Ohio deer population

[bigten05]

It was nothing a fee years ago to see 80 deer on opening day.last year I seen 8 all day yesterday I seen 22 all day but.those deer had no clue it was gun season. They were all out doing there normal stuff. I'm only heard maybe 15 shots yesterday and that is unreal for this area. Today I have been the only person to see deer and I've only seen one. Its crazy. We have not shot a doe on this place for 2 years and we have seen decent numbers while bow hunting this year but as a whole all of are property's are down big time.

 

[MK111]

ODNR is usually pounding their chest on how many deer are killed on opening day. They are noticeably quiet this year.

The processor I just dropped my buck off said they only took in 33 deer on the 1st day instead of about 100 in normal years. But it did rain hard all day yesterday up until 3:30PM.

 

[Steelheadtracker]

Thanks for all your input guys. What will it take for the odnr to do something about this problem? Is it even a possibility to limit or completely stop NR hunting?

 

[MK111]

I would say the ODNR will do nothing.

Thanks for all your input guys. What will it take for the odnr to do something about this problem? Is it even a possibility to limit or completely stop NR hunting?

 

[yotehunter]

Thanks for all your input guys. What will it take for the odnr to do something about this problem? Is it even a possibility to limit or completely stop NR hunting?

That won't happen they will lose too much revenue.If they do anything they will just up nr tags again. But they will never shut it down IMO.And as far as a problem ODNR doesn't see it as a problem, they think they are doing the right thing with (managing) our deer herd.

 

[Steelheadtracker]

What are they good for then?

 

[dante322]

Making nationwide insurance happy

 

[yotehunter]

Making nationwide insurance happy

lmao don't forget the farm bureau. Don't have heard these complaints for a couple years now,but the insurance lobbyist and farm bureau lobbyist trump the hunters and sportsman's opinions and facts of time in the field and deer recorded.

 

[Jackalope]

Thanks for all your input guys. What will it take for the odnr to do something about this problem? Is it even a possibility to limit or completely stop NR hunting?

The ODNR is the problem. This was done by either their willful design, or by their gross negligence. After talking with the head biologist in charge of our deer population numerous times on this very subject, I would say it's a lot of both. The bottom line is the hunters, taxidermist, butchers, and everyone else who had anything to do with hunting was sold out by our very ODNR to make insurance companies and farm bureau happy and put a few more bucks in their fat corporate wallets.

 

[hickslawns]

What are they good for then?

Whether your intention or not, you reopened a can of worms. Poor guy. You must be either: a) infiltrating the site from the ODNR or b) You are genuinely walking into a hornets nest without a clue how many hornets you will get fired up.

It is a sore subject for many hunters. Whether online, or a local guy you bump into at the gas station, deer hunters seem to be saying the same thing. I believe the ODNR looks at us all as a bunch of country bumpkin, redneck, idiots without a clue how to even tie our shoes. They feel hunters are not smart enough to figure it out. They continue pumping the same propaganda expecting the vast majority to buy into it and believe it. The overwhelming truth is, whether a guy puts 200hrs a year into hunting, or 3 days out of the year hunting, the hunters have noticed the decline.

 

[Steelheadtracker]

Hickslawn, I'm definitely not "infiltrating" this site from the odnr. I'm just a novice hunter with honest questions if you don't believe that look at my thread I posted about my first deer ever I got this year or go to ohiogamefishing.com and look up my screen name which is the same one as here. I've been a member there since like 06 for fishing stuff. I'm sorry if I opened a can of worms. I'm a new hunter and new to this site. How am I supposed to know what people are going to get butt hurt about? If this topic is such touchy subject then I'd rather it be locked or deleted so not to cause drama. As I said I am just asking questions to try and understand this whole situation I'm hearing about.

 

[Jackalope]

Hickslawn, I'm definitely not "infiltrating" this site from the odnr. I'm just a novice hunter with honest questions if you don't believe that look at my thread I posted about my first deer ever I got this year or go to ohiogamefishing.com and look up my screen name which is the same one as here. I've been a member there since like 06 for fishing stuff. I'm sorry if I opened a can of worms. I'm a new hunter and new to this site. How am I supposed to know what people are going to get butt hurt about? If this topic is such touchy subject then I'd rather it be locked or deleted so not to cause drama. As I said I am just asking questions to try and understand this whole situation I'm hearing about.

He's just messing with you buddy. He knows your not with the DNR. He was just making a joke about how you stirred up the bees again. According to Tonkovich we've carried the torches and pitchforks on this subject for years. Been a real thorn in their side for a long while now. Don't take things here so literal we all pick on each other and joke around.

 

[Steelheadtracker]

Thanks for clearing things up jakalope. That's what sucks about texting and posting things, you can't tell whether someone is joking, serious, mad ect. I didn't know this was a touchy subject and just wanted to make sure people didn't think I was trying to start up trouble. Sorry guys and hicks lawns if I came off the wrong way or anything.

