Deer Harvest Down 35% From Last Year

[blackbeard]

Go to http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=DUvH1DOG7ek%3d&tabid=24154

I guess ODNR got what they wanted after the doe slaughter they allowed the last few years. Total harvest down 35% statewide, wow. 44% in Jackson County.

[whodey1966]

Definitely down in my neck of the woods, the last 3 years I have seen less and less deer.

[radicalxl]

Couldn't agree more. Just in my travels I have noticed that the deer are just not around in the normal places.

[mrbb]

well out of about 25 good archery hunetrs I know in my area, not a one tagged a buck this archery season, granted many passed on smaller bucks, but normally a few tag out
as I am still a firm believer that deer numbers cannot be based on large usints or county wide surveys
as it to me is just simple, where there is GOOD food and cover, there is lots of deer, places with poor food and cover, there are few if any anymore
where I hunt is a prime example
go one mile in any direction of me, and you will be hard pressed to find a deer, yet I have tons, BUT I plant lots of good food
and the rest of the land about me is mature forest with little or no browse, due to deer ate all they could reach, no one is doing any timbering, and as such, there is no real food, and no real reason for a deer to be there
like they build it and they will come, no truer words in whiteltail deer , if you have land to build a food plot on, do that and you will have deer, maybe not huge bucks, but yoyu will have deer yr after yr(as long as you don't go kil,l happy there that is)
in my unit they lowered doe tags by 10,000, thats a huge drop in amount of tags, based on how few sighting there are on public lands, where again, nothing is being done to improve habitat for deer
on private lands and farms, the farmers are in kill mode trying to reduce numbers in same unit, due to severe crop damage
I know a few farmers that refuse to even plant in some places due to so many deer, they cannot make any money planting a crop there!
yet again, they dropped amount of tags in same unit based on surveys of mostly public land hunters?
der numbers are sure donw in places but also super high in others, making me say again, units and county hunting zones need to be smaller in size to get better more accurate data!

[Deerhunter]

At my land I have not taken a deer yet seen very few and only a few small bucks.
I normally take a doe by now and the week I take off in November I get a buck very few seen.

Sad DNR allows poaching now with the new check in..

[rthensley]

Why are the total numbers so much lower than the archery numbers?

Like in Adams County. Archery season antlered kill was down .14% and antlerless down 4.12%. But when you add gun/muzzleloader numbers in, those percentages rise to 30% and 20%.

The numbers used in the calculations are from the first 60 days of the 2012 and 2013 seasons. Were there more "gun days" during the first 60 days last year?

[blackbeard]

Yes, 5 days of gun season were included in the 2012 numbers.

[tpjeep]

I find it strange that now the #'s are about the same as last year, after being down , and first day gun was down, also most people I talked to have seen less deer during all seasons, gun included, ?

[mrbb]

well according to the lastest numbers the difference is now only 5 %, so things settled in I guess??


http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Home/News/NewsReleaseArchives/tabid/19075/EntryId/3349/Ohio-Hunters-Harvest-more-than-75-000-Deer-during-Weeklong-Gun-Season.aspx

[TPBOWHUNTER]

I'm thinkin it's some pencil whippin on deer kill numbers myself.


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[deerguy10]

At my land I have not taken a deer yet seen very few and only a few small bucks.
I normally take a doe by now and the week I take off in November I get a buck very few seen.

Sad DNR allows poaching now with the new check in..

It will be impossible to accurately calculate deer kills with the new phone in system. I am with you Deerhunter! there is no way of knowing how accurate those harvest numbers are now.

[rthensley]

Guys.........a new check in system does NOT create poachers.

If you poached before, you will still poach with the new system. If you didn't poach before, you won't poach now. It really is that simple.



Besides, I'm not sure the new system makes it any easier to poach.

I buy my license and permits online. That means I print them on my computer and can easily make multiple copies of my permits.

Old system:

Kill a deer. Put a game tag on the deer. Fill in my deer permit. I can now transport my deer legally.

New system:

Kill a deer. Put a game tag on the deer. Fill in my deer permit. I can now transport my deer legally.

So far there is NO difference in the old and new system. I have my deer legally tagged, in my vehicle, and I can transport it wherever.

Non-Poachers will now either take the deer to a check station (old system), or take the deer home and call in the kill.

Poachers will take the deer home (BOTH systems) and tear up their game tag and permit. They can easily have other copies of their permits if they bought them online.

Really there is NO difference in the two systems as far as the ability to poach deer. The most danger to the poachers occur from the time the deer is killed, until the deer is taken to the hunter's/poacher's house. There is NO difference (that I can see) between the two systems from the time the deer is killed until it can legally be transported. Once the deer is in a closed garage, it doesn't matter which system is being used.

