your advice

[blacktailchaser]

i live in the state of oregon..years ago there once was alot of opportunities for doe hunting..now there is hardly any..the question is how do you get some of this back...it would be great to have some more trad hunts here..but,in the area i live and hunt there seems to be getting a lot more does and no one can hunt them...the fish and game office has said that one buck can breed 20 does BUT i dont really see that happing...any ideas on how to get this going OR at least to get some one to look into it..thanks..john

[Charlie Lamb]

To increase overall deer numbers you must take the pressure off of the does. If the bucks weren't getting the job done you'd see does in the spring without fawns at side.

[Bladepeek]

I'm not familiar with the deer situation in Oregon - drove down the coast and was suitably impressed with the most beautiful land I've ever seen, but never hunted there.

Unless there is a long history of poorly managed deer population, I would support the wildlife biologists if they have any say in the setting of quotas. Michigan, for some time now, has had an overabundance of deer in the southern lower peninsula, while the UP deer herd has been struggling just to survive. The doe harvest has been cut to practically nothing up North after this last exceptionally hard winter and it's still questionable whether the herd will recover without more intervention. There are liberal doe tags available in those areas where the herd is solid, or still overpopulated.

I'd talk to the DNR (or whatever they are called in Oregon) about what can be done to improve habitat and build the herds to a level that will support some doe harvest. These things don't normally run a 1-year cycle.

[Spookinelk]

Mule deer and blacktail populations are down all over the west, the days of wildlife managers being able to responsibly issue doe tags may be behind us. There is a lot of ongoing research relating to these declines but currently no one really knows what is causing them. Could be predation or habitat problems but it really is a mystery why it is happening on such a large scale.

[Charlie Lamb]

Spookinelk... I heartily agree. Here's a curious observation.
Ever notice the quantities and quality of deer on closely managed private properties in the west? The main differences I see are higher quality and quantity of food and tightly controlled harvest numbers.

I'm not saying I've got the answer to this very complex problem just making some personal observations.

[Spookinelk]

Charlie, I thing you are definitely on the right track, the multiple use principles that are used to manage our public lands try to balance grazing, timber production, recreation and wildlife all at once and I think a lot of the time wildlife habitat is the lowest priority on the list because there is less perceived monetary value associated with wildlife than there is for trees, cows or tourists. My personal suspicion is that a lot of habitat has been changed by 100 years of fire suppression leading to more timber and less understory browse for deer. Cougar populations are also at historically high levels so there may be less surplus animals left for us to harvest after the predators meet their needs. This is just speculation but I'd be surprised if these factors weren't playing a role. Looking on the bright side, elk are doing well!

Dewane

[elkken]

Get to know some game biologists in your area, meet them face to face and develop a relationship with them. This will help you develop understandings based more on facts and data than assumptions. States and Universities do lots studies on game that will give you data and facts on what is going on with specific areas and species ... one challenge we face as traditional bowhunters is our low numbers compared to other user groups and unless you get to know Game Council members, Dept of Fish and Game folks and all the people that ultimately make the rules you will never achieve your goals. Some of these people are more approachable than you might think.