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Post by DW on Dec 31, 2008 22:17:35 GMT -5
Bow season was pretty good here, saw several small to decent bucks but the doe herd seemed depleted. Some of this was due to heavy hunting on two adjacent farms the last couple years and an outbreak of EHD last year. The rut saw plenty of bucks cruising for does, more than usual no doubt since the doe herd was down.
Gun season was slow with very few deer sighted, maybe a handful for an average. The two farms that have been pounded the last couple years did not get hunted at all to the best of my knowledge, so there were no deer getting pushed onto the farm I hunt. The weather was extremely windy this gun season also keeping deer movement down, seemed like everyday I hunted we were dealing with 25mph winds. Same for ML season.
The big 10pt we were after seems to have returned after the rut but is apparently nocturnal as we found a couple big fresh rubs entering and exiting the corn field the last week but no visual sightings since the rut. Hopefully the coyotes do not get him or the other bucks we passed on, should be some nice bucks to hunt next year, especially since there was no hunting on the adjacent properties. I have high hopes for the best class of bucks we have seen in a few years for the coming year.
How was your season and what is the outlook for the coming year?
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petev
Eight Pointer
Posts: 248
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Post by petev on Dec 31, 2008 23:45:39 GMT -5
The New York State season has produced a deer take almost identical to last year. I saw more deer primarily because thousands of acres of land have been opened now to hunting around the reservoirs here. For the future I am optimistic because of that, and second because some huge poachers were caught two properties away from mine, and third because I am hunting a little differently. I will hunt early bow and late muzzleloader, and just some rifle inbetween. Pete
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Post by youp50 on Jan 1, 2009 4:22:07 GMT -5
In a nutshell, poor. The area I hunt has a burgeoning flock of timber wolves. They are effectively teaching the coyotes there is safety in numbers. This in turn teaches them to be more effective at deer hunting. There were very few fawns with the adult does. I did see two different does with twins, most had none.
Deer were constantly looking back, it dawned on me that they were watching the backtrack for predators.
We have over 100 inches of snow so far this season. That and several warm spells have worked to provide the type of snow pack that can support a predator and not a deer. We have also had many cold nights. Our DNR keeps track of something called a Winter severity Index, it weighs snow depth and temperature to determine the projected rate of winter kill. It does not weigh in large predator population.
I had originally thought that our deer herd would bottom out in three more years. Given this years winter start, I believe it will bottom out in 2 years. The herd will recover, never to its level of the 1980s. It will take many years. I figure two years, not because there will be many deer after this winter, but it will take next winter to kill off many of the deer predators. I would not want to be in the livestock business there.
I am currently investigating nonresident deer hunting opportunities in several states.
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Post by wilmsmeyer on Jan 5, 2009 5:22:46 GMT -5
Bow season was 1 week shorter this year. Buck sightings were plenty but big buck sighting were few.
Gun season was a repeat of bow season and we just waited tio "soak up" some other big bucks from surrounding props. Everyone passed all year on every good buck we saw. Except me. I shot a 110 8 pt on the second Sunday. He exploded in front of me and another driver and cut back. Looked OK and went on auto pilot. In hindsight I would have let him go.
Late ML season for us is a big does shoot. Our doe total was 24-25, almost all with ML's. Wished we could have shot 25 more. They need it around here.
Youp50, that is something...all those wolves. We have a bunch of coyotes but I do not see evidence that they kill a lot of deer here. There are enough road kills and small game to keep them happy. AND, we have some serious winter coyote hunters around here that get 25 guys or so together, 3-4 packs of hounds, and they run them until they cross a hunter or a fresh pack of dogs catch them. Wild stuff.
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Post by tar12 on Jan 5, 2009 8:31:27 GMT -5
Our season was avg.We took 11 if I remember correctly.We would have taken more but there was to much going on with the kids.
Wilms,
If you have not tried yote hunting with hounds, you are missing out on a wild experience! I have some buddies here who hunt with hounds and a kill dog(s).One kill dog(Geronimo)is pure terror to any yote he encounters.He kills yotes like terriers do rats.He is a pibull/plott cross. He is hell on earth for yotes..
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Post by youp50 on Jan 5, 2009 10:51:22 GMT -5
Trouble with some wolf packs is they like to eat hounds. I have been partial to bobcat hunting over coyotes. Now one needs to be aware of the wolf pack location and bobcat location. Michigan DNR will reimburse livestock depredation, hounds are not covered. I have heard that the state of Wisconsin is now reimbursing farmers at 'canner and cutter' prices for wolf kills, with 'dead and downed' prices being discussed.
20 years ago the DNR gave us Fishers. They ate most of the snowshoe hares. Fisher population is now reasonable and the 'rabbits' are beginning to come back. Maybe the coyotes will learn to eat them again.
If I was in the Adirondacks, I would be seriously concerned that I may be in the next place for re-introduction. They won't stay there after the game is gone.
"Never wanted them, never will"
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Post by ozark on Jan 5, 2009 19:47:38 GMT -5
We have had excellent success on our property. Jim (A friend who keeps a cabin on our property and helps with the work) took a nice eleven pointer early with his ML. My daughter got a nice eight pointer (her first) and my son too a fat grown doe to be made into jerky. Our Bow season lasts until the end of February. I may try for one during a warm weather spell using my cross bow. I call it a good season based on the fact that when we went after one we got it. The herd looks healthy and there appears to be plenty of deer available. We have a dozer there now repairing some roads, doing some work on a water pond and making some travel lanes for deer. I think getting ready for hunting is more fun than hunting. My feeder is stocked with chops and corn. Ozark
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Post by Buckrub on Jan 6, 2009 9:38:08 GMT -5
Wow, Ozark, we agree. Getting READY to deer hunt is as much fun as hunting. I love getting ready. It's a blast.
Our season was below average size wise, and numbers wise. But it was above fair. "Fair to Middlin" I guess it would be called. We always get ONE nice big buck and didn't this year, although one guy claims to have missed a big one. I got two basket racked 8 points, one with the ML, two pigs, and a doe. I missed a 6 point in the deep woods with a shot I took too quick, otherwise I was 5 for 5........amazing for me.
Deer size is way down, a biologist is working with us and agrees our body weights are absurdly low. His recommendations can be summed up as "Shoot everything legal that you see, reduce the herd numbers", and to wait on our habitat to come back from all the clearcutting. Hope I live long enough.
Have two months left, weekends only for me......with the crossbow. I am new to it and want to harvest one with it badly........
But it's also crappie time! Decisions, decisions....
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Post by ozark on Jan 6, 2009 13:40:33 GMT -5
This is just my personal opinion based from childhood when hogs ranged free in the woods.
Acorns are quickly devoured by hogs and this probably cuts the deer food in half. I would attempt to eliminate the hogs. It is ok if you like to kill pigs but I think they really hurt the deer herd. I know they claim browse is the primary deer food but here they suffer during years that we don't have acorns. We have an abundance of under growth but it may not be the right type. I have found that they do well on corn, chops and horse feed. I know that costs money but why take it with me and chance it getting burned up. I believe that the authorities requests that hunters shoot hogs on sight and if they don't want the meat to just leave it for the predators and vultures. Ozark.
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