Just wondering what people's thoughts are on indiana deer population? I've hunted here for the past couple of years and have seen plenty of deer to shoot, but i also go pretty deep or off the beaten path. Some that have hunted it for years have said it's going down as a whole. What's your opinion? Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk
It is a can worms type topic in Indiana....and some people and groups cannot get it into their heads it is a localized herd issue, much smaller than even discussing county populations. Few facts as I see them: - EHD hit portions of our state a few years back. I didn't go through this with any of my property's and their specific localized herds but know many a friend that dealt with it. Many of which went to a buck only type of hunting till populations they were hunting rebounded...a few of them justified a doe last year but many were still holding off expecting this year to be the year they'll possible take a slickhead. - A very small percentage of hunters harvest more than 3 deer a year in Indiana. Some folks seem to think there is a multitude of people that go out and harvest 4+ deer a year...the fact is this just doesn't happen. It's an old figure from I think 2012 or so but I'll try to find it. Something like less than 10% of all IN hunters will harvest more than 2 deer....and less than 5% of the total go higher than 3. Yes, some people shoot a ton more....they're idiots unless hunting huge tracts of ground or have multitude of properties stretched across different localized herds. - Hunting now, isn't nearly as easy as it was in the late 90's and even on into the mid to late 2000's but that is a good thing! I can remember how easy even on the worst hunting properties it was to see deer at least back then. Many of the guys screaming bloody murder now about down numbers were harvest a ton of deer because well there was a ton of deer! This is why the state started implementing a increased harvest plan to lower the overall herd numbers. We are right at the tale end of this and like we've seen I fully expect a continued scaling back of bonus quotas and number of counties involved in the late season antlerless season as the DNR uses this as a spigot if you will able to open it or close it as needed. -Harvest numbers though really have remained steady with ups and downs which have been this way since the late 80's if you step back and look at the entire numbers. We typically go a couple years with increased harvest than dip a year or two and so on and so forth. Overall my stance is this; I'll only comment on my specific area and only support groups or people in my state that go about presenting their opinions in a constructive and respectful way....childish approaches no matter how much I agree will get avoided. My localized herds vary and ALL are in the same county. One property has enough does I myself wouldn't do much harvesting 2 or 3...typically though I never plan on more than 2 and most likely will take 1....re-evaluate late season and if neighboring hunters didn't put a dent in them take one late. My other properties seem fairly stable considering the planned decrease over the past few years....and fawn recruitment problems with coyotes seem to be more of an issue than over harvesting. HOWEVER, crazy thing is I know hunters that hunt the same property as in (lose that place in firearm season) and neighboring ones on others that feel the herd is decimated and ridiculously low....who to believe? Hunter ability plays a role, so does amount of time spent in the woods and time of year....neither is lying but who is more accurate? Just a few thoughts streaming forth from my head on the issue.
Ty - I find it interesting that most of what you posted can apply to Rhode Island as well. We have not had the EHD, but much of the rest of your information is similar in my state. Very few folks take more than 2 deer and the few who do have pieces of property that can handle a larger harvest of animals. Less than 1% take more than 3 deer each season. And you folks have properties that are damn near as large as our entire state! Well written posting by the way!
We are in the golden years right now of big bucks in Indiana, and lower populations overall may just be part of the reason... For the record I take 3 - 4 deer every year and have for the past 15 years. With the lean years of EHD or blue tongue and the neighbors constant if it brown its down mentality I still have pretty stable population. Of course I am hunting on large tracts from 250+ acres in 4 different counties. Maybe 3500 acres total all private.
I can only speak for my area. After 2012 I definitely saw a decrease in deer sightings and far fewer pics on my cameras. My cameras are out year-round so I know it's not just a seasonal shift. Additionally I hunt a property that is managed by Purdue University and the forester that implements this program also informed me that deer numbers were down on this property. With all those streams of information I decided to pass on all does for the last two seasons. I have seen a bit of a rebound in doe pics on the cams this year and I may decide to take one if given the opportunity. Much of my decision will be based on my eye witness observations from the stand. I'm not sure for the reasons for the decline and I'm not sure there is just one reason. I never found a dead deer after the EHD outbreak but that doesn't mean there weren't a few. I'm hoping things are returning to normal but we will see. I think this should serve as a wake-up call for those who think it is an inexhaustible resource. To the contrary, I think it shows just how fragile the balance is. Hope you all have a great year! Be safe. Blessings..........Pastorjim
I forgot another key point in some cases: -Habitat maturing or elimination of plays a HUGE factor in deer sightings and land holding potential. I know a few fellas that hunt LARGE tracts of ag ground...with nothing more than a few acre wood pockets around. They never seem to understand why the harvested fields don't hold deer like they do during the summer....well easy: no food present. Likewise, fully mature woods whose canopy has enveloped the entire understory creates a park like setting or desolate understory void of shrubs, saplings and other diverse food brows sources for the deer. These wood lots if they have nut bearing trees or things like persimmon will still get use by deer but no holding potential is there as no food is available outside of dropping and cover is next to non-existent. Elimination of habitat is obvious and definitely can play a role in some areas.
