Are the glory days of deer hunting coming to a close?

[FarmerDan]

Farmer. You’re the fact man! I usually post drivel on my experience and you post facts from being a real farmer!

It was entertaining. If there's one thing that's mostly true it's that most people would enjoy shooting a nice buck. Need something more lighthearted after this one! Someone should start a thread showing old classic pics of deer camp, or a pic of the glory days, or your first deer, whatever. I liked that old pic Farmer Dan showed. Anyone have any others?

More recent. Pre-covid. Maybe 2014 or 2015. Opening day of what we call the 'regular' gun season in the Piedmont.

 

[FarmerDan]

To suggest that folks in the upper midwest are distorting the curve because they all register with B&C, and folks in the south are much more humble and don't report them, is ridiculous. Within a 5-7 mile radius of my farm, I know of at least 6-7 legitimate B&C bucks taken every year that you will never see listed in B&C. This year i know of 3 taken within 3 miles of my place.

It was supposed to be funny....of course it's ridiculous. And funny....

 

[cbw]

Some states are getting better in terms of B&C bucks, while others are falling:

Top Trophy Whitetail States for 2023

In 2020, we published Records of North American Whitetail Deer, Sixth Edition. This 700-page whitetail encyclopedia featured 17,000 trophy listings. In addition, we ranked the top 53 states and provinces according to the number of whitetail records listed. Those stats compiled whitetail trophy...

www.boone-crockett.org

View attachment 59610

While this is besides the point that is being made, I don’t trust the B&C numbers (except perhaps for generalalities). I’m from Iowa, and know several people who shoot B&C regularly, but they never register their deer. :-)


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[Buckly]

My first buck. I was country when country wasn’t cool.
View attachment 59615

The hat , Most interesting. LOL.

 

[Foggy47]

The hat , Most interesting. LOL.

LOL. There was a time when those hats were cool. I wore one of those allot. Just not in recent times.

 

[BenAllgood]

While this is besides the point that is being made, I don’t trust the B&C numbers (except perhaps for generalalities). I’m from Iowa, and know several people who shoot B&C regularly, but they never register their deer. :-)


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Most of the B&C caliber bucks I've seen haven't been officially scored either. I imagine most people who have killed a buck that would qualify haven't entered them. I bet it's pretty consistent across all states to follow that trend. So, the ratios are probably the same, just not the actual numbers.

 

[Angus 1895]

Google states a typical whitetail needs to be 170 ….

No mention of 150…..

Am I missing something?

 

[omicron1792]

There is zero question that midwestern deer are bigger bodied and grow larger racks.

I think the row crops y’all have up there help (I think Baker has shown feeding down here helps) but the main thing is genetics. The big bodied deer just don’t thrive or even survive in the heat.

 

[Buckly]

LOL. There was a time when those hats were cool. I wore one of those allot. Just not in recent times.

I know, I know. I had one. Used for archery only and to this day some people still call me Errol.

 

[T-Max]

First buck. Year 2000. Offhand 150 yards with a Model 94 30-30. Never should have taken the shot. What a time to be alive!

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[Natty Bumppo]

LOL. There was a time when those hats were cool. I wore one of those allot. Just not in recent times.

I must not be cool because I still wear my Jones cap. LOL. Not a matter of being cool...or not cool. They're just highly functional. Visor down, or flipped up...ear flaps down or up...snow, wind, rain...very versatile. Not the warmest hat....but when tracking a buck staying warm is rarely a problem.

 

[BenAllgood]

My first. I climbed big nails to sit on some limbs in a beech tree in Mississippi to get this one.

 

[roymunson]

This thread has brought more interaction on the forum than I've seen in a while. I like it.

For those saying the Midwest boys are complaining, come hunt the midwest. Yes there are B&C deer here in Ohio.

I've never got a picture of one on my property. We've managed aggressively at this spot since 2013 and the biggest buck killed was a 148" 10 point. A beautiful 5 year old and one to be proud of. But the thought that theres a booner out there every year to chase is a fallacy. I've never seen a booner on the hoof. Much less shot one. they get killed every year, but not like Lee and Tiffany would make it seem.

 

[Natty Bumppo]

This thread has brought more interaction on the forum than I've seen in a while. I like it.

