Deer Numbers

W

Waterfowler2001

Member
Went deer hunting tha last weekend it was open, around the smith center area killed only 2 does, deer numbers are way down my guess due to drought. Seems like we saw more mule deer than whitetails...only saw 6 pheasants
 
I talked to the game warden in Johnson county on Saturday and he told me had not checked one deer this entire season! He said blue tongue had taken out 40% in some areas. Sad.

Rut
 
Not where I hunt, deer everywhere. Seeing way more deer than pheasants but every draw we go into 1015 deer jump out. At my house in De Soto deer are thick 5-10 in my yard everyday with a nice 14 pointer by my window today.

Zeepo
 
Zeepo, if you want me to take care of that peeping tom 14 point, just let me know, I would hate to see that kind of activity ruin your neighborhood!:)

Rut
 
Zeepo said:
Not where I hunt, deer everywhere. Seeing way more deer than pheasants but every draw we go into 1015 deer jump out. At my house in De Soto deer are thick 5-10 in my yard everyday with a nice 14 pointer by my window today.

Zeepo
Click to expand...

Have bow will travel if you need them thinned out.:D

I talked to the Jeff Co. GW and he said EHD hit pretty hard there too. I have sat way too much not to have one in the freezer. Worst year of my hunting I have every experienced since back in the day as the kids say. So far this year my highlight has been a Jake Turkey in the spring. I do have to say the boy is having a bang up year with a gooble and an 8pt in the freezer:cheers:

So it ain't all bad:thumbsup:
 
Very few deer hit on the roads statewide this fall. KDWP is going to have to take a hard look at how our herd is being managed. Its not good. Deer are down, pheasants are down, duck hunting has been poor to lack of water, very few turkeys in sek (although they are thick in most of the state). Lots of predators though.
 
Rutt,

How are the dog boots working out? Yeah we have lots of deer but no hunters since I live in the City limits. I do guess bow hunting would be legal. I hunt NW of Hays and I have seen more big deer this year then ever.

zeepo
 
The boots are working great! It took a couple times of putting them on to figure out the best way to do it, but it is a life saver for this dogs soft feet.

Rut
 
I have seen more deer and turkeys this year then birds.
(Yes, I know that turkeys are birds, but you get the picture. :) )
 
I, nor my 3 friends that hunt with me did not see the deer #'s we have seen in the past. But, that being said with the cover being as abysmal as it was this year, if you found an area with ok cover and a steady water supply (Id just look on google earth for windmills and nearby cattle activity), then youd do ok.

Deer will move/migrate quite a ways if they have to in order to survive, this is especially true in western ks. I also think the hot weather all during deer season played a role in hunters not seeing the deer numbers they normally do. When its nice they will lay out in stubble fields in a low spot all day, or in a buffalo grass pasture in a neck. They dont need to go to the trees or the thickest crp around.


Anyways, as an auto insurance adjuster Ive noticed I have got a fraction of the deer hit claims assigned to me that I normally do this time of year. However I attribute that to a few things. Its just a little hypothesis Ive come up with.

Normally starting in September/October corn harvest will be in full swing, then you have bean harvest, and milo harvest. Most fields were nuked by the sun this year so the harvest activity was WAY down and was over way quick. Harvest normally will "Stir" up the deer - this activity was drastically reduced from last year and the year before.

Starting bird season you normally have lots of hunters out in the field also "stirring" up the deer...this did not happen this year.

Couple that with the deer only have very small pockets of cover that they are traveling between....anyways you get the picture. I dont think as many deer died this summer as people believe. Later this winter (if we get a cold spell for a while) when they really herd up, you will probably be able to get a better indicator of the deer numbers. Id say they are down but not as much as people think.

Out west I dont mind that some of the CRP is coming out. Ive noticed less white tails in some areas and more mulies which is my deer of choice.
 
Deer numbers at our place look about the same. Predators, varmints, and birds of prey are up. Rabbits seem to be down. Turkeys are doing very well. I see lots of turkey pics on the trailcam and it looks like they had exceptional nesting success.

Deer on some friends' farms are way down though, with many found dead from a range of causes, probably including EHD.
 
A landowner in cherokee county had around 60 dead deer on his property. KDWP investigated it and it was found to be EHD. The herd has been devastated here.
 
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