Deer Population Observation

[West Branch]

Last month when I was hunting I had was able to make some observations of our local deer numbers. While driving out to park by our shack and then walk to the stand at 4:45 pm I saw 1 doe and 2 fawns run into the woods off the edge of a field. Once I parked and started walking across the field to the stand I saw 1 doe and 1 fawn bedded down in a field and they ran off to the east end of the field. Once in the stand at about 6:00 I had a fawn come out for a couple minutes and then it went back into the woods and then at 7:00 the fawn and a doe came out of the woods.

When I checked the trail camera these pictures were also taken in the same area at the same time, about 400 yards to the SW of where I parked the pickup. 2 does and a fawn were bedded down for 2 hours here and based on where they are at, and the time, they would not have been any of the other ones that I saw.





Here is a summary of what I observed in an area of about 60 acres. Based on where these deer were located and when I observed them I believe they are all different deer:
At 4:45 - 1 doe with 2 fawns
At 4:50 - 1 doe with 1 fawn
At 6:00 and 7:00 - 1 doe with 1 fawn
Trail Camera bedded down from 4:45 to 6:40 - 2 does and 1 fawn

Just thought this was fun observation especially once I checked the trail camera and found the pictures that were taken at the same time. It is also fun to see after last winter and worrying about deer #s. Hopefully they are 10 more deer that will be around next year! I won't be sharing my secrets for making deer beds :p, there were a few velvet bucks that also bedded down in front of this camera multiple times back in July.

 

[West Branch]

Good to hear winter wasn't as cruel to your local herd as it could have been. Do I remember you stating that there was some logging in your area last winter?

No logging within a few miles for a few years. But we have still had quite a bit of logging in the last 10 years within 5 miles or so, which I think helps quite a bit. There are some local bigger outfits and a couple one-man outfits that seem to keep busy. We are close enough to Cloquet and Duluth for loggers to have a place to bring wood. I think that being at the edge of an area that is split up pretty good with ag, forest, and swamps helps us out locally as well. Some areas only 5 miles away with much higher % of woods and no clover and alfalfa fields seem to be hurting for deer #s a lot more.