 

[yotehunter]

Thanks for clearing things up jakalope. That's what sucks about texting and posting things, you can't tell whether someone is joking, serious, mad ect. I didn't know this was a touchy subject and just wanted to make sure people didn't think I was trying to start up trouble. Sorry guys and hicks lawns if I came off the wrong way or anything.

No problem man just relax and enjoy, these guys on this site are good people. And yes this is and will be a touchy subject. I believe most of us feel ODNR has dropped the ball and they can't see why or how.

 

[Bigslam51]

http://ohiooutdoorjournal.com/2014/...er-harvested-straight-walled-rifle-cartridge/

 

[Jackalope]

Now this is very telling. -22.58% decline for opening day. Even with allowing rifles. We'll see how the week finishes out.


Editor’s Note: A list of all white-tailed deer checked by hunters during opening day of the 2014 deer-gun hunting season is shown below. The first number following the county’s name shows the harvest numbers for 2014, and the 2013 numbers are in parentheses.

Adams: 219 (375); Allen: 98 (77); Ashland: 353 (318); Ashtabula: 586 (880); Athens: 305 (529); Auglaize: 77 (99); Belmont: 329 (530); Brown: 183 (262); Butler: 38 (92); Carroll: 451 (698); Champaign: 103 (137); Clark: 39 (56); Clermont: 131 (160); Clinton: 51 (68); Columbiana: 372 (584); Coshocton: 793 (940); Crawford: 161 (140); Cuyahoga: 4 (2); Darke: 53 (44); Defiance: 280 (269); Delaware: 119 (100); Erie: 45 (43); Fairfield: 186 (228); Fayette: 25 (24); Franklin: 19 (25); Fulton: 125 (127); Gallia: 282 (382); Geauga: 124 (153); Greene: 57 (66); Guernsey: 512 (742); Hamilton: 29 (42); Hancock: 127 (89); Hardin: 141 (142); Harrison: 455 (738); Henry: 98 (112); Highland: 230 (294); Hocking: 284 (382); Holmes: 477 (521); Huron: 296 (338); Jackson: 222 (325); Jefferson: 303 (448); Knox: 573 (645); Lake: 35 (30); Lawrence: 142 (276); Licking: 501 (572); Logan: 183 (186); Lorain: 174 (157); Lucas: 17 (27); Madison: 28 (26); Mahoning: 157 (227); Marion: 83 (76); Medina: 139 (146); Meigs: 251 (435); Mercer: 57 (72); Miami: 66 (53); Monroe: 203 (364); Montgomery: 24 (34); Morgan: 272 (387); Morrow: 184 (176); Muskingum: 652 (831); Noble: 234 (402); Ottawa: 17 (25); Paulding: 151 (158); Perry: 326 (419); Pickaway: 78 (102); Pike: 140 (198); Portage: 104 (150); Preble: 46 (73); Putnam: 85 (72); Richland: 337 (314); Ross: 227 (307); Sandusky: 61 (60); Scioto: 113 (264); Seneca: 205 (199); Shelby: 98 (111); Stark: 183 (243); Summit: 18 (23); Trumbull: 331 (482); Tuscarawas: 667 (853); Union: 77 (82); Van Wert: 69 (42); Vinton: 248 (397); Warren: 66 (78); Washington: 350 (497); Wayne: 170 (190); Williams: 286 (340); Wood: 95 (59); Wyandot: 207 (178). Total: 17,512 (22,619).

 

[Bigslam51]

All tonk will do is blame it on the weather. "The rain kept most hunters indoors for opening day". Look at a lot of these counties that are damn near 200 deer short from last year. Stark county is down and the weather was perfect here for opening day.

 

[bowhunter1023]

Unreal. Only 350 deer killed in the biggest county in Ohio. Down 30% yet again.

 

[Big_Holla]

NR clearly aren't the problem as most if not all are holding out for that one deer. Our place has three giant corn fields that have been cut and you likely can count on one hand the number of deer that are sighted on them in one evening. Trail camera surveys even show this. Us NR (and my dad who is a resident) are choosing to manage our lands by not shooting does for the last 3 years. For me it's been even longer, perhaps more like 8-10 years that I've seen the problem. The problem is having neighbors who don't see what is going on or don't care and clearly state to us if they have 3 tags they will do everything they can to fill them.

 

[hickslawns]

No problem man just relax and enjoy, these guys on this site are good people. And yes this is and will be a touchy subject. I believe most of us feel ODNR has dropped the ball and they can't see why or how.

Yes yes yes. Was not calling you out or anything. Just chuckling as I read it. You prefaced at the first post it was an honest question and didn't know. I was just chuckling as I was thinking "this poor guy is trying to find answers and walking into a shitstorm. He is going to be overwhelmed by responses and opinions and frustrations of hunters.".

You are good bud. No problems here. I really feel sorry for you because you walked into a touchy topic. You could get some very frank and pissed off replies. Lol