I'm In 277 (lottery area). Maybe the herd Is down In the SW part of the state but It sure hasn't been down here where I'm hunting. Numbers can really vary allot from one section to the next. People In my section do not shoot doe's all that often so It's a no brainer on why It's so screwed up In my woods/area the last 4 to 5 years. My deer sightings were crazy high last year (anterless sightings). My buck sightings have slowly diminished more and more the last 5 years. The average age on the bucks I'm seeing Is much younger then It use to be. Usually every year I'd see at least one 4.5, a 3.5 here and there and a good number of 2.5's along with all the usual 1.5's. The last 5 to 6 years I've saw way less 2.5's each year then ever before In 23 years of bowhunting. When your 2.5 year old sightings start dropping the older buck sightings are going to eventually catch up and drop as well. I'm pretty sure nothing Is going to change but It's just frustrating as heck. My mature buck hunting Is really getting tough around here and there Isn't a damn thing I can do about It other then just getting better at hunting mature bucks. A guys just gotta go with the hand that's been dealt to him and make the best of It. Maybe all of this will make me a better and a more successful mature buck hunter In the end when/If we ever get our herd back like It use to be here. Ok, I'm done ranting now.:d It Is what It Is.
Landowner tags are a beautiful thing! It's funny how things have changed since I started hunting. I was taught that if you take a doe, you're killing an infinite number of future deer. Which is why it's ok to take a buck. Another buck will take his place and breed the available does. Now fast forward 25 years or so... and the mentality has changed, albeit very slowly... my family has harvested more does than bucks in the past 3 years, and for a few years before that, we were averaging about a 50/50 ratio. My interests in the science end of stuff, as well as studies by Non-DNR sources were great tools in convincing my dad & brother, along with other family members that it was beneficial to remove does. The herd(s) on our propertyand the properties we hunt are thriving better than ever before. Now, we've been taking about 3:1 does to bucks. Things are looking better and better. The best part is, the hunting has been more enjoyable since we took on this mentality. No more "pressure" to shoot a buck. It's become more and more about the overall experience.