For those saying the Midwest boys are complaining, come hunt the midwest. Yes there are B&C deer here in Ohio.

I agree. Had the same thought last night. Whenever I read threads like this I am reminded how even though we all share the same passion, the ways that we experience and engage in that passion across this country seems limitless. There are experiences and frustrations many of you share that I am 100% ignorant about. I have no clue what hunting is like in the mid-west. Over crowding and trespassing and bad neighbors are something I have no experience with.

As far as the Glory Days? Hunting northern Maine or VT feels very much like it did 20, 30, 40 years ago. Hunters still much prefer the old black and green woolies, their pump Remington, and iron sights. There's a good chance you will never see another hunter for multiple days while tracking that big buck. And you know at the end of that track....there's a big buck! Not measured in inches, but in pounds. 200+ is considered a trophy regardless of its antlers. When you do bump into other hunters or remote tent sites everybody is friendly and welcoming. There is NOT a lot of competition for space because there is just so much of it. The vastness of the northern Maine woods is staggering. For me, the glory days are NOW! I'm 54 and can still hunt all day and track and climb mountains and drag that old square foot out. Hunting simply has not changed at all in this STYLE of hunting since Larry Benoit had his pic on the cover of Sport Afield in 1970 and I hope to be able to do it this way for another 20 years.

Then on the other hand...back home in Western, MA hunting absolutely sucks. No deer. Way too liberal bag limits. Bait piles everywhere (illegal in Mass.). On the opening day of shotgun there are no trucks parked along the sides of the roads. No shots to be heard. Young kids are not growing up hunting. The Glory days are truly gone.

 

[bwoods11]

While this is besides the point that is being made, I don’t trust the B&C numbers (except perhaps for generalalities). I’m from Iowa, and know several people who shoot B&C regularly, but they never register their deer. :-)


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Chad
I’m from Minnesota and I’ve hunted multiple states. In my opinion Iowa is the best state in the nation for mature bucks. The only state that may be better is Kansas in select areas.

The top counties in Iowa are tough to beat .

Just go to YouTube/Outdoor Channel and you’ll see where the top outdoor personalities are hunting …. Iowa/Kansas .
Winke, Lakosky, Drury, Lindsey, Wensel Brothers. They all choose to live & hunt in Iowa, and even though they used to live in another state.

The December gun season is a huge factor as to why the bucks survive year to year in Iowa and Kansas .

I see more big mature bucks in one week of bow hunting in Iowa … than I see in 5 years in Minnesota.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

Are the glory days of deer hunting coming to a close?​

Not exactly sure when those "Glory Days" happened. Seems other than a year or two.....we have had to work hard to get a decent meat pole in the north woods. We just have always had poor winters, coyotes, wolves, bears, nocturnal issues, and DNR issues since I have hunted anywhere in the north of MN. It's really a poor place to hunt......and my money could be better spent in other locations. Alas.....I'm too old to start over.

My advice is to not buy land in USDA zone 3 or lower.....if your doing so for deer. IMO....instead, get closer to farm country and people.....as that is where the nutrition is.....and the deep snow and predators are not so problematic. My 2 cents.

Since you've seen a thing or 2 i'm interested in your input on this - A graphic posted earlier in this thread showed MN was the #1 state for B&C entries from 1940-1960 and again 1960-1980. Based on the following knowledge and assumptions, it seems like there was some bit of "glory days" in the north before I was born and even a little early in my life.
-St Louis county is #2 all time for entries in the country and how logging/fire likely had more early secession habitat in the north in those days
-I'm assuming the ag country had even less habitat then than now and lower deer pops?
-I recall seeing deer everywhere north of grand rapids in the late 90s and early 2000's. Was always on guard while driving at night due to the frequency of them on the roads.

Where did you hunt in these pre-1980 years?
Were you hunting around your current place in the late 90s and first decade of 2000's when there were tons of tags available? Was hunting quite a bit better then?

I just seems like we're not that far removed from a pretty solid deer population (by today's standards) up in northern MN. That said, I've little hope of a great rebound with our current policies and predator populations.

