Chris Park said it's definitely been different since the flood. The last year prior to the flood he said they killed 23 or 24 out of 50 hunters on the December hunt. Last year was 4 or 5 if I remember correctly.
President's Island Review
- Thread starter Spurhunter
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UpperTully
Well-Known Member
I'll throw my 2 cents in this...
Chris is good people and will go the extra mile to help a fella out.
Most people not privy to hunting these Miss River don't understand the challenges with the October hunt. You're burning a 10 year wait at getting drawn. I'm at 10 points, once I get drawn, I wont fool with it again. It's not worth that wait.
Your chances of killing a PI class buck are equivalent as hunting one of the other WMA's along the big river. The bucks on the Island are no different than the bucks on those WMAs.
Chris is good people and will go the extra mile to help a fella out.
Most people not privy to hunting these Miss River don't understand the challenges with the October hunt. You're burning a 10 year wait at getting drawn. I'm at 10 points, once I get drawn, I wont fool with it again. It's not worth that wait.
Your chances of killing a PI class buck are equivalent as hunting one of the other WMA's along the big river. The bucks on the Island are no different than the bucks on those WMAs.
on a normal yr, as far back as I can remember, the island usually kills 5 to 7, ensley would kill 2 to 4. Chris may be correct, but I have watched it for years, 24 out of 50 hunters is almost 50 percent success. He may have his numbers mixed up a bit. And as far as recovery, the flood was years ago. Its had plenty of time to recover.The mature deer people are trying to hunt are just like anywhere else. Tough. Remember, part of the island is private, so Im sure they are killing some of the bucks.
In 08 I hunted first morning from daylight too 11 and I didn't see a deer. My buddy was constantly texting about the bucks he was seeing. He was 200 yards from me. I thought gosh I'm worst deer hunter ever. I went to truck and ate a sandwich and moved about 100 yards. That afternoon, Saturday, and 1/2 a day Sunday I saw constant action. 18 bucks. It was a great hunt. I can't speak for it now.
That was my original thought as well, until I asked Chris about it. Remember, this was a 100 year flood. Every piece of high ground that the deer had always used was under water. He said they had numerous calls of deer in warehouses on the island. I remember a picture in the Memphis "newspaper" of a deer walking down the middle of the street in downtown. These deer literally had nowhere to go. I would like to know the population before and the population after that flood. It takes a long time to recover from something as devastating as that flood.
rstodd
Well-Known Member
I hunted the doe hunt in 2014, and 2015 with no luck. In 15 I did jump 2 nice bucks off there beds during the scout day. It is a hard hunt for sure.
If they keep the restrictions PI will be great again and we'll worth the wait. When you severely restrict harvest the way they do there, deer will grow big. The nine point rule is stupid IMO, but there are other antler restrictions that would provide the phenomenal hunts once again. If I were the type of hunter with the ability to take the time to go over and hunt PI, I would not hesitate. It may take some more time but it will get better. Hard hunting for sure with a bow though.
I had an 8 point at 5 yards for a good amount of time. No doubt this deer was mature. No doubt he was 130 to 140. A pig of an 8 point. Did I like passing him? No. But if those restrictions make that kind of place to hunt I'm all for it. I had a 10 point at 60 yards. Stood up out of his bed right at daylight. Absolute giant. 150 at Least. He left through Apac loading yard. Lol. Maybe those days will come back.
catman529
Well-Known Member
It hasn't improved in the last 10 years since the flood. It might get better in the next 10 years, but I wouldn't put money on it, especially if it keeps flooding.
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The best quota draw for 2022 is Oak Ridge in TN. The best quota in KY is that Army plant that has been decommissioning nerve agents. Both should have an abundance of 3.5+ bucks running around in November.
I'd bet money on it.
I'd bet money on it.
Yeah, true. I think a big factor is the floods that have continued to happen putting a damper on it coming back. But if you take any large property and put severe restrictions on the number of bucks harvested, they will reach max potential for that area. PI's potential has proven to be great.
