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

[Turkish]

Another thing I absolutely hate about the thought of earn a buck - and I will use my land as an example. We didnt kill a doe for eight years. We still only kill one or at most two a year. This year, so far, there have been nine people who hunt my land at least a day or two. That would mean if we each wanted a chance of killing a buck, we would have each had to kill a doe. Nine does. We have not killed nine deer combined in the last ten years. Five miles away on a 5000 acre lease, they were rounding members up to go during the Christmas hunt - they were trying to kill over 100 does. We are both in the same deer zone. The same regulations do not often work just a few miles apart. If we killed nine does on my place every year, we would t have a doe left in five years.

The whole point of EAB is to ensure doe harvest keeps up with buck harvest or outpaces it. It sounds like you and the biologists or commissioners that implemented the policy in your region have a fundamentally different understanding of the state of your herd. The program has merit in the correct locales.

 

[SwampCat]

The whole point of EAB is to ensure doe harvest keeps up with buck harvest or outpaces it. It sounds like you and the biologists or commissioners that implemented the policy in your region have a fundamentally different understanding of the state of your herd. The program has merit in the correct locales.

I understand 100%. But all properties are not created equal. One of my best friends hunts a 1200 acre property that has not had a doe killed off it in 30 years. Could it withstand an EAB Program - no doubt. Maybe even kill ten does before one buck. My property had six does on it a dozen years ago and we are only two miles apart. My point is - at least in all the areas I have hunted in AR - deer densities vary wildly from one property to the next - sometimes adjacent properties. Our deer zones may cover several counties. No way would a regulation like EAB work the same on every property across several counties - or even side by side. I have several 10/20 acre neighbors that take four or five deer a year. The husband, wife, and two kids hunt that 10 acres. No way they “need” to take four does, and their neighbor, also. Personally, I think EAB programs should be reserved for DMAP programs, where they can be applied based upon individual property requirements.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

The whole point of EAB is to ensure doe harvest keeps up with buck harvest or outpaces it. It sounds like you and the biologists or commissioners that implemented the policy in your region have a fundamentally different understanding of the state of your herd. The program has merit in the correct locales.

There's a lot of information on this forum that discussed the lack of trust in population estimates for many states, but specifically Minnesota. I completely agree that some areas could a higher doe harvest, but many areas have too few deer. Some of the deer regulations were created without any firm population estimates and caused significant decreases in deer populations.

I think that the good hunting many of us experience would evaporate if we harvested does at the high levels requested by some state agencies.

 

[Hoytvectrix]

There's a lot of information on this forum that discussed the lack of trust in population estimates for many states, but specifically Minnesota. I completely agree that some areas could a higher doe harvest, but many areas have too few deer. Some of the deer regulations were created without any firm population estimates and caused significant decreases in deer populations.

I think that the good hunting many of us experience would evaporate if we harvested does at the high levels requested by some state agencies.

Do the state agencies know that people don't harvest at those level? Maybe that is factored into their goals?

 

[sandbur]

Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder........

You get a few years into this, you want more deer. A few more than than better deer. A few years after that, you see time going by and just want to enjoy the outdoors like you did when you started.

I get something easy to obtain in the freezer early........ Takes the stress of getting the one you want vs getting one in the freezer out of your system.

Im kind of in double creek's mindset. I make the harvest itself a challenge. I brag how close I shoot them. Often go in the woods with traditional iron sighted flintlocks. Have no problems with 100 or 125 yard shots when the wind and animal is calm though. So, not soo limited.

Alot of issues is camera technology and the internet. It is very discouraging for a lot of hobbies, not just hunting....... Only cool hotrod is a twin turbo LS, rust free, frame off restoration...... Cant catch a good fish unless you got a triple 350 horse offshore boat.

Happy just hunting with my old marlin lever gun and no cameras up. Enjoy my humble little mustang. Have a great time on the inlets with my old penn reels, or in the lake with my 6hp Evinrude and basic fish finder........

Grass is always greener somewhere...........

I fear that technology is replacing a lot of the old scouting skills such as tracks, shift in feeding areas with seasons, plain old hunting savvy.

I am happy to continue without cameras.

If it is legal, do what you like, I guess.

 

[SwampCat]

Do the state agencies know that people don't harvest at those level? Maybe that is factored into their goals?

Surely they are aware - and possibly they want more bucks harvested than does due to cwd

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

Do the state agencies know that people don't harvest at those level? Maybe that is factored into

Are you saying the harvest is higher or lower than what is registered?

I don’t recall them referencing anything like that. I recall them increasing higher harvest recommendations despite lower annual harvest numbers and chalking lower harvest up to wind, standing corn and low hunter effort. Never to a reduced deer herd.

 

[Kooch]

I fear that technology is replacing a lot of the old scouting skills such as tracks, shift in feeding areas with seasons, plain old hunting savvy.

I am happy to continue without cameras.

If it is legal, do what you like, I guess.

I’m running cellular cameras and think it’s fun. But just sitting in a blind on high ground late summer through fall taught me a lot more than my cameras did this year.

I spent a lot of time in a folding chair with a pair of binoculars this year. Living where I hunt and being retired makes a difference too.


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[Hoytvectrix]

Are you saying the harvest is higher or lower than what is registered?

I don’t recall them referencing anything like that. I recall them increasing higher harvest recommendations despite lower annual harvest numbers and chalking lower harvest up to wind, standing corn and low hunter effort. Never to a reduced deer herd.

I'm saying that maybe the state agencies know that people are not likely to harvest enough does regardless of what they set the targets to and maybe they account for it?