Now some people might forget to call in their deer with the new system. I understand that. I also understand that a deer killed in one county might be called in as having been killed in another county.

BUT, this new system has not created poachers.

[Deerhunter]

Guys.........a new check in system does NOT create poachers.

If you poached before, you will still poach with the new system. If you didn't poach before, you won't poach now. It really is that simple.



Besides, I'm not sure the new system makes it any easier to poach.

I buy my license and permits online. That means I print them on my computer and can easily make multiple copies of my permits.

Old system:

Kill a deer. Put a game tag on the deer. Fill in my deer permit. I can now transport my deer legally.

New system:

Kill a deer. Put a game tag on the deer. Fill in my deer permit. I can now transport my deer legally.

So far there is NO difference in the old and new system. I have my deer legally tagged, in my vehicle, and I can transport it wherever.

Non-Poachers will now either take the deer to a check station (old system), or take the deer home and call in the kill.

Poachers will take the deer home (BOTH systems) and tear up their game tag and permit. They can easily have other copies of their permits if they bought them online.

Really there is NO difference in the two systems as far as the ability to poach deer. The most danger to the poachers occur from the time the deer is killed, until the deer is taken to the hunter's/poacher's house. There is NO difference (that I can see) between the two systems from the time the deer is killed until it can legally be transported. Once the deer is in a closed garage, it doesn't matter which system is being used.

Now some people might forget to call in their deer with the new system. I understand that. I also understand that a deer killed in one county might be called in as having been killed in another county.

BUT, this new system has not created poachers.

I disagree and see some examples of it now

1. I see deer carcases on the sides of the road with back straps cut out.
2. The hunter only has to get it home cut it up and reuse his tag again so the numbers will be screwed bad now
3. They shoot the deer with guns call it in as a bow kill (who will know?) I heard many single shots during early bow season.
4. Forgetting to call in is BS if your a hunter you always knew you had to tag it in by going to a check in station.
5 kill a buck and call it in as a Doe look for a bigger Buck How will they know unless its a check in station?

I would also bet that the sales of deer tags has gone down since the new system has went in.

Way to many ways to cheat the new system. Game wardens lost a few of there ways of getting people now.

Every one I talk to around here are not seeing deer or very few. the DNR is messed up bad on this

[mrbb]

well I think again, poachers and cheaters will be that, no matter what system, but my bigger concer is the numbers game
as here in PA a state that hasn't had check stations in 50+ yrs
they always just factor in a percentage of??? to off set for the folks that didn;t eport there kills, and that to me, just means there guessing on deer kills, and I have no idea how you can manage numbers when your guessing
it just leaves way too much info in the hands of the public
and sadly, way too many folks these days are busy, forgetful, and or willing to just skip a step being lazy
I personally think all tags should ONLY come from the state, be made so there a one time only use, and then NO good, and all kills should be at a check station, where records are kept and handed in to the state, and from there used to control numbers , based on kills in smaller zones/units
BUt ods are in a world were every job is under staffed, or staffed by folks that don't want to do the extra work, even if it means better data!
it will never happen!
things never seem to get better, just so called easier, for????
phone calls are computer net worked, eliminating a human from having to do work!
lazy, never leads to good things!

[Deerhunter]

I would also say the DNR and Farmers Association really don't care what the real stats say they will make up what they feel sounds good to the public and post that.

I said it years ago in here they are killing Ohio as a top deer hunting state!

[MJH]

I disagree and see some examples of it now

1. I see deer carcases on the sides of the road with back straps cut out.
2. The hunter only has to get it home cut it up and reuse his tag again so the numbers will be screwed bad now
3. They shoot the deer with guns call it in as a bow kill (who will know?) I heard many single shots during early bow season.
4. Forgetting to call in is BS if your a hunter you always knew you had to tag it in by going to a check in station.
5 kill a buck and call it in as a Doe look for a bigger Buck How will they know unless its a check in station?

I would also bet that the sales of deer tags has gone down since the new system has went in.

Way to many ways to cheat the new system. Game wardens lost a few of there ways of getting people now.

