TOUGH SEASON

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pikepredator2
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2012/11/24 05:50:03 (permalink)

TOUGH SEASON

Only managed a decent sized button in the 3 days of hunting NY.  In 3 days of hunting sun up to dark, saw a grand total of 3 deer.  My excuses: intense logging in the immediate area may have affected their travel patterns, posted 2,000 acres across the road had very few hunters moving deer, no snow, weather too nice, I suck.
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    Big Tuna
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    Re:TOUGH SEASON 2012/11/24 07:54:56 (permalink)
    Although there are still deer to hunt,it's not like the days of old. I hunted N.Y. in the Park for many years and saw the decline from say from 30 plus deer a day to a under 5 or less. It's the same trend everywhere way fewer but bigger bucks. I only hunt Ohio and Pa. now but I hunted Pa.,WV.,NY . and Ohio for many years 78-92 and shot deer in every state every year. The last time I hunted NY. I saw more bears 7 than deer 5 but one was a 5pt the last buck I killed in NY. This year I saw very few deer in Ohio but I did see two very nice bucks and did arrow a big body 8pt that dress out at 160 lbs. Todays deer hunters has make good on your chances( because you just don't get as many).If I where to choose another state WV. would get the nod. I have a couple of buddies that still do well there but they don't see numbers like the past years. Congrats on the B.B. any out of state deer is a good one.Good luck in Pa. we all need that.
    #2
    pikepredator2
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    Re:TOUGH SEASON 2012/11/25 06:31:11 (permalink)
    Averaged 1.5 deer a year (on the occasions out of staters got bonus tags),         outside Panama from 98 to 2008. Then the land I hunted got logged and leased by a national leasing company. That was the end of that.  This land was a combo of state game lands and unposted private land until the owner of the private land decided to log and lease it.  Now hunting my buddies outside Findley Lake and his place is surrounded on all sides by posted land.  Not seeing anywhere near the deer I saw in Panama.  Not seeing any hunters walking thru either.  Thems the breaks.  At least I still have a place to hunt up there.
    post edited by pikepredator2 - 2012/11/25 06:33:27
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    retired guy
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    Re:TOUGH SEASON 2012/11/29 14:49:13 (permalink)
          Live in Ct and have hunted a couple of New England states a year as well as commonly going to NY or Pa. most of my life ( now 65) and have observed a general decline in Deer numbers in most places. I dont even buy a tag at my house and land  in NY anymore.
      The only exception being here in Ct where they were rare when I was a kid and now are found in decent numbers throughout the State-One can get many tags a year here now.  Too many IMHO.
          In the 'days of old' Doe hunting was VERY limited- generally not even close to what it is today and is IMHO the cause. This combined with a distinct diminished acreage of farmlands and maturing of forest in so many parts of the Northeast is NOT good for Deer populations..
     In those days most places were 'one and done' not the several permits and tags we now see. Ya just cant be taking several Doe a year in areas of less and less 'edge' being commonplace and expect the numbers to maintain or increase-.
      HEY- I'm in Ct and for the second year in a row my spots have little to NO mast crop- how is elsewhere ?? THAT will have serious impact.
    post edited by retired guy - 2012/12/01 10:31:12
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    r3g3
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    Re:TOUGH SEASON 2016/03/19 16:11:54 (permalink)
    Have  been reading annual Deer harvest reports from here and there and see that-for the most part-things seem generally down.
    Usually when I chime in to this discussion and report on my State of Ct - on whats usually a PA posting- I get little or no response- that's OK I get it- so am putting this in another place   lol.
     Folks are generally correct on down numbers IMHO- here too by double digits from last season.
    There was , however, a huge mast crop this year and things are usually down in big nutty years as the Deer don't have to move about so much to feed.
    Often- as posted elsewhere by someone in PA- much depends on where you get to hunt. My last few seasons were restricted to a pvt area with few deer even in good seasons .
    This year I was fortunate to get a spot with many deer- even in a heavy mast season-. This didn't change my perspective- only to notice WHERE you go means a lot.
    Still sticking to my original thoughts that reduced farming-maturing forests- increased varmint numbers and too many doe permits have major impact overall.
    Also the fact that in many places- like CT- far too many well deer populated tracts of land are off limits and others get far too much pressure.
    Like many here I put in my time and have been at it for a very long time now. Can generally get a nice buck each year but -to me- seeing Deer is a huge part of the joy  of being out there- numbers do count imho.
    Not just for my viewing pleasures but for the Herd itself.
     
