TN Deer Population

[BSK]

numbers are unchanged on most of my farms in middle TN for the past 15 years or so.

Mine have risen and fallen and are now rising again. But that is primarily due to local conditions (other than the massive 2007 EHD outbreak). Clients in the area with much larger properties have not seen the dramatic ups and downs that I have locally.

One farm the deer inexplicably disappeared about 7 or 8 years ago, but they have slowly rebounded. Just about impossible to get a 'population explosion' due to the number of coyotes predating fawns and adults.

Isn't that the truth! I think I have more coyotes than I do deer. And now that I'm using more video than still pictures with my cameras, I'm realizing coyotes are after the deer on a regular basis.

 

[BSK]

I sure wish I could rent one of these cameras and drive around a few areas!

I helped out with that project from time to time in Middle TN. I remember the night we were in Williamson County, and in an overgrown field (all weeds and briers), we saw a bachelor group of five mature bucks that would all go over 150. Crazy sight.

 

[Pioneer1789]

I have made that suggestion the last two seasons. Dropping archery from 4 to 2. Then reducing some of the non-quota doe opportunities to give a few years of recovery. I know things will never be like West Tn in my area, but I see more deer in 2-3 days hunting there than an entire season in Anderson & Campbell county.

I agree. Doe limits are too high around here. I'd like to see it go 2a-1m-1r.

 

[Volbuck777]

I don't know as much as most of y'all on here, but when you have friends throughout the county, hunting from one end to the other and the conversation always is where in the heck are the deer, that means something has happened. My 2019 season was by far my best and for miles around I heard of people seeing and killing good deer in this county also seeing more deer than most years. It was like 2019 was a peak of a gradual increase in quality and quantity. Then here came the dreaded 2020 . I don't know who said it on here but it was supposedly a better year for fawns and antler growth and whatever else. I'd sure like to know where they were talking about. It wasn't here, or even my surrounding counties. This is mainly hearsay from friends or their friends. I have good spots I hunt and I'll say I'm very fortunate. A good spot here means you may get to see a deer every hunt or two while on stand. East Tennessee hunting isn't great and honestly I don't know where to start in making a better herd. I've tried for as long as I can remember.

 

[TN G.O.A.T Hunter]

My area of east tn has more deer today than it has had since before the 2008 and 2011 ehd devistation,it took 9 years to make a noticeable re

I don't know as much as most of y'all on here, but when you have friends throughout the county, hunting from one end to the other and the conversation always is where in the heck are the deer, that means something has happened. My 2019 season was by far my best and for miles around I heard of people seeing and killing good deer in this county also seeing more deer than most years. It was like 2019 was a peak of a gradual increase in quality and quantity. Then here came the dreaded 2020 . I don't know who said it on here but it was supposedly a better year for fawns and antler growth and whatever else. I'd sure like to know where they were talking about. It wasn't here, or even my surrounding counties. This is mainly hearsay from friends or their friends. I have good spots I hunt and I'll say I'm very fortunate. A good spot here means you may get to see a deer every hunt or two while on stand. East Tennessee hunting isn't great and honestly I don't know where to start in making a better herd. I've tried for as long as I can remember.

hear you man. Last several yrs have been tough

 

[TN G.O.A.T Hunter]

I agree. Doe limits are too high around here. I'd like to see it go 2a-1m-1r.

I agree. or maybe cut the season down, in my area especially. go to like a week muzzleloader? and 1 week rifle hunt maybe? maybe more of archery based season for a couple seasons.

 

[CrossVolle]

I agree. or maybe cut the season down, in my area especially. go to like a week muzzleloader? and 1 week rifle hunt maybe? maybe more of archery based season for a couple seasons.

Makes absolutely no sense at all in my opinion to be permitted to hunt with a rifle for 6 weeks in East Tennessee.

 

[TN G.O.A.T Hunter]

Makes absolutely no sense at all in my opinion to be permitted to hunt with a rifle for 6 weeks in East Tennessee.

I agree 100%.

 

[BSK]

I don't know as much as most of y'all on here, but when you have friends throughout the county, hunting from one end to the other and the conversation always is where in the heck are the deer, that means something has happened. My 2019 season was by far my best and for miles around I heard of people seeing and killing good deer in this county also seeing more deer than most years. It was like 2019 was a peak of a gradual increase in quality and quantity. Then here came the dreaded 2020 . I don't know who said it on here but it was supposedly a better year for fawns and antler growth and whatever else. I'd sure like to know where they were talking about. It wasn't here, or even my surrounding counties. This is mainly hearsay from friends or their friends. I have good spots I hunt and I'll say I'm very fortunate. A good spot here means you may get to see a deer every hunt or two while on stand. East Tennessee hunting isn't great and honestly I don't know where to start in making a better herd. I've tried for as long as I can remember.

Just don't make any drastic changes due to one bad year. Again, an area can experience something region-wide that greatly reduces daylight deer activity for a season, leading hunters to think the deer herd has shrunk dramatically. Maybe it has, but highly likely it hasn't in a single year (unless there has been a massive die-off from EHD, which usually gets pretty widely reported).