I'll be honest. I was kinda curious as to why you put in for the October hunt vs. the December.
I can't speak for Gravey, but it was a dumbazz mistake on my part. I had 12 priority points and my son had 8. We had been putting in together for a couple years and I wasn't in a hurry to get drawn. I put the Oct hunt as our 2nd choice not thinking we'd get drawn for any buck hunt on PI with 8 points. I was wrong. The good thing I guess is everyone hates the Oct hunt so maybe I can get drawn for it in the next few years. I may not live long enough to get the Dec hunt now.
I'm relatively new to the forum, but I have enjoyed the posts a lot. In response to Spurhunter's question about how many, I wanted to follow up because I have the information. TWRA followed the winter (post-season) population density for a number of years, including before and after the flood. When I say winter, the population density was estimated each winter sometime in either late December, January or February. So when you look at these numbers, just realize they are a snap-shot in time and do not reflect anything about movements to and from the island across the year (that's another interesting topic). You'll notice that 2010 was not represented, as no data were collected. The population density in the winter of 2011 was just before the flood in late April/early May of that year. The next year the population density declined by about 37%. If you visited the site after the flood, you will know how truly amazing the change was...sand everywhere and several feet deep in many places. In the estimate of the year that followed, the population density rebounded as was expected but declined once again. No more population surveys were conducted, to the best of my knowledge, after 2014. Given the comments, it would be very interesting to see how the population density compares this winter.
Year Deer/SqMi
2008 70.7
2009 86.3
2011 73.2
2012 46.1
2013 66.6
2014 41.2
Year Deer/SqMi
2008 70.7
2009 86.3
2011 73.2
2012 46.1
2013 66.6
2014 41.2
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So, I gather the soil is less productive after the flood and antlers and overall capacity are down.
catman529
Well-Known Member
No doubt it has the potential. There's properties along the Cumberland river around Nashville that are the same way. No hunting or very limited hunting and full of giant old bucks.
In addition to losing a couple thousand acres to the big flood from sand deposits, annual spring flooding has prevented access in recent years for planting soybeans. When I was there in 2007 there had been around 3,000 acres of soybeans that year, and I saw over 30 bucks 2.5 or older (including the scout day). When I was there in 2019 there were no soybeans that year and about 2,000 acres of cockelburs. I saw two deer 2.5+ and neither was during legal shooting hours. Losing that much food makes a big difference imo.
Can someone please explain the 9 point rule to me ? There is always people that describe huge mature 8 pointers on the island. That deer may die an 8 point. Why is it bad to shoot a 4.5 year old 8 point? I have seen pictures of 9 points that look 2 .5 in the kill pictures how is that better? I am just asking? I don't quite understand that rule and hopefully one of you that are more into deer biology can explain it. Thanks
I typically put in for the Ensley unit and the island but the later hunts on both. I obviously had a brain fart when applying this year and picked October by accident or my wife interrupted me while I was doing it. Yeah I'm going with that.
As explained by Alan P several years ago, the Island specific data indicated that 9 point restriction still kept most bucks protected to get to the older age classes. Not all, but most, and was easier on the hunter to understand that a width or main beam restriction, and definitely any age requirement. The goal of the hunt was not to provide a kill opportunity for every hunter drawn, but an opportunity to hunt a relatively unmolested deer herd with an inordinate amount of mature buck specimens. The hunting experience on the island was deemed more important than the kill percentages. The Island was a unique opportunity in conjunction with the Port Authority and City of Memphis to provide that experience as hunters across TN on the annual survey were wanting more quality experience vs. quality kills.
I have been fortunate enough to hunt the December buck hunt on the Island 3 times. The last in 2016...I haven't put in for it since. Before the floods, the Island was a mystical, magical, beloved, awesome place. After the floods, it has lost much of the mystique and the hunters that put in for it now seem to be more worried about kills than encounters IMO. I doubt anyone at TWRA thought that the Island would still be available for any of these hunts for this long.
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