What if?

[Buckmaster]

My cousin whom runs a pheasant preserve blames the decrease of small game on Raptors. I've seen it firsthand as they dive bomb his pheasant pens just to rip the head off a pheasant and drop the carcass back inside the pen to waste. He finds many released pheasants dead throughout the season via Raptors.

I spoke to a PA customer yesterday about deer hunting. He claims the introduction of the coyote into the PA woods has impacted the PA deer herd in his area. He mentioned something like a 30% predatory death rate on fawns. He says relocating coyotes into PA was one of the worst things PA game management ever did. He does see wild elk and bear from time to time.

 

[Buckmaster]

It was back when all you guys were still convinced I was a complete dumbass.

Who said we all changed our minds? :smiley_crocodile:

 

[Mike]

Damn interesting stuff!

 

[Big_Holla]

I remember posting an article on this several years ago, I think on a different forum, and it got ridiculed as nonsense. My whole thing at the time was you cannot tell me that Round-Up as soon as it touches dirt suddenly becomes inert and will not harm anyone. Even had someone say they would be willing to drink some of it to prove their point that it was harmless. Wish I could find that whole discussion. Anyways, whether it's being absorbed by plants or getting into water systems it obviously is still there and very possibly creating harm as we all know now. Sure has got to make you wonder since deer numbers are down across the nation.

 

[bowhunter1023]

I remember posting an article on this several years ago, I think on a different forum, and it got ridiculed as nonsense. My whole thing at the time was you cannot tell me that Round-Up as soon as it touches dirt suddenly becomes inert and will not harm anyone. Even had someone say they would be willing to drink some of it to prove their point that it was harmless. Wish I could find that whole discussion. Anyways, whether it's being absorbed by plants or getting into water systems it obviously is still there and very possibly creating harm as we all know now. Sure has got to make you wonder since deer numbers are down across the nation.

You did. It was. And they did. I remember the dude saying he'd drink it to prove it was fine. Their CEO or someone like that threatened to do the same, then chickened out...

 

[Mike]

Maybe I'm seeing good numbers on the one farm because the farmer uses the cheap seed, non GMO/ non RUR.

 

[giles]

I said complete...fugg you guys! I'm going back to my hole. Lmao

 

[brock ratcliff]

I said complete...fugg you guys! I'm going back to my hole. Lmao

Den. It's called a den.

 

[giles]

Lol, at any rate. I think it has a lot to do with everything wildlife related. These 20 year old studies need to be re-evaluate. And I think we have paid plenty of money for the state to give some back to research. If not, that'd be a hell of a reason for an increase for NR tax!

 

[Lundy]

My cousin whom runs a pheasant preserve blames the decrease of small game on Raptors. I've seen it firsthand as they dive bomb his pheasant pens just to rip the head off a pheasant and drop the carcass back inside the pen to waste. He finds many released pheasants dead throughout the season via Raptors.

I spoke to a PA customer yesterday about deer hunting. He claims the introduction of the coyote into the PA woods has impacted the PA deer herd in his area. He mentioned something like a 30% predatory death rate on fawns. He says relocating coyotes into PA was one of the worst things PA game management ever did.

i was right there with you until you said PA introduced the coyote

 

[Lundy]

Brock, your possible suggestion may have merit, I don't know.

My question would have to center around the land I hunted, there is no grain of any kind for miles and miles

 

["J"]

I guess you'd have to ask the farmers that own the land or neighboring land which seed they're using....

 

[cspot]

Right now PA has a predation study going on. I know some preliminary results that I have seen show that bear and bobcats were the leading predators on fawns. At the time the sample size was small but they were both higher than coyotes.

Around me in PA where there is bobcats the deer population isn't as good as you would expect. Where they are not the deer seem to be doing really well. Nothing scientific but just an observation.

Now at our camp in Ohio, I probably get a bobcat picture at least once a month and even saw one the morning that I killed my buck.

 

[bowhunter1023]

Bobcat and bear are also part of Ohio's issue. Again, not massively, but they are starting to contribute to fawn predation in parts of Ohio.

 

[brock ratcliff]

Brock, your possible suggestion may have merit, I don't know.

My question would have to center around the land I hunted, there is no grain of any kind for miles and miles

I haven't a clue. I've got no answers here, just trying to find common ground across the Midwest. There are people in all white tail regions wondering where the heck the deer went. The reason I first thought predatory was the main culprit was lack of fawns. I saw an unusually high number of adult does without offspring. I just assumed they had been eaten, but heck maybe they were never born....

 

[jagermeister]

Brock, your possible suggestion may have merit, I don't know.

My question would have to center around the land I hunted, there is no grain of any kind for miles and miles

Well, now that every Joe Blow hunter in the midwest hunts over a corn pile, even the deep forest deer can get their fair share of GMO corn.

 

[bowhunter1023]

Well, now that every Joe Blow hunter in the midwest hunts over a corn pile, even the deep forest deer can get their fair share of GMO corn.

Another good thought.

 

[giles]

What about hunting pressure during the breeding period? This has to have something to do with it also.

I know everyone laughs when I bring it up...but I think it plays a major roll in this.

Maybe doe are getting breed with immature deer and not taking.

Just random thoughts as Brock is throwing sparks.

 

[Bigslam51]

What about hunting pressure during the breeding period? This has to have something to do with it also.

I know everyone laughs when I bring it up...but I think it plays a major roll in this.

Maybe doe are getting breed with immature deer and not taking.

Just random thoughts as Brock is throwing sparks.

Idk about you but I shot some pretty big loads as a youngin.

 

[giles]

Idk about you but I shot some pretty big loads as a youngin.

And how many kids do you have running around?! So did I but they didn't start working until I was in my 20's.