deer reports?

[shaner]

well since iam stuck workin the whole week  someone  fill me in on how everyone is doing this gun season?

[Puck]

 Shanner I bowhunt exclusively for deer (with the exception of a couple of ML seasons) and don't hunt during the regular shotgun season. It's a personal prefrence and nothin' more. That said the ODNR reports the opening day kill was up state wide.

 On a personal note I took my grandson out for the youth season and he killed a nice 11 pointer. The taxidermist estamated he would score between 135 and 145 and I guessed the weight at around 200lbs. That was the first deer I've seen killed with a gun by the way. It was also the only deer, of all I have taken as well as the people in my camp have taken over a span of 30+ years, that had a lot of ticks. There were a couple of dog ticks bloated and still attached the day after it was shot as well as a lot of smaller ticks still crawling around. The guy at the processor said most of the deer that are coming in from the east or down by the river have had ticks like that. The taxidermist said the same thing. They both said it didn't seem to be a problem for the deer from here in the western part of the state.

[shaner]

sounds like he got a  nice one,  ticks or no ticks hahahh yeah heard count was up but my county knox is down ,  interesting though on the ticks , 

[bikerbeans]

Zaleski St. forest opening day, Vinton Co., 7 hunters in my group.  We had three deer hanging and two more down that where claimed by other unethical hunters.  Area we hunt was overrun with folks driving deer and communicating on cell phones and 2-ways.  These nutballs would see someone in a stand then put one of their gunners right in front the guy in the stand.  We vacated after one day rather than get in a range war over deer.  

I have several farms that I can hunt but I have never hunted them during gun season.  That will change tomorrow morning, I am the only one with a signed permission slip so after Monday I am not going to be in the mood for foolish hunters.

BTW, based upon the number of shoots I heard fired on Monday there wasn't much deer activity in my part of the forest, due East of Lake hope about a mile.

BB

[Jal5]

Jefferson Co.
No deer for me yet. I passed on a scrawny 8 pt. during early bow season, a very young deer. This morning was my first day I was able to get out for gun week. Saw a small button buck at 730 am but nothing all day long afterwards. Hunted a place I usually see does this evening, nothing. Then as I pulled out of the property I passed a nice buck and two does crossing the road. When I got home I went outside to get firewood and spooked a deer at the woodpile. Sure hope my season changes soon.

Joe

[stimpylu32]

My little sister got one with her car on the way to work yesterday morning , not much damage to the car or the deer , except maybe for the arrow that was sticking out its right side . 

About the time the OSP showed up , so did the 2 hunters that were coming out of the woods just west of the road about 300 yards , with bows in hand . 


She let them claim their deer from under her car . 

stimpy

[shaner]

hahahah thats a good  one there

[ohiosam]

I didn't see a deer on Monday, rain kept me in on Tuesday then I got a doe on Wednesday and a 9 point on Friday.

[Puck]

Dang Stimpy..... Glad yer sister wasn't hurt! But wouldn't that be just the luck.... I mean you finaly shoot one of those self loaders and some woman  runs over it before it can get to  the truck

[Jal5]

Nice going Ohiosam! Full freezer.

Joe

[shaner]

I didn't see a deer on Monday, rain kept me in on Tuesday then I got a doe on Wednesday and a 9 point on Friday.

that will work

[ohiosam]

Here's photo of the buck.



Here is the report for the week from the ODNR. Total kill is down about 8% from last year.

Hunters still have a weekend of deer-gun hunting, December 18-19
COLUMBUS, OH- Ohio hunters took 104,442 white-tailed deer during the state's popular, week-long deer-gun season, which ran November 29 through December 5, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Division of Wildlife. In 2009, hunters killed a preliminary total of 114,633 deer during the same time period.
 
Counties reporting the highest numbers of deer brought to Ohio check stations last week included Tuscarawas-5,513, Harrison-3,721, Guernsey-3,455, Licking-3,351, Coshocton-3,320, Washington-2,935, Knox-2,843, Holmes-2,800, Muskingum-2,447 and Athens-2,395.

A total of 163,362 deer have been harvested so far this season when combining the adult and youth gun seasons, early muzzleloader season, and the first six weeks of the archery season. That compares to a total of 178,397 killed last year during the same time period. Hunters took a record total of 261,314 deer during all of last year's hunting seasons.
 
The statewide deer population was estimated to be 750,000 in late September, prior to the start of the hunting season. Approximately 420,000 hunters were expected to participate in the statewide deer-gun season.
 
