Author Topic: The deer are missing... (Read 2660 times)

Land_Owner · « **on:** July 18, 2011, 09:45:55 AM »

…at my place in Mims, FL along with the hogs, the coons, the turkeys, the bob cats, and upper end predators. We didn’t see a Tom in Fall turkey season (March) and only two hens. We have not seen a hog in almost 18 months. There have been no deer or deer track at all across my land for almost 4 months. The Trail Cameras take pictures of squirrels and waving limbs and uncut vines but no large game or predators.

Is there something in the woods that would make all of the predators turn tail and leave the neighborhood? I had 300#’s of good corn in the feeder that spread on the ground over 6-weeks. All of it went bad on the ground. Nothing touched it. I stopped feeding.

I had peas growing in all of my fields and roads with nothing passing through or touching it. Ordinarily, the deer would eat the peas to the dirt line. I have walked the perimeter of my place a half dozen times and found zero tracks in or out. Not even armadillo! I am perplexed.

Today I get a notice from QDMA about spotting the signs of hemorrhagic disease. Maybe that would account for the deer and the Trappers taking 540 hogs out of the 4,000 acres behind me over 15 months (but that ended over a year ago). I thought for sure the hogs would wander back in from the flood plain, but it has been dry, real dry. Only now are we getting some restoring rains.

Maybe the game and predators are still out there (they have to be - they sure are not in my living room), just not in the “uplands” where I am situated although it seem unlikely. I used to have does and fawns, yearlings, and their older brothers and sisters about every evening per the Trail Cameras. Now nothing…

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #1 on:** July 18, 2011, 09:56:33 AM »

Here in Va. the deer will stay in the woods most of the time if food holds out. They do this in late june to aug most years but we see one on cool nights eating the garden from time to time. We also hear shots at night from time to time . I'm sure if you see deer on your place you learn them or their groups and know when they are missing. When we hear the shots often we miss deer comming around . Like us could you have a poacher visiting at night or other time. If the poacher is around to much the critters might not come in the area .

BUGEYE · « **Reply #2 on:** July 18, 2011, 01:56:22 PM »

off topic, L_O , I used to have a place at Mims where we came about once a month for years.
when my wife retires we may move down there. loved to catch shrimp off the pier at Titusville.

GeneRector · « **Reply #3 on:** July 18, 2011, 03:41:31 PM »

Howdy! Land owner: Do you have a water source on your land? Hogs need water every day and I suspect deer need water at least once a day. Here in Texas, it is so hot and dry with only small rain showers occasionally. Maybe the animals had to find a new water source. Just a guess. Always, Gene

Land_Owner · « **Reply #4 on:** July 18, 2011, 04:10:10 PM »

Probably not a bad call Gene. My 0.25 acre pond is shallow and dries when the weather is dry...like now. The St. Johns River is about a 2.5 miles to the west. Salt Creek and Salt Lake are about 2 miles east. Several swampy ditches run north to south about 0.25 miles to the west. It is real wet in there most of the time. Ellis Lake is 0.50 miles south and Buck Lake is 0.5 miles NW. There is good water all around me an d easily within walking distance for deer.

GeneRector · « **Reply #5 on:** July 18, 2011, 05:53:59 PM »

Howdy! Land_Owner: Just a thought, but are there predators on your land? Bear and maybe mountain lion might come through and some of the animals may be avoiding the area because of that. You would think that once deer satisfied their thirst that they would be searching food sources soon afterward. Keep us posted. Always, Gene

45-70.gov · « **Reply #6 on:** July 18, 2011, 06:47:36 PM »

i told you once i set foot there all the deer would leave
you chose not to beleive me......

maybe with this drought might be a good time to deepen that pond
my ponds are down about 4 feet
one almost gone the other is only 10 feet deep now

i guess you would see tracks if was a bear panther or poacher

that leaves water or disease......or just coensidence

jhm · « **Reply #7 on:** July 19, 2011, 03:57:51 AM »

Like some of the others have said the ( habitat ) has changed and the animals have moved out of the area, something or someone has caused your area not to be safe or supplying enough feed/water for them, all the feed wont keep them in the area if no water and cover, we try not to bother them too much this time of yr. except when cutting the hay and removing it but they dont seem to mind the tractors, the deer we do see the most are usually around the ponds and water sorces, this time of yr. there is alot of brouse that is the deers favorite foods so they will be feeding on it, we even fertilize around the vines in the woods edges, HTH Jim

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #8 on:** July 19, 2011, 04:14:03 AM »

It may be a good thing to not see so many bucks as they often travel during the rut and young bucks are pushed out of the areas they come from.

briarpatch · « **Reply #9 on:** July 19, 2011, 08:20:34 PM »

Bugeye you would not know the pier now. Its all concrete with a resturant on it. And the old toll bridge that was beside it, is now a huge new bridge that rises way off the water.
landowner I have not heard anyone from mims talk about no game. Maybe with hunting season out they are not looking. sounds strange no matter how you look.

