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

[SwampCat]

The consensus helps support a point I wanted to make. Fragmentation is mostly just another word for high hunting pressure.

That is fact. A place next to my land - maybe 120 acres was subdivided in ten to 15 acre lots - at least half of them hunt - with a corn feeder - many of them on my property line. Families - so they have 20 deer tags between each family. They are meat hunters. Some of these folks kill five deer off their 15 acres. We dont kill five deer off our 350 acres. I grow deer for these neighbors to kill.

 

[Angus 1895]

Moving to Idaho in cattle county has ruined my deal.

They ain’t big, they don’t get very old, but they eat sun cured alfalfa all winter long with the mother cows.

They are about half tame.

Not one day a year are they hungry!

The local deer taste better than any other white tail I have had!

I don’t hunt other states much now.

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

I feel like my experience is almost the exact opposite of everyone else but I'm from PA so what would I know? My first deer hunt was in the year 2000 so I've only got 23 seasons under my belt for comparison. Despite the doom and gloom I read about every single day on PA hunting forums, deer hunting gets better every year. The racks on my wall are getting bigger. The pool of mature bucks to pursue is greater. The buck to doe ratio is improving. I'm living in the glory days every time I put on my camo and walk into the woods.

That’s awesome. I’ve read about the old days of PA hunting. Sounded horrible. Like 90% or bucks got shot by 1.5!
With that said, the decline im envisioning will not be an immediate decline. All this cheap tech and loose regs will manifest in a lag. As I said before we could easily look back in a couple years and wonder what the hell happened.

 

[SwampCat]

That’s awesome. I’ve read about the old days of PA hunting. Sounded horrible. Like 90% or bucks got shot by 1.5!
With that said, the decline im envisioning will not be an immediate decline. All this cheap tech and loose regs will manifest in a lag. As I said before we could easily look back in a couple years and wonder what the hell happened.

In my area, and even brown its down LA - more and more people are planting food plots, feeding protein, and passing 3 yr old bucks. Sounds like PA is getting better. Maybe you are just in an area where qdm is not that important

 

[matinc]

Well after missing the michigan season on purpose I get the call today all the nice bucks we put in food plots and tsi have been shot. That's a 3 year set back. Sad. Then you ask your self is it worth the time n expense.

 

[Foggy47]

If I did not enjoy machinery and tractors as much as I do.....and the good feeling of completed building and habitat projects......and learning a bit of agronomy and regenerative ag......taking care of the land......and feeding some critters.....and need some physical exercise as much as I do......and enjoy having my family to hunt with me........and have you guys to kibitz with on the web......and see family and friends have some degree of success from time to time.....and if the property was not such a decent investment.... then.....I believe I could give up on my land and just hunt where the grass is greener.

Yeah....I'm a sucker. Happy Thanksgiving.

 

[TreeDaddy]

If I did not enjoy machinery and tractors as much as I do.....and the good feeling of completed building and habitat projects......and learning a bit of agronomy and regenerative ag......taking care of the land......and feeding some critters.....and need some physical exercise as much as I do......and enjoy having my family to hunt with me........and have you guys to kibitz with on the web......and see family and friends have some degree of success from time to time.....and if the property was not such a decent investment.... then.....I believe I could give up on my land and just hunt where the grass is greener.

Yeah....I'm a sucker. Happy Thanksgiving.

^^^^^^^ summarizes the collective spirit of our fraternity

bill

 

[SwampCat]

To be honest, I wish my food plots would grow themselves. I like looking at them and the wildlife using them much more than planting. I could also get rid of a lot of equipment if I didnt have to plant.

 

[westonwhitetail]

Regulations have the biggest impact. Genetics and nutrition are important building blocks, but if you are over harvesting young deer, then you will not see the benefit of genetics and nutrition.

Back in the late 90's and 2000's, Wisconsin implemented a program called Ear A Buck (EAB). In many units, especially the southern 2/3's of the sate, we had doe populations that were out of balance with herd control goals. The problem was that the deer hunting culture for many hunters had developed into "you can't shoot does because you will destroy the herd" mindset.

The program required that hunters 1st shoot a doe before they would receive a buck tag. In the years it was implemented, Wis led in B&C entries, helped to reduce the doe population, and allowed for a better age structure to develop. It also appeased the car insurance folks as i believe we had some of our best harvest #'s during that time period. It was misapplied in the north as they did not have the same herd populations that the rest of the state had. Rather than the DNR making adjustments to the program, they simply cancelled it all together.

We had some of our best hunting the 2-3 years after the EAB program. More and bigger bucks followed EAB. During this time, we also had a couple years that many farmers did not get the corn off, so that also helped some bucks live longer. Not sure which helped more or a combination

 

[Telemark]

To be honest, I wish my food plots would grow themselves. I like looking at them and the wildlife using them much more than planting. I could also get rid of a lot of equipment if I didnt have to plant.

I thought I was the only one. The amount of time and money I spend on plots and trees is starting to add up. My shithead neighbors make everything extra difficult.

 

[356]

Craig Harper believes the next generation of land managers will use native successional planting to accomplish the mutually beneficial goals of "food plots that grow themselves" (once established) and quality browse. His article in the Fall edition of Quality Whitetails discusses this trend. While he does not believe food plots will not go away, they will be used as staging and hidey-hole plots only.

 

[Angus 1895]

I don’t understand why Round up Ready alfalfa, and milo aren’t used more for food plots?

 

[Westwind]

Two factors here:

 

[Bill]

I got a Monsanto number by just applying years ago. Technically need it for RR beans but no one asks anymore.

 

[Angus 1895]

Two factors here:

View attachment 59895

U don’t know any farmers?

How about milo?

I am not judging but just curious.

 

[Brian662]

I don’t understand why Round up Ready alfalfa, and milo aren’t used more for food plots?

I've always read that alfalfa has to be baled unlike clover. If you mow alfalfa without raking and baling it will eventually kill itself off, is that correct?

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

I've always read that alfalfa has to be baled unlike clover. If you mow alfalfa without raking and baling it will eventually kill itself off, is that correct?

I think if you have a high deer density mowing won’t be an issue.

 

[T-Max]

Around here aphids put a hurting on alfalfa if you don’t spray at least once, sometimes twice a year…


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Angus 1895]

Never been baled in over 3 years. Some is new seeding never been baled.

it was grazed in the spring by cattle. Early fall it brings in a ton of deer. ( September).

This is volunteer alfalfa ( the taller “ wolf plants” )and the seeded part was just “ dry land “ alfalfa from the Co Op bulk bin.

Looks like almost a pure stand. I seeded it in a mix.

 

[Westwind]

U don’t know any farmers?

How about milo?

I am not judging but just curious.

I don’t think it’s hard to get the Monsanto number at all but I think it deters some. And it’s just really expensive seed and likes the soil to be “just right”. I have thought about mixing in a little non-roundup ready forage alfalfa into my mixes just never have.

I have a neighbor that kind of specializes in renting and farming small fields that no one else can get their big equipment into. They still do small square bales and they had a small piece in hay next to me. I asked him why they don’t use roundup ready alfalfa one time and he told me that he felt it was just too expensive.