Is anyone forcing you to shoot deer?

[ShedderKG]

I would agree if it was back in the 2000-2006 time frame. The damage has been done in many areas that don't need any additional does harvested at all.

The point I was trying to make is 1 or 2 does isn't that much per person but when the next guy hunting the same area shoots 1 or 2 does, then the next guy in the same area shoots 1 or 2 does is when it starts to add up especially when a dozen guys are hunting 500 acres with maybe 150 timber. That will have a net reduction in deer numbers in this time frame since the numbers are low to begin with.

Liv...I agree with this statement 100%. Do you have any info or is there any out there about the deer given to the HUSH program? As far as if they were does or bucks? You said in the post above that you think there are just as many bucks as does being shot and given to HUSH. I'm not so sure I would believe that unless there were numbers to back that. I do agree with you tho when you are talking about little ol me taking 1 or 2 does and not thinking they are hurting anything. 3 guys take 2 does a piece from the size of property you are talking (500 acres 150 in timber) and that is anywhere from 6 to 12 deer that you will not have the next year (6 deer if does have singles, 9 if all have twins, 12 if they all would have triplets)

That is quite a few deer for a track that size.

 

[Bill Hartzell]

Liv I think you did a great job of making your point. Most hunters need to shoot something to justify spending money and time afield. Makes sense. I didn't shoot one deer this year because I passed a few on public. Couldn't get on private because almost everyone says no when you ask to hunt. Yet, they keep getting deperdation tags handed to them. Little confused by that.

 

[ElkHunter]

I have several doe tags still in my backpack and have no problem with that. State can issue tag, only you can fill them

 

[bowmaker]

I have to agree with the person who said the people here only represent a very small portion of those who hunt deer in Iowa, so even if we do make the effort to not kill as many does it has a very small effect. There are about 400,000 licenses sold in Iowa to over 300,000 hunters so how can a couple of thousand hunters on here have any positive effect? Don't get me wrong, I am still saying that we need to keep trying, but don't hold your breath! I don't even think it can be blamed on those few one time per year hunters that just want to blast something. It is some of them and some of those people who hear and read that our deer population is still way to high so we need to kill more does because my Sister in Law hit a deer and totaled her car this fall. It is SOME farmers who say if one deer eats 2 bushels of corn then he is loosing to much money so shoot them all. It is the 10 guys who filled most of their tags Saturday but had so much fun that they went to town and bought more doe tags to keep hunting because they can always drop off any deer they don't want to mess with at the HUSH locker. It is all these and more types of deer hunters who collectively make this a problem, not the few here who have already stopped shooting extra does or just buy tags with no intentions of filling them.

I just checked the most recent harvest numbers and it doesn't look good to me. There have been 61,001 does, 12146 button bucks, and 766 shed bucks reported so far and only 45,277 antlered bucks reported. That is over 62 percent of the harvest did not have horns and no mater how you say it that can't represent any thing but a population decline. With the nice weather predicted for this week end there will probably be another 1,000 to 2,000 does killed by perfectly legal and ethical but under informed hunters. If so that will put the harvest at a little over 120,000, down from 128,000 last year, for a loss of 7,000 or 8,000 fewer deer harvested. With much better weather, about the same numbers of hunters, and exactly the same number of licenses available we will have harvested 9 or 10 percent fewer deer than last year. It doesn't matter how many deer that the members here let walk by to grow or how many does we refused to shoot, or how many tags we allowed to go unfilled, this drop can only mean one thing. WAY FEWER DEER, AND THERE WILL BE FEWER NEXT YEAR AND FEWER THE YEAR AFTER THAT!:thrwrck:I know that the "choir" here understands these things but we need to keep pushing this agenda if we want to see deer to hunt in any real numbers in 2015.

 

[bowmaker]

I just did a quick check and after 134 days of continous deer seasons, starting September 15th, and just 2 days remaining there are still 23,872 left over antler-less tags available.

