Deer take numbers shows the Decline.

[landtracdeerhunter]

9 hours ago, Steve D said:

For what is worth...Tells me they really don't have a clue. Just making a "educated" guess and I use that term loosely.

Commissioner Seggos said. "Even though it is too early to say if this reflects an increase in hunter compliance with mandatory reporting rules, an increase in harvest, or both, it is clear that our efforts to foster harvest reporting through our Take It · Tag It · Report It campaign are working. I applaud all hunters for complying with our harvest reporting requirements, which provide invaluable data for DEC's conservation staff to improve wildlife management in the state."

 

So the DEC. is " just blowing smoke."      I call it,  " Job Security."

[NonTypical]

Hunters Report More Deer in 2017 than 2016

Deer and Bear Hunting Opportunities Continue with Late Bow and Muzzleloader Seasons

New York State hunters have been more successful in 2017 than last year through the first several weeks of big game seasons, Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos announced today.

Early reports from New York hunters through Dec. 3, show that hunters reported taking approximately 18 percent more deer in the Northern Zone and 14 percent more deer in the Southern Zone compared to the same period in 2016.

"While numbers and reports are still being calculated, early indications show the deer harvest in New York is up and hunters are having greater success than last year," Commissioner Seggos said. "Even though it is too early to say if this reflects an increase in hunter compliance with mandatory reporting rules, an increase in harvest, or both, it is clear that our efforts to foster harvest reporting through our Take It · Tag It · Report It campaign are working. I applaud all hunters for complying with our harvest reporting requirements, which provide invaluable data for DEC's conservation staff to improve wildlife management in the state."

A final tally of the seasons' deer and bear harvests will be compiled and released early in 2018.

Through the third weekend of the Southern Zone regular big game season, hunters reported 69,550 deer in 2017, compared to 61,184 through the same period in 2016. Similarly for the Northern Zone, hunters have reported11,349 deer in 2017, compared to 9,417 deer in 2016.

[G-Man]

7 hours ago, Rob... said:

Is there a breakdown of harvested deer by WMU? No sarcasm or ill will meant, honest question. Would be interesting to see the harvest numbers from ( as an example ) 4J, 3A/N, 7F/M, 9H/M/T in the SZ, compared to say, 6J/F and 5H/F up North.

I know this would be impossible to calculate, but I would love to know the ratio of harvested deer on public land VS private land. 

There is a breakdown town by town. That to me is where I know numbers are wrong.. my "camp" takes 5% of total town take? I know they guys at camp report their deer but I find it strange that an 7x11mile town my little 250+ acres yields 5%   ..

[Robhuntandfish]

would be interesting to see the number of hours in field also.  If the deer take is down was it because of less deer, less hunters or just less hours in the field.  The hunting demographic is def aged older these days and am betting number of hours in the field has decreased even if license sales havent.  Sure is an inexact science.  But I am betting my area of 7F and 7J still have  25,000 -30,000 permits to give out and leftovers later. And a high number for 6S as well.  

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Personally I think the does numbers going down reflects hunters holding off initially to get a crack at a "big" buck. When you give the does a couple days during firearm season to wise up, they can be a much harder animal to get a crack at during legal shooting hours on huntable land

[WNYBuckHunter]

18 minutes ago, Culvercreek hunt club said:

Personally I think the does numbers going down reflects hunters holding off initially to get a crack at a "big" buck. When you give the does a couple days during firearm season to wise up, they can be a much harder animal to get a crack at during legal shooting hours on huntable land

I would tend to agree. In my area 8n/8h, deer numbers are pretty high. With the deer being out feeding and very visible at this time, you can drive around just about any time of the day and find herds of 20+ around just about every corner.

[chas0218]

I'll say this. In 8W where I live and hunt most the season I can count the number of deer on my property on 1 hand granted I only have 40 acres but I haven't seen the numbers that DEC thinks there is out there. Even if you drive the local roads and glass fields at dusk there isn't much in a sq. mile. The neighbors all say the same thing. The only time you get a DMP is landowner. I wish for 1 year they wouldn't give out any DMP's for the area and let the population get a nice little boost. The amount of Coyotes in the area is absurd and need to be thinned.

[Dinsdale]

1 hour ago, G-Man said:

There is a breakdown town by town. That to me is where I know numbers are wrong.. my "camp" takes 5% of total town take? I know they guys at camp report their deer but I find it strange that an 7x11mile town my little 250+ acres yields 5%   ..

250 acres on 49,000+ac is .5 % (1/2%)

 

[moog5050]

1 hour ago, G-Man said:

There is a breakdown town by town. That to me is where I know numbers are wrong.. my "camp" takes 5% of total town take? I know they guys at camp report their deer but I find it strange that an 7x11mile town my little 250+ acres yields 5%   ..

But its the right "little" 250 acres!

[G-Man]

2 hours ago, moog5050 said:

But its the right "little" 250 acres!

