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Numbers ????

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Cooter

Cooter

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I am not a shotgun hunter I mainly bow hunt so I was wondering if guys could give some input on the number of deer you are seeing in your areas? I personaly did not see the numbers Id like to see but I hunt small crick bottoms that get gun hunted heavily.Four years ago there was a herd of around twenty does to the five I seen this year. I know the numbers needed to come down but I dont think the area I hunt can take too many more seasons of this!!!!!!!!!
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Around my farm ...and area...numbers are WAY down.I realize its not to point of decimating the herd,but the extra doe tags were nice for awhile but it needs to end.
 
Seems down around here as well. It doesnt help when guys divide property up just to get more landowner tags. It is time to change the landowner rules and only give tags out to 80 acres plus.
 
Hopefu;;y the new reporting system implemented this year will allow our bologists to make a educated decesions on county quotas. It will be interesting see the data as it becomes available.
 
I'm really looking forward to seeing the numbers also because I think some areas are being over gunned.
 
I dont think the land owner tags are the big problem I filled my land owner tag(36 acers) and still have two tags left that probly wont get filled ( bow anysex and bow doe tag that I am calling save a doe foundation)I think the problem is the hunters or land owners that have alot of ground and only a few people hunt so the places that get hunted heavily are getting hunted out and the others be come deer sanctuary for large deer numbers
 
I hunted a deer management zone (Johnson Co.) yesterday and saw good numbers of deer. I ended up shooting 4 does. Talked to a buddy last night who hunted a different deer management zone yesterday (Washington Co.) and he saw lots of deer, he shot 8 does and had 2 tags left to fill today.
 
We hunt a couple of very large timbers with our Shotgun group and saw 1/2 of the does that we normally see. We did see a few more mature bucks but only 2 smaller ones. IMO it is time for the extra doe tags to stop here in East Central Iowa. The numbers are way down!
 
A few people I talked to that hunted this weekend also said that the deer numbers being seen were down. Maybe we were just spoiled over the last couple of years being able to hunt and take so many deer. Maybe this is the way it is supposed to be, having to work for them a little.
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I thought during bow season that the deer numbers where way down. I didnt see near the number of deer this year vs. last year bow hunting. Everybody that I have talked has said the same thing. Our group got checked by a DNR officer this weekend and he also said that deer numbers are way down. He said that if the antlerless quotas are met then it will be like deer hunting in the late 80's again. Should be interesting to see how things pan out.
 
My farm may be the only place in SE Iowa where the numbers are down, but I have been saying just that for the last couple years. So far having hunted Sat evening, Sunday morning and evening for the past 2 weekends, I have seen exactly 7 deer. Three of those were 2 1/2 year olds bucks that walked by me at 15 yards this weenend, I only had an anterless landowner tag. Six outtings, 4 good locations, and not a shot fired yet, where in years gone by I would have killed 4 or 5 deer. Numbers are way more than just down. My property boarders a large public hunting area and I talked to some bow hunters there in mid November and they wern't seeing any deer then. In 5 days 5 hunters killed 1 doe and 1 yearling and didn't see much else.
 
I would agree with the down numbers. Our group only got a total of three deer out of the ten of us this weekend. Keep in mind that we probably hunt more than 500 acres and have not seen nearly the number of deer that we have been in the past years. I could deffinitely tell a difference last year after they had the November antlerless but I don't know if the coyotes could be having a larger impact than the DNR lets on?
 
I would have to see the numbers to make a conclusion. I haven't seen anyless numbers of deer. Most areas I hunt during bowhunting are left alone except a few. They are areas that are practically public hunting during gun seasons. The last year I shotgunned(2yr ago) we thought the numbers were down. That is until we changed the strategy and pushed it a different way. Same as overhunting a stand location, they are learning. I believe the lower numbers you are seeing are more the effect of the November doe season. Call me crazy but I think the deer "know". How many times during non-hunting seasons do you see deer that could care less about you or what you are doing. I don't know how many buck I have stopped to gander at while in velvet. Fall roles along then only the does poke around while the bucks run when you simply slow down.
 
I saw as many or more deer than usual over the weekend. Saw 18 deer(10 does, 8 bucks) within shooting range by 9 am Sat. morning.

Saw over 30 bucks Sat. total, but I'm sure some were the same bucks twice.

Deer #'s in Allamakee Co. still seem good, but I was way off the beaten path.
 
I also think that the numbers are down on the farms that I bowhunt. I am awaiting the total deer harvest numbers to be released to see if their "estimates" the previous years are anywhere close to the number that are called in this year.
 
We had ideal conditions for seeing deer last year, cold weather, SNOW.

No snow this year.That's probably the reason sightings are down.
 
We hunt Adair county and we seen a tone of deer. This was one of our best years for hunting. I think it depends on the county and weather. I went down and bow hunted south east Iowa this fall and seen a tone of deer there also.
 
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