Perhaps someone needs to read the title of the thread again.
Like most on here I really enjoy seeing and watching deer every time in the stand. The more the merrier, but having deer hunted since 1968 I know it is sometimes feast and sometimes famine in sightings. First year deer hunting I saw six deer all season. It was tough hunting but if you killed one you really did something. A friend of mine bow killed a buck back in the early sixties and they put him on TV.
Just seeing any deer keeps me going. One is enough.
The DNR has built the herd to a point where if a person has a halfway decent spot to hunt and puts in a fair amount of time they are most likely to kill a deer, if they are hunting any deer. and not being super selective.
This year I hunted about 3 dozen times and saw deer every time out except 2 times. It was anywhere from 1 deer to 9 deer. Most were within crossbow range. I ended up killing a pretty good 11 pointer on November 9 with my crossbow.
Personally I believe that a LOT of the present day deer hunters have become VERY spoiled in deer hunting.
Reading some comments on Face Book I am amazed to read comments such as - " The deer herd is way down. I'm lucky to see more than 2 or 3 deer a sit". One even posted -" I used to see 20 deer a sit and now I'm lucky to see 20 deer all day". REALLY?
A couple folks said - "If we keep killing over 100,00 deer a year there wont be any deer left for next year". Never mind that we have been killing over 100,000 for the last 22 years (except 1999 and 2000 when it was very close to 100,000).
I fully understand some folks are not seeing deer like they did a few years ago, but the DNR has been in a reduction mode. The EHD hit in 2012 did not help matters and threw a monkey wrench in their plans. EHD hit my area hard in 2007 and I went to the stand 17 straight times without seeing a deer. It was like the clock was turned back to the early seventies. But I did not quit. Two years later the population had bounced back and we could not tell if there had ever been a problem.
This was in 2013... Abstract: In 2013, district wildlife biologists issued 479deer control permits for out of season use, resulting in the reported removalof 2,419 deer statewide. Of the deer killed,77% were female. Primary crops implicatedin damage were soybeans (44.1%) and corn (35.6%), with nearly 63% of complaintsoccurring during June and July. Ninety-nine(99%) of landowners utilize hunting during the regular season on theirproperty, though damage is often associated with habitat on adjacent privateand governmental properties. Deer damagecomplaints have proven to be a valid secondary indicator for the state’s deerherd level, though precautions should be taken to use the statistic for localtrends.
Indianahas a tiered approach when dealing with deer damage occurring on commercial ornon-commercial property. Landowners experiencing deer damage in Indiana first contactthe IDNR and report the damage. Of land exhibiting deer damage, most complaints are observed onagricultural properties. A landownercomplaint may result in an inspection by a biologist who will discussnon-lethal and lethal options. Based on the inspection, the biologistprovides technical advicetailored to meet the needs of the landowner. Except in cases where sport hunting is not feasible, district biologistsrecommend hunting as the most important step a landowner can take toreduce deer damage. Biologists provideguidelines for the landowner on a harvest strategy to optimize herdcontrol. Recommendations for non-lethalcontrol, such as fences and repellents, are made when appropriate. Iflethal options are deemed appropriate, Deer Damage Control Permits forout-of-season removal of deer may then be issued. During 2013, 492 damage reports were filed,with soybeans and corn being the most frequently damaged crop. The number of control permits issued and deerremoved on those permits in 2013 are 479 and 2,419, respectively
Somewhat unusual deer sighting at dusk today. While driving noticed 6 deer crossing field headed toward the road. They ran across the road single file about 50 yards ahead of me...doe, buck, doe, buck, doe, buck. Not sure if I have ever seen 3 bucks together like that before.