 

[SwampCat]

Isnt MO a one buck firearm state. If that is the case, I am surprised they dont harvest more than enough does. I wish our doe harvest would drop

 

[Bill]

Isnt MO a one buck firearm state. If that is the case, I am surprised they dont harvest more than enough does. I wish our doe harvest would drop

MO is a 2 buck state. Unless you’re in a CWD zone. Then it’s either 12 bucks or 7 bucks depending on the zone. They say any Deer for CWD. But we get what that means.

Sad really, I used to think MO had a chance at being as good as IA.

 

[sandbur]

I’m running cellular cameras and think it’s fun. But just sitting in a blind on high ground late summer through fall taught me a lot more than my cameras did this year.

I spent a lot of time in a folding chair with a pair of binoculars this year. Living where I hunt and being retired makes a difference too.


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Living where we hunt and being retired gives us more time to evaluate things.

I can understand how the cell cams help those who are still working or who don’t live on their hunting property.

Muzzleloader season here has been dang cold, but I can hunt from 3-5 PM and be back in a warm house in 5-20 minutes from anywhere on the property.

 

[356]

Another thing I absolutely hate about the thought of earn a buck - and I will use my land as an example. We didnt kill a doe for eight years. We still only kill one or at most two a year. This year, so far, there have been nine people who hunt my land at least a day or two. That would mean if we each wanted a chance of killing a buck, we would have each had to kill a doe. Nine does. We have not killed nine does combined in the last ten years. Five miles away on a 5000 acre lease, they were rounding members up to go during the Christmas hunt - they were trying to kill over 100 does. We are both in the same deer zone. The same regulations do not often work just a few miles apart. If we killed nine does on my place every year, we would t have a doe left in five yea

Isnt MO a one buck firearm state. If that is the case, I am surprised they dont harvest more than enough does. I wish our doe harvest would drop

We are a one buck firearm (and one buck archery) state. However, only 40% of those going afield harvest a single deer (all seasons/all methods), which is down from 42% five years ago, despite all of the "technology" that is available to aid hunters. Another way of putting this is 60% of hunters do not harvest a deer. Hunter numbers are stable, success rates are slightly down.

Maybe the fact that does are smaller targets is the reason fewer are harvested :-)

 

[SwampCat]

We are a one buck firearm (and one buck archery) state. However, only 40% of those going afield harvest a single deer (all seasons/all methods), which is down from 42% five years ago, despite all of the "technology" that is available to aid hunters. Another way of putting this is 60% of hunters do not harvest a deer. Hunter numbers are stable, success rates are slightly down.

Maybe the fact that does are smaller targets is the reason fewer are harvested :-)

In AR, we dont normally kill as many does as we do bucks, either. It is odd to me now, compared to the way I used to hunt. 40 years ago, when our state had no apr and all we had was spikes, forkhorns, and does - a lot of folks shot what was legal. We had short doe seasons then. I live in a rural area - and had a lot of city folks coming to the country to hunt. Lots of deer camps then. All the rural folks and most of the city folks wanted some deer meat to eat. Camps would split the meat at the end of the hunt. Does were a well utilized harvest. During this time I went ten years straight, killing my two bucks a year and not killing anything bigger than a four point.

That has all changed. We have big bucks - at least for here. We dont have hardly any camps anymore. Deer season is long. A lot of us see more deer in a day than we saw in a season. We used to have to go off to camp. Now we hunt in our back yards. Even a lot of the urban guys have urban bow hunts in their own town.

Three of my group that hunts are city dwellers, from two different families. One couple wants one deer, all burger, per year. The other guy gives me all that he shoots. We have 8 weeks gun season. Very few people camp. No need to. Go a few weekends so you dont miss the daughters volleyball games or the sons football games. Quick weekend hunt, hunting buck only - dont really need or want the meat so aint killing a doe.

If I was king at g&f - I would lower buck harvest down to doe harvest

 

[Mtyhunter]

you have your finger on the pulse of the midwest for sure, sounded like you were describing my exact hunting history here in Oklahoma

 

[bigboreblr]

The glory days of hunting the 2025 season are over....... Going to be 5 degrees Friday morning. Last weekend of rifle here in NY, then 10 days of muzzleloading. New flintlovck is still cutting patches on the rifling, but can still make a good 70 yard shots with it.

Family is lazy..... Building that blind myself this winter. Got wood for a pop up blind platform cut up. Going in at camp in the spring.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

you have your finger on the pulse of the midwest for sure, sounded like you were describing my exact hunting history here in Oklahoma

Mine too in Pa. Many guys don't even go to camps like they used to, or they go for a day or 2, then close camp for another year. Our camp still has guys in it all season long, thankfully. My early years were herds of does, with the occasional spike or forky at the back of the pack. First day, Dad and I would see groups of 12 to 30 does move past in a cluster, and if we were lucky - that spike or forky. An 8 pt. with a 10" spread was a big deal. Seeing 40 to 50 deer back then on the first 2 days of rifle season was normal.

Fewer deer numbers today, but I like the hunting better. Better chance for a bigger buck than the "old days".

 

[T-Max]

I just passed the outfitter from next door. Looks like another 130” 3 year old is headed somewhere back East as usual. His five day hunt means the fella only had until tomorrow to get it done. Might have been a nice deer someday…


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[Hoytvectrix]

Are there any states that adjust licenses and tags based on where the non-resident is coming from? Something like immigration quotas for visas, where people coming for more populated states have less of a chance at a draw?

That might be a way of incentivising states to work on themselves first.