Last year saw the biggest jump in antler quality per age-class in western Middle TN I've ever seen. And I mean it was huge! Average scores were up 15-20 inches per age-class. But I strongly suspect it was just a single-year event, and things will be back to normal this year. But we shall see.

I only WISH I saw a deer or two every hunt. In a great year, we see deer on 50% of hunts. In a bad year, 25%.

 

[Volbuck777]

Just don't make any drastic changes due to one bad year. Again, an area can experience something region-wide that greatly reduces daylight deer activity for a season, leading hunters to think the deer herd has shrunk dramatically. Maybe it has, but highly likely it hasn't in a single year (unless there has been a massive die-off from EHD, which usually gets pretty widely reported).

Last year saw the biggest jump in antler quality per age-class in western Middle TN I've ever seen. And I mean it was huge! Average scores were up 15-20 inches per age-class. But I strongly suspect it was just a single-year event, and things will be back to normal this year. But we shall see.

I only WISH I saw a deer or two every hunt. In a great year, we see deer on 50% of hunts. In a bad year, 25%.

What county if you don't mind saying also 15-20 inches per age class. Are you saying that from your observations deer we're putting 30 to 40 inches more horn on in a single year.

 

[BSK]

What county if you don't mind saying also 15-20 inches per age class. Are you saying that from your observations deer we're putting 30 to 40 inches more horn on in a single year.

All of western Middle TN. I have clients in Williamson, Cheatham, Dickson, Hickman, Perry, Humphreys, Houston, Benton and Decatur counties in western Middle TN, and their photo censuses showed a massive increase in average antler size per age-class over what is normal for those properties. Again, around 15 to 20 inches higher than normal for each age-class.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

However, pockets within that area have been knocked back again by another EHD outbreak in 2019.

Unfortunately we are in one of those pockets. We lost a VERY high number of our deer herd. It's like nothing I've ever seen

 

[JCDEERMAN]

I sure wish I could rent one of these cameras and drive around a few areas!

I have one. It is astonishing what you can see

 

[Planking]

Alot of places in East Tn just don't fit with the hunting regulations we have. One can look at cades cove or the deer that are hunted at Holston to see that.

Godzilla

 

[Volbuck777]

I agree. or maybe cut the season down, in my area especially. go to like a week muzzleloader? and 1 week rifle hunt maybe? maybe more of archery based season for a couple seasons.

What is your area? What county you hunt?

 

[Volbuck777]

All of western Middle TN. I have clients in Williamson, Cheatham, Dickson, Hickman, Perry, Humphreys, Houston, Benton and Decatur counties in western Middle TN, and their photo censuses showed a massive increase in average antler size per age-class over what is normal for those properties. Again, around 15 to 20 inches higher than normal for each age-class.

What's normal

 

[fairchaser]

Ames reported data using thermal imaging via drone using a grid search in 2021 for Fayette and Hardeman counties and the average was 36 deer per square mile in areas that also included heavy pine thickets which are difficult to image through. That would indicate 36 would be a conservative number. This number is also consistent with data and observations from Ames management.

This data runs contrary to the observations from hunters on Ames who at times have struggled to even see a deer. When BSK stated that there can often be variations between hunter observations and actual numbers due to many factors, he said a mouth full.

 

[larry ipock]

I'm from Scott Cty, and started deer hunting in 1973. After the ehd outbreaks in '07 and '17, now when hunting, it's like being in the woods in the late 70s and early 80s. Before the '07 outbreak our county kill numbers ran in the 1200s to 1300s. Haven't checked the 2020 numbers, but in 2019 our numbers were 600 or so. It may come back, but certainly not in my lifetime.

 

[rukiddin]

I live and hunt my own property in sevier county. No shortage of deer whatsoever where I live. Numbers have increased every year since we bought our farm. Is it a localized thing? Probably, but I for one would welcome more than one antlerless opportunity during gun season and I wish the state would move it to a date that's NOT during the peak of the rut. Why would I shoot a doe the one week I've seen the biggest bucks on my property.
I also hunt a property on the Knox/loudoun county line and it's not a matter of if you will see a deer, but more of, how many and do you feel like shooting one that day. It's been like that for over 10 years.

 

[Volbuck777]

I live and hunt my own property in sevier county. No shortage of deer whatsoever where I live. Numbers have increased every year since we bought our farm. Is it a localized thing? Probably, but I for one would welcome more than one antlerless opportunity during gun season and I wish the state would move it to a date that's NOT during the peak of the rut. Why would I shoot a doe the one week I've seen the biggest bucks on my property.
I also hunt a property on the Knox/loudoun county line and it's not a matter of if you will see a deer, but more of, how many and do you feel like shooting one that day. It's been like that for over 10 years.

Rukiddin where are you in sevier county? I'm also a sevier resident. Pm if you'd like. Also like you my last few years have been good, the exception was 2020 which most everyone I know that deer hunts here said it was terrible. How did last fall treat you? Was you seeing as quality deer as years prior? How about quantity? Very curious sir of you're response. Thanks.