Numbers.. Ohio's 2011-12 White-tailed Deer Season -8%

[Milo]

http://nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/jrnl/1999/ne_1999_iverson_002.pdf

 

[Jackalope]

Please pay special attention to the last paragraph...maybe read it out loud a couple times.

http://ohiodnr.com/tabid/9565/Default.aspx

In a link mrex posted in the last thread Tonk Said the following..

"""
Who decides what the target goal should be?
Ohio's farmers have the most to lose from deer, because deer can destroy crops. So we conduct periodic surveys of farmers to establish deer management goals. Contrary to popular opinion, the opinions of farmers are very similar to those of the general public, including groups such as hunters. Therefore, we believe this to be a balanced approach to setting deer management goals.
We acquire the necessary data through periodic surveys of Ohio's farmers, usually through telephone interviews. Our most recent questionnaire was designed to provide information on farmer demographics, perceptions of deer abundance and wildlife damage, preferences for future deer populations and attitudes about deer and deer hunting. The survey results have been summarized."""

The survey results of these farmers said this...

Forty-nine percent of respondents reported some type of wildlife damage in 1999, much
lower than the 82% of respondents that reported experiencing wildlife damage in the
1995 survey. In all types of agricultural production, damage was most often reported as
light to moderate. White-tailed deer were perceived as causing most damage, except for
vegetable crops in which other wildlife species were implicated.

Then the farmers went on to say...

""Respondents desired an average
decrease of 9% in the deer population."

From a purdue University study on Animal damage to crops. They also found that Deer we're often blamed by the farmers..

However the 2 year long study forund this to NOT be true.

Our depredation surveys in corn fields yielded 24,623
depredation events in 2003 and 48,477 depredation
events in 2004. The average number of corn plants
damaged per field was 731 (SD = 1,440) and the
maximum number of plants damaged in a single field
was 8,357.
Raccoons were responsible for 87 percent of the
observed damage to corn, an amount more than eight
times greater than damage caused by deer. Small
mammals (e.g. eastern cottontail, fox squirrel, 13-lined
ground squirrel, and chipmunk), beaver (Castor
canadensis), birds, and other wildlife had little effect
on field corn yield in our study area (Figure 7). We
detected no damage to corn by wild turkey. Deer
damaged corn steadily from plant emergence through
harvest (October) (Figure 8). Conversely, raccoons
rarely damaged corn until the beginning of the corn
reproductive stages (early to mid-June); raccoons
subsequently caused substantial amounts of damage
until harvest (October) (Figure 8).

Farmer surveys are obviously wrong to set harvest and population limits.. The top University Agriculture program in the nation has shown the farmers opinion of what animas causing the damage to be false. Yet the DNR is ignoring prominent University studies and opting instead to use the inaccurate opinions of 1,244 farmers to manage our deer populations?

 

[Milo]

Between 40-50 percent of Ohio’s farmers surveyed
indicated that they enjoy seeing and having
deer around.

 

[huntn2]

Interesting read from 2004 that talks about herd estimate calculations/models...

http://www.gameandfishmag.com/2010/10/05/hunting_whitetail-deer-hunting_oh_aa103904a/

On paper the herd grew by 110k with a change in population estimates...

Here is a portion of the article:

"DOW biologists began using a new method of estimating the deer population last year that indicated there were more deer than estimates by the previous method had suggested. The population had been calculated to be 575,000 deer going into the 2002-03 seasons, but using the new method, that number was adjusted to 685,000 deer.

The new method of estimating the deer population incorporates the total deer harvest in each county, along with birth rates, into models that project population size. The previous method used data primarily from the gun-hunting season."

 

[Jackalope]

2011-2012 Totals for Washington County – 4,223 (4,594) Down 8%

2010-2011 Totals for Washington County – 4,594 (5,203) Down 12%

2009-2010 Totals for Washington County – 5,203 (5,440) Down 4.5%

2008-2009 Totals for Washington County – 5,440 (5,612) Down 3%

2007-2008 Totals for Washington County – 5,612 (4,650) Up 21% First year with extra tags...

2006-2007 Totals for Washington County – 4,650

Total drop in harvest from 2007-2008 to current day Washington County: 25%

Stupid acorns... Stupid weather... Stupid hunters failing to adapt to a deers changing food sources.. What other excuses have they give us? Oh yeah! Stupid squirrels not getting ran over cause they don't have to travel as far for food.

 

[Jackalope]

http://nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/jrnl/1999/ne_1999_iverson_002.pdf

Hey Brock.... From that report.. But I'm sure I don;t have to tell you this...

"It is apparent that the deer herd in Ohio was extremely dense in 1995, more so than any time in known history."

 

[huntn2]

Stupid acorns... Stupid weather... Stupid hunters failing to adapt to a deers changing food sources.. What other excuses have they give us? Oh yeah! Stupid squirrels not getting ran over cause they don't have to travel as far for food.

I think you left off a few...

Too lazy
Too old with no new young hunters
Too easy

Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk

 

[brock ratcliff]

Hey Brock.... From that report.. But I'm sure I don;t have to tell you this...

