Deer Kill Total
- Thread starter Boarhead
- Start date
Sad state of affairs down here in our corner of the state. I'm proud of the people in Washington County as there was a lot of self-regulation that took place. I was at my taxidermist's shop this week and he took in a total of 4 deer this year (down 90% or better from a typical year). He said the vast majority of his clients elected not to hunt. He had to resort to part-time employment for the first time in a decade to make ends meet. Stacking on a nasty winter storm isn't going to help with the recovery unless it was cold enough to kill midge larvae.
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Fayette had the second highest kill they have ever recorded. I recall in 1994-1995 we killed right at 600. It was around 300 since, until last year when there was 400ish. We have seen a rebound for real, it’s noticeable in the field as well… it only took 30 years to get the numbers back. 
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Yep. Particularly if you all do as we did and stop shooting antlerless deer. I don’t believe for a minute you need to curtail doe harvest for as long as we did, simply because there are still more deer in your area than in ours. We had so few fawns making it to adulthood due to predation it took a very long time to make a noticeable recovery. A generation of hunters in fact. It will be interesting to see now that the “good times” have returned, if the younger generation will whipe them out happily as we did.So you're saying there's a chance for Washington County
I highly doubt it because this next generation only cares about the antlers.
Lundy
Member
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The below numbers really surprised me on the total "straight-walled cartridge" I knew they were popular but to exceed shotguns by that many surprised me.
Most popular hunting implements
Most popular hunting implements
- Straight-walled cartridge rifle: 78,395 (34%)
- Crossbow: 77,938 (33%)
- Vertical bow: 29,845 (13%)
- Shotgun: 29,800 (13%)
- Muzzleloader: 15,602 (6%)
- Handgun: 562 (less than 1%)
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They became readily available and user friendly overnight. No longer a need to load a 357max for the masses. I personally think the development of the 450 was a game changer and others have followed. Lower recoil, excellent accuracy and devastating on whitetails all add up to a massive shift to straight walled rifles.
Lundy
Member
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Brock, I totally get why you and many others would make the switch. I just didn't think the average casual gun hunter would switch. The numbers says that many did.
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I'm personally not surprised. Hunters are always looking for an edge and buying whatever they think will allow for better success. The DOW understands this and that's why they allowed weapons like crossbows and straight walled cartridge rifles. Increase opportunity and remove barriers to entry and people will naturally navigate towards it. If you want deer killed that's what they needed to do. If the DOW legalized high power rifles those straight walls would be collecting dust in a closet and people would be toting 30-06, 7mm mags, 308s. The woods would be overrun with guys in pink tutus and 6.5 creedmores.
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I would not give up my 450 for any other caliber rifle to hunt Ohio with. I’d bet I had the first 450 Ruger American of any on this forum. That gun has killed a pile of deer. I think it was at like 8 bodies before I ever got to hunt with it. It is utilitarian, accurate, and as easy to handle as a Daisy Redrider. And, knocks deer flat. For Ohio, I don’t see me ever changing medicine.
If they could get landowners to go along with it, they would legalize high powered rifles. That was the holdup in allowing straight walls because they were afraid of people poking holes in livestock and buildings from a mile away.