BUGEYE · « **Reply #10 on:** July 20, 2011, 03:09:42 AM »

Quote from: briarpatch on July 19, 2011, 08:20:34 PM

Bugeye you would not know the pier now. Its all concrete with a resturant on it. And the old toll bridge that was beside it, is now a huge new bridge that rises way off the water.
landowner I have not heard anyone from mims talk about no game. Maybe with hunting season out they are not looking. sounds strange no matter how you look.

dang, I loved to dip shrimp off the old wood pier. got 4gal one night.
when we adopted our daughter in 1990, I had to sell my place to pay the fees and expenses.
but I'd still like to move down there.

Land_Owner · « **Reply #11 on:** July 20, 2011, 07:44:15 AM »

A QDMA'er to the west of me says he has seen this before and the animals have always come back. Leave them alone. They will come home. Wagging their tails behind them. It's in the Book!

Others suggested recent fire might be a real draw for them right now - eating the new growth. And there was a recent fire in Scottsmore and the southern end of Volusia County to the north of me. After all, what is a 20-mile walk for a cervid?

Also, the trappers may have used some dogs to run the hogs on the 4,000-acres right next to me. That would keep the deer out for a while...but for 4 MONTHS?

Maybe a "walk-about" on the State Land is in order. Go "walk-about" (compass in hand) and see for myself if there is water there, poachers, bear, or WTH and report back.

AtlLaw · « **Reply #12 on:** July 20, 2011, 08:22:42 AM »

Quote from: Land_Owner on July 20, 2011, 07:44:15 AM

... They will come home.

They being the deer... or the sheep? $:-\$

Quote

Wagging their tails behind them.

Did we think they'd wag their tails in front of them!?

<can you imagine how many people here are wondering what the heck we are talking about!?

>

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #13 on:** July 20, 2011, 08:25:48 AM »

compass good and map also wouldn't want human to go missing ..............

Land_Owner · « **Reply #14 on:** July 21, 2011, 04:31:08 AM »

Quote from: SHOOTALL on July 20, 2011, 08:25:48 AM

compass good and map also wouldn't want human to go missing ..............

I have been on "walk about" over there quite a few times. 'Bout the only way I think would get lost in there now is if I were to spy a Wood Nymph and follow her to some hither or yon place of my undoing...but I do appreciate the concern. And, I have seen bare footprints, a woman's bare footprints in the earth on my place before; footprints that were not placed there by any woman that I know...but an old man can dream.

AtlLaw, Got to leave them guessing... ;-)

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #15 on:** July 21, 2011, 05:54:36 AM »

Maybe the critters went north with the snow birds for the summer

hillbill · « **Reply #16 on:** July 23, 2011, 05:35:58 PM »

hope yur critters come back! dont know if i cud live all winter with no deer steak, deer stew, deer burger and deer jerky!

yellowtail3 · « **Reply #17 on:** October 26, 2011, 08:29:28 AM »

I'm on public land - productive public land - and am seeing very few deer. Tracks, yes... some scrapes... but they're not moving in daylight. HUGE acorn crop on the ground... more than I've ever seen. I'm guessing they don't have to move much to fill up, and are staying out of sight until rut.

geezerbiker · « **Reply #18 on:** October 30, 2011, 09:13:40 AM »

The deer in Oregon seem to be missing too. I've seen a few in town but none out in the usual places one would expect to find them. I'm not even finding tracks or droppings.

I've heard some guys saying the illegal immigrants are poaching and seriously cutting into the deer population. I wouldn't be surprised if this were true...

Anyway there seems to be more deer in the city than ever before. Last year a buddy of mine was in the Portland VA hospital and I almost hit a deer in the parking lot on the way out from visiting him. This was only about 1/2 mile from down town Portland.

Tony

AtlLaw · « **Reply #19 on:** October 31, 2011, 05:28:41 AM »

Now this is getting strange! We (myself and the 2 guys I hunt with) have seen very few deer on our cameras this year. Actually, only 3 different bucks and 2 of them are dead already. $:-\$ No does at all!

My camera at my main stand went all last week with only a picture of a 'coon, a flock of turkeys and a dog on it. I don't understand it.

Land_Owner · « **Reply #20 on:** October 31, 2011, 08:35:25 AM »

I have just returned from South Carolina and 8 days hunting. I took two bucks and saw a total of 16 deer (7 the first day; 5 the fifth; and one-sies and two-sies). Most of the deer were too far away to shoot or were headed to distant lands without so much as a "By Your Leave, Sir".

