Interesting Harvest Trend

[Liv4Rut]

Since I have been sitting on the side lines for the past couple weeks during shotgun season I have been tracking the deer harvest trends. Earlier today we had harvested 56,012 does, and 56,493 bucks. This includes antlered, button, and shed bucks. We are currently at a harvest ratio of .99 doe for every buck or pretty much 1:1 doe to buck ratio.

I realize over the course of the next few weeks it wil probably flip flop to more does than bucks but I thought that was interesting that it is right at 1:1. Granted this is only this year. I was wondering what everyones thoughts were on this? Also what do you think future trends will show?

I don't know the past data. I suspect over the course of the first few years of the doe tags it was a much higher ratio that gradually decreased down towards 1:1. At some point, I could see some folks not shooting does and possibly seeing more bucks than does being shot.

Do you think a 1:1 harvest ratio will drastically reduce the herd? I wouldn't think it would compared to a 3:1 doe to buck ratio etc.

Or maybe I am looking at this wrong. If you add the button bucks and shed bucks to the anterless harvest the ratio shoots up to 1.58 antlerless deer to an antlered deer. Just wondering what others thought is all.

 

[venison_fan]

First off, I think you have too much time on your hands. :grin: (j/k)
Second, I think you need to add the button bucks and shed deer into the doe category. They were shot as antlerless deer.

A 1:1 ratio will keep herd numbers down, as long as the overall harvest number stays high. I personally think you are going to see it level off to a 1:1 in future years and stay at that.

I live in one of those pockets that got the crap hunted out of it as soon as the DNR started issuing extra doe tags. The first two years they hauled deer out around here by the truckloads. This year the numbers are getting low enough that nobody hunted the november antlerless season, and a couple groups didn't even bother doing drives around here during shotgun season.

That tells me that hunters are smart enough to back off when they notice the numbers being low, and will equal fewer does being shot regardless of tags available.

Now, I know some of you are going to come back with "b.s. I saw two million deer this year.....". Good for you. I see lower numbers here and am hearing the same thing from many other hunters that hunt within 30 miles of me. Aside from pockets here and there that more than likely are on property with limited hunting access, I think our deer numbers are getting under control and we are going to see less does harvested.

 

[Dbl.throat_patch]

B.S. I saw a million deer this year. No really, I think your on to something liv. I would have actually guessed the buck to do ration around where I hunt to be real close to 1:1. It seemed like I seen more bucks than does this year. Granted most of the bucks were year and half old. But it was real normal for me to see 5-7 different bucks every time in the stand. Rarely did I see more than 2-3 does.

 

[loneranger]

Five to seven different bucks, in one sit !? I saw 5 to 7 in 23 sits! Am I in the same state? Or just have crapy land.?

 

[crietveld]

I think the ratio last year was close to 1:1 as well. In my opinion as the number of deer decreases we will see more bucks than does harvested. Judging from some of the comments on here this year I think alot of hunters will be reluctant to harvest does next year.

 

[JakeWym]

Five to seven different bucks, in one sit !? I saw 5 to 7 in 23 sits! Am I in the same state? Or just have crapy land.?

I'm with you there.

 

[venison_fan]

B.S. I saw a million deer this year. No really, I think your on to something liv. I would have actually guessed the buck to do ration around where I hunt to be real close to 1:1. It seemed like I seen more bucks than does this year. Granted most of the bucks were year and half old. But it was real normal for me to see 5-7 different bucks every time in the stand. Rarely did I see more than 2-3 does.

I know you didn't make it out enough this year to see a million deer. Plus, I'm not sure you can count that high.

I'm with you on the doe thing. I saw very few of them, but I saw at least 2-3 bucks every sitting. The majority of them were young deer.

 

[THEBAD]

This post helps make a point I have been telling my friends over and over. We as hunters are a management tool, but the thing most hunters don't understand is that we as hunters have all the power. Just because the state issues Doe tags DOES NOT mean we have to shoot does or fill all the tags available to us. We as hunters need to do whats right for the properties we hunt and whats right for wildlife on those said properties. Of course this must be done within the rules of the state . But in the end it is all up to us and what we decide to shoot or not decide to shoot....be it buck or doe.

 

[JNRBRONC]

This post helps make a point I have been telling my friends over and over. We as hunters are a management tool, but the thing most hunters don't understand is that we as hunters have all the power. Just because the state issues Doe tags DOES NOT mean we have to shoot does or fill all the tags available to us. We as hunters need to do whats right for the properties we hunt and whats right for wildlife on those said properties. Of course this must be done within the rules of the state . But in the end it is all up to us and what we decide to shoot or not decide to shoot....be it buck or doe.

X10

It is the hunters pulling the trigger/hitting the release, not the DNR.

That said, no shortage of deer in the areas I hunt. Heaven forbid that it might get to the point to where skill is required.

 

[Dbl.throat_patch]

Five to seven different bucks, in one sit !? I saw 5 to 7 in 23 sits! Am I in the same state? Or just have crapy land.?

It's the gods honest truth. Like I said, most of the buck were small forks or 6-8 basket racks. I had a lot of fun videoing this year. If I was a little more computer savy I would share some of my hunts. I have one hunt that I got video where I pass up 3 decent bucks at very killable ranges. They were anywhere from 120" to 130" 8 pointers. The sad part is, I ended up taking one of the bucks I passed 2 weeks later. I'm so weak.

 

[G6]

X10

It is the hunters pulling the trigger/hitting the release, not the DNR.

That said, no shortage of deer in the areas I hunt. Heaven forbid that it might get to the point to where skill is required.

