Yearling Dispersal - whoa!

[BSK]

Pretty much what has happened now in many West TN "cwd" counties

That is what I'm hearing.

 

[TheLBLman]

That is what I'm hearing.

It's also happening in the counties bordering or near the CWD counties.

Many deer hunters, outside the CWD counties, have lost interest in being "hunter-managers" as they legitimately fear TWRA soon directing neighboring deer hunters to just slaughter the bucks they pass, so why give a pass to a top-end 2 1/2 or 3 1/2?

Seems we're going back in time to hearing the old adage:
"If I don't shoot this buck, my neighbor will. TWRA wants you to kill them, so I'm doing my part."

But worse than that, many are just quitting deer hunting entirely.
With fewer deer hunters, that then gives TWRA excuse to go back to their 11-buck limit,
and further destroy the ideals of conservation and "hunter-managers"?

Next, in the coming years, I fear TWRA will be spending more of their time eradicating deer via government sharp-shooters, rather than sportsmen who are hunters & conservationist.

CWD has been to TWRA what Covid was to the federal government in 2020.
More or less an excuse to dictate edicts,
and grow government.

 

[hammer33]

Has it really faded or are the hardcore big buck chasers the ones that are discouraged and fading? As BSK has said numerous times before..... any specific group of hunters make a poor general sample. (Tndeer for example) To get quality data you have to sample across all groups of hunters. Hunter observation is also one of the most unreliable sources of data. So I guess I am questioning... Are there fewer big trophy bucks because of CWD ? If so, how much has it affected the herd? OR Is it a convenient excuse for a bad season or two? OR has management practices changed dramatically and now "everyone is killing all the bucks"? How much of these feelings are purely psychological? Perhaps its a combination of all the factors?

Regardless I am not optimistic that the Government powers will do what is Best for hunters in general. I think they will do what is best for their donors and cronies first, then weigh that against what is best for hunters and the deer herd. Yes. I am cynical.

 

[DeerCamp]

It's also happening in the counties bordering or near the CWD counties.

Many deer hunters, outside the CWD counties, have lost interest in being "hunter-managers" as they legitimately fear TWRA soon directing neighboring deer hunters to just slaughter the bucks they pass, so why give a pass to a top-end 2 1/2 or 3 1/2?

Seems we're going back in time to hearing the old adage:
"If I don't shoot this buck, my neighbor will. TWRA wants you to kill them, so I'm doing my part."

But worse than that, many are just quitting deer hunting entirely.
With fewer deer hunters, that then gives TWRA excuse to go back to their 11-buck limit,
and further destroy the ideals of conservation and "hunter-managers"?

Next, in the coming years, I fear TWRA will be spending more of their time eradicating deer via government sharp-shooters, rather than sportsmen who are hunters & conservationist.

CWD has been to TWRA what Covid was to the federal government in 2020.
More or less an excuse to dictate edicts,
and grow government.

And just imagine, if all that happens it appears several of these counties aren't even CWD.

 

[BSK]

Has it really faded or are the hardcore big buck chasers the ones that are discouraged and fading? As BSK has said numerous times before..... any specific group of hunters make a poor general sample. (Tndeer for example) To get quality data you have to sample across all groups of hunters. Hunter observation is also one of the most unreliable sources of data. So I guess I am questioning... Are there fewer big trophy bucks because of CWD ? If so, how much has it affected the herd? OR Is it a convenient excuse for a bad season or two? OR has management practices changed dramatically and now "everyone is killing all the bucks"? How much of these feelings are purely psychological? Perhaps its a combination of all the factors?

Regardless I am not optimistic that the Government powers will do what is Best for hunters in general. I think they will do what is best for their donors and cronies first, then weigh that against what is best for hunters and the deer herd. Yes. I am cynical.

In the original CWD hot zone, I think CWD probably is affecting buck age structure. Outside of the 2-3 county hot zone, if there has been a major decline in buck age structure, you can blame the TWRA's CWD harvest regulations.

