|
|
Post by greghopper on Apr 28, 2015 13:26:45 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by tynimiller on Apr 28, 2015 13:33:06 GMT -5
Much smaller harvest drop than I and many expected with all the chatter surrounding it.
|
|
|
|
Post by jjas on Apr 28, 2015 13:54:41 GMT -5
With herd reduction I (like many) expected the numbers to be down a bit and it appears that is what happened.
Regardless.....the sky didn't fall (despite the cries of the chicken little crowd) and I look forward to seeing how many counties have their bonus doe permit numbers adjusted up/down and where the numbers for this fall's harvest will come in.
|
|
|
|
Post by jimstc on Apr 28, 2015 16:11:34 GMT -5
Thanks Greg. Great information, especially for anybody leasing land.
|
|
|
|
Post by Woody Williams on Apr 28, 2015 16:28:52 GMT -5
From the DNR press release….
"Indiana hunters harvested 120,073 deer in the 2014 season, according to data released today by the Department of Natural Resources.
Although it was a decrease from the previous two years, the outcome is by design and reflects DNR efforts to reduce the deer population.
“Several years ago, we modified our management strategy to focus deer herd reduction in a strategically targeted manner to more adequately balance ecological, recreational and economic needs of Indiana citizens,” said Mitch Marcus, chief wildlife biologist for the DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife. “We are no longer managing for a stable to increasing deer herd, so the declines in harvest are expected.”
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 28, 2015 16:50:37 GMT -5
Both counties I hunt stayed in the top 10. Franklin was 4th and Dearborn was 7th. Im not going to complain.
|
|
|
|
Post by trapperdave on Apr 28, 2015 18:25:25 GMT -5
He11, with all the uproar I thought crossbows were gonna put the harvest thru the roof.
another doomsday prophesy debunked
|
|
|
|
Post by Woody Williams on Apr 28, 2015 19:04:21 GMT -5
This is not the first time that the DNR has made a herd reduction. Back in the mid 90s they hit the herd hard. The biggest drop ever in a kill was from 1996 to 1997 when it went down 18, 149 for a 14.7 reduction. The following year it dropped another 4, 476 deer for another 4.3 % reduction. Total over the two years was 22,625 or 19%.
Imagine how the anti-DNR naysayers would be squalling if we had that kind of reduction these last few years..
|
|
|
|
Post by jjas on Apr 28, 2015 19:34:17 GMT -5
This is not the first time that the DNR has made a herd reduction. Back in the mid 90s they hit the herd hard. The biggest drop ever in a kill was from 1996 to 1997 when it went down 18, 149 for a 14.7 reduction. The following year it dropped another 4, 476 deer for another 4.3 % reduction. Total over the two years was 22,625 or 19%. Imagine how the anti-DNR naysayers would be squalling if we had that kind of reduction these last few years.. I did the math and we're talking about a 4.5% harvest reduction from 2013 to 2014. The adult buck harvest was down 1.2%. Hardly worth freaking out over, IMHO. |
|
|
|
Post by Woody Williams on Apr 28, 2015 19:53:00 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by beermanbrian on Apr 30, 2015 20:16:14 GMT -5
I'm glad to see there are still deer in Indiana and that I will once again be able to climb in my stand next year. Thank you to everyone for not harvesting all the whitetail deer.
|
|
|
|
Post by joekelly on May 1, 2015 13:32:38 GMT -5
oh man just wait till cfr's are legal! no more deer!
|
|
|
|
Post by tynimiller on May 6, 2015 8:19:30 GMT -5
With the lower numbers and obvious "success" in lowering overall herd numbers...do any of you feel the DNR will adjust their bonus antlerless quotas? I'll be honest I'm by no means a "SKY IS FALLING, THE DEER ARE EXTINCT" guy but I do feel we have quite the liberal anterless quotas, and will the herd size decreasing I wonder if we'll see a decrease in areas. I also wonder if the DNR has thought about any connection between the passing of HPRs (which is possible here soon) and what that will do to herd harvest numbers?
