Deer numbers

This needs to be addresses and we as hunters need to wake up! From my perspective Last year was the worst season from a deer sightings point of view. I hunt Franklin county and I know there was an EHD outbreak. I did all i could. No does shot. I wrote the DNR. I am already hearing this from others and have cams out to confirm my worries for this year.

What this tells me, with the liberal doe tags and shrinking deer numbers, is that the DNR's policies are not our friend. The insurance lobby is winning this battle. I can only do so much but when I try to introduce new hunters and they lose interest in hunting because they don't see deer I get concerned. I am already worried about how my son will take to hunting in the next few years if there are no deer to see to keep him interested in hunting.

I know this might not be the case everywhere and I need to track down my neighbors to see what they are doing but I am concerned that this great sport will be on the decline and our DNR policies will be supporting its demise.

Sorry to vent so early in the season but ......

Sorry this topic might need to be moved to the deer hunting forum

Last year was a record harvest.

The population and harvest statewide seems to be stable. Biologists make decisions based on county and statewide data not anecdotal evidence based on single hunter observations. Deer population density can vary widely within one area.

EHD decimated the area around one of my farms. I chose not to hunt it for 2 years, now the population is back to pre-EHD levels. If the habitat is good, they will recover.

[img]http://www.deerfriendly.com/_/rsrc/.../IndianaHarvest.jpg?height=180&width=400[/img]

My buddy lives in Franklin County and I saw deer just about every time I went there to hunt.... Best year I ever had there in terms of seeing deer....

must be my luck or lack there of.

I brought this up last year. Here is a link to the thread. There are several on both sides but I hear ya.

http://www.hoosierhunting.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?/topic/1/6583.html#000000

FROM THE DNR...

[DNR] 2013 Deer harvest may not exceed record of 2012

Hunters in Indiana can expect another productive deer season in 2013, but probably not as productive as last year’s record setter.

Hoosier deer hunters in 2012 harvested 136,248 deer. The deer harvest record has been broken in four of the last five seasons, a trend that DNR deer research biologist Chad Stewart doesn’t expect to continue in 2013.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if it was down a little this year,” Stewart said. “But I don’t expect the harvest numbers to fall off a cliff. There will still be plenty of deer out there.”

The 2013 overall deer hunting season began Sunday with the opening of the urban deer zone season. Archery season starts Oct. 1. Firearms season starts Nov. 16. For more information on seasons and regulations, visit Hunting.IN.gov.

The main reason Stewart thinks a dip in the harvest might happen is because hunters in 2012 harvested a record number of does. As a result, reproduction was likely down this year compared to previous years.

Stewart emphasized that reducing the deer population to a more balanced level has been the DNR’s goal in recent years. Changes to hunting regulations that went into effect in 2012 were geared toward that goal. The changes included extending archery season, allowing crossbows for all archery hunters and creating a “license bundle” that saved hunters money.

“A reduced deer harvest would mean we are making progress,” Stewart said.

The 2013 license bundles give the additional option of harvesting either two antlerless deer and a buck or three antlerless deer.

Last year’s record deer harvest happened even as epizootic hemorrhagic disease was reported in 67 of 92 Indiana counties. The outbreak killed many deer before hunting season began, especially in northern Indiana. This year 15 counties have reported EHD.


Contact Information:
Name: Chad Stewart
Phone: (812) 334-1137
Email: dnrnews@dnr.in.gov

Another hunt with no deer. This is getting ridiculous.

Didn't you just shoot a Buck last weekend

http://www.hoosierhunting.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?/topic/1/6764.html#000000

BREW, he said last year was the worst year, not this year.

It's hard to convince someone there are no deer in a state the same year they set a record harvest.

Sure did. In my urban spot, but no deer sightings in franklin county which is extremely odd to me. We had our worst year last year.......see the previous posts. I am concerned about my farm in franklin county. Don't you know there are deer behind every tree in urban hunting.

Well my urban spot doesn't! They are only behind every THIRD tree. On the upside tho they are really tame and super ez to hunt.

Having spent Lotta time on Hooters Franklin farm I can say with certainty the numbers in that area are down. WAY down. Done Lotta all day sits and went from 20plus sightings several yrs ago to rarely seeing more than 3-5 on an all day sit. People have slaughtered the does in huge numbers in that county recently. Take an evening drive, its ez to see.

Yawn....until the harvest goes down dramatically no one important cares.

So now the deer have to be hunted instead of just sitting and picking one out? It used to be great to see 20 deer an evening come out into a field, but it sure seems more rewarding to scout them now and get on a good one.