A neighboring hunt club with significantly greater land holdings than the 324-acre tract I was on alone, e-mailed my host they had taken 30 deer; 28 of which were bucks. Only two does. They practice QDM, have boo-coo doe tags to use, had three "either sex" days (no tag necessary), and are seeing no does.

I sat for DAYS and DAYS without seeing a single creature; then an occasional squirrel, a bird or two, and the ever-present turning from Summer to Fall in the leaves and trees. It was beautiful in a weird deer-void kind of way. I am used to seeing 40 to 50 deer in 10-days and shooting 5 to 8 of those.

Questions to my Florida friends confirm the deer are not moving here either. Hope Springs Eternal as the Modern Gun Season in FL is about to start this weekend. As a Meat Hunter, I have a short-fall to make up, provided the FL deer participate. We're getting a LOT of rain again today and cumulatively it is tending to push the animals to higher ground, which is potentially real good for me.

yellowtail3 · « **Reply #21 on:** November 03, 2011, 03:24:36 PM »

Something is amiss. I've got contract work lined up through Feb, but had only a couple thing first two weeks of Oct... and I've hunted AT LOT since then. I've shot exactly... one doe. The deer aren't moving. I'm seeing some tracks, but not much and no much sign... hardly any scat in the usual places. Lately I've found a few scrapes, but am not seeing much.

Just came back from 2 very full days hunting Halifax county, both club land and prime gamelands. I SAW NOTHING while in the stand. Jumped one spike buck while scouting. Club has some very very good hunters... 3K acres leased... the kill book is pretty bare. Something is definitely wrong, in my view. Did far, FAR better last hear. This is central/eastern NC. Rut should be starting... it can only get better, can't get no worse.

geezerbiker · « **Reply #22 on:** November 05, 2011, 09:02:46 PM »

I saw something encouraging the other day although deer season has come and gone here. I pulled into what turned out to be a privet road with several small ranchetts a ways off the main road. When I turned the truck around to get out of there, I saw black tail deer all over the place. Of course all these places were posted "no hunting" and "no trespassing." It seems these (censored word) black tail deer are way smarter than I thought they were...

Well, elk season starts up in a couple weeks maybe I'll have better luck then...

Tony

Land_Owner · « **Reply #23 on:** November 07, 2011, 07:44:51 AM »

Two of us spent the entire weekend on stand at my place this weekend; 6:00 AM until 7:00 PM with an hour off for lunch. The rains had devastated the fields but iron and clay peas remain in all fields. Usually the deer eat those to the dirt as soon as they get to 4-inches in height.

That is 48 Man-Hours or 4 Man DAYS spent on stand this weekend. Dave saw the rear end of one deer, could not tell if it was buck or doe, certainly could not ascertain if it had over 5-inches of antler above the hair line, and had no shot. That is one deer in 48 man-hours, which piggy backs on the 8-days (96 man-hours) I spent on stand in SC seeing very few deer. We did not hear anyone shooting on the 10's of thousands of WMA lands adjacent to mine either!!

The local Processor's numbers are down. The Taxidermist has 15 heads in the freezer when he "normally" has 45-50 by now.

Something is amiss throughout the South and Southeast and I don't think it is a down-turn in the number of hunters trying either.

AtlLaw · « **Reply #24 on:** November 07, 2011, 07:52:52 AM »

Quote from: Land_Owner on November 07, 2011, 07:44:51 AM

Something is amiss throughout the South and Southeast

Amen! Another deerless weekend for me. None on our cameras either.

too phister · « **Reply #25 on:** November 07, 2011, 08:16:59 AM »

Deer have been getting harder to find here too. Montana. Most local folks around here are blaming the wolves. Theve been hitting the elk pretty hard too.

45-70.gov · « **Reply #26 on:** November 07, 2011, 10:55:36 AM »

could be bobcats or coyotes taking fawns???

hillbill · « **Reply #27 on:** November 07, 2011, 11:58:04 AM »

hope you get it figured out! here is sw MO where im at ive seen more deer this fall already than i have in years.maybe yours migrated up here?

Land_Owner · « **Reply #28 on:** November 07, 2011, 11:49:27 PM »

I just received what might be a clue in regard to my area's "missing" deer. A co-worker's husband/hunting friend relayed that hunters are killing a lot of deer in the N. Brevard and S. Volusia County's Miami Corporation tract (55,000 acres of timberland) that was on fire at Thanksgiving last year, which area is to the north of me by 2 to 5 miles. Certainly not far for a deer to walk.

So new forest growth has them congregated in places not convenient to my property. Mother Nature is fickle at times. Certainly not ALL of the deer got that Memo...but one would think so by the lack of deer activity in my emerging green fields.

hillbill · « **Reply #29 on:** November 08, 2011, 12:21:24 PM »

burns are known for attracting deer but jeez! if you have available forage i cant see the deer moving away that far.if yu think thats the case tho maybe yu need to do a burn also?