"It is apparent that the deer herd in Ohio was extremely dense in 1995, more so than any time in known history."

But yet Mrex felt the need to write a letter due to his concern of over-harvest. Go figure.

 

[brock ratcliff]

I think you left off a few...

Too lazy
Too old with no new young hunters
Too easy

Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk

And yet there were nearly 40k more hunting license sold this year than in 95. Again, go figure.

 

[Milo]

it seems very little is based off "biological data"

 

[Milo]

I finished up my hunting survey yesterday and was unpleasantly surprised that I did not have the opportunity to express my concerns to ODNR in that survey. I did not have an opportunity to say I want my heard increased 9% like these farmers get to do. it was very generic (which i understand to a point) but why wouldn't there be a simple hunter attitude towards the herd size question?

 

[bowhunter1023]

2011-2012 Totals for Washington County – 4,223 (4,594) Down 8%

2010-2011 Totals for Washington County – 4,594 (5,203) Down 12%

2009-2010 Totals for Washington County – 5,203 (5,440) Down 4.5%

2008-2009 Totals for Washington County – 5,440 (5,612) Down 3%

2007-2008 Totals for Washington County – 5,612 (5,645) Down 1% - First year of extra tags...

2006-2007 Totals for Washington County – 5,645 (4,946) Up 15% - First year of bonus gun...

2005-2006 Totals for Washington County – 4,946 Baseline

Total drop in harvest from 2006-2007 to current day: 25+%

We are now harvesting 15% less deer in Washington County than we were prior to the addition of more gun hunting days and doubling our tags. So despite having twice the tags and more opportunities, we are 15% less productive than we were in 2005-2006. Pissing down my back and telling me its raining...

 

[Jackalope]

it seems very little is based off "biological data"

More like "deep pocket lobbying"...

 

[Jackalope]

2011-2012 Totals for Washington County – 4,223 (4,594) Down 8%

2010-2011 Totals for Washington County – 4,594 (5,203) Down 12%

2009-2010 Totals for Washington County – 5,203 (5,440) Down 4.5%

2008-2009 Totals for Washington County – 5,440 (5,612) Down 3%

2007-2008 Totals for Washington County – 5,612 (5,645) Down 1% - First year of extra tags...

2006-2007 Totals for Washington County – 5,645 (4,946) Up 15% - First year of bonus gun...

2005-2006 Totals for Washington County – 4,946 Baseline

Total drop in harvest from 2006-2007 to current day: 25+%

We are now harvesting 15% less deer in Washington County than we were prior to the addition of more gun hunting days and doubling our tags. So despite having twice the tags and more opportunities, we are 15% less productive than we were in 2005-2006. Pissing down my back and telling me its raining...

Oh it gets better Homeslice... Lets use Washington county 2004-2005 numbers... 6,110... Believe it or not Washington was 4th In Ohio for harvest in 2004-2005

It just keeps getting better! Total drop in harvest from 2004-2005 to current day: 29.9%

 

[Milo]

More like "deep pocket lobbying"...

I'm actually not willing to go that far( because i think we would be able to find it) with it but my point is we are gathering all this data that has nothing to do with the herd size and its impact/carrying capacity of the land. its about what everyone BUT hunters "FEEL" than common sense management from an unbiased/scienticif approach. I will say this that in 2005, there were way too many deer in my area. I supported the extra taking of the deer then for safety and the other impacts they have. gas pedal seems stuck though and now I have very little confidence in the people in charge due to comments that have shown their inability to adapt and overcome. I appreciate the acknowledgment that they are wrong but I'm not seeing an answer to fix it. Meanwhile what is happening I strongly dissaprove of

 

[Jackalope]

.

Season harvest totals

2004-2005---- 217,301
2011-2012----- 219,698

Congratulations ODNR in having the shittiest season in 8 years! :smiley_clap:


Hey.. But fugg it... Deer vehicle accidents are down 30%+ over the same period! :smiley_clap:

 

[bowhunter1023]

Oh it gets better Homeslice... Lets use Washington county 2004-2005 numbers... 6,110... Believe it or not Washington was 4th In Ohio for harvest in 2004-2005

It just keeps getting better! Total drop in harvest from 2004-2005 to current day: 29.9%

From the largest landmass county in the state...

 

[brock ratcliff]

We had 550k deer in Ohio in 95, according to their estimate. They now estimate we have 200k more, but I can't find 'em.

Jeez, there were 600 deer killed in FC in 95. No wonder I thought we were covered up with deer there then. Relatively speaking, we were!

Admittedly, I don't know what is going on all over the state, but for God's sake, look at FC and realize it can happen where YOU hunt too!

 

[Jackalope]

.



Wait a second.....

How can we harvest the same number of deer today as we did 8 years ago, but reduce DVAs by -33% over the same period?? (with more drivers)

Any guesses.. Any guesses.. I know I know..

 

[brock ratcliff]

DVAs are no longer accurate....I don't know how they used to be more accurate than today, but that is the story.