 

[AlabamaSwamper]

I hope heads roll over it. They tried to sweep it under the rug and got caught. Meanwhile destroying deer herds with ridiculous seasons and bag limits and making hunting a job more than fun. I'm not shooting does anymore in Tennessee. I debone and cape enough bucks a year. I have no desire to shoot a doe. I know dozens if not hundreds with the same attitude and there are does thick as fleas around here.

I always wondered how positive rates are so high in a new positive state while a state I hunt with nearly 30 years of positive results isn't going up. My unit found 1 in 2018.

Makes sense now.

If true I hope heads roll and the news reports it correctly

 

[BSK]

I'm not shooting does anymore in Tennessee. I debone and cape enough bucks a year. I have no desire to shoot a doe. I know dozens if not hundreds with the same attitude and there are does thick as fleas around here.

I don't think you could find someone that was a bigger proponent of doe shooting than I was in the early 2000s. However, after the 2007 EHD die-off and a neighboring Federal property tried to eradicate the local deer population, I haven't shot a doe in probably 15 years. Because they didn't need thinning anymore. We're still not shooting does although the population is finally showing a pretty solid rebound.

 

[AlabamaSwamper]

I don't think you could find someone that was a bigger proponent of doe shooting than I was in the early 2000s. However, after the 2007 EHD die-off and a neighboring Federal property tried to eradicate the local deer population, I haven't shot a doe in probably 15 years. Because they didn't need thinning anymore. We're still not shooting does although the population is finally showing a pretty solid rebound.

BSK

We need it done. With all these CWD rules shooting does on afternoon hunts for easy retrieval is a thing of the past. I'm not staying at my cabin until 8-9-10 pm just to debone does. I just have no desire.

I process my own deer but under the old rules I could do this and drop them off to be donated. No way I'll fooling with that now.

This is really common in my county . There's more hunters not willing to drive an hour west to the nearest processor where they can legally take it than there are that process their own.

So there's more deer than ever around here. And it's going to get worse.

 

[BSK]

BSK

We need it done. With all these CWD rules shooting does on afternoon hunts for easy retrieval is a thing of the past. I'm not staying at my cabin until 8-9-10 pm just to debone does. I just have no desire.

I process my own deer but under the old rules I could do this and drop them off to be donated. No way I'll fooling with that now.

This is really common in my county . There's more hunters not willing to drive an hour west to the nearest processor where they can legally take it than there are that process their own.

So there's more deer than ever around here. And it's going to get worse.

Agree AlabamaSwampster. Many hunters are no longer shooting dos because it's just too much work, especially in CWD areas. And eventually, not shooting enough does will come back to bite hunters.

 

[TheLBLman]

And eventually, not shooting enough does will come back to bite hunters.

This is how we're trending, although more blame properly belong to TWRA (than TN's hunters) for several reasons, including fear-mongering CWD, pushing deer processors out of business, and coming up with new CWD regs that negate quality deer management.

Add to this TWRA's expanding (protected) bear populations into new TN counties, with these bear having a secondary purpose of replacing sport deer hunters (to reducing the deer population). Some even want to re-introduce cougars, even though the sub-species once native to TN is extinct.

This is all happening when most deer hunters are more into quality over quantity.

Next, anti-hunters will be using the need for government sharp-shooters as additional proof cruel "sport" deer hunting should be done away with in the United States. They may or may not succeed with this, but you can be assured, the opportunities for traditional deer hunting will be greatly reduced on public lands.

Take a look at LBL right now.
Deer hunting has already taken a back seat to other forms of "recreation", as there are currently only two weekends of gun deer hunting annually (with many areas not allowed for gun deer hunting).

Go to the Catoosa WMA, try to deer hunt.
You will be over-run by ATVs, never mind many of those claiming to be deer hunters, are actually more interested in ATV recreation than deer hunting.

Just a matter of time until we see similar at places such as Natchez Trace WMA, and many other WMAs, simply because most people do not hunt, and more people do want to do other types of outdoor recreation (without being afraid of being shot by hunters).

AND, hunters will be portrayed as being ineffective at controlling deer populations. So, "somebody, somebody, do something"! The government will step in with "sharp-shooters", as is already being done in many places.