Here is the real problem with Dec numbers and how they collect them... they go to butchershops and compare tags there with tags reported this gives them the estimated report rate. In my town I would say with fair certainty over 75% of deer taken do not go to butcher shop . And im sure many are not reported though they are tagged.  My next door neighbor takes 5 a year and does them.all himself and I know doesn't report them since we went to computer and phone report vs the drop.and mail card. He has no computer and has a phone but pays per call he tried it once and after the 3rd hangup stopped doing to. All together. I see his point has in his late 80s now and it's a hassle. I'm sure there are many more similar stories .

[G-Man]

2 hours ago, Dinsdale said:

250 acres on 49,000+ac is .5 % (1/2%)

 

Exactly!!  No way I should be 5% and some years we take 10% !!  It's crazy.. I wish we had game department and mandatory check stations!! 

[dbHunterNY]

10 hours ago, Culvercreek hunt club said:

Personally I think the does numbers going down reflects hunters holding off initially to get a crack at a "big" buck. When you give the does a couple days during firearm season to wise up, they can be a much harder animal to get a crack at during legal shooting hours on huntable land

on our co-op and neighbors some have been backing off on doe harvest. they're noticeably observing less than they're used to which is the intent. it really sways the numbers as two co-ops in this WMU one year made up 25% of the antlerless take. we make up about 20% of the WMU with only two co-ops.

we don't get the amount of tags you do out that way, which makes sense, but we still have more than enough if you really wanted to fill them.  i mean we're seen as heartless savages by some now but if we really wanted to lay waste to the doe herd DEC has given us the means to with their tag structure of just over the counter tags.  DEC doesn't realize how much the harvest is based on hunters holding off for whatever reasons. they just see it as oh we over did it, versus hey there's more nice bucks running around then normal this year, so i'll wait.  they should definitely go to an over the counter every doe tag is a lottery for a specific area deal.  also quit the antlerless tag on a button buck nonsense.  people wouldn't be so worried then. if they had a lottery doe tag they'd fill it and DEC would have a better idea of what the doe numbers actually are.  need to fill one before you go back to get another but they're available to the right people then.

[dbHunterNY]

7 hours ago, G-Man said:

Exactly!!  No way I should be 5% and some years we take 10% !!  It's crazy.. I wish we had game department and mandatory check stations!! 

it's ridiculous i know of public state land in other states that have self check stations. also out this way we have co-ops with unmanned check stations. literally people are volunteering to fill out a form with just about any information DEC could use on it.  i know our reporting rate isn't 100% but it's well above a super majority. smaller co-ops that are easier to keep an eye on are 100% checked in.

[BizCT]

Did you notice that the decline is almost entirely anterless deer?

Yup. It’s because does are boring. I only get all those doe tags in hopes of piebald or something freaky.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[wolc123]

I have always struggled around home, killing does compared to bucks.  Several local farmers hit the antlerless deer pretty hard on their nuisance permits, prior to October 1.  That always pushes the buck to doe ration about even, and makes the surviving does tougher to kill during hunting season.   Because opportunities are so low, I can not recall ever passing a shot, that I was 90 % or more certain I could make, on a doe at home.    

[phade]

I saw fewer does this year than any other season I have hunted NY. We hunt some pretty dense WMUs, too. It wasn't just noticeable, it was felt in the form of unfilled tags, and that doesn't happen very often.

[Robhuntandfish]

so hard to forecast- i saw the most deer this year than any other year and had does everywhere all the time.  Our lease the prior year we hardly could see a doe and had a lot of young bucks, this past season saw more does in 7F and 6S and 7J than ever.  

[fasteddie]

I wasn't seeing many deer during Bow Season but I was getting night time pictures on the trail cams . When I hunted a Mendon / Victor property , I saw does at a distance and had 4 opportunities to shoot some 4 point bucks but passed them up . Never took a shot during bow season .

It seemed slow during gun season . I took  head on shot at what I thought was a doe . It was about 140 yards and just walked off . I thought I had missed and waited a few minutes before getting down . It had gone into the thick stuff and I found blood and started tracking .

My oldest son was sitting in a double stand on the West side of the woods . Right after I went into the thick stuff , I called him and he said 4 deer had hauled butt out of there and ran through the East side of the woods and met up with another 5 deer in the back of the woods .

The deer are out there . The have evolved into smarter animals . They know enough to hide during the day . I remember when I 1st started bow hunting and the deer never looked up .  They sure do now . There are plenty of deer out there . They have just gotten smarter !

[Steve D]

11 minutes ago, fasteddie said:

There are plenty of deer out there . They have just gotten smarter !

I would second that observation and add....more nocturnal

[WNYBuckHunter]

It was a pretty normal season for me, sightings were great during bow, slowed down a bit during the day once gun season started, so I started still hunting and we did drives. Saw and kicked plenty of deer up hunting that way. Activity picked right back up for muzzleloader season. My freezer ended up plenty full, as usual. Reports from others in my area were pretty normal as well.