Every one I talk to around here are not seeing deer or very few. the DNR is messed up bad on this

Exactly! Their idea of a tag "write on paper or something like and attached it to carcass" So some dipsh!t can write on a piece of cardboard or paper. Attach it to carcass to get the carcass out of the woods because that is what the state says is legal. Take the carcass home pitch homemade tag save purchased deer tag and process deer. That away ODNR way to use our tag money to make Ohio a better hunting state! Then a bunch get caught hunting on the clock!! WTF? OK rant over!
Mike

[00buck]

I agree it should be you have to transported to deer check in station get rid of the online crap and phone crap i liked the fact you could meet other hunters there and now you dont even see them around poachers will be poachers but i have heard more gun shots and have seen less deer this year then any other in the last 19 years

[mrbb]

well being a guy that hunted a lot of out of state hunts, I think its sad some state let you just make up a tag
Most states I hunted, made you buy a lic several months before hunting season, then they would mail me a state lic and state tag, and most states required a check station check in, where they would take tag and issue a new tag at the check station
I think that is the best and most accurate way of doing deer kills, keeps more folks on the up and up IMO!
takes more steps, and more work off the hunter, but come on, its not that big a deal, and after all its a privalige to hunt , or I think it is, a hunter should be willing to make an effort, to make sure we get accurate numbers, so critters can be best managed, or I feel we should want that
as for deer numbers, this was my worse yr ever on seeing deer
BUT at same time, in my area its not because of lack of deer, its because all the deer here are nocturnal, 100%
I personally think this is a change in deer movements in many places, where hunterss feel there are no deer, but yet many live, and move only at night, making it seem like no deer,
deer have adapted better to living near people, and hunters
its the wave of the future in many areas I think, and a hard way to hunt

[00buck]

well being a guy that hunted a lot of out of state hunts, I think its sad some state let you just make up a tag
Most states I hunted, made you buy a lic several months before hunting season, then they would mail me a state lic and state tag, and most states required a check station check in, where they would take tag and issue a new tag at the check station
I think that is the best and most accurate way of doing deer kills, keeps more folks on the up and up IMO!
takes more steps, and more work off the hunter, but come on, its not that big a deal, and after all its a privalige to hunt , or I think it is, a hunter should be willing to make an effort, to make sure we get accurate numbers, so critters can be best managed, or I feel we should want that
as for deer numbers, this was my worse yr ever on seeing deer
BUT at same time, in my area its not because of lack of deer, its because all the deer here are nocturnal, 100%
I personally think this is a change in deer movements in many places, where hunterss feel there are no deer, but yet many live, and move only at night, making it seem like no deer,
deer have adapted better to living near people, and hunters
its the wave of the future in many areas I think, and a hard way to hunt


I agree i think this about nails it on the head hopefully it will go back that way

[mrbb]

I don't think it will very few gane/state depts, will; ever admit they made a mistake and back pedal, they tend to just dig a deeper hole, to distrack from there mistakes with more mistakes, making the first one seem less of big deal LOl

[rthensley]

1. I see deer carcases on the sides of the road with back straps cut out.

I would guess that you also so that before the new system.

2. The hunter only has to get it home cut it up and reuse his tag again so the numbers will be screwed bad now

I agree. But, you could do EXACTLY the same thing under the old system. Once the poacher gets the deer home, there is almost no chance of being caught. There are NO differences between the old and new system as far as what must be done before you get the deer in your vehicle.

3. They shoot the deer with guns call it in as a bow kill (who will know?) I heard many single shots during early bow season.

Now that CAN be done, but you still have to tag the deer to be able to "legally" transport it. Again, there is no difference in the old and new system as far as what has to be done before you transport the deer. If people are doing this now, then they did it before (without calling in the kill). If many people are doing this then I would GUESS that deer kill numbers would increase.

4. Forgetting to call in is BS if your a hunter you always knew you had to tag it in by going to a check in station.

I agree with you here.

I would also say that if you are a hunter, then you have always properly checked in your deer. This new system didn't suddenly create poachers.

5 kill a buck and call it in as a Doe look for a bigger Buck How will they know unless its a check in station?

I agree with you here also.

But that buck you killed should have been tagged before it was transported. Just like the old system.

This could also have been done with the old system (besides the part about calling in the kill). Just use copies of your permit to get the deer out of the woods and to your house.

[rthensley]

Not trying to argue about all of this. I just honestly do not believe the new check in system will make any significant change.

There WILL be a few people who abuse the new system, but a new system will NOT create a bunch of new poachers and skew the kill numbers.

Look at it this way...............how many people on this board have poached a deer because of the new system?

Exactly. I would guess that nobody has. The people on this board are no different than the vast majority of hunters in Ohio. Now I am not talking about poachers. Those people poached during the old system, poach during the new system, and will poach under the next system. But the overwhelming vast majority of hunters will not poach no matter what check in system is used.

We can all make up "what ifs" and try to think of ways the new system can be abused, just like we can about the old system. But just because something can be done, doesn't mean it will be. If you were an honest hunter before the new system, you still are. If you were a poacher before the new system, nothing has changed for you either.

I have read many posts where people are talking about not seeing any deer and blaming that on the new system. But I believe the kill numbers so far are only down about 5% from last year (according to a previous post).