Hunters still have a weekend of deer-gun hunting, December 18-19, and nine weeks of archery hunting in Ohio. Archery season remains open until February 6, 2011. The statewide muzzleloader deer-hunting season will be held January 8 -11, 2011.
 
Saturday, December 4 was designated as Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry Day. Totals for deer donated though the FHFH program will be available next week. Donations of extra deer will be accepted through the entire deer season which ends on February 6, 2011. Hunters who give their deer to a food bank are not required to pay the processing cost as long as the deer are taken to a participating processor and funding for the effort lasts. Counties being served by this program can be found online at www.fhfh.org.
 
Hunters who wish to share their success can submit a photo of themselves and the deer they killed this year to www.wildohio.com.
 
The white-tailed deer is the most popular game animal in Ohio, frequently pursued by generations of hunters. Ohio ranks 8th nationally in annual hunting-related sales and 10th in the number of jobs associated with the hunting-related industry. Each year, hunting has a $859 million economic impact in Ohio through the sale of equipment, fuel, food, lodging and more.
 
Ohio's first modern day deer-gun season opened in 1943 in three counties, when hunters harvested 168 deer. In 1956, deer hunting was allowed in all 88 counties and hunters killed 3,911 deer during that one-week season.
 
A detailed listing of deer-hunting rules is contained in the 2010-2011 Ohio Hunting Regulations, available where licenses are sold. It may also be viewed online at www.wildohio.com.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources ensures a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR web site at www.ohiodnr.com.


[EDITORS NOTE: The following is a list of deer checked and tagged by hunters during the 2010 deer-gun hunting season. The number taken during the 2009 season is marked in ( )-- 2010 (2009)]

 
Adams –1,617(1,790); Allen –314(567); Ashland –2,210(2,239); Ashtabula –2,310(2,084); Athens –2,395(3,049); Auglaize –221(221); Belmont –2,074(3,238); Brown –1,070(1,096); Butler –415(411); Carroll –1,824(1,715); Champaign –440(737); Clark –322(338); Clermont –1,315(1,166); Clinton –627(558); Columbiana –2,393(2,186); Coshocton –3,320(3,680); Crawford –943(1,002); Cuyahoga –128(107); Darke –174(309); Defiance –957(762); Delaware –602(652); Erie –253(332); Fairfield –1,605(1,964); Fayette –83(221); Franklin –247(263); Fulton –450(377); Gallia –1,549(1,766); Geauga –641(509); Greene –274(221); Guernsey –3,455(4,289); Hamilton –355(377); Hancock –375(449); Hardin –586(655); Harrison –3,721(4,310); Henry –401(264); Highland –1,436(1,695); Hocking –1,874(2,594); Holmes –2,800(3,265); Huron –1,151(1,142); Jackson –1,869(2,577); Jefferson –2,113(2,699); Knox –2,843(3,046); Lake –300(282); Lawrence –1,446(1,510); Licking –3,351(3,734); Logan –902(815); Lorain –823(808); Lucas –235(273); Madison –186(193); Mahoning –877(694); Marion –321(308); Medina –685(639);  Meigs –1,932(2,203); Mercer –240(231); Miami –145(126); Monroe –2,040(2,521); Montgomery –228(177); Morgan –1,602(1,887); Morrow –961(957); Muskingum –2,447(2,829); Noble –2,235(2,561); Ottawa –74(65); Paulding –809(472); Perry –1,979 (2,046); Pickaway –504(635); Pike –937(1,254); Portage –718(544); Preble –230(229); Putnam –607(624); Richland –1,297(1,438); Ross –2,129(2,355); Sandusky –145(217); Scioto –1,339(1,420); Seneca –910(1,012); Shelby –488(448); Stark –1,948(1,615); Summit –415(381); Trumbull –1,514(1,474); Tuscarawas –5,513(5,901); Union –519(478); Van Wert –449(245); Vinton –1,412(1,829); Warren –473(462); Washington –2,935(3,589); Wayne –624(618); Williams –730(615); Wood –410(402); Wyandot –626(595); Total –104,442(114,633)

[Puck]

Nice Buck Sam! Congrats!

[buckeye509]

I was in Carroll County on my small parcel of land. I was using my TC Contender w/ Bullberry 12" 44 Magnum and handloads with a Hornady 240 gr XTP. Mid afternoon a young doe sauntered into range. I donated the meat to Hunters Feeding the Hungry. I heard lots of shooting but the doe was the only deer I saw that day. End of story.
PS: That's a nice buck. Congratulations.

