Blue Tongue

[bassinbrian]

Well to say the least this deer season will be a wash for me. Very few deer on the 2 properties I hunt, No mature buck pics at all and very few juvenile bucks to look at. Most does are not mature either. Though I have only found 3 dead on the property (does) Im sure blue tongue is the culprit. We always have a ton of pics by this time of year. I run 5 cameras and am lucky to get 5-10 picks of deer a week now, Its to the point im afraid to shoot a buck, because I don't want to lessen the herd anymore. I think TWRA had downplayed how serious it really is. I live in Scott county, I can drive within 2 miles of my house and look at cut corn fields, usually just to watch deer and see whats around the house. In 2 weeks I have seen only 3 does, I check 4 fields.......... usually theres 3-10 even as many as 20 in one field. Not now, Are your counties hit as hard as ours? they say its localized but in 3 different fishing trips to Watts bar lake I found 5 deer floating, one really nice 8pt in the blue springs area, the rest were does. Im really frustrated, I really want to hunt but don't think I will. I want to kill one but think ill regret it if I do!!!

 

[Backstrapcrazy]

Talked with a TWRA warden in Morgan County, He said office received 720 calls for dead dear due to EHD; I called when I found three. He believes 3 quarters of counties herd was lost, it may never recover.

 

[PickettSFHunter]

Yes it is just as bad. Fentress County. I hate how TWRA hasn't been proactive about curtailing antlerless harvest. The local officers know how bad it is but no one seems to care to much.


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[DRSJ35]

I'm not seeing hardly any sign compared to previous years. I seen 1 deer in the creek when it was 37 degrees 3 weeks ago.I dont know what to chalk it up to.I really dont want to think had bad it might be.Greene county tn hope it gets better.If not twra has to do something to rebound the herd.

 

[southernhunter]

How many county's has this effected? I am in Lincoln. I haven't found any dear but over heard a couple older gentleman talking the other day and both was saying they had found several on their farms in Lincoln.

 

[Buzzard Breath]

Would you all be in favor of sitting out next season? Things may not be bad enough to warrant such a drastic change, I know. I'm just throwing it out there, what do you think?

Would you like for the Agency to suspend the 2018 deer season and then resume in the Fall of 2019?

I'd like to see TWRA do some thermal counts after the season. If it's as bad as perceived, I'd have no problem shutting it down for a season or two. It's not like I'm seeing anything to shoot right now anyhow. This is easily the worst year for deer sightings, or even just seeing sign, that I've ever had. I'm headed to middle TN for the weekend just to fill the freezer.

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[PickettSFHunter]

I would be in favor of shortening season and eliminating doe harvest until population rebound. Not in favor of closing season overall. Buck harvest is already limited fairly well in TN and isn't what controls population growth.

Of course as I type this, I'm listening to a large neighboring property where the hunters have apparently gotten frustrated enough they are deer dogging. I can hear the hounds, the 4wheelers and the shooting. Freaking great


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[muddyboots]

I haven't seen a deer from stand this year.

 

[larry ipock]

Yes it is just as bad. Fentress County. I hate how TWRA hasn't been proactive about curtailing antlerless harvest. The local officers know how bad it is but no one seems to care to much.


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Amen to that

 

[bigtex]

Would you all be in favor of sitting out next season? Things may not be bad enough to warrant such a drastic change, I know. I'm just throwing it out there, what do you think?

Would you like for the Agency to suspend the 2018 deer season and then resume in the Fall of 2019?

It wouldn't hurt my feelings if they suspended this years season. I've hunted every corner of my farm and have seen two deer, and that was a month ago. Just spent all day in the woods on stand and saw ZERO deer. I walked the whole area mid week and found no tracks, no rubs or scrapes my food plots have not been touched. I'm not 100% sure it's EHD but something is going on.
Our deer herd has never been very large but in the 25 years i've lived and hunted here this is the lowest i've ever seen it.
I'm sure there are parts of my county [McMinn] that have more deer than on my place, there always has been. I don't expect or want TWRA to shut the entire County down but I do think that the more liberal doe harvest has impacted my part of the county. I can count on one hand the number of does killed on my place in 25 years. I personally have only killed one [and I regretted that] in an effort to increase the deer population.
I'll be in the woods again in the morning, not to try and kill one but to just observe. If no deer are seen, i'll be done for the year i'm afraid.

 

[Shanman]

Spent all day at Oak Ridge and only saw one 6" spike. Checked several places that always have rubs, only found 2 all evening. Never seen it like this.

 

[Crappie Hunter]

Was it fairly localized, or state wide?
I'm in Sumner County and haven't heard anyone talking about it.

 

[cbhunter]

Was it fairly localized, or state wide?
I'm in Sumner County and haven't heard anyone talking about it.

blue tongue and EHD is the same thing I believe. Mostly east Tn to my knowledge


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[Buzzard Breath]

Anderson County deer harvest YTD 2017 = 212

Anderson County deer harvest YTD 2016 = 449



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[Buzzard Breath]

Fentress 2017 = 226

Fentress 2016 = 490

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[mike243]

07 was worse from what I have seen but we may have had a larger herd then as compared to now so we have lower numbers,I would be fine with shutting down doe harvest across the board for 2 years,that means bow muzzy rifle,no 1 group gets preferential treatment and a thermal survey for the whole state would be tough to do,too many pockets of no deer or to many ,harvest #s are a better method at this time imo