Where are the Deer?

[Renegade]

Years ago, opening day for hunting was always exciting. I would be able to pass on a few deer to get the one that I wanted. you would almost always fill your tags the first few weeks. Over the years a lot has changed, especially the Deer population.  Now if I see a few the opening week I feel lucky. Last year I saw one deer after the first week, so far this year I've seen two. I did try a new place in clyde this year and out of four of us we managed to see one small doe opening day. which leads to ask why the state still gives out extra dmps when the deer seem so few. Don't see them like I used to, Maybe it's my old eyes.  Anybody else remember back then when you could see fifty to a hundred deer in the fields at a time. I miss those days.

Edited November 18, 2013 by Renegade

[Fishon]

Make the season buck only and maybe one day for doe. The deer population is down.

[the blur]

I feel they want to reduce the population as much as possible.  They also take into account all the poachers, and non-reporters.

[Deerthug]

I hear you. During bow i saw nothing, only squirrels and chipmunks. Opening day I saw two, a doe in the morning and an 8 pt in the afternoon which caught me by surprise. Both are in my fridge waiting to be butchered tomorrow and he's already at the taxidermist to get mounted. The deer population has either gone down in my area or they are hiding really well and moving at night.

[Meat Manager]

I've harvested 5 deer this season, and 1 in the first 3 minutes of gun season.

Low sightings can come from many factors, mostly weather, as well as a reportedly late rut activity and oceans of corn still standing and a bumper hard and soft mast year in much of New York.

If you've been hunting in the same exact place for a long time then it's likely the ecosystem changed and the deer became more nocturnal due to more human contact.

Low sightings at the new place this season can be attributed to the weather and food related reasons I mentioned above.

What is unlikely is that many places in New York have a lower deer population than they did 30 years ago. In fact in most placed the opposite is true.

I started hunting in ny 6 years ago and have harvest more than 15 deer in that time...no shortage where I hunt in 7j and 7f. I'm not saying a dwindling herd is not possible in your area, just not likely.

Edited November 18, 2013 by Meat Manager

[Meat Manager]

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Edited November 18, 2013 by Meat Manager

[Hunter1]

Insurance companies play a big part with the state to reduce the deer  pop. 

[thphm]

Warm and windy weather,with less hunters to push them.They were just lieing down all day and feeding at night. That is how it has been by me.

[deerpassion]

Less hunters??!!! Lol certainly not the case where I was ! Every Cotten picken direction I looked or thought of moving to there is another orange vest!

[Catskill Hunter]

Warm and windy weather,with less hunters to push them.They were just lieing down all day and feeding at night. That is how it has been by me.

Totally agree! heard one shot Saturday, no one in the camps by me got a deer this weekend. Totally nocturnal by me too. Had a nice eight chasing 2 does in my food plot last night at 7:20 ( spot light on side of my cabin lights up most of the plot ) Been seeing the deer come into the plot mostly after 8:00 pm

[bkln]

Low movement here in Dutchess too... fewer shots also year after year, not sure what's going on... people stopped hunting or the deer adjusted to night time only... I do see them though, I hope to see more tomorrow :-)

[Waldershrek]

It also seems the weather has been terrible the last few years. I seem to recall snow on the ground every season for opening morning when I started hunting. Damn global warming

Edited November 19, 2013 by Waldershrek

[Dutchess hunter]

I have seen plenty of deer ...just not where i hunt....only on the many and many horse farms where  I have not been able to get permission to hunt.

[orion]

Definitely less deer now then 30 years ago on my property. Its seems to be getting better the last couple years but I am sure DEC will start upping the DMP's.

 

Why is weather always the excuse? Seems that's what they say every year.

[First-light]

I pretty much hunt the same deer stand bow and gun. Some weeks 0 deer spotted but others I get into the teens on 1 day.  Opening day was a good one for me and I saw 16 deer from that stand all before 10:00. Sunday 3 deer all day, Monday until 11- 1 deer. Just how it goes.....

[bubba]

You might also want to look at the lunar feeding tables for your area.  Call it voodoo but in my area prime feeding times have been midnight and noon for  the better part of the week due to the full moon.

[Meat Manager]

Definitely less deer now then 30 years ago on my property. Its seems to be getting better the last couple years but I am sure DEC will start upping the DMP's.

