Yes, there is a decline but also it's too early and too warm. Cameras are showing most activities are at night.
Wouldn't worry too much yet. I was one county east of you yesterday and only saw one doe. Warm temps and 0 wind is never going to produce much movement.
.Same.
I wasn't implying that. But I can personally say I have seen less deer over the past 5 years. Many days seeing 10-20. I didn't see many acorns. The fields were soybeans but they have been cut already. I assume from it being dry. I saw 3 does, all in the open. Next time I can get back is mid December so it should be better.We all know after 40 years of other places having cwd, the herd is decimated to nothing in 5 years or less
What you're seeing is the results of the twra regulation change. Not the herd dying off in significant numbers because of disease
This. There are less deer. Because the TWRA has been trying to kill them all off in the CWD Zone.
Yes, there has been a reduction in hunters, although finding an exact number would be very difficult without the TWRAs help, and I'm not sure they would give it.
There was a massive decline prior to the implementation of CWD regulations in the area close to Grand Junction that I have hunted.
Maybe so, but it wasn't cwd. Cwd has been in other parts of the country far longer than it's been here, and their herd is doing just fine, and possibly even past the nuisance stage. Most cwd deer will die from another cause, before cwd itself kills it.
It certainly wasn't from hunters either.
dont drink the koolaid
Ok...fair enough....change the wording from "significant and sudden" to "massive decline"....I think Ski's point was EHD can cause a significant decline in a localized deer herd...especially given the number of drought periods we've experienced in recent years...I've read several reports from Perry and Hickman countys from JCDeerman and others where EHD knocked their deer numbers way down in previous years....just a possible explantion and a discussion about what your experiencing.
Have you hunted in SE Fayette or SW Hardeman counties 2018 - current? If so, what has been your experience and current perspective for that immediate area?
Very plausible theory for a sudden decrease in deer sightings. It happens more than some want to believe. In Unit CWD, I am "pretty sure" any landowner can contact TWRA and request a permit to kill deer until March 31 (not a depredation permit per se), and can add names of friends and family that can also legally deer hunt on that tract of land until March 31. Of course, TWRA coordination and approval is required, but it has happened in 2021 and 2022 here in SW TN (Unit CWD).
I guess with these special permits there are no requirements to track or report the number of deer killed? If so...the harvest numbers, in these units, could be skewed? I have no idea? Never participated in the process? Just curious?
Correct, no "official" tagging on the app per se, but landowners/hunters/participants do have to keep a tally sheet of sorts to provide to TWRA itemizing/summarizing their kills, if requested. Basically work it one on one with your county warden. From my limited exposure, most of the ones I know who requested and were granted this additional 8 weeks of deer hunting opportunity, very few actually utilized the extra time afield or killed any/many deer. Bottom line, most hunters have had enough come January 1, and very few have the desire to keep shooting/messing with deer Jan-Mar. Sure a few here and there may kill a deer or two, but it's a drop in the bucket compared to the overall kill in Nov/Dec.