    post edited by r3g3 - 2016/03/19 16:17:18
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    BeenThereDoneThat.
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    Re:TOUGH SEASON 2016/03/20 10:43:45 (permalink)
    Trev while you may not have received many responses to your comments, I'd be willing to bet your post are read by many.  
     
    White-tailed deer know no boundaries but, your deer and my deer all have the same instincts.  White-Tail Doe do no not live in large herds (exceptions will occur) but rather, in family like groups ruled by a matriarch while buck live in bachelor groups.
     
    Situations such as a heavy winter, or onslaught of a predator, can make the families band together in areas out of their normal territory until, such time as the threat has passed.
     
    If one were to observe the habits of a heard of White-Tailed Deer  feeding in a field, it is not difficult to pick out individual families and/or the family matriarchs.  Keeping in mind that two doe bumping heads most likely are not leaders vying for dominance but rather, a matriarch scolding a family member.  Of course, given the right time of year, the two that appear to be fighting could be (antlerless) buck practicing and honing their skills. 
     
     At any given time, the families will begin to leave the field, each returning to their respective core area.  Unless of course, some threat, causes the animals to remain in the larger group where there is safety in numbers.
     
    Given the (approx.) number of deer living in a square mile is 30, not uncommon for 5 groups or families to be found.  These families can be seen occupying their respective core area until such time the deer are forced to move and band together.  Hunters or other predators reduce the size of one group, those deer remaining join a second group, and this scenario continues until the families are reduced from 5 down to 1 or 2, now living somewhere within that square mile in a safer environment. 
     
    Most likely, any remaining family members in my little piece of Penn's Woods, have joined surviving members of other groups and they certainly have found core areas, other then my back yard.
     
     
    These deer will continue to reproduce, enlarging the heard, eventually reforming families that will break off and move to other parts of the area, provided, there is no longer the threat to their survival.  Therefore, I begin seeing one deer, then two, etc., and as long as the predator is controlled the deer numbers will increase, producing more deer families that will eventually spread to other areas.
     
    Unfortunately my little piece of Penn's Woods has had and will be subject to a influx of predators I attribute to 2 reasons 1, large families moving into the area and 2, the crossbow.    
     
    Eventually, my sq. mi. area will be void of the White-Tail  and when that happens, the predators will travel to new areas seeking the ever elusive PA. White-Tailed Deer.
     
    Keeping in mind, many of the predators are between  9 and 16 years of age hunting both archery and gun, legally shooting any deer, including young buck that will never see the age of one year let alone 2 1/2.   Add to that, all the other hunters legally shooting antlerless deer including young buck having no horns. 
     
    I'm thinking the odds are in favor of seeing fewer and fewer buck in the woods and without the male, we all know the species cannot survive outside of safe havens, where the deer will be found in numbers.
     
    Won't be the first time there was a need to restock Odocoileus virginianus!
     
     
     
     
     
    post edited by BeenThereDoneThat. - 2016/03/20 10:52:33

    Give a man a fish and you will feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you will feed him for a life time. ~Anne Isabella Thackeray Ritchie (1837–1919)~
     
     
     
      Old fisherman never die; we just smell that way. 
     
    #6
    Walleye jigs
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    Re:TOUGH SEASON 2016/03/20 11:52:24 (permalink)
    BTDT, all I can say WOW!!! I dont think I ever agreed with someone more!
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    r3g3
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    Re:TOUGH SEASON 2016/09/11 13:48:28 (permalink)
    ,
    post edited by r3g3 - 2023/09/12 12:35:43
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