Deer Wars

[oldgene]

It seems Iowa is not the only state with some disagreements over how to handle the deer herd. I just read an article in the July 2005 Field & Stream about the battle they are having in Pennsylvania over the size of the deer herd and how to manage it. (I wish I was techy enough to down load it for you but maybe someone else will.) It sounds to me as if it's a fight over quality vs quanity. Maybe some of our eastern people can spread some light on the issue. The article gave some interesting facts such as the % of antlered harvest age 2 1/2 or older increased from 20% to 50% from 2001 -2002 to 2004 - 2005 season. The also harvested 284,910 antlerless and 124,410 antlered. The article talks about hunters seeing 20 - 50 deer a day before they increased the number of doe tags, now they claim to see only 4 or 5 a week. I'm just a retired government employee but if your seeing 50 deer a day you may have a problem.

 

[IA ML'r]

I just read some of that article in a waiting room today.

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harvested 284,910 antlerless and 124,410 antlered

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If Iowa could get a ratio like that (2.3:1 or almost 70% antlerless)we wouldn't need drastic measures to increase doe harvest.

 

[bowmaker]

I think the biggest part of the statement is going from 50 deer a day to 4 or 5 a week. That is what I've been preaching about. After several years of increased antlerless harvest down here I see lots fewer deer than in other years at least in my area whether hunting or just driving the roads. With even more pressure on the does with the extra seasons and the rifle thing, I wonder what the next couple of years will bring. There may be way to many deer some places but not with in a 10 mile radis of my farm, and that is next to a couple thousand acres of government land where I'm afraid the rifle bullets will be flying.

 

[203ntyp]

I have not read the article but being from Pa. I can give my perspective. This is a large state with a lot of timber, the problem with the management program is that the areas with public access have been devestated by the liberal doe tags & seasons leaving a lot of disappointed hunters coming back from a week at deer camp & some not even seeing one deer. Years ago there was a large deer heard in these areas but know it's like an endangered species.

The last two seasons the buck harvest was way down due to the antler restrictions & there were some nice deer taken but I have photos from 10 years ago, way before antler restrictions that show that there were just as many nice buck being taken. I'm not convinved it's working like they want. I have been hunting a rural farm for the last 14 years, since the antler restriction I've seen smaller & fewer buck than I did before. I can't explain that but that's what I've been seeeing & I hunt in a really good area that does not get much pressure.

Rural areas started to see an increase in deer populations about 20 years ago. The deer numbers in some of these areas with limited hunting access have too many deer but only a priveledged few can hunt them. They need to micro-manage the deer in specific areas instead of such large zones like they do now.

The doe seasons are during 6 weeks of archery, in the middle of achery season there is a 1 week muzzleloader hunt for does only & a 3 day rifle season for youths & seniors. Talk about ruining a good archery season! Then there is two full weeks of doe & buck hunting with high powered rifles & anything else you want to use. After that there is another 2 to 3 weeks of archery & muzzleloader. Plenty of extra tags too! They have done what they wanted, lowered the deer population, but I think they went too far.

I believe the only way to get the bigger buck they say they're trying to achieve is by doing what the mid-west states do buy not allowing high powered rifles! It's a massacre & with urban sprawl it's not safe. They have lowered the safety zone distance from 150 yards from an occupied building to 50 yards during the achery season. This will help target the pockets of does that otherwise aren't accessable.

What ever you do, don't let high powered rifle deer hunting come into affect in your great deer hunting state!