Sgt Fury
Sgt. Spellchecker
Friend of mine says they found 4 dead bucks and 8 dead does this past weekend in Jackson county. I know that EHD doesn’t discriminate but oddly enough, all 4 bucks were wall hangers.
EHD in Ohio?
- Thread starter livetohunt228
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Many keep saying that, and one would think so, being it is October, but still haven't got a good hard killing frost. From what I gather it takes a hard sustained frost 28-29, which hasn't happened yet. And no hard frost predicted in the next 10 days. The way this fricking weather is anymore, this could go on to Thanksgiving.
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Remember this statement from the DNR.
Garber said the DNR will continue to monitor the situation on EHD cases, but that’s really all they can do. She said deer hunting seasons would not be cut or changed due to the outbreak.
“No, we have to leave it be and let nature take its course,” said Garber. “We wouldn’t do that. We wouldn’t know what areas would be affected. On one farm many of the deer could be gone and the farm next to that would not be affected. That wouldn’t be fair.”
Well guess what.
To date the buck harvest for Jefferson county is 118. Last year at this time, 302. Thats a 61% reduction in buck harvests county wide.
136 antlerless to date. 186 last year. A 27% reduction.
The problem is we are talking about the government and someone would actually have to get of their ass to do something. Much easier to just leave it alone and not do any research.
Do you really have any idea if the season was closed and then areas with no EHD in a area? That would cause a loud uproar from effected hunters with uneffected deer herds.
It's just a nature was of things as it hits one area and not another. Same thing with many deer in one area and few deer in another area.
Not what we want to hear or have but it's just that way as I see it.
I feel most normal hunters just want to hunt and don't really care if there are less deer to hunt. They will keep killing deer until there are none as in the distant past then set around and blame others.
It's just a nature was of things as it hits one area and not another. Same thing with many deer in one area and few deer in another area.
Not what we want to hear or have but it's just that way as I see it.
I feel most normal hunters just want to hunt and don't really care if there are less deer to hunt. They will keep killing deer until there are none as in the distant past then set around and blame others.
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Buckmaster
Senior Member
I'm living it here in Jefferson Co. this week. I've been skunked only twice so far this week hunting morning and then evening.
If I had to guess the herd is down 50% with the survivors being 3 year olds and less. My cameras prove my field estimates as well.
Nothing better than boots on the ground. Few rubs, less scrapes.
This year's season is already moving into 2018 planning. I'm considering going to PA this year to gun hunt.
It's been terribly slow. My cameras haven't gotten much at all and I haven't seen much at all. Rubs? Barely any. Scrapes? A few.
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County wide buck harvest is down 61% to date. That says the impact of EHD was far and wide across the county, not just isolated to small pockets here and there as they implied. Last i checked the DNR didn't manage on a property level but a county level. And when has hunter backlash ever been paid one iota of attention in Columbus. Now due to their inaction hunters in that county not only have the decimation that EHD caused on an already drastically reduced population, but also aditional hunter harvest impact on top of that.
Hunters are not conservationist despite what people have lead us to believe. We are killers. Our money through tax, permits and fees help conservation, but as a whole, as you said, we would eradicate the species. Thats why we have seasons, limits, annd laws, this is why we pay license fees, taxes, and permits. So if deer are eradicated the hunters absolutely have the right to blame others. Namely the people they pay to act as their conservationist through sound science backed management, not wait and see ignorance.
PA Bandit
Junior Member
Just my opinion but that 136 doe could potentially have definitely aided in the repopulation efforts. Figure 50% birth rate (I would assume that may be low but don't know the statistics for chances of pregnancy) and assume each of those have an average of 2 fawns. That's the equivalent of matching the harvest rate by letting them walk. That does not count the compounding effect when their offspring start having offspring.
Which goes back to Joe's point that most hunters rely on the DOW for bag limits to let them know how many deer there are.
Was talking to one of the board members at the club via text. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't just me. He said no one is seeing deer at the club. Not in person or on camera.
I'm hoping wise heads prevail and they shut it down there the rest of this season.
It's just dead there. Not even doe feeding in the plots.
I'm hoping wise heads prevail and they shut it down there the rest of this season.
It's just dead there. Not even doe feeding in the plots.
Damn Mike, that's some unfortunate shit
. Hopefully they do shut it down, obviously there's no way the population or what's left of it can handle any loss.
Buckmaster
Senior Member
My Jeff Co. corn pile was placed out on Nov 3 to hold whatever does are left to the property. When I left Nov. 12th it remained untouched.
At least the squirrels and bluejays are happy.
At least the squirrels and bluejays are happy.