Harvest Numbers

[newfarmer]

I just checked and saw that harvest numbers are 87,337- so do we think we are going to break 100,000- or is this exactly what is needed for the DNR to just start dropping doe tags? Do you think they can react now? Because I feel like if we dont break 100,000, we more than likely wont next year- and then the cycle starts of low numbers. Any thoughts, insight, just general good debate on it?

In all reality, it was by far the worst year for numbers of deer seen for me and several of my buddies- none of us shotgun hunt, but are in the woods alot. I travel all over Iowa on a weekly basis and saw the fewest numbers I have seen in a very long time, and never saw the usual bucks pinned down out in fields. Concerned that maybe we wont have the fawn crop next year either.

 

[Tim Tracy]

I've been watching the counties I hunt as well, and the numbers are alarming but to be honest this is my first year watching them numbers trickle in so I'm not sure how this compares to this same time last year? I'd have to think that the bulk of the harvest is reported, and the entire state is down. I have heard a lot of reports that match yours newfarmer and I just hope the hunters and DNR do what's right for the herd. My biggest fear is that this just plays into the CWD playbook of killing all the deer before they die from CWD. That being said, I honestly could care less about CWD amid the perpetual waves of EHD.

 

[Hardwood11]

What’s the highest harvest number since 2015?

 

[Tim Tracy]

What’s the highest harvest number since 2015?

109,618 in 2022.

 

[Bucksnbears]

As of ( right at dark) tonight, there were about 150 deer across the river 1/2 mile east of me and another 75 or so 1/4 miles north of me.
I'm the only one that has done ANY habitat improvement.
Fearful that all my hard work is gonna be destroyed with those kind of numbers.
Am super happy with the amount of nice bucks around though.

Winter here was insanely mild last year and is also so far this year.

Winter severity is by far our most contributing factor on deer #s.

Merry Christmas to all of you.

 

[Tim Tracy]

As of ( right at dark) tonight, there were about 150 deer across the river 1/2 mile east of me and another 75 or so 1/4 miles north of me.
I'm the only one that has done ANY habitat improvement.
Fearful that all my hard work is gonna be destroyed with those kind of numbers.
Am super happy with the amount of nice bucks around though.

Winter here was insanely mild last year and is also so far this year.

Winter severity is by far our most contributing factor on deer #s.

Merry Christmas to all of you.

If winter severity is the most contributing factor and last year was mild, what explains the statewide dip this year. I'd have placed every cent I own on EHD but I'm always open other perspectives. In talking with the game warden in the area I hunt he also thinks EHD is the controlling factor in herd health right now.

 

[Bucksnbears]

Tim, I'm in Nw Mn.

 

[Tim Tracy]

Tim, I'm in Nw Mn.

Gotcha, that makes way more sense to my simple mind now! I live in MN as well but more Central and although less frequently than you guy sup there, we definitely see winterkill. Kinda sucks, we have food, no wolves but too little cover and you guys have cover with less food and wolves.

 

[Sligh1]

Dnr’s new article involves a lot of common sense. Thanks to Jace Elliot of the DNR. I’ve had several meetings/discussions with Jace on EHD, approach to cwd, doe tags, etc. Extremely impressed.
Give u a LONG story short on EHD….
Several states have done “dead deer recovery studies” & the best data/results they have seen is a 10% recovery rate. Using the absolute best data, iowa dnr estimated that with 3,000 ehd cases (now 3,100 as of TODAY) is actually no less than 30,000. & that doesn’t even factor in people finding them but not reporting. I’d argue we are closer to 50,000++ actual cases.
We are slightly above 2023 ehd reports. Bummer. Which means, at bare bones, we are at 30,000 loss x 2 years, 60,000 bare bones conservative. Again, most likely 100,000+++ dead in 2 years. With a deer herd under 500,000…. This is not minimal.
Our harvest will be down in 2024. But with guys that “still find a deer to shoot”‘with legal tags…. The reality is, we have drastically reduced our population & harvest data will lag behind on showing the reality of how many less deer there are.
We need immediate reductions in doe tags. We need shed buck season GONE. At this pace…. We will likely be down for harvest in 2024 & the trajectory down will continue for at least 1-3 more years if nothing changes. The sky isn’t falling. But we have some real issues and challenges & we need the dnr & legislator to continue to react. They are doing a good job (more so DNR).
I can’t repeat this enough: we need to tell the story to EVERYONE (hunter, non-hunter, your legislator, etc…. EHD is devastating our state & CWD should all but be shelved ACCEPT funding to funding cure/resistance. CWD is NOT our big issue (other than government reaction to it). EHD is!!!

LINK TO DNR article…. EXCELLENT…

Dec. 23 Iowa Outdoors

content.govdelivery.com

 

[8bitnes]

If winter severity is the most contributing factor and last year was mild, what explains the statewide dip this year. I'd have placed every cent I own on EHD but I'm always open other perspectives. In talking with the game warden in the area I hunt he also thinks EHD is the controlling factor in herd health right now.

Did you miss the 16" of snow in January that was followed by 5-6 days straight of negative high temps? Food is covered deep and body heat loss was rapid. That was rough on the herd and widespread

 

[Wapsi Tree Rat]

Did you miss the 16" of snow in January that was followed by 5-6 days straight of negative high temps? Food is covered deep and body heat loss was rapid. That was rough on the herd and widespread

There was only 2 days with negative highs. Funny how we remember it being way worse than it actually was.

About a week that really sucked, but followed quickly by a substantial warmup -especially for mid January norms. I feel like overall it really was a pretty easy winter with little to no effect on the herd. Just my personal observation....

 

[hillrunner]

There was only 2 days with negative highs. Funny how we remember it being way worse than it actually was.

About a week that really sucked, but followed quickly by a substantial warmup -especially for mid January norms. I feel like overall it really was a pretty easy winter with little to no effect on the herd. Just my personal observation....


View attachment 129020

I remember it as an easy winter with only 1 week of real cold. I was doing dirt work in February with no frost in the ground.

 

[8bitnes]

There was only 2 days with negative highs. Funny how we remember it being way worse than it actually was.

About a week that really sucked, but followed quickly by a substantial warmup -especially for mid January norms. I feel like overall it really was a pretty easy winter with little to no effect on the herd. Just my personal observation....


View attachment 129020

I was factoring in the wind chill. So add the 13th, 16th, 19th, and 20th. 6 of 8 days subzero with food fully blanketed and in many areas iced over due to the weather that started on the 12th.
I remember it a little better since I drove over 25 hours throughout the event, blowing a leak into the overworked heater core in my truck, and then I found five mature bucks a month later that succumbed to it

Beyond that, yes, a very mild winter. Even up north the MN resorts really struggled to get safe ice. But, going a full week without reliable food and warmth is not good for mature bucks shortly following the rut