 

[Bowman D]

Numbers are down. The extra seasons need to stop. I know lots of shotgunners that have been seeing less deer, and have already started migrating towards the counties that have good numbers. This trend will continue until the higher counties don't produce enough to keep them coming back, and by that time we are in for some bad years. The parttimers will bail out and the hard core guys will be left with the aftermath....and unfortunately I believe there are quite a few of us on here that don't quite get it either. Ie...running doe count thread. We are the problem and the solution.

 

[waylonb19]

Singlecoyote you maybe got out 5 times this yr. Maybe that is why you seen less deer. I agree nobody is forcing you to pull the trigger but dont you guys think we were spoiled with a lot of yrs. with crazy numbers. I think each hunter needs to be smart enough to realize if you are hunting 80 acres you probably shouldnt be whackin and stackin. BTW Singlecoyote I still have a doe tag. Care if I come down and help you manage your low numbered herd?

 

[kelcher]

I agree that it seems that the numbers are down. The only other thing to think about is that they ( DNR and Iowa gov ) claim they have a population level in mind. If we don't help them meet these numbers then they will justify finding other ways to do it. Opening up more opportunities for outfitting, purchasing of private land by out of state hunters . . . . Maybe I am in the minority, but I would still prefer fewer numbers of deer to being kicked off the farms that I have opportunity to hunt on or tripping over people on the public grounds.

 

[singlecoyote]

Singlecoyote you maybe got out 5 times this yr. Maybe that is why you seen less deer. I agree nobody is forcing you to pull the trigger but dont you guys think we were spoiled with a lot of yrs. with crazy numbers. I think each hunter needs to be smart enough to realize if you are hunting 80 acres you probably shouldnt be whackin and stackin. BTW Singlecoyote I still have a doe tag. Care if I come down and help you manage your low numbered herd?

'm fine with the numbers i see. Just sick of hearing people piss and moan about it.

 

[Nontypcl1]

Liv...I agree with this statement 100%. Do you have any info or is there any out there about the deer given to the HUSH program? As far as if they were does or bucks? You said in the post above that you think there are just as many bucks as does being shot and given to HUSH. I'm not so sure I would believe that unless there were numbers to back that. I do agree with you tho when you are talking about little ol me taking 1 or 2 does and not thinking they are hurting anything. 3 guys take 2 does a piece from the size of property you are talking (500 acres 150 in timber) and that is anywhere from 6 to 12 deer that you will not have the next year (6 deer if does have singles, 9 if all have twins, 12 if they all would have triplets)

That is quite a few deer for a track that size.

So you are saying 40 does over 1000acres is too many?
I might add that this is 1000 acres of prime habitat in a 3,000 acre section.

Well that is what the shotgun group that hunts 1st season around me has shot each of the past two years. Luckily the population in this area has been extremely high and has been able to handle it thus far. However, I am deeply concerned that this is an ongoing trend with them and it won't be long before it takes a major toll. What really scares me is that I don't even know what the group that hunts the same section during 2nd season has shot.
Thankfully many of the deer seem to know where to head for safety once the lead starts flying.

 

[ShedderKG]

So you are saying 40 does over 1000acres is too many?
I might add that this is 1000 acres of prime habitat in a 3,000 acre section.

Well that is what the shotgun group that hunts 1st season around me has shot each of the past two years. Luckily the population in this area has been extremely high and has been able to handle it thus far. However, I am deeply concerned that this is an ongoing trend with them and it won't be long before it takes a major toll. What really scares me is that I don't even know what the group that hunts the same section during 2nd season has shot.
Thankfully many of the deer seem to know where to head for safety once the lead starts flying.

No, if you have 1000 acres, I dont think having 40 does is too many. If you are referring to my final comment of ' that is a quite a few deer for that size track' ... What I meant was that if 3 hunters took 2 does each in the fall, that is a decent number of deer that you won't see the following year assuming they all have fawns. Am I not making sense?

