Deer Population boom?

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MCgunner

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The end of the road between Sodom and Gomorrah Tex
Has anyone else in south central Texas noticed a huge population boom in whitetail deer? Lots of little ones, suspecting there was a good breeding season, maybe the rain we've been having. I've seen no census counts or anything, just going off living out here with 'em and seeing 'em everywhere in numbers. Maybe it's just me. Sure is nice to see, though.
 
I'm seeing more out back this Spring than I can remember in the 20(ish) years we've lived here. Watched 4 young bucks browsing a couple weeks ago not 50 yards from the back door.
Some years back we had a couple years of drought which really hurt the population. We had a long Winter this year but it's a wet Spring.
Not sure what's going on but seeing in the Spring don't mean seeing in the Fall... ;)
 
Not as many willing to pay insane price for leases. It has turned into blood money kill happy with increasingly buttheaded people hunting.
 
They sneak around at night and eat hastas and any other ornamentals out of your yard, too.

Up until about 20 years ago, one of my grandmothers was always saying stuff like "don't hurt the deer" or "how can you stand to do that". Then she saw how the deer were destroying their ornamentals... then she was like "KILL 'EM ALL!" She knew I had tags for ten does and two bucks... didn't understand why I wasn't in a hurry to fill twelve tags.

This last deer season, after Georgia green-lighted hunting over bait on private property, there was a huge volume of legally harvested deer. If I understand right, the taxidermists are still working to get caught up.

Couldn't tell how many fawns to expect this year. I'm not hardly seeing the deer around here right now. Kinda odd.
 
They sneak around at night and eat hastas and any other ornamentals out of your yard too .
We don't have much ornamental stuff but the veggies are taking a hit this year. Beans, peppers and eggplant plants have been "trimmed". They are even topping the new growth on the raspberry patch. And I am surrounded by acres of natural habitat... go figure. o_O
 
Around here they are enjoying my greenbeans and the tops of the shorter tomato plants, last week they found the salad tomatoes and cleaned them out. What they don't eat they destroy by walking on the plants. My 84yo mother wants to sit up one night with her S&W 38 and "take care of" our "cute" deer problem.
The comercial deer away products haven't worked, neither has the urinating around the perimeter.
 
We seem to have a lot of them here in the forest. I call short section of the county road leading out here "Deer alley". Always slow down and exercise caution driving on it.
 
The DNR up in Door County WI has issued 6 tags again this season. 1 buck and 5 antlerless. Lots of deer around for sure...until opening day lol. Bagged two last year and passed on a 3rd thinking it would be too much venison. My daughters and wife lit me up for not taking that third one. If I'm fortunate enough again to see some deer this season, I'll put them in the freezer.

On a serious note, we have noticed the impact on our land in the amount of browse that's being eaten. And we don't see any baby samplings any more. They're even eating and killing the young cedars.

Definitely gonna do my best to fill all the tags this year. I'll freeze what we need and donate the rest.
 
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Y'all with the gardens are describing the problem in my area. Around here, anymore, if there's a garden in sight of the road, there's a fence around it. Electrified... one strand, two, three... won't stop 'em. Mesh field fence and the deer won't usually jump in.
 
Around here to many farmers would rather complain about the deer than actually DO anything.

Was talking to a gal at work, even offered to come down a pop a doe or 2, she told me they only allow family and only shoot bucks....all the while talking about how much of their beans had been wiped out.

Guess I should clarify, I am in Nebraska....the deer run a touch bigger and as far as I know, individuals can only take a max of 4 deer...IF they are in the correct unit, otherwise, only max of 2
 
Up until about 20 years ago, one of my grandmothers was always saying stuff like "don't hurt the deer" or "how can you stand to do that". Then she saw how the deer were destroying their ornamentals... then she was like "KILL 'EM ALL!" She knew I had tags for ten does and two bucks... didn't understand why I wasn't in a hurry to fill twelve tags.

Did your Grandmother give you a M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle and several ammo boxes full of 30-06 for Christmas?


Just saying... it would make for a better story!
 
Usually all I have to do to keep deer away is renew my license and buy a tag... o_O
Yep! Me too. Skunked the last three or four years. They don't mind destroying my garden and waking up my dogs for early and late hour barking sessions all summer, but right when opener comes, they're someplace else.

We need a "boom" in population up here. I told my Dad the other day we might even need to have a hog problem here if the Whitetail are this few and far between. The wolf dens on our farms don't help. But they're protected I believe so God help you if you put one down.
 
Did your Grandmother give you a M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle and several ammo boxes full of 30-06 for Christmas?


Just saying... it would make for a better story!

Funny you should mention the BAR... my Grandaddy, her husband, was a BARman in the Pacific Theater, but he preferred the M1 Garand. Grandmama was generally rather negative toward guns and didn't see a point in being armed ahead of whatever. But, you know, when you see the deer step out of cover you can't tell 'em "wait right there while I go get my gun."
 
The military BAR's look so cool... I have always wanted one! I think I would despise the BAR after the first 100 yards of marching though! I do love shooting my Garand... it would be better for carrying but would still get heavy pretty quick. At least the Garand is a really soft shooter... when compared to a 30-06 hunting rifle atleast.
 
The state of Wisconsin just informed me that I am to receive 4 free antlerless tags for each license I have. That means I have a total of 8 antlerless and two buck tags for the year. 8 free antlerless tags tells me that there are unlimited tags also available for purchase over the counter for $12. Is it a population boon? Somewhat, but also a case of reducing herd numbers due to CWD, the inaccessibility to much of the better deer hunting areas and the fact too many hunters are reluctant to shoot antlerless deer. You can give out 20 million free tags but if folks can't hunt where the deer are and those that can, won't shoot antlerless, it's kinda a moot point.
 
Well, yeah but I just got done chasing a doe out of the green bean patch. :cuss:
I guess all that wild food ain't as tasty as my green bean plants..? :mad:





I have two strands of electric fencing around my garden. It does seem to keep 'em out.

I'll hunt bow season with my Xbow, but I doubt I'll hunt the gun season. I haven't made much of a dent in the six deer I shot last year on MLD permits and I have an elk hunt planned for this winter. :D
 
Deer are like goats. Too many is really bad thing for themselves. Left unchecked they will eat themselves out of the Forrest. I live in Virginia Beach. I remember a guy that had a doe living in his back yard. And this was in the center of the city. The only woods, about a mile away. This was right off the Main Congested Blvd. And this guys backyard lined right up to a large upscale Strip mall on both sides of the Blvd.
 
We have a boom going on over here in Maryland. Seems that the past two weeks it's been "fauning time". There's a whole bunch of Doe running around with twins and triplets. We've had a really wet fall and a wet and mild winter, plus a wet Spring, so there's a lot of food. So a lot of babies are surviving. ;) PLUS we have huge areas where there is no hunting so they are protected. The Snowflakes then complain as the deer devastate all that fancy landscaping in those fancy neighborhoods (apparently Hostas and Topiary Hedges taste better than the plain old woods) :D

Driving down one road last night, I counted a half-dozen fawn so small they couldn't be a week old.

LD
 
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