way too quiet in the woods........?

[NightHawk]

Same here Mike. My boy took a small doe but that has been it. I hunt private land in brown county that borders yellow wood. Haven't seen a buck all season. The kids seen several but I haven't seen any. The only deer I have seen was a doe with a yearling and I passed on them

[illianabowhntr67]

Not seeing anything on the public ground I'm hunting but seen a few on my buddys land.

[Wary Buck]

I've been of the opinion that our NE G&PC has overestimated the deer population the last several years.  I'm sure part of this is a response to complaints by insurance companies and motorists, and well as farmers who are suddenly receiving decent prices for their corn.  

However, I'm convinced that most of NE's overpopulation is in and around cities where there is no hunting.  The properties I've hunted for 17-18 years have no more deer now than they did 10 years ago...and I really think they have even a few less.  But the refuge areas in eastern NE--near cities, housing developments, lake and cabin areas, city parks, rec. areas where there's no hunting--do have tons of deer that no one can hunt.  But they sure do wreak havoc on the highways at night and sometimes even during the day.

I'm curious as heck to see if the harvest from our just-completed rifle season is anywhere near where they wanted or predicted it would be.  BUT, whenever it doesn't match expectations they always have an excuse:  crops in the field, too warm, too cold, too wet, full moon...you name it.

[Mike Bolin]

I agree with Wary Buck that many times "outside" influences tend to skew the population estimates. I spoke with a freind at church this evening that lives across the state line in IL. He owns 215 acres and between him and his son, they saw 2 does this entire 4 day weekend. Our season is out for the next 5 days and then comes back in with a 16 day muzzleloader season and bow thru the first Sunday in Jan. We'll see what that brings! Mike

[Keefer]

On a good day where I hunt here in Maryland I am lucky to see several deer in a full days hunt but I do see one on most sittings but yesterdays rifle season was something very odd...I saw 62 deer in a morning sitting and afternoon...I'm guessing some were the same groups that banned together and just circled back from farm to farm but by 7:30 to 8:00 a.m. it seemed like everone just packed it up and left...I went back out early afternoon and didn't hear much shooting till last hour...I don't think people put in the time to hunt all day like we did back in the 70's where we packed some lunch and stayed put till dark...Ever since our state went to a two week gun hunt I personally think people just gave up on spending time in the woods...I know some people have to see action each time they go out in order to come back but I don't think that's what hunting is all about...I have a good time just being in the woods...People are in this time schedule and in a hurry and can't sit still long enough to enjoy the other creations that God gave us...Yesterday I took my nephew out with me and he got his first deer and got to see those 60 some deer and I told him that this was a rare thing to see and don't expect this will happen again but he said I had fun just going and Thanked Me and the friend of mine for inviting us...God Bless, Keefers <")))><

[Ryan Rothhaar]

Mike

Same around here (Putnam County / Clay County area).  We had more EHD this summer for sure.  The big outbreak a couple years ago killed around 50% of the deer in my immediate area, still some dying now and then.  I passed on 6 bucks in the early archery (usually 2-3X that number) and doe sightings down substantially as well.  On an up note I killed a dandy 3 1/2 yr old 5X5 with my Black Widow on the 1st Sunday of shotgun season (very quiet opening weekend for gunshots around me as well).  My buck was following a doe when I shot him but his hoof growth shows he survived EHD this past summer (growth rings and lower hoof walls starting to slough off).  The IDNR better stop hammering the heck out of the deer with the "bonus" tags or we will really be hurting in a couple of years after these EHD problems.

Ryan

[bbassi]

Here in my area of NY I've been noticing the same thing over the last few years. there are definitely less deer than there were 10 years ago thanks to the liberal doe permits issued every year. I'm no expert by any means but there are some changes that have occurred that I think may account for what I'm seeing.

First, there simply just aren't as many hunters as there use to be. That doesn't explain the lack of sightings during bow, but it definitely has an impact on sightings during our gun season. it use to be that groups would organize drives all season long and keep deer moving. I just don't see them any more.

Second, land use has changed. More and more of the land around us is being sub divided and developed. around here you need 5 acres to zone for a septic field. That usually leaves 4 acres of undeveloped, yet heavily posted, property for the deer to hunker down on. after the first couple of days the dumb ones are dead and the survivors only move when kicked.

third, the land that is being hunted is tightly controlled by a small number of hunters and managed specifically for hunting. That means they plant food plots to hold the deer and try to hunt "low impact" so as to hold the deer on their property.

Granted, that's just my take on it locally, but I still see the same number of deer hit in the roads as I use to and large herds in cut fields after the season, so the deer are "somewhere", just not where I tend to be.    

[sharps4590]

Welp, here in the northern Ozarks of Missouri it's much the same.  Folks I know who get a deer or two every year haven't seen any this year,  My wife and I included.  There is the usual family of 2-5 does and young of the year around but they're only coming around after sunset.  I know of two semi-decent bucks that were killed within a couple miles of me but that's it.  I understand our rifle season was down 13,000+ statewide.  I haven't heard any numbers for bow season.

Vic

[John Scifres]

I know gun season was slow for lots of people.  I hunt 2 different properties in Parke County and deer sighting were down.  During gun season, the two check stations I visited were down. At the Parke County station I use, they were down about 40% after the first 2 weekends. In Martin County, it was down 50% the first weekend. My buddy who hunts up north reported about the same. I expected a bunch of shooting this weekend in Martin County but just didn't hear it. Saturday was beautiful and no one seemed to be hunting at all.

I really believe a lot of it has to do with fewer hunters being in the woods stirring things up.  After the crappy weather on opening weekend, a lot of folks just didn't hunt this year during gun season.

I also noticed acorns were really down this year in Parke County.  That definitely impacted the deer movement on the 2 properties I hunt.  Down south that didn't seem to be the reason though.  The deer sign was still very prevalent, I just didn't see the deer.  I did see about 10,000 squirrels the past weekend in Martin County.

I'll be very interested to see the kill numbers.

[Flinttim]

Another good indicator of deer population around here is road kills. They are either way down or the paper quit reporting them. I did talk to a farmer today and he mentioned finding several dead deer this Fall from EHD. As dry as it was thet would make some sense.

[Minuteman]

I went out twice and killed three does. Saw 8 in those two trips. I got no problem with the deer numbers here on my place.
 Of course due to some extensive logging on this property before I got it, the whole place is grown up in thick security cover. So that may be why I'm still seeing so many deer.

[ISP 5353]

I was lucky enough to get two so far this year, but I did not see as many as I usually do.  I was hunting Hendricks County.

[Mike Bolin]

Spoke with a neighbor this evening who farms here in northern Vigo Co. and southern Vermillion Co. He said that this year he has had very little crop damage and really hasn't even seen very many deer. I like to take a doe in late archery season, but I am not so sure this year. Of course if I don't see anymore deer late season than I did in the early season, that won't be an issue anyway! Good luck in the late bow season! Hunt hard, hunt safe! Mike

[bentpole]

This season was probably my worst. Past seasons I worked alot of OT.This year work is slow.I spent hours and days  finding and scouting new places. Good sign ,rubs , scrapes everything a bowhunter could ask for. Deerless.The biggest factor is lack of mast crops around.Nothing in the woods for them to eat or hold them in the woods.I didn't get my usual zone permit bow tag because of the high price of gas. I figured if I was going to get skunked why drive over 100 miles round trip and see nothing or have another hunter ruin your setup. Last Saturday morning I was thinking in the stand if I bit the bullet at least I would have been hunting near standing /cut corn.       In Jersey they want you to take unlimited does in some zones that = fewer deer.Bear and yotes aren't helping matters either.