4 question deer population survey

[ididnotvoteforobama]

1) In the last 10 yrs, in the areas you generally hunt, has the deer population increased or decreased?

   

 

 

2)About how much of an increase or decrease?   (percentage wise)

 

 

 

 

3) In your opinion , what is the single most reason for the change?

 

 

 

 

4)In your opinion , what factors impact the population the most either positively or negatively?     (list according to most impact  to least impact)

[turks]

9T

 

1. DECREASE 

2. ABOUT 20%

3.  Less food, lease property from timber company with staeforest bordering.  Needs to get logged, not a ton of a browse.

4. Food,weather,predators(hunters included) in that order.

[robw]

9S mainly

 

1. Decrease

2. 60%, possibly more.  Went from seeing 5-10 deer every hunt to maybe 1 or 2 every few days

3. the great DEC authorized slaughter of 02-04 (everyone got 2 doe tags, and could get more, every cabin seemed to have 3 or 4 doe hanging...), along with a couple bad winters in a row in early - mid 2000s

4.  Woods is maturing, not as much cover, but the herd is down and not getting a chance to rebound.  Med chance for doe tags, lots of hunting pressure ( not as much as 10 yrs ago, but still lots of PA and OH cars there opening week along with the NYers) and too many doe tags given out

[BowWeldingJohn]

9h

Increase

Probly over 37%

Alot more food, Thanks to the farmers.

I think bad winters impact the herd the most.

[The_Real_TCIII]

9h

Increase

Probly over 37%

Alot more food, Thanks to the farmers.

I think bad winters impact the herd the most.

I think opening weekend of gun weather impacts it quite a bit. I remember 2000 we got six feet of snow opening day no one could hunt and the hunting was noticeably better the next couple seasons. The past few openers have been ideal weather and I see fewer deer the following season. Just my personal observation.

[Fletch]

Increase

10-15%

Less open land to hunt favorable food/ winters easy

Biggest impact is hunting

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[JusTheUsual]

I would just like to ask other's about what I've heard from many different people over the past 2 years.

 

The Amish are shooting a lot of deer or too many some say. That is what I've been hearing from many different people.

[ididnotvoteforobama]

I would just like to ask other's about what I've heard from many different people over the past 2 years.

 

The Amish are shooting a lot of deer or too many some say. That is what I've been hearing from many different people.

 

9K

 I have owned this 175 acres for 15 yrs , I am i the middle of an Amish community. 15 yrs ago,  I would see 70 or so deer during bow season , many 8pt, 10pt, , big deer , so they are feeding good.

I have seen about a 60% decrease in the population, shooting going on all the time , all year long. Opening of bow season , you would think was the opening of gun season. Predation is part of the factor here, always see and hear the coyotes, but I think as equally damaging is the poaching . I have asked many local Amish about it and they all say , yeah it happens all the time , but always , "'NOT ME, I WOULDN'T DO THAT"

Bad winters , too many DMP s, excessive hunting pressure.

I'm committed here , I will move into my custom log home in about 2 yrs, so no way  am I selling .

Many food plots in the future,  so the deer won't have a reason to wander off, I'll even tuck them in at night,  if I need too. Just need to here from others across the state if the population is changing.

[stoneam2006]

I live in 9x and hunt all over ladt 15 years so I'll start with

9x 5 different properties

Increase or same

Very little change

Unavailability of doe permits nut downside is guys shoot very little bucks bc can't shoot does...myself included....plenty of food last few seasons

8n 3 different properties

Increase

Hard to put percent on but I'd say 10/20%

Private land makes it hard for hunters to fill tags altho I've had decent luck on state land also. Easy winters and plenty of food last few seasons

ADKs

?

? Help if I saw anything ever lol

But I will say this season I saw more deer sign than I have ever seen up there so was hopefully but weather killed me this year rained for all 4 days I was there....

State lands in general as I hunt quite a bit of them

Increase

15%

I've seen a lot of deer on state land I have been hunting last few years but haven't been seeing tons of people like I remember years ago. Idk if the sport is dying or guys are leasing or what but I hunted hard last few years opening day and thanksgiving/day after included and saw maybe 10 guys total so shots were few and far between and deer seemed relaxed as could be giving it's gun season....just my observations

[JusTheUsual]

9K

 I have owned this 175 acres for 15 yrs , I am i the middle of an Amish community. 15 yrs ago,  I would see 70 or so deer during bow season , many 8pt, 10pt, , big deer , so they are feeding good.

I have seen about a 60% decrease in the population, shooting going on all the time , all year long. Opening of bow season , you would think was the opening of gun season. Predation is part of the factor here, always see and hear the coyotes, but I think as equally damaging is the poaching . I have asked many local Amish about it and they all say , yeah it happens all the time , but always , "'NOT ME, I WOULDN'T DO THAT"

Bad winters , too many DMP s, excessive hunting pressure.

I'm committed here , I will move into my custom log home in about 2 yrs, so no way  am I selling .

Many food plots in the future,  so the deer won't have a reason to wander off, I'll even tuck them in at night,  if I need too. Just need to here from others across the state if the population is changing.

Yeah just more reaffirming beliefs of what I keep hearing on. Some people who work at license counters in stores talk about or actually blame the Amish for Central NY area and up north some into the Adirondacks (I also know 2 of them people who work at counter dealing with licenses in stores personally). I mean like they get steaming mad blaming the Amish about it. So for the people working the counters handing out hunting licenses, you have to put some trust or belief or credit or whatever in what they say. They have to know something talking to everyone

[The_Real_TCIII]

9K

I have owned this 175 acres for 15 yrs , I am i the middle of an Amish community. 15 yrs ago, I would see 70 or so deer during bow season , many 8pt, 10pt, , big deer , so they are feeding good.

