I don't think southern ohio could take much more reduction in deer limits outside of public lands. EHD is too spotty so one size limit reductions will be horrible on grounds not suffering from EHD.
EHD
- Thread starter LonewolfNopack
- Start date
But it's okay to put the blanket thought the other way?
This just keeps getting worse
#8 Ross county
#8 Ross county
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I disagree. Can't paint all of Southern Ohio with the same brush either. Deer population are so spotty hit or miss to begin with and multiple factors influence that.
I've been saying for a while you have to go almost to a township by township level of management because EHD and other issues(habitat and agriculture) can have drastically different populations. Parts of my county you cant not see a deer, others are fairly barren. My farmers that I hunt on would have an aneuryism if guys couldnt take more than one deer off of(it would help if some of those guys could actually shoot a deer instead of hide in their campers all week during gun season but thats another story).
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Assuming they even want to know. They have to acknowledge it because it is obvious, but the extent to which they want data about it is probably pretty low. The more they know the more they will be expected to make adjustments. The higher the confirmed numbers get the harder it will be to dismiss it as being serious. It's easier to stick your head in the sand and say yeah there was a little EHD but such is life. If they drive hard to gather the true extent of the impact then people have numbers to point to when saying they need to adjust bag limits and seasons. Better to just leave that stone unturned and blow it off. The DOW thrives in the area of "we're going to do what we want then not collect any data so people don't have anything to corner us with".
Your right on with the township level managment. As hunters, we were actually told by Mike Tonkavich around 2011 that managment would come down to a township level and it was in the works. They had multiple grad students working on the logistics of it.. it was a very good and necessary step for fair deer management. Its now 2022 and you can see where that went. Township level managment would have made EHD outbreak managment much easier to accomplish.
Even for every deer reported, you would think there would be some type of metric or equation by now to factor the actual number of deer dead. This could all have been gained from grad students and research studies. I agree that they would rather not know.
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If I remember correctly, the number of deer on the landscape really doesn’t matter. If there are no deer, like any predator, hunters will naturally move to another landscape where deer still exist. And if we kill them to the point of extinction, we will just quit hunting. Naturally, the few remaining will repopulate the landscape. Relax, we can’t screw this up.
I’m still going to report any I may find.
Stressless
Active Member
Thats exactly how they do it with roadkill reports on other species. ODNR just published a report on it....
In my opinion if we don't report what we find, or voice our opinions on any issue with we have with DOW for that matter, then we don't have room to bitch online either. This site may be our outlet to vent, discuss and debate, but we really need to be vocal to the right people as well, even if we feel its useless at times.
I vaguely remember that Mike said that at some meeting I was at. Been a while and all these meetings have blurred together. Unfortunately there really isnt a a practical way to get it, at least not from a government agency perspective.
Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (Deer)
The ODNR is seeking reports of dead/sick deer to help us track potential disease outbreaks.
The farmers found the buck I called Tip Toucher while picking crops..last picture I had of him was Sept 9th. EHD got another one. Was hoping he would make it a couple more years.
Big_Holla
Senior Member
Did a lot of walking, rode the fields, checked the stream and ponds and came up with nothing. Hearing it has been all around us though so maybe will stumble on some in the early spring looking for sheds.
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I took Dr Saggy Sack out to our piece NE of town. He said the area looked like it should be loaded with deer. I told him it was a few years ago. Mix in Mennonite neighbors that think venison is the only meat they can eat and this years EHD.... pffft. Still a lot of squirrels there.
OO2
Well-Known Member
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We had one deer left older than a year and a half.
Nonresident killed him this week.
@hickslawns - yes same place. Formerly loaded with deer. You were there when the Mennonite said, “I need help killing these deer off”.... well he did it.
Nonresident killed him this week.
@hickslawns - yes same place. Formerly loaded with deer. You were there when the Mennonite said, “I need help killing these deer off”.... well he did it.
I thought so. Was hoping you didn't have two properties dealing with this. That place was loaded with deer.