Biologist Mike Tonkovich, the wildlife division’s deer project leader, said it’s unlikely, though possible, that deer numbers are a factor. His statewide herd estimate of 750,000 before the start of bow season was as high as it has ever been.
Keyword being "estimate". I give estimates. Sometimes I am high, other times I am low.
The early season bow take, moreover, has decreased the past two years. The kill during the recently completed weeklong deer gun season, hindered greatly by weather, was down significantly. Tonkovich said that he was encouraged that the bow kill numbers, which were not publicized, had picked up going into gun week.
Weather? Didn't we have crappy weather last gun season too?
Still, he acknowledged that a lot of factors are in play that make interpreting any numbers difficult, although some known developments are worrisome. Among them:
• Hunters are aging and not being replaced. Older hunters are also less likely to expend as much time and effort to harvest a deer as younger counterparts.
BS. Cob killed one this year. lol
• More and more land that once could be hunted is being leased or bought by well-heeled individuals or consortiums, effectively cutting opportunities for most.
I can find some validity in this statement.
• Some skilled and experienced hunters have taken to handicapping themselves in various ways in order to make the hunt more challenging.
Umm. . . no.
Although it’s possible that what appears to be a trend might be an anomaly, Tonkovich said trying to get a handle on what direction the herd and the harvest are heading is fraught with unknowns.
The deer-check system, in which hunters can use the Web or make a phone call rather than physically report to a station, might be implicated in why the kill has seemed to decrease. Maybe hunters aren’t bothering to report.
Once again bogus info. If they didn't drive them to a check station before, they aren't going to call them in now. However, it is so much easier with the new system, I do not find this to be a very good excuse. It is actually quite convenient.
Or, the cause, if indeed the trend is real, might be something less obvious, Tonkovich said. One possibility is deer are today so numerous that bringing one home from the woods or field doesn’t seem as much of an accomplishment as it did not so long ago. And, so, waning enthusiasm and a diminished sense of adventure might be in play.
Or just the opposite is true? So few deer (in certain areas) that guys are losing interest. Look at Jesse. Diehard hunter and he is ready to throw in the towel for deer and pursue waterfowl. While I have my own anomaly on ONE property, every other property I hunt have been void of deer this year. The deer I have seen on camera have been mainly nocturnal. I won't cry about it, but I won't deny noticing a drop off this year.
Whatever the case, the bedroom window shot remains a novelty for now.
Just thought I'd put this up again. This part just pisses me off. I was giving him the benefit of doubt 'till now.