I have seen about a 60% decrease in the population, shooting going on all the time , all year long. Opening of bow season , you would think was the opening of gun season. Predation is part of the factor here, always see and hear the coyotes, but I think as equally damaging is the poaching . I have asked many local Amish about it and they all say , yeah it happens all the time , but always , "'NOT ME, I WOULDN'T DO THAT"

Bad winters , too many DMP s, excessive hunting pressure.

I'm committed here , I will move into my custom log home in about 2 yrs, so no way am I selling .

Many food plots in the future, so the deer won't have a reason to wander off, I'll even tuck them in at night, if I need too. Just need to here from others across the state if the population is changing.

I hunt mayville and cherry creek, I think the population is steady and see quite a few deer during archery. I used to hunt Ellery too. I love Chautauqua county

[malesi1]

Down 20-30%....Nuisance permits, amish, poachers...(wanting cheap protein), DEC permit program...Hunting deer in NY since 1975.

[adkbuck]

Two Areas:

 

Area:  7J Southern Onondaga County, Decrease, Down at Least 50%, Reason: DMP and DMAP, Apple Orchards killing loads of deer (one orchard killed 40 head recently one season).

 

Area: 5H Central ADK.s, Stable or Slight Increase. Seeing deer more regularly while hunting the last few years.  Not sure if its more deer of if the son-of-a-gun wearing my boots is getting quieter.   

[sweet old bill]

4O area

 

down over 35 %

 

had several years of lots of coyote kills to both deer fawn and turkey. Could not even find a rabbit to hunt in the area.

 

this year for the first time I am seeing some young fawns, rabbit and turkey.

 

I still also think to many permits are out there for doe's.  I would have the DEC allow shooting coyote all year long. I would also only allow one buck per year per hunter.

 

[gfdeputy2]

this is a hard one for me to answer as we only spend a week hunting NY & on state land but have been going for 7-8 years

but this is what I noticed over the years

8N

same to slight decrease

same for what we see driving past private lands

only reason I see an issue with is land management on state land over the years has been less & less each year fields not getting mowed, a lot of the fields are now over grown into thickets. Hardwoods are over grown with underbrush. Areas where we used to be able to see hundreds of yards. you are lucky to see 20 yards

As I stated this is hard as we only spend a week in 8N & hunt the same state land each year

[G-Man]

steady in my corner of 9w, we manage our own herd thru the dmps allotted, taking 10 doe a year. (approximatle 450 acres) i dont believe the dec can manage a dmu properly as it is just to big and pockets can have to many or too few depending on local pressure (hunters per acre) so we do the best we can. even had to get dmap permits one year due to lack of doe tags. we are the best managers of our resources as we see what the local population is like. all hunters need to step up and control their local herd, just because you have a doe tag doesnt mean you need to fill it...if your not seeing deer dont shoot. and the opposite is true if your over run with doe with no tags call the dec..they can help. same hold true for the size buck you want..dont shoot a sm one if you want a big one.

[monkeyman2269]

8g slight increase

Was seeing a average of 20 deer the first week now I'm lucky to see a deer every to sits

[dbHunterNY]

4C

 

1) same (up and down within the past 10 years, and going down from here).

2) up and down 25% maybe.  (not sure as it's only based on hunting several hundred acres chopped up but relatively close together).

3) doe population and then maturing of woods.

 

4) doe population was booming then caught up with habitat.  nobody's logged in a while around me.  not much for understory.  also everyone looked down on shooting doe.  more hunters and them shooting young buck population.  so doe haven't had as many babies, not as much food during the winter, and hunters starting to harvest more doe.

 

...more QDM co-ops popping up in 4C within the last handful of years.  in a few years numbers should be good every year and not change so much. 

[ididnotvoteforobama]

I have been around the Amish for 15 yrs and not 1 has said they they report the deer , turkey or anything harvested. Don't know of any Amish with a cell phone or computer ,let alone internet access. Back when you had the mail in part of the license , very few said they ever mailed them in. 

[Two Track]

Check stations are disappearing everywhere.  It was a good place to hang out and see others successes, swap stories, and tips.  Even get an official weight of a field dressed deer at them.  The guy running one of check stations got a kick out the time dad and I went hunting together and I had gotten the bigger of the two bucks we brought in.

 

In Amish communities, you would think they would still provide a check-station since by their religion, no phone or computer usage.  How could they report their harvest otherwise?

 

 

[Two Track]

In the past 5 years (that is all of my NY hunting), looks like less deer in 3P and 3M.  Or at least on state land.

 

We have had a couple bad winters and lots of previously known game trails blocked by trees dropped by hurricanes Irene and Sandy.

 

I am seeing more deer showing up on the edges of town, or in center of town.  Two weeks ago saw nothing moving and little sign, but saw 20 or so deer on private lands that are posted.  Same deal for turkeys.  Saw 4 deer laying down in the sun in someone's back yard too.

 

Wife sees deer and turkey hanging around a pre-school at a synagogue all the time and in cul-de-sac where some of the local anti-hunters live.

 

They may just be hanging out in areas they know are safe from hunting and heading back to the woods and fields at night.

[ididnotvoteforobama]

In Amish communities, you would think they would still provide a check-station since by their religion, no phone or computer usage.  How could they report their harvest otherwise?

 

They don't , that's the problem . DEC keeps giving out huge numbers of permits , thinking they are not getting filled.