we have had doe quota hunts the past 3 or 4 years for the first time ever. This year it seems everyone I talk to says the same thing, their not seeing near as many does this year...

With the total harvest being down this year across most of the state...

Maybe the REASON you're not seeing does is BECAUSE they've been shot at for past 3 or 4 years for the 1'st time ever. It doesn't take them long to figure it out.

With the total harvest being down this year across most of the state...

EDH Hammered us in Stewart County.

No see um, no shoot um.

Does anybody think the economy was a factor in harvest figures as of now? I know it sure seems harder for me to make as many trips to west Tn than in the past!! What do you guys think?

I think the deer numbers have been down for several yrs. My deer sightings have dropped each year since 06. I wish they would reduce doe harvest opportunities somewhat.

good point

Well, as much as I love seeing and killing deer when I hunt, I wouldn't be dissapointed IF decreased kill numbers translated in to decreased population for Unit L.

At or below carrying capacity is a good thing.

We have a larger percentage of 2-1/2 yr. old bucks than ever before.

That's exactly what we're seeing. Amazingly, over 7 seasons, the percent of the buck population that is 3 1/2 and 4 1/2+ haven't changed a bit. The one big change is the percent of the buck population that is 2 1/2. The percent that are 2 1/2s has been climbing steadily over the 7 year period.

That is a really really good thing for the future of our deer hunting.

That is a really really good thing for the future of our deer hunting.

A big part of that is hunter choice. But I'm also being helped by the growing deer population in East TN. Not anywhere near as many East TN hunters are traveling to my area to hunt anymore. Hunter density is way down in my area. We now hear few gunshots opening weekend of MZ and gun season when it used to sound like a war breaking out.

Exactly.
But not seeing them, and the deer not being there, are two different issues.

Yes it is. It shows more and more yearling bucks are surviving hunting season.

A big part of that is hunter choice. But I'm also being helped by the growing deer population in East TN. Not anywhere near as many East TN hunters are traveling to my area to hunt anymore. Hunter density is way down in my area. We now hear few gunshots opening weekend of MZ and gun season when it used to sound like a war breaking out.

I remember when EVERY room at the Hurricane Mills exit was full

That's exactly what we're seeing. Amazingly, over 7 seasons, the percent of the buck population that is 3 1/2 and 4 1/2+ haven't changed a bit. The one big change is the percent of the buck population that is 2 1/2. The percent that are 2 1/2s has been climbing steadily over the 7 year period.

It used to be if you didnt reserve a room in advance you were out of luck. I remember the parking lots at both the Bucksnort BP and at 'the store' on the Waverly exit being absolutely overrunning with hunters and people in line to check in their deer.

I remember on weekend a group of us brought back 24 deer on Thanksgiving weekend, we had 9 on a hitch hauler and 15 in another truck.

Question: Statewide Kill Down.......

Answer:

Winchester and his group killed 'em all!

It used to be if you didnt reserve a room in advance you were out of luck. I remember the parking lots at both the Bucksnort BP and at 'the store' on the Waverly exit being absolutely overrunning with hunters and people in line to check in their deer.

Every truck had orange in it and you could literally count hundreds of shots on opening weekends of Rifle and MZ.

This has been the strangest and most disppointing year I've had on our TN farm. For the last few years, deer numbers have steadliy increased, and buck to doe ratios were typically around 1:1.5 during the hunting season (summer ratios were 2.5:1!), with a good number of 2.5 and older bucks.

However, this year with nutrition, deer numbers (total), and fawn recruitment being at an all time high, buck numbers have decreased dramatically (through all age classes), and I have not even seen 4 or 5 bucks that were 2.5-4.5 years old last year (they spent the whole summer/fall on my property). I've been running trail cameras since late July, and they are still running today, with no luck. I've only photographed 3 bucks 3.5+ year old (1 4.5 year old) all season, and was fortunate to take one of those bucks 2 weeks ago.

I just don't understand the hugh downward trend in buck numbers this year. There is very little hunting pressure on my farm, and not a great deal of pressure on the adjacent properties, so I know that not all of those bucks from last year were killed. I just don't know what happened. Hopefully things will get back to normal next year.

I do wish we had more doe opportunities in my county. We had one antlerless quota hunt (300) that ran from November 29-Dec. 2, which was Saturday through Tuesday after thanksgiving.

He was still alive after the season and a total homebody, so I was really expecting to catch him as a 5.5 yr old this year, but he never showed.

This definitely seems to be the consensus, we can only hope we arent sorta starting over with most of the older bucks somehow 'gone'??

I picked up mature bucks later in the season, after my baited census was over, but why I couldn't get them on cam during the summer--and neither could many others--is a big question. I suspect it was something environmental that was region-wide.

Maybe due the higher amount of rain fall and subsequent increase in browse kept the overall travel patterns to a minimum?...

Maybe the REASON you're not seeing does is BECAUSE they've been shot at for past 3 or 4 years for the 1'st time ever. It doesn't take them long to figure it out.

I'm not against taking does but if you think you can't shoot out a piece of property think again .I personally know of a bunch of hunters that had a prime piece of property in Linclon Co. ( approx. 2000 acres)that seemed so good that they bought about a 2 acre tract that joined it and put a double wide trailer on it to have a place to stay . Well they were shooting everything that was legal even fawns , stacking their numbers for a few years . Then it happened , very low deer sightings so low that they didn't renew the lease and even had to sell the property they owned at reduced price).

With the closing of the season, I think buck kill numbers were slightly up; doe kills down, resulting in an overall net decrease in total deer.

If you think you cant shoot the deer population out you are wrong. Why did we have to restock the countryside with deer the first time?

I know there were alot more deer killed in Perry County than what the harvest report says.

Perry county uses the most paper tags in our region. I have entered a few hundred but there are several hundred more that will be brought in after the season. It will be the end of the month before all the paper tags are entered.

What are paper tags?? And why so late being entered in the system? neever heard of them

Deer were nearly eradicated by market hunting, where there were no rules what-so-ever. Night hunting, jack-lighting, no seasons, no limits, almost no forest for deer to hide in (nearly the entire Eastern U.S. was deforested near the turn of the 20th Century, when deer were nearly eradicated), venison legal for sale, etc.

Deer weren't nearly eradicated by sport hunters, they were eradicated by market hunters killing and selling deer to the eastern meat markets by the tens of thousands.

Jack-lighting goes back quite a ways, well before what we think of{spotlights}