Why is weather always the excuse? Seems that's what they say every year.

Based on your own observations or on actual scientific data?

Weather is the number one factor in deer movement coupled with the availability of food and water.

A windy and mild fall...and warm gun opener means deer with winter coats will move less in daylight.

Then add the fact that there is plenty of food in the woods with bumper hard and soft mast this year + the fact the rutt is late and you have no reason for deer to move during the day.

It is possible there are fewer deer in your area, but highly unlikely...it's more likely a nearby property is a better daytime sanctuary and your property gets visited more at night.

Edited November 19, 2013 by Meat Manager

[bubba]

After a dew seasons of sitting there for 20 minutes filling a dmp or two, you get used to that.  Then one season it is no there and there are no deer  or dec is giving too many permits ir no snow or too warm.  Just because they give the dmp does not mean every hunter has to have a pocket full to have a successful season.  I really wonder how many of you would hunt where I do. I get one dmp every 5 years or so.  I end up with an 2 bow muzzle tags and a buck tag.  If I fill my buck tag now, I am done until late ml.  I can hunt an entire weekend and see one or two deer.  Want more deer stop shooting them all.

[Meat Manager]

After a dew seasons of sitting there for 20 minutes filling a dmp or two, you get used to that. Then one season it is no there and there are no deer or dec is giving too many permits ir no snow or too warm. Just because they give the dmp does not mean every hunter has to have a pocket full to have a successful season. I really wonder how many of you would hunt where I do. I get one dmp every 5 years or so. I end up with an 2 bow muzzle tags and a buck tag. If I fill my buck tag now, I am done until late ml. I can hunt an entire weekend and see one or two deer. Want more deer stop shooting them all.

All forms of deer management, QDM, Trophy, and all the state agencies start with shooting does early and often. If you want a healthy herd fill the tags you buy. Shooting does Strengthens the herd.

I hunt 7j & 7f, little woods and ag. I also hunt suburban deer in NJ and in the big woods of the PA poconos. All are very different, way less sightings in the big woods, but still an overpopulation in all of the areas. I fill doe tags wherever I hunt.

Edited November 19, 2013 by Meat Manager

[bubba]

Not sure what books you are reading but ummm ok.  From what I read on here a lot of those does turn out to be button bucks.  So how are you helping there?  Get a dmp shoot a yearling with buttons and then call for ar.  I love it

Edited November 19, 2013 by bubba

[Meat Manager]

Not sure what books you are reading but ummm ok. From what I read on here a lot of those does turn out to be button bucks. So how are you helping there? Get a dmp shoot a yearling with buttons and then call for ar. I love it

http://www.qdma.com/articles/how-many-does-can-i-harvest

If the state agencies are handing out dmp's it is part of the management plan to fill those tags.

If you mistakenly pop a button that is one less mouth and one less road kill.

Edited November 19, 2013 by Meat Manager

[SteveB]

Insurance companies play a big part with the state to reduce the deer  pop. 

 

 

I would love to see some real proof of this.

Not rumors or opinions - real proof.

 

Insurance companies do not loose money on deer - the adjust the rates in areas of higher collisions.

[orion]

"It is possible there are fewer deer in your area, but highly unlikely...it's more likely a nearby property is a better daytime sanctuary and your property gets visited more at night."

 

I love people who think they know my property better then me!

"Shooting does Strengthens the herd."

 

Or wipes it out.

That's what's wrong with statewide management.

 

THERE ARE LESS DEER BY ME!!

[Meat Manager]

"It is possible there are fewer deer in your area, but highly unlikely...it's more likely a nearby property is a better daytime sanctuary and your property gets visited more at night."

I love people who think they know my property better then me!

"Shooting does Strengthens the herd."

Or wipes it out.

That's what's wrong with statewide management.

THERE ARE LESS DEER BY ME!!

Do you have any evidence beyond your own observations?

Have you used game trail camera surveys to determine your population on your property?

Do you only gun hunt? Did you hunt the archery season?

Is your property large enough to hold deer full time (1000+ acres)? If not do any of your neighbors have standing corn or golden rod fields?

It is possible that you have a smaller herd, but that is the opposite of reality in most of the northeastern us.

Edited November 19, 2013 by Meat Manager

[bubba]

yeah come where I am and show me where all the deer are expert.