot a XB & there are numerous areas in ALEXANDRIA where it should NOT be called, "deer hunting"; instead we XB & longbow folk call it: KILLING deer.)

just my OPINION, satx

 

[BrownBear]

I can think of no place in the USA that you can, with considerable certainty, fill your home freezer quicker.

I'm acquainted with a couple of folks in your area with permission to hunt a whopping 5 acre piece of land. I about fell out of my chair laughing at their pride in it, until they filled in the details.

Between the various seasons, they take 15-20 deer off that place year in and year out. Better yet, they weren't shy about inviting me to join them and add to the tally- no concerns at all about me cutting into their take with some of my own. Just downright amazing population down there. :shocked2:

 

[satx78247]

I know of (and have KILLED deer on his land several times) a corn, berry, tomato & melon farmer in Fairfax County that intensively farms 9.5 acres and in 2010 had 64 WT killed in his fields. (One 6-point buck was shot 8 long steps from his back porch!) - SORRY, I don't have the 2011-13 figures.
(Because of the proximity to townhouses/apartment buildings, only archery is currently allowed on his farm. = I "heard through the grapevine", about 2 weeks ago, that smoothbore ML MIGHT be "approved, on a case by case basis", by Fairfax County Animal Control, NEXT year.)

yours, satx

 

[Patocazador]

The state of Florida makes no effort to analyze the deer population. I have seen the number they publish stay at 750,000 for decades now. There are no tags issued and 2 bucks a day is the limit.
With all the development going on, it has to be decreasing but who knows?

 

[morb]

Looks you all have good populations.
I never even bought a tag last year, it was my daughters first year hunting last year so I made sure she got hers. It was pretty tough getting her deer, they just weren't many. After she filled her tag I desided not to even bother buying one.
This year with with the short season I only got out 3 times. I'll take my son and daughter out during rifle season to get theirs and see how it goes after that, I would like to take a buck during the rut with the muzzle loader.

 

[morb]

I know what you mean about the drunks and Bambi lovers, we have our share here too.
The ones I hate the most are the ones that take their rifle out the day they go hunting and as long as they hit the paper their good to go. Then they drive around with a bottle of whiskey and shoot at everything they see out of the truck window, a lot of these guys won't even get out of the truck to track a wounded animal.

 

[stantdm]

We have been hard hit in my area with EHD on the Whitetails. My farm usually has 30 to 40 deer in the field behind our house. This year none are present. In fifteen years of living at this place it is the first time there are no deer in the yard, none in the draws or tree lines, and none in the alfalfa fields. I hope they recover in a couple of years or so.

 

[Wes/Tex]

Here in central Texas, the weather has cooperated since last fall to rain and keep temps down to about a dozen days of 100+ rather than 75 to 90. The does are dropping twins again and the count is way down on abandoned fawns. many are still a bit too young for our season starting here next month but we'll see. Things are at least looking up...assuming they don't do the trick of all running into the state park two days before season like some years. Still have no idea how they know!

 

[nchawkeye]

We have 3 farms in eastern NC, raise corn, soybeans, cotton, wheat and peanuts...We typically kill 35-50 deer a year, mostly does...

We have done this for 20+ years, have too or the crops suffer...

 

[BrownBear]

...assuming they don't do the trick of all running into the state park two days before season like some years. Still have no idea how they know!

It's easy for them, and you can watch it happen. Starting about a week before, every yahoo in the world moves into the bush to "scout." The sudden increase in human activity is easy for them to read. They know what's next.

 

[cynthialee]

We have 3 farms in eastern NC, raise corn, soybeans, cotton, wheat and peanuts...We typically kill 35-50 deer a year, mostly does...

We have done this for 20+ years, have too or the crops suffer...

:shocked2:
What do you do with that much meat and hides!?

 

[morb]

we don't buy much meat other than pork on occasion and we usually raise chickens so we eat lots of wild game. 2 moose lasts is a year and that's eating it at least 5 days a week. but I can't imagine using 50 deer with out giving some away, you sure is lucky.

 

[nchawkeye]

We eat them...