Decline in kill numbers?

[kentuckylakebuck]

what ye say about the declining kill numbers during the youth hunt weekend? particularly in henry co., 4 years ago 320 were checked in youth weekend, this year 93 were checked in?

 

[Winchester]

Warm weather and the 2 buck limit, its ruined hunting! LOL

 

[double browtine]

I carried my boys on Sunday morning. Only saw 5 does and one spike. I think it needed to be about 30 degrees out instead of 55. Too hot. Moving at night.

 

[Headhunter]

The youth hunt NEEDS to be the FIRST weekend in November, PERIOD!

 

[BULL MOOSE]

The youth hunt NEEDS to be the FIRST weekend in November, PERIOD!

Agreed...this is when I went as a youth and it was always good. Just start ML on Monday day after.

I guess we were one of the lucky 93 in Henry County on a young doe feeding in an oak grove around 5:30.

 

[TJS209]

Directly related to the weather it was close to 90 both days.

 

[ridgehunter]

Just to hot, not as much deer movement and some people just stayed home because it was to hot.

 

[Bone Collector]

heat (that goes for the whole season)

 

[AT Hiker]

heat (that goes for the whole season)

It is looking like it will be a hot one for sure, especially for us who hunt the Northern part of the state with the rut kicking into gear.

 

[Winchester]

The youth hunt NEEDS to be the FIRST weekend in November, PERIOD!

I agree 100% kids got screwed out of a good wknd and forced to hunt on Halloween wknd to boot. Terrible change for the future of our sport.

 

[Southern Sportsman]

It was nearly 90 degrees. A lot of people probably stayed home either because they assumed there wouldn't be much
deer movement, or they didn't want to rush around with a dead deer in hot weather. Also, for those who did hunt, there probably less movement because of the heat.

 

[Land Between the Lakes]

I believe the overall deer harvest is down in Kentucky right now also for the season. I think it's the warm weather, plus acorns are dropping everywhere in some areas. The deer aren't needing to move much to find food, plus I think the heat has a lot of deer moving at night, or early morning/late evening only for the most part right now. I have seen a few bucks while hunting during the past two weeks, but they were all during the late evening.

 

[Deer Assassin]

weather

 

[TX300mag]

Weather kept some from going (including me) and probably hurt hunting at least some for those that did go.

I wouldn't sweat it.

Every single year people report:

decline in kill numbers
No rut
No daylight movement
No deer
No bucks left
No does left
No big bucks left
No big bucks being killed
(according to Facebook and tndeer forum)
No mature does left
No fawn crop

Some of these are impossible for an individual (or small group) to accurately measure and aren't the best indications of the true widespread situation. The speculations start flying and everybody and everything gets blamed. Meanwhile, a mile up the road a neighbor is having the best season of his life.


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[Deer Assassin]

Weather kept some from going (including me) and probably hurt hunting at least some for those that did go.

I wouldn't sweat it.

Every single year people report:

decline in kill numbers
No rut
No daylight movement
No deer
No bucks left
No does left
No big bucks left
No big bucks being killed
(according to Facebook and tndeer forum)
No mature does left
No fawn crop

Some of these are impossible for an individual (or small group) to accurately measure and aren't the best indications of the true widespread situation. The speculations start flying and everybody and everything gets blamed. Meanwhile, a mile up the road a neighbor is having the best season of his life.


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ditto

 

[SKFOOTER]

How did you find the numbers?? The Harvest Report on TWRA's website is not functioning properly due to the vendor change.

 

[MattZ9]

How did you find the numbers?? The Harvest Report on TWRA's website is not functioning properly due to the vendor change.

I checked harvest reports yesterday. Down almost 5000 deer from last year


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[JeepKuntry]

Maybe the stars have aligned for me, but the temps really haven't affected my sightings. The biggest issue I've had is to many acorns. I saw deer movement all the way up till 10:45 Saturday morning when shot. I was deer #33 checked in at Oak Ridge.

 

[kentuckylakebuck]

to me: if it was 4 years ago 320, and this year it was 250, that wouldn't be alarming. 227 difference is ALARMING to me, sorry i aint buying weather, not saying that wouldn't have an effect but not like this in my opinion. could it be people aren't checking them in these day? could it be number of hunters are down these day? could it be a number of things? yea maybe, but i think theres more to the story like herd numbers being down drastically. just my OPINION

 

[hitek7]

I typically take my daughter and and another kid or 2 on the youth hunt every year. With the warm weather and Halloween functions going on, we did not take another kid this year. My daughter did not shoot anything, her choice as she had chances at small bucks and several does. This the first youth hunt that I can remember in the past 4 years that a deer was not killed on our place. Falling the last weekend of October has really stunk due to Halloween the past couple years. I would be very happy with the first weekend of November...

 

[Mike Belt]

I can only speculate on where I hunt. For sure the warm weather has some to do with less deer sightings during the day but we've had warm weather throughout archery season and even into muzzleloader season more often than not over the last 10 years and we still saw and killed more deer than now. That's with or without acorns. I'm not buying strictly warm weather for this lack. I don't think we have the deer we had several years ago and it appears to get worse yearly.

 

[megalomaniac]

The youth hunt NEEDS to be the FIRST weekend in November, PERIOD!

./signed

The heat was the killer this year. I had 4 mature bucks up on their feet on camera during the night. Nothing big moving during the daylight. Sophia killed her deer despite the 85 degree temps, but it definetly hurt deer movement and sightings. Makes for a much less enjoyable hunt for the kids when they aren't seeing as many.

But look on the bright side... all those deer that made it through juvie weekend will now be killed by the grownups during ML and early rifle :(

 

[Good time Charlie]

Last year we were talking about the same thing. Numbers down...But at the end of the season we were Good\
\
I think the hunterrs are to blame ...just to hot .

I know they were moving,,ask knightrider.

 

[landman]

Honestly I know many that just don't hunt much early season anymore
they prefer less pressured hunting on their places and let neighbors
push more deer on them

Or there on a buck and don't shoot does until
late season.

 

[WRbowhunter]

It was the weather. Just to hot. Also think it might have kept a lot of people from going hunting as well. Can't shoot if you don't go. Even though its still going to be warm bet this front coming in will get the deer up and will see a big up tick in kills Saturday.

 

[muddyboots]

Warm weather and my daughter has gotten picky. We say about 30 does and a few spikes. She never picked her gun up.

 

[MickThompson]

Warm weather, and a strong mast crop. The relationship between mast crops and hunter success has been well documented for decades.

 

[EastTNHunter]

My daughter is cold natured so the heat was better for her. It also did not effect her Halloween activities

 

[Grundy.308]

Local youth deer rally usually has around 20 checked in only 3 this year.


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