[Jal5]

total deer kill for the gun week is down 8%
and the number of hunting licenses sold is down too, I forget by how much.

I wonder if the number of people laid off is affecting our sport?  For a person out of work, putting down that money on licenses and slugs is a lot to think about. What do you think?

Joe

[stimpylu32]

I tend to agree with you Joe , I have a few friends that passed on deer gun season this year just because money was tight , not only is the price of the tag and ammo a factor , but just the gas to go hunting ( $3.00 + Gal. ) around here .

Money that needs to go for heating bills , food , elect , you get the idea ,and thats not even counting CHRISTmas for their kids .

stimpy

[shaner]

i heard the same around here too, lot of fellas  saved the money or didnt take off thru the week of unpaid days off  deers good eatin but aint worth all that price per lbs,

[Puck]

Interesting question Jal5. I was talking to a local leo last week and the conversation went to deer hunting. He mentioned they hadn't had the number of road kill calls this year as in the past. I asked if he thought it was due to less traffic or less deer. He hadn't thought about it and didn't have an opinion but I've noticed a lot less traffic around here.  I've also noticed a lot less road kill both nearby and while traveling and road kill is one of the indicators the ODNR uses to estamate the size of the herd as well as the success rate and number of people hunting. Anyway is the drop in harvest numbers due to A lot of people out of work and the return of Bush era gas prices? The cost of licence and lodging?......Or is there less deer to be hunted and keeping people home? I don't know but in my case I'm not hunting or traveling as much as in the past and the reason is directly related to the costs.... I'm on a fixed income. That said I budgeted for a few hunting trips and it seems so did others. Based on the number of shots that I heard in the youth season there were a lot of people hunting in my area even though the kill was down there. Most of the cabins at Lake Hope were full too.. But the "I gotta  couple of days off and I think I'm goin' huntin' for a couple of days" days are over for me. That is unless I get a call that ends this "I've got every day off" period and adds some play money to the budget.

That said the harvest for the first six weeks of the bow season was down by 8% as well. http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/home_page/NewsReleases/tabid/18276/EntryId/1985/Tuscarawas-County-Archers-Lead-Ohio-in-Number-of-Deer-Killed.aspx
and the youth season was down by about 300 deer from last year http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/home_page/NewsReleases/tabid/18276/EntryId/2006/Ohios-Young-Hunters-Productive-During-Special-Two-Day-Deer-Hunt.aspx.

[Jal5]

I think the previous post covered all the explanations except 1-the impact of the growing coyote population in OH.
all the landowners here report increased number of them so what percentage of fawns do they kill?

[bikerbeans]

I think the Yotes may have a partner in crime when it comes to reducing the deer herd; ODNR.  20 years ago you could only get a tag for one buck and maybe a doe tag if you applied and had your name drawn.  2010, if I totaled this right, a person could legally take up to 18 deer, 17 or 18 does and at most 1 buck.  Every mature doe taken in the fall eliminates her and  up to 3 fawns from next's year herd.  IMO the whitetail population estimates published by ODNR are a fantasy at best and a deception at worst.

BB

[Jal5]

Good point BB, with the liberal seasons now in place we are definitely reducing the herd across the State and the ODNR has some kind of severely inflated number for the herd estimate.

[Puck]

The area I hunted this year was hit with hemorrhagic disease about 10 years ago + or -. The herd in that area was devastated and has never recovered to the levels of before.  The game trails aren’t cut as deep and droppings aren’t as evident combined with not seeing as many deer. That said there aren’t spider webs across the trails anymore and there are tracks, rubs, and scrapes again to tell me the deer are using them again.  My belief is the harvest is down due to the economy keeping hunters at home but I don’t have any evidence to back that up.  I’m sure that disease, predation, poaching, automobiles, doe kill, hunter success, miss-management, etc all affect the size of the herd. That said I’ve seen enough deer, here at home and where I hunt to make me believe the herd is ok and much larger than when I started deer hunting.

Related to this topic and supporting some of the earlier comments I was reading that the deer population in Iowa was down by 10% this year. They credit the reduction directly to high harvest rates. It would be interesting to know if the reason for the relaxed standard allowing the increased harvest is due to pressure from farmers, hunters, insurance companies, or if it is a quality management strategy or just mis-management.

“With the first of Iowa's two shotgun deer seasons open, the state's deer population is down an estimated 10 percent from a year ago and down almost 29 percent from its peak in 2006.”

