Deer population up or down in your area?

[gipe]

I hunt in central N Y 7f and 7j.

With the recent kill off the last 2 years as a result of EHD virus I was wondering what hunters think about the deer population where you hunt.

I have  multiple trail cameras and have hunted each week from the start of the season. It appears from my experiences along with others I have talked to that the population is 30-40% below normal.  I am dumb founded why the DEC hands out DMP's like candy on halloween.  Please let me know what your  thoughts are this year.

[blackradio]

Lower than I've seen. On the 60 acres I hunt, we found 6 dead deer in the stream beds. The neighbors who has thousands of acres said he found 60 dead deer.

[Four Seasons]

We have a good population of deer as a whole on both properties in 6G and 8M. But definitely a drop in mature bucks to chase around this year in both areas. 

[luberhill]

I live in 7f

Havent noticed a drop in deer population , I still see my one or two a year

I didn’t know we had a big kill off here ??

[luberhill]

1 hour ago, blackradio said:

Lower than I've seen. On the 60 acres I hunt, we found 6 dead deer in the stream beds. The neighbors who has thousands of acres said he found 60 dead deer.

Where ?

[blackradio]

Upper Dutchess County.

[Kmartinson]

7r Tompkins County seems the same, deer are definitely using the land differently,  but population seems the same.

[First-light]

8S is way up and I'm living in 8P. I have yet to go to the processor but my friend usually keeps check on buck Doe kills. I think we are on par with last few years.  

[DoubleDose]

11 hours ago, gipe said:

I hunt in central N Y 7f and 7j.

With the recent kill off the last 2 years as a result of EHD virus I was wondering what hunters think about the deer population where you hunt.

I have  multiple trail cameras and have hunted each week from the start of the season. It appears from my experiences along with others I have talked to that the population is 30-40% below normal.  I am dumb founded why the DEC hands out DMP's like candy on halloween.  Please let me know what your  thoughts are this year.

Don't be dumbfounded by DEC and deer management.  It is not about buck or herd quality.  It is about license sales $$$$.  Regardless of whether there are deer or not, they know people will buy licenses when they can get tags.  Recall in the recent past when deer take numbers were down, they said it was not about lack of deer but hunters not being successful.  Appreciate this is from an agency that has a history of saying, there are no coyotes in NYS, then the coyotes do not prey on deer, there are no moose in NY, there are no turkey on LI (they stocked them), there are no coyotes on LI, etc etc

Edited December 1, 2022 by DoubleDose

[skully]

down in dutchess lagrange area and way way down in kent ct

[GR HUNTER]

13 hours ago, blackradio said:

Upper Dutchess County.

I hunt upper Dutchess as well. I run about 10 cameras and barely saw a buck most of the summer.  Once the rut started, I started to get a few more bucks on camera but EHD definitely took its toll. I had several dead deer on the property down in the swamp land and heard similar stories from the neighbors. My bow buck was just passing through as I never had a picture of him all year. 

[Gobbler Chaser]

3m-3j definitely up with many nice bucks. Hunting this region in the 1980s 1990syou were lucky to get a four pointer

[land 1]

7m normal maybe up a touch

[gipe]

Thank you for providing  deer population updates for your hunting areas. Glad to hear the population isn't down in all areas.

 

 

[TACC]

First time in over 100 years in our club we have gone the complete regular season without a buck being shot. We are in 3k, and we have harvested 6 does that were mature but thats all.

We still have cameras up and have plenty of activity after dark.

I have counted 5 different 8 pointers that come out between 9pm and 2 am every night.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[Kmartinson]

This year's weather was so bad for daylight movement. I have the same amount of deer and passed on more than a dozen different small bucks, but didn't see mature bucks as frequently as usual, imo.

[blackradio]

8 hours ago, GR HUNTER said:

I hunt upper Dutchess as well. I run about 10 cameras and barely saw a buck most of the summer.  Once the rut started, I started to get a few more bucks on camera but EHD definitely took its toll. I had several dead deer on the property down in the swamp land and heard similar stories from the neighbors. My bow buck was just passing through as I never had a picture of him all year. 

What town do you hunt? I hunt in Millbrook and sometimes Pawling although I haven't hunted Pawling this year yet. 

[blackradio]

12 hours ago, skully said:

down in dutchess lagrange area and way way down in kent ct

I just moved to Cornwall CT. Haven't hunted CT yet, still hunting in my spots in NY but I see decent amount of deer coming up RT 7 every night. Need to do some research to find some spots to hunt in the area. Have you hunted Wyantenock?

[skully]

10 hours ago, blackradio said:

I just moved to Cornwall CT. Haven't hunted CT yet, still hunting in my spots in NY but I see decent amount of deer coming up RT 7 every night. Need to do some research to find some spots to hunt in the area. Have you hunted Wyantenock?

No I am on the border of kent never made it that far east.  I come up route 7 in kent for years and it was all fields and I saw a big decline last summer and thought it was just weird year... only few deer at a time in fields when there were dozens and dozens in yrs past.  Not as much on cameras last year and I got cameras everywhere in kent.  Got several good spots. This year barely anything in fields in the summer and with no acorns barely anything in fields in fall where it should be loaded. I have 1 doe in my best spot where there should be atleast a dozen. A fly fisherman told me he seen several dead deer in housatonic. Something def going on...   That being said cornwall areas and litchfield areas took some real nice bucks l;ast yr.. 

[Northcountryman]

3H - hard to tell , really , but I would say pretty much the same over the past few seasons . 

[airedale]

The population in my area is about the same maybe slightly down, where I actually hunt has been devastated by the Gypsy Moth caterpillars leaving zero mast production. I get a few Deer passing through, but most have moved on to surrounding areas where the food supply did not suffer as bad.

Al

[GR HUNTER]

13 hours ago, blackradio said:

What town do you hunt? I hunt in Millbrook and sometimes Pawling although I haven't hunted Pawling this year yet. 

Mostly Clinton and Stanford. I'd usually hear 10-15 shots opening morning. Heard about 10 all weekend.  

[Doc]

I believe that there are areas where hunters can no longer control deer populations. And if hunting continues to decline, that situation may eventually spread across the state.

[First-light]

1 hour ago, Doc said:

I believe that there are areas where hunters can no longer control deer populations. And if hunting continues to decline, that situation may eventually spread across the state.

I'm seeing that in my leased property 8S. So many Doe around and no body hunting towards late season. 

 

[Fredbear2]

8j Phelps! I think population is down. We need antler restrictions or 1 buck rule  ! Never ever going to have giant bucks ! we all get 2 buck tags. Come on NY.