 

[Liv4Rut]

Liv...I agree with this statement 100%. Do you have any info or is there any out there about the deer given to the HUSH program? As far as if they were does or bucks? You said in the post above that you think there are just as many bucks as does being shot and given to HUSH. I'm not so sure I would believe that unless there were numbers to back that. .

Hey Kghunter, I don't have any numbers to back my claim. It looks like about 6200 deer were donated last year. The reason why I thought more bucks are being donated is because I honestly do not know one person out of about 20 that even eat bucks. They all get donated to other families or dropped off at hush. Also I have noticed lots of small deer get donated off at hush. I would bet that a lot are button bucks since they are about the dumbest animal in the woods. All speculation of course, just what I noticed in my area. I don't know many people who drop big does off at the HUSH locker. Bucks and fawns is what I usually see.

 

[hotshott2289]

I've been skimming this so sorry if someone already touched on this, but first off I'm fine with the numbers I'm seeing even though it may be a tad on the low side. But if they cut the antlerless quota what good will it do? if they cut it by 20,000 tags the same number of guys will theoretically be out there since by the above post there are still 20000 tags left. I guess my thoughts are that i would rather see the november, holiday, and late antlerless go by the wayside rather than a reduction of tags

 

[sep0667]

Liv4rut-I think I would disagree that most deer donated to HUSH are bucks. I think most guys that donate would problaby butcher the buck and keep the skull/get it mounted then keep hunting with antlerless tags and donate those does. Two years ago I donated a deer, I was told to drive around back and the guy would meet me there. There was probably a pile of about 20 deer there for them to start skinning. One was a buck (head was gone) and then just one other buck, a little spike, rest were does. But I don't know, that was just one time and just the way I look at it.

hotshott-In the counties that have like 2000+ tags it won't make a difference. I think part of the reason why there are still so many tags in those counties is because so much land there is leased/owned and not a whole is availbe for guys to go out and shoot a bunch of does. The land that is leased/owned for hunting are not going to have a bunch of guys out there shooting a ton of does. The counties that only have 200 tags, 500, maybe even 1000, i.e. the counties that sell out-----that is where it will make a difference.

 

[buckeye]

It sounds simple on the surface but in reality its not just a tag you are eating the cost of.

Hunting license/habitat stamp 32.00
Arrows 70.00 a dozen
Broadheads 10.00 a piece
Treestands 100.00
Gas to hunt 2x a day 6 days a week for 2 months 150-200

Thats not counting the $700.00 bow or figuring the cost of a gun season in there.You figure it all up and venisons a damn expensive meat.So why do most serious deer hunters pay that much to play the game?Speaking personally its the overall experience.I really dont care if I kill a deer.But Im not going to spend a thousand dollars a year to go out and not see any deer.Seriously who would?Licenses and tags keep going up but the quality of the hunting steadily going down.

Theres no bonus tags available in my county but the number of hunters using the either sex tags to wack does is getting higher all the time.After shotgun season the gun hunters were all whining and crying about not seeing any deer.Funny part was every machine shed I looked in had twice as many does as bucks hanging in it.I knew the population was down at the end of last year and never considered shooting a doe this year.Seems a lotta people dont grasp that concept and expect to be able to shoot 2 or 3 or 4 does a year and the population will regulate itself eventually.Its not working but they keep complaining and keep on shooting does by the truckload all the while.

Theres no easy answer.A few years back it was nothing to drive around and see a couple hundred deer right before dark bunched up and feeding.The population was undoubtedly to high then.But now you can drive around and see nothing, the fields are empty, your lucky to see half a dozen deer in a week out feeding in the same fields.On the same token a few years back we had a really bad winter up here and while shed hunting that year there was a terrible winter kill of deer, I found over 40 of them dead while out walking.That was when there were to many deer, they recovered quickly from that.Now were about one bad winter or desiese outbreak away from a disaster up here.