What is "Seeing a lot of deer?"

[BSK]

Rageman's thread about having quality or quantity of deer got me to wondering, what is "a lot of deer" and what is "seeing a lot of deer?" Having a higher deer density doesn't always lead to seeing a lot of deer. Much can be dependent on visibility on a given property. But how often do you need to see deer while hunting to be happy with your hunting experience?

 

[backyardtndeer]

Have had as many as 17 in one of our little plots at one time, that is a lot for our small, less than 60 acre, farm. If I am seeing decent bucks, I am good. I don't need to see a big number of deer on a regular basis, but with that being said, the more does we have on our property, the more bucks we seem to also see.

I can see one right deer and it make my season.

 

[woodyard]

Back in the 70s and 80s it was pretty common to see 10-15 on a sit on our farm. If I rode the three wheeler from one side of the 188 acre farm to the other side not uncommon to count,30-40 in the fields. If we didn't see several per trip, wondered what was going on. l

Now I think I am happy if I see at least one or two per sit on my farm or maybe seeing a deer three out of five trips. Smaller farm and a few miles from where I hunted in the old days. I get a kick out of watching the other critters now more than I did when I was young.

 

[Carlos]

I can't explain exactly how many tick toters I'd prefer to see in a given time, but I am familiar with what's NOT enough.

I was on a quota hunt this season, and hunted for 3 days, 2 of them being all day, the first one was half a day. I didn't see the first deer, walking in, driving, or awhile on stand. That's had to have been the most uneventful 3 day hunt in all my years, 0% sightings.

 

[Volbuck777]

I don't see near as many as most you guys here on the east side. My county is always one of the worst in the state so if I see deer at all I feel like it's been successful. But 5 or more would be a wonderful day. My best day in the last 10 years was this year and I seen 18.

 

[BSK]

We track how often hunters hunt as well as how much time hunters spend on stand and deer seen to calculate both the percent of hunts (a "hunt" being any time a hunter climbs into a stand) with deer/buck sightings, but also the average amount of time a hunter has to hunt to see a deer/buck (deer/buck sighting rate). I suspect what we see on our hunting property is pretty far below what most hunters would find acceptable, even though our deer density is not that low. We simply have very low-visibility habitat, which means most deer sightings are very close-range. Even in a moderate density herd, if deer have to be "bow-range" close to see them, you don't see them very often!

Over the last 20 years, hunter sighting stats:

Hunts with a deer sighting: 44%
Hunts with an antlered buck sighting (any age): 23%
Average treestand time between deer sightings: 2.6 hours
Average time between antlered buck sighting (any age): 9.2 hours
Average time between 2 1/2 year-old or older buck sighting: 23.8 hours
Average time between 3 1/2 year-old or older buck sighting: 83.3 hours

How many hunters would be happy with these sighting rates?

 

[Carlos]

I would be satisfied with those odds.

 

[Lincoln Co Archer]

Personally I can go a sit or two in a row without seeing a deer. Many more than that and I start to lose confidence and concentration. My definition of seeing "a lot of deer" on a single hunt is 8-10 individual deer.

 

[Kirk]

The most I ever saw in one group was at Fall Creek Falls on the golf course the day before the draw hunt. Must have been 75 or more. (So I get as close to Golf Course as legally possible the next day and only saw 2. )

Locally, a lot of deer to me is 10-12 in a setting. Those days are getting fewer and fewer.

 

[Lincoln Co Archer]

BSK, that data is fascinating! I wish I had put in the effort over the years to be able to calculate those stats.

 

[BSK]

Personally I can go a sit or two in a row without seeing a deer. Many more than that and I start to lose confidence and concentration. My definition of seeing "a lot of deer" on a single hunt is 8-10 individual deer.

In the 35 years we've owned and hunted our property, I think a hunter has seen 8-10 deer in a single hunt maybe twice. We NEVER see that kind of deer activity.

Which is why I have to laugh when other hunters talk about how "good" hunters with their own land have it. I bet 90% of hunters would not find hunting my place enjoyable.

 

[DoubleRidge]

We track how often hunters hunt as well as how much time hunters spend on stand and deer seen to calculate both the percent of hunts (a "hunt" being any time a hunter climbs into a stand) with deer/buck sightings, but also the average amount of time a hunter has to hunt to see a deer/buck (deer/buck sighting rate). I suspect what we see on our hunting property is pretty far below what most hunters would find acceptable, even though our deer density is not that low. We simply have very low-visibility habitat, which means most deer sightings are very close-range. Even in a moderate density herd, if deer have to be "bow-range" close to see them, you don't see them very often!

Over the last 20 years, hunter sighting stats:

Hunts with a deer sighting: 44%
Hunts with an antlered buck sighting (any age): 23%
Average treestand time between deer sightings: 2.6 hours
Average time between antlered buck sighting (any age): 9.2 hours
Average time between 2 1/2 year-old or older buck sighting: 23.8 hours
Average time between 3 1/2 year-old or older buck sighting: 83.3 hours

How many hunters would be happy with these sighting rates?

Hunting low-visibility habitat I would be very happy with those sighting rates...the number I'd be most happy with would be the Average time between 3 1/2 year-old (or older) buck sighting: 83.3 hours...For me this would mean I could have a good opportunity at a mature buck each season.

 

[Robtattoo]

what is "seeing a lot of deer?"

I don't know.
But I know I'm not.

 

[TnKen]

I consider double digits a lot. Many times when I hunt Ky I see 20 +. On one sit this year I quit counting when I hit 30. There was a couple times in the past I saw 20+ in one group. That was prior to an EHD outbreak.

 

[BSK]

I don't know.
But I know I'm not.

Ha! I like that answer!

 

[BSK]

Hunting low-visibility habitat I would be very happy with those sighting rates...the number I'd be most happy with would be the Average time between 3 1/2 year-old (or older) buck sighting: 83.3 hours...For me this would mean I could have a good opportunity at a mature buck each season.

This was our best year ever for 3 1/2+ year-old buck sightings. Average time between 3 1/2+ year-old buck sightings was 23.8 hours.

 

[ZachMarkus]

If I see 10 deer in a sit I feel like I've seen a lot. I have hunted places before where seeing 15-20 deer in a hunt was not uncommon.

 

[@fulldraw]

In the 35 years we've owned and hunted our property, I think a hunter has seen 8-10 deer in a single hunt maybe twice. We NEVER see that kind of deer activity.

Which is why I have to laugh when other hunters talk about how "good" hunters with their own land have it. I bet 90% of hunters would not find hunting my place enjoyable.

That doesn't sound enjoyable. Especially, when I see that many or more on some public land. It's obvious not all hunters have the same experiences but there are opportunities out there for everyone.

 

[Jcalder]

I grew up hunting places that if you seen 10 all season, you truly accomplished something. I'm not sure I seen 25 all year this year.


Few years back, over 31 sits I seen 5 deer. 2 during juvenile, which my daughter shot the biggest, same sit. Seen 2 I believe during bow season on the same sit, and a lone doe middle of the day during early rifle season. Worst season I can remember having.

 

[DoubleRidge]

On a good day in November it wouldn't be uncommon to have 15 to 20 sightings...on a really good day 20-25 sightings.

BUT......in November we are sitting all day....AND....sitting on a utility line right of way.....thick cover on both sides of the right of way with various areas mowed and other areas grown up....small plots planted at various locations.... allot of diversity on purpose....from some stand sites you can see 100 to 200 yards in each direction....one stand site you can see 300yards.....so when the deer are moving....and your sitting all day....not uncommon to have high sighting rate.