Deer numbers in your area.........??

[the rifleman]

About 10 years ago back when deer hunting was really good throughout Ohio I told a buddy that it was just a matter of time before the Ohio Division of Wildlife mismanaged it to the point of the rabbits (we have had very few rabbits around my area in central ohio due to farming practices and limited habitat along with a ton of hawks, owls, cats, and coyotes.  Well they have allowed a hunter to take up to 9 deer per  year across the state and continue this this year.  We are a one buck only state so if someone takes 8 does they are eliminating 16-24 deer from next year's woods.  It is also very easy to obtain nuisance permits in our state.  I am not surprised that I have seen 0 deer from my stands in my area---I hunt almost every evening and have not had difficulty being successful in the past.  I have hunted in other areas of the state this year and have seen deer, but not like it was 5 or 10 years ago.  I would guess that farming and insurance company pressure is winning out.  I read in the local paper that the "Division" said that deer numbers were approaching their "target" number---I really have a hard time believing that.  We had a very healthy herd 10 years ago with no problem with there being enough food for them.
Now this year for the first time ever they are allowing the use of rifles ( including 45/70 ).  They must think that since the state is now more populated than 40 years ago we can lift the shotgun only restriction.  There may other areas within the state that still support decent numbers but I am disheartened that the hunting which used to be so good around my area is to the point of actually seeing a deer is a rarity.

[ron w]

55 deer by the stand in a sit.....lol! When I was a kid I remember hunting with my Dad. I sat behind him and counted 44 does walk by all at once. That was many years ago but I also hunted that same area as an adult.......hunted the whole season and never saw a deer. Funny how things change......or maybe not so funny.  

[Tajue17]

Originally posted by warbird:
Deer in zone 8 are on the decline due to the coyote population. You best recover deer the day it is shot. Coyotes in many areas are running in packs.

Worked on the Vineyard last year and they are claiming something like 27 deer per square mile. I believe Nantucket is up there too. Both islands are mostly scrub oak. Asked a bowhunter on the ferry years ago how they hunt deer in the scrub oak. He told me they set up right by runs on stepladders.

yeah you need to shoot every coyote you see every time until we started doing that in our areas we had the same problem now coyotes sightings are very rare because they realized they are a step down on the preditor chain and they can eat themselves for all I care I know I feed them coyote meat every year,,, honestly the ruffed grouse population is gone they must be almost extinct by now because fo the coyotes.

I have alot of spots in Plymouth with heavy scrub oaks,, I like pit blinds or just a pit under a scrub oak just inside the edge,, that scrub oak holds many deer and during the rut you find a section with the wind blowing into the oaks and put scents down just past where your set up and watch for them,,,7 of my bucks came out of the scrub oaks where there was no way to get em,, 4 from trees and 3 from the ground..  with the scrub oaks there usually are scattered medium sized oaks mixed in with them so a low stand is possible but you need to trim some lanes.

[Hoyt]

Originally posted by ron w:
55 deer by the stand in a sit.....lol! When I was a kid I remember hunting with my Dad. I sat behind him and counted 44 does walk by all at once. That was many years ago but I also hunted that same area as an adult.......hunted the whole season and never saw a deer. Funny how things change......or maybe not so funny.      

That was the most by far that I'd ever seen while hunting and actually it was a lot more than 55. I just stopped counting at 11:00am and got down. More came by after I quit.

They were all does, fawns and occasional little 3 or 4 pt that would be with a group...probably early fawn that hadn't got run off yet. All were in groups of 5's to 12 and steady waking in single file.

I couldn't draw on them due to so many and all looking ahead and not feeding, although.. I did manage to miss one of the little bucks.

They were headed into a big corn field to bed. The field got cut a day before I hunted the spot again and I saw nothing.