fewest # does ever on my property....

[readonly]

I've been hunting the property I grew up on since I was a kid, bought it and moved back 3 years ago. We are in a very high density deer area, estimated 50+ square mile...and the state as earn a buck for this county. so you have to shoot a couple of does to earn your 2nd and 3rd buck tags. Going back many years I have shot 4-6 