Exactly right, you don't have to shoot the does just manage it on your own be it on state or private ground. I know I won't be shooting more than 1 or 2 does next year because I didn't see many around here either. I have 4 bow tags that will probably go unfilled this year also. I talked to my brother up in Wisconsin and it seems they have the same problem because of the earn a buck program.

 

[bowmaker]

Well I have to agree with those who say there are fewer deer, as per usual. I just checked the up to date harvest numbers and it is pretty dismal. Total harvest so far is 113548 with 56574 actually being does. That is 50 percent of the harvest so far and the doe numbers will climb a little as the late ML and the January season progress. The last couple of years these seasons have added abut 20,000 to the totals with the bulk of that being does. If, because the numbers of deer has been reported down, those seasons add 17,000 that will only give us a total harvest of 130,000 deer. I know I keep harping on it but that means we have dropped from 211,000 deer harvested in 2005 to 130,000 in 2009 just 4 years later. That is over 40 percent decrease in just those 4 years. This also predicts a 2010 harvest of well under 120,000 deer or maybe even closer to 100,000.

As for the 1:1 ratio, I don't believe that is at all sustainable. How many bucks have you ever seen drop twins? If you shoot a buck then 2 years from now there is 1 less deer in the herd. If you shoot a doe, then 2 years from now there are 8 fewer deer in the herd. That accounts for a mature doe that will have twins this year and next year and at least 1 of each set of twins have a single fawn. Just stop and think what that will do if we continue shooting does at a 50 percent ratio.

There have been lots of reports of bucks fighting and having antlers that are all broken up this year which leads to the conclusion that there are probably too many bucks for the numbers of available does. What happens to the stress levels of those bucks and what will that do to the over winter survival? For those who think that this kind of ratio is good and healthy for the deer herd I have to ask a question. If you have a herd of cattle, or sheep, or horses, or chickens how many of you would have 1 male for every female? What kind of farmer or rancher would ever even consider such a thing? If we are truly trying to "MANAGE" our deer herd please give one good reason for this kind of ratio, other than we would see more bucks, at least for a couple of years. We talk so much about genetics and culling the herd so how in the world could any genetics or desirable traits be protected in a 1:1 ratio?

We as responsible hunters should curtail the harvest of does and I think that many here are coming to understand this. The problem is that this board has a couple thousand members who fall into those responsible knowledgeable hunters category, but what about the other 350,000 deer hunters in Iowa? Do they know or care that the deer herd is reduced by such horrific numbers? As long as they can buy doe tags for $12.00 and hunt deer and kill and then give them to HUSH or some where else many of them don't care. Many of them hunt one or at most 2 week ends a year and listen to all the hype about Iowa having too many deer so they shoot as many as they can, thinking that they are helping. Some how we responsible deer hunters need to change this thought pattern and it hurts me to say it, but the IDNR is more a part of the problem than a part of the cure. Some where and some time some one has to say enough is enough and I am willing to do that so let's get started. :way:

 

[Liv4Rut]

Great points made guys!! I think the hush program does have an impact and I also believe that it is an awesome program but only 7300 deer were donated last year. So I don't think it is making a huge impact on the deer shot, but who knows I guess. Keep em coming.

 

[JNRBRONC]

Well I have to agree with those who say there are fewer deer, as per usual.

No argument here, the population has been thinned, but it all depends on your hunting area.

As for the 1:1 ratio, I don't believe that is at all sustainable. How many bucks have you ever seen drop twins? If you shoot a buck then 2 years from now there is 1 less deer in the herd. If you shoot a doe, then 2 years from now there are 8 fewer deer in the herd. That accounts for a mature doe that will have twins this year and next year and at least 1 of each set of twins have a single fawn. Just stop and think what that will do if we continue shooting does at a 50 percent ratio.

I could turn this around to argue that deer have huge reproduction potential and could rebound in a year or two.

There have been lots of reports of bucks fighting and having antlers that are all broken up this year which leads to the conclusion that there are probably too many bucks for the numbers of available does.

No such thing as too many bucks in Darwin evolution where the strongest prevail to pass their genes on.

What happens to the stress levels of those bucks and what will that do to the over winter survival?

What happens when the bucks run breeding does for a full month? Getting extremely worn down from an extended breeding season. If the ratios are better, the rut is abbreviated. Also, with fewer deer in the area, more food available for the bucks to rebound after the rut, though I don't think food is too limiting in Iowa.

For those who think that this kind of ratio is good and healthy for the deer herd I have to ask a question. If you have a herd of cattle, or sheep, or horses, or chickens how many of you would have 1 male for every female? What kind of farmer or rancher would ever even consider such a thing? If we are truly trying to "MANAGE" our deer herd please give one good reason for this kind of ratio, other than we would see more bucks, at least for a couple of years. We talk so much about genetics and culling the herd so how in the world could any genetics or desirable traits be protected in a 1:1 ratio?

Deer aren't raised as livestock, they are wildlife and thus fall under different management philosophy.

We as responsible hunters should curtail the harvest of does and I think that many here are coming to understand this. The problem is that this board has a couple thousand members who fall into those responsible knowledgeable hunters category, but what about the other 350,000 deer hunters in Iowa? Do they know or care that the deer herd is reduced by such horrific numbers? As long as they can buy doe tags for $12.00 and hunt deer and kill and then give them to HUSH or some where else many of them don't care. Many of them hunt one or at most 2 week ends a year and listen to all the hype about Iowa having too many deer so they shoot as many as they can, thinking that they are helping. Some how we responsible deer hunters need to change this thought pattern and it hurts me to say it, but the IDNR is more a part of the problem than a part of the cure. Some where and some time some one has to say enough is enough and I am willing to do that so let's get started. :way:

Enough is enough when the local people reach their management goals, which are completely up to them.