 

[sandbur]

Since you've seen a thing or 2 i'm interested in your input on this - A graphic posted earlier in this thread showed MN was the #1 state for B&C entries from 1940-1960 and again 1960-1980. Based on the following knowledge and assumptions, it seems like there was some bit of "glory days" in the north before I was born and even a little early in my life.
-St Louis county is #2 all time for entries in the country and how logging/fire likely had more early secession habitat in the north in those days
-I'm assuming the ag country had even less habitat then than now and lower deer pops?
-I recall seeing deer everywhere north of grand rapids in the late 90s and early 2000's. Was always on guard while driving at night due to the frequency of them on the roads.

Where did you hunt in these pre-1980 years?
Were you hunting around your current place in the late 90s and first decade of 2000's when there were tons of tags available? Was hunting quite a bit better then?

I just seems like we're not that far removed from a pretty solid deer population (by today's standards) up in northern MN. That said, I've little hope of a great rebound with our current policies and predator populations.

I shouldn’t answer for foggy, but I grew up about 15 miles north of his hunting property and my Dad and Uncle hunted from the late 20’s until they passed on. Both of them shot their nicest bucks in about 46 or 47 after WW II. I think the war gave the deer a break. I have Dad’s head mount and my uncle’s rack from back then.

I had many enjoyable bow hunts north of Grand Rapids in the 80’s. Now it is hard to see a deer track up there.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

I shouldn’t answer for foggy, but I grew up about 15 miles north of his hunting property and my Dad and Uncle hunted from the late 20’s until they passed on. Both of them shot their nicest bucks in about 46 or 47 after WW II. I think the war gave the deer a break. I have Dad’s head mount and my uncle’s rack from back then.

I had many enjoyable bow hunts north of Grand Rapids in the 80’s. Now it is hard to see a deer track up there.

Curious what you think has changed up north since? Is the Timber landscape that much different? There is tons of acreage of recent logged areas from the last 5 years near my parents land up there so its not like it's all old growth. I imagine the wolves werent so numerous in the 80s and early 90s but there were plenty around in the early 2000s.

I've heard it said that a lot of the historical big white cedar stands have been logged recently that used to be deer yards but have no clue how much validity that has.

 

[sandbur]

Since you've seen a thing or 2 i'm interested in your input on this - A graphic posted earlier in this thread showed MN was the #1 state for B&C entries from 1940-1960 and again 1960-1980. Based on the following knowledge and assumptions, it seems like there was some bit of "glory days" in the north before I was born and even a little early in my life.
-St Louis county is #2 all time for entries in the country and how logging/fire likely had more early secession habitat in the north in those days
-I'm assuming the ag country had even less habitat then than now and lower deer pops?
-I recall seeing deer everywhere north of grand rapids in the late 90s and early 2000's. Was always on guard while driving at night due to the frequency of them on the roads.

Where did you hunt in these pre-1980 years?
Were you hunting around your current place in the late 90s and first decade of 2000's when there were tons of tags available? Was hunting quite a bit better then?

I just seems like we're not that far removed from a pretty solid deer population (by today's standards) up in northern MN. That said, I've little hope of a great rebound with our current policies and predator populations.

Just another story from my Dad. When he was about 13, he and two cousins found a track in the woods and they showed it to the cousin’s dad. The dad figured it was probably a deer track. Dad said all three got their guns and they had the buck by evening. Deer were very rare unless they went further north. Per my Dad’s age, that would have been about 1929. Deer numbers slowly started to increase after that.

There was a period in the 50’s and also the late 60’s with very few deer. I know the 60’s was after deep snow years and suspect that also happened in the 50’s. My Dad and Uncle hunted a bit west of Bemidji for a few years.

 

[sandbur]

Curious what you think has changed up north since? Is the Timber landscape that much different? There is tons of acreage of recent logged areas from the last 5 years near my parents land up there so its not like it's all old growth. I imagine the wolves werent so numerous in the 80s and early 90s but there were plenty around in the early 2000s.

I've heard it said that a lot of the historical big white cedar stands have been logged recently that used to be deer yards but have no clue how much validity that has.

I lived on the edge of the white cedar range and I don’t b know how much has been logged. I do think the woods has matured and management of the Chippewa National Forest has changed and will probably change again since large areas of it are being turned over to the Leech Lake Band. County lands seem to have more timber harvest. I think winter and wolves have kept deer numbers down.