“The decline, he said, is attributable almost entirely to "dramatically increased harvest pressure'' on does since 2003”

http://www.grandviewoutdoors.com/bowhunting/articlecontent/12/2010/1531/areas-of-iowa-experience-drop-in-deer-population

There was also an article that Vermont’s harvest was down by 23% but no reason was given.

http://www.grandviewoutdoors.com/deer-hunting/articlecontent/12/2010/1535/vermont-deer-harvest-numbers-decline-by-23-percent

It would be interesting to know the percentage the license sales are down here in Ohio. It also would be interesting to know if the drop is mostly resident hunters or non and if was specific to an age group or spread evenly across all.

[Winter Hawk]

I don't know about the rest of the state, but here on the Wayne N.F. last year the mast production was way low, almost non-existant.  If the deer didn't go into the Winter in good shape the mortality rate could be high, and stressed does could have a lower conception rate.  It makes sense to me that the numbers would be lower this year.

I didn't get out yet this year at all, to my boy's chagrine.  I had planned to go out on the weekend, had the new flintlock sighted in and ready, then I came down painfully sick on Saturday.  after a visit to ExpressCare, I spent both Saturday and Sunday in bed, and I don't remember ever spending over 48 hours straight sleeping.  What a bummer.  I had great plans to start at the Chauncey Village Park and loop around the valley, ending up on Utah Ridge to work my way back.  Ah well, we still have one more two-dayer and the late M/L seasons   

-WH-

[DennyRoark]

Out at my little place, I saw very few deer compared to years past.  Roadkills on the main road near my cabin this year were way down.  Only noted 4 as opposed to 15+ in the last few years.  I think that liberal bag limits and last years 2nd worst winter on record have succeeded in reaching the DNR's goals for my 1/4 section at least (east central Wyandot Co.).  Number of shots heard was way down too.  We'll see over the next few gun dates but.....

Did get a button buck and a yote on the Saturday and a friend I work with got a 4 1/2 year old 9 at the cabin on opening day.  We only saw 9 on the opener, as opposed to the usual 30-40. 

[bikerbeans]

Going to try Zaleski ST. Forest again for the 2 day extended season.   Hopefully snow on the ground to make seeing and tracking easier.  Good luck to everyone hunting this weekend.

BB

[wls]

Got a nice 8 pointer on Thursday 12/2 at 8:15am.  Don't know how to post pics.

[Jal5]

I struck out during shotgun season. almost everyone I talk to has seen a lot fewer deer this year compared to recent history. I spent 7 hrs. Sat. and 3 hrs. today in a location that has a lot of sign and that I saw deer almost routinely last year but nothing now. More guys hunted that property this year compared to last year plus I saw a ton of coyote tracks in the snow this year.

I plan to hunt a little during the late bow season and probably won't go back to that place till near the end of January if at all.  I have two other small properties I have been saving for muzzleloader season, maybe that will work out for me.
There is one other spot that has yielded deer in the past but this fall the landowner built a house on part of the property so the deer have been moving at night most of the time.  i may give that a try too.

You can't shoot em watching football on TV,
Joe

[bikerbeans]

2 of us went to Zaleski State Forest for the 2 day extended gun and all I can say is "Yotes, Yotes and more flippin' Yotes!".  Unbelieveable number of coyote tracks in the snow and you could hear the yippin' in the distance.  Late yesterday afternoon my hunting partner shoot a doe, gutted and tagged it and then shot another doe about 20 minutes later.  The second doe fell off about a 30' dropoff and he was going to go around the ravine to get it.  As he got back to his first doe there were coyotes fighting over the gut pile and getting ready to munch his deer.  The yotes backed out of shooting range as it was getting dark but didn't leave the area.  He got out with his first deer and left #2 and the gut pile to the coyotes.  Anybody want to hunt coyotes in Vinton co. send me a PM and i'll get you the hollow names and lat/long if  you want them.


BB

[BIG Dog454]

Son got a doe with a bow early in the year, then he shot another down in wolf creek and I got a 6 pt buck.  Shotgun season my hunting partner got a doe and I had 5 does coming in and they spotted me at about 125 yards, I jerked and missed.  Late M/L will try again, looking to make some sausage and jerky.

[BIG Dog454]

Two good days muzzle loader hunting.  Saturday 3 deer, Sunday 3 more deer;  Six hunters six deer 2 days.  We'll all eat well this winter. 
I'll try to post pics soon as I can find out how.