We're fortunate I guess in my county. We still have plenty of deer to find, quail are getting seen more and more and some of the best rabbit hunting in the country.

The DNR's plan is working.

So why do you think there was a record harvest last year? In a year when EHD ran rampant.

- Was it because there are way too many deer?
- Way more hunters?
- A new bundle tag that encouraged the shooting of does?
- A new doe only season?
- The DNR hellbent on destroying the deer population?

From my point of view you cant compare last year to any other year because the rules of the game changed last year. The base lines aren't the same.

Help me understand.

"Help me understand" says the kid who is an excel spreadsheet genius and math whiz. Bahahahaha

Baselines don't matter. Phssst baselines. Really!? Nope 2011 and 2012 were the same.

Ill give Ya a record harvest every yr for three yrs running
2014 - make gun Nov 1 thru Nov 30 and do not change regs otherwise from 2013.
2015 - make gun Oct 15 thru Nov 30 and again Dec 15-Dec 25 w no other reg changes.
2016 - Oct 1-Dec15 gun season. Yee haw! Again no other reg changes from 2013.

Waalaa there Ya go record harvests. And we all know record harvests mean lotsa deer!

Baselines, I don't need no stinkin baselines the deer herd in 2017 will be awesome.

“We started down the path to strategically reduce the deer herd in order to balance the ecological, recreational, and economic needs of all Indiana citizens,” said Mitch Marcus, wildlife chief for the DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife. “To meet that strategy, we initiated several regulation changes to make it easier to take antlerless deer. It appears the regulations may be working.”

It's all about the $$$$$$$ not the deer numbers or the enjoyment of hunters

It's not just hunters killing does.

I know a guy in Washington County that has a couple of hundred acres. Crops, fruit trees and a green house on it. He applied for depredation permits to kill does this Summer and killed a dozen. The guy who owns one of the pieces of land I hunt on (which is near this guys property) has been running his cameras this year and there are very few does showing up.

Not a big surprise......

Depredations permits are bs n my opinion. Seem rather arbitrary.

Something to consider..

anybody notice there are a TON of coyotes everywhere in IN now?

fawn predation is real...

That's a fact Jack! And after just two years hammering the local coyotes after the deer season, I am seeing a LOT more fawns making it to hunting season.

I'm a supporter of QDM and the IDNR,let me tell you........... This is ALL about $$$$$$!

IDNR is looking for ways to increase "revenue" as any other business. Watch next year as ALL license increase.

Coyote predation is not a factor yet in Indiana. What can be a factor is the "booger hook on the bang button".


Laugh as I see 3 guys hunting a F&W area with crossbows this past weekend. All on the ground, no tree stands, "gun" hunters, thinking they have a superior weapon in archery. They paid the tax to the State, tax to PR money, and now a license.... yup BIG Government got another "rube".

Be it State or Feds it is ALL about taking our money..... I screwed em'......... I got the lifetime license as well as one for my son......LOL.

Originally posted by 76chevy:
Something to consider..

anybody notice there are a TON of coyotes everywhere in IN now?

fawn predation is real...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That's a fact Jack! [Big Grin] And after just two years hammering the local coyotes after the deer season, I am seeing a LOT more fawns making it to hunting season.

100% agree with Yaz, I see his efforts.

Also, over the weekend watched a fellows trail cam videos in Fayette Co. of a coyote den where mom would bring in a fawn every other day for 2 wks to feed her pups. There was 8 fawns taken out of the herd.

Thanks all for chiming in on this topic. My primary concern is for the new hunter that loses interest quickly and then is lost as a hunter.

I have started to watch a few video's on coyote trapping, hoping to get a few.

I was walking all over my places to hunt the last few days with my cross bow because the best way to get a turkey is walk around till you bust them up and then sit down and Kee-Kee them back to you could have been the case there, If a deer hunter had of seen me from their tree stand I am sure they would have thot that of me but in my case that was not so

I have been complaining about deer numbers in my area since 2007. No body seems to care and everyone thinks I am a big whiner. Some of you guys need to consider yourself very lucky to be able to see deer every time out. I know there are guys on here that see more deer in one day then I do the whole season.I dont have kids but if I did I think they would lose interest in deer hunting pretty quick. I get my few deer every year because I log a few hundred hours on stand every year. But there are times I will go 10 or more times in a row without seeing a deer. You simply cannot see what is not there. I do my part too. I plant food plots and trap coyotes every year.