|
|
|
|
Post by jjas on May 6, 2015 8:37:24 GMT -5
With the lower numbers and obvious "success" in lowering overall herd numbers...do any of you feel the DNR will adjust their bonus antlerless quotas? I'll be honest I'm by no means a "SKY IS FALLING, THE DEER ARE EXTINCT" guy but I do feel we have quite the liberal anterless quotas, and will the herd size decreasing I wonder if we'll see a decrease in areas. I also wonder if the DNR has thought about any connection between the passing of HPRs (which is possible here soon) and what that will do to herd harvest numbers? Last year the DNR dropped the number of bonus antlerless quotas in several counties and after looking @ the harvest data I would imagine the same thing will happen this year. |
|
|
|
Post by tynimiller on May 6, 2015 8:50:14 GMT -5
With the lower numbers and obvious "success" in lowering overall herd numbers...do any of you feel the DNR will adjust their bonus antlerless quotas? I'll be honest I'm by no means a "SKY IS FALLING, THE DEER ARE EXTINCT" guy but I do feel we have quite the liberal anterless quotas, and will the herd size decreasing I wonder if we'll see a decrease in areas. I also wonder if the DNR has thought about any connection between the passing of HPRs (which is possible here soon) and what that will do to herd harvest numbers? Last year the DNR dropped the number of bonus antlerless quotas in several counties and after looking @ the harvest data I would imagine the same thing will happen this year. Yeah I knew they did...and I too suspect more of the same. |
|
|
|
Post by Boilermaker on May 6, 2015 10:24:13 GMT -5
That's about where I thought Indiana would be.
As for the antlerless debate, Bartholomew went to 8 from 4 while the surrounding counties went down...not sure the math is all there but I've yet to meet anyone around here that's ever shot more than 2 antlerless, much less 2 deer altogether. They can mess with those numbers all they want and make whatever weapon legal they want but I feel the total harvest will remain in the same 120k-125k range.
People aren't going to shoot more deer just because they shoulder a different firearm. High-powered rifles alone will not increase the harvest by any significant margin, in my opinion.
|
|
|
|
Post by Woody Williams on May 6, 2015 12:21:47 GMT -5
Last year the DNR dropped the number of bonus antlerless quotas in several counties and after looking @ the harvest data I would imagine the same thing will happen this year. Yeah I knew they did...and I too suspect more of the same. Actually the DNR dropped antlerless permits the last two years... More in 2014 than in 2013.. They are easing off the gas pedal ... |
|
|
|
Post by tynimiller on May 6, 2015 12:33:42 GMT -5
Yeah I knew they did...and I too suspect more of the same. Actually the DNR dropped antlerless permits the last two years... More in 2014 than in 2013.. They are easing off the gas pedal ... But dangit it Woody they still are applying pressure....I say negative doe tags this year....right? haha! I suspect we see even less than last two years which I'm fine with personally  |
|
|
|
Post by tynimiller on May 6, 2015 12:35:52 GMT -5
That's about where I thought Indiana would be. As for the antlerless debate, Bartholomew went to 8 from 4 while the surrounding counties went down...not sure the math is all there but I've yet to meet anyone around here that's ever shot more than 2 antlerless, much less 2 deer altogether. They can mess with those numbers all they want and make whatever weapon legal they want but I feel the total harvest will remain in the same 120k-125k range. People aren't going to shoot more deer just because they shoulder a different firearm. High-powered rifles alone will not increase the harvest by any significant margin, in my opinion. That is the key...I think it will to a point but a small point....and for the record I'm against them full tilt myself and admit this. |
|
|
|
Post by nfalls116 on May 7, 2015 17:51:28 GMT -5
Well
My county once again is one of the highest. Regardless of herd decline hunting deer in Indiana is like fishing in a strip pit your gonna get one eventualy. Cwd blue tongue and the likes are gods way of bringing the herd to an ecologically friendlier number. We have grown to accustomed to seeing twenty deer per sit in the woods when it only takes one to fill each tag the times used to be a lot worse but quite a few of us hunters are to young to remember those times. Wouldn't be hunting if it was easy.
I think if we got rid of all the black panthers mountain lions and wolfs and banned all night time alien spacecraft and hpr and modern muzzleloaders basically anything but tradition al archery or deadfall traps then the herd would be at a nice robust number
|
|
