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Thoughts on deer prospects this year?

IowaBowHunter1983

IowaBowHunter1983

Well-Known Member
Staff member
I've talked to ALOT of people about this.... A few are on good deer but there is a common theme I keep hearing. Not a big deer to chase and overall numbers are down. Even in areas with no apparent EHD.

Several folks I do work for with good size farms and killer set ups scratching their head.

General sentiments out there?
 
Tons of deer on my pieces, but nothing quality so far. Luckily, EHD a non factor this year. None of our returning bucks had stellar growing years either.

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Have pictures of 3 target bucks this year. Overall deer numbers way down. Got hammered by ehd last year. Found 4 is all this year. Silver lining is less deer to ruin my new tree plantings I guess. Picture of some of the bucks i found last year.20240905_180256.jpg
 
This is very common today even on the best farms around...A couple of main reasons stick out the most to me..Technology has made it too easy to kill the good genetic young bucks and hunters definitely kill lots of them. When I say technology I mainly mean things like cell cams and weapons like 500 yard muzzleloaders. Also, no one wants to shoot the older low scoring cull bucks and they began to dominate areas. Just think how many bucks you see that really have no potential at all to be big..I'd say 90% of the bucks I see fit that category and I'm in what's considered a "great area". Lots of other reasons but those 2 stand out the most to me.
 
tall@wide said:
This is very common today even on the best farms around...A couple of main reasons stick out the most to me..Technology has made it too easy to kill the good genetic young bucks and hunters definitely kill lots of them. When I say technology I mainly mean things like cell cams and weapons like 500 yard muzzleloaders. Also, no one wants to shoot the older low scoring cull bucks and they began to dominate areas. Just think how many bucks you see that really have no potential at all to be big..I'd say 90% of the bucks I see fit that category and I'm in what's considered a "great area". Lots of other reasons but those 2 stand out the most to me.
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I agree i have a small farm and there's probably 4 bucks that frequent my farm that need to go!! All mature with shit headgear!

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tall@wide said:
This is very common today even on the best farms around...A couple of main reasons stick out the most to me..Technology has made it too easy to kill the good genetic young bucks and hunters definitely kill lots of them. When I say technology I mainly mean things like cell cams and weapons like 500 yard muzzleloaders. Also, no one wants to shoot the older low scoring cull bucks and they began to dominate areas. Just think how many bucks you see that really have no potential at all to be big..I'd say 90% of the bucks I see fit that category and I'm in what's considered a "great area". Lots of other reasons but those 2 stand out the most to me.
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100% on the low scoring bully bucks. Got two of them right now that I will shoot given a chance. Smart landowners will use their new floating LO tag on those bucks, but many won't.
 
tall@wide said:
This is very common today even on the best farms around...A couple of main reasons stick out the most to me..Technology has made it too easy to kill the good genetic young bucks and hunters definitely kill lots of them. When I say technology I mainly mean things like cell cams and weapons like 500 yard muzzleloaders. Also, no one wants to shoot the older low scoring cull bucks and they began to dominate areas. Just think how many bucks you see that really have no potential at all to be big..I'd say 90% of the bucks I see fit that category and I'm in what's considered a "great area". Lots of other reasons but those 2 stand out the most to me.
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Nailed it. ^^ Now combine those factors with EHD and land segmentation, where smaller and smaller parcels are being hunted very effectively and thoroughly...it is very tough to get a buck to 5+ in that mix.
 
After the hard EHD losses of last year I am pleased to say that we still have huntable numbers of bucks and does this year. However, in the main, the class structure is definitely way on the younger side, both buck and doe and overall numbers are below long term norms in our area.

Consequently, we will again this year hold back on harvest. We shot one last year and one so far this year. We may just take 1 or 2 more and call it. Normally we would take 12+ per year and arguably that wasn’t enough.
 
Agree, land keeps getting parceled down & bowhunting pressure in particular is off the charts compared to when I started. Throw in rifles and cell cams and quite frankly, good young bucks don’t really have much of a chance to grow up in many areas. The last two years have been especially bad. Lucky if there is even one 5 yr old buck to hunt.
 
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I should cull a bully if given the opportunity. He throws some spindly junk that gets all busted up. Last year basically busted one whole side off a tine at a time. He lost his left eye last year fighting. Basic 8 pt this year, tall bladed G2’s, so far hasn’t busted it up last I saw on cam. Only things holding me back is not wanting to have taxidermy done, don’t want the meat and hope a neighbor takes him out.


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This question has ran through my head this year often. Had couple deer make it through last year and would hit the 5/6 yo mark. Don H was predicting stellar growth this year with easy winter and decent growing year outside of late summer turning dry when we had decent food from the adequate moisture in spring. I know of one deer that would be high scoring and I’d say he put on average growth. Outside of that below average quality again this year. Falls right into a thread several discussed a few months back about prime areas in the past struggle to put out quality deer like they used to. No doubt there have been several 200+ deer killed this year from Iowa to Ohio but my observation in NW MO SWIA is meh.
 
Muskrat24 said:
This question has ran through my head this year often. Had couple deer make it through last year and would hit the 5/6 yo mark. Don H was predicting stellar growth this year with easy winter and decent growing year outside of late summer turning dry when we had decent food from the adequate moisture in spring. I know of one deer that would be high scoring and I’d say he put on average growth. Outside of that below average quality again this year. Falls right into a thread several discussed a few months back about prime areas in the past struggle to put out quality deer like they used to. No doubt there have been several 200+ deer killed this year from Iowa to Ohio but my observation in NW MO SWIA is meh.
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Agree. My target last year was likely pushing 200 with a 3rd beam and junk everywhere. This year, he’s back but lost 20+ inches and all of the junk. Still has his trademark split G2 and G3s and is a nice deer, but nothing like last year.

Doe and buck numbers are considerably down. A couple mature 8pt ers that need to go but that’s about it on this SWIA farm.

Thankfully, we haven’t seen any sign of EHD, but know it has hit the neighborhood hard again.


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Muskrat24 said:
This question has ran through my head this year often. Had couple deer make it through last year and would hit the 5/6 yo mark. Don H was predicting stellar growth this year with easy winter and decent growing year outside of late summer turning dry when we had decent food from the adequate moisture in spring. I know of one deer that would be high scoring and I’d say he put on average growth. Outside of that below average quality again this year. Falls right into a thread several discussed a few months back about prime areas in the past struggle to put out quality deer like they used to. No doubt there have been several 200+ deer killed this year from Iowa to Ohio but my observation in NW MO SWIA is meh.
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I had poor antler growth in my area this year too. I think it was caused by last years drought, and next years poor growth will be from this years drought.
 
IowaBowHunter1983 said:
I've talked to ALOT of people about this.... A few are on good deer but there is a common theme I keep hearing. Not a big deer to chase and overall numbers are down. Even in areas with no apparent EHD.

Several folks I do work for with good size farms and killer set ups scratching their head.

General sentiments out there?
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My experience is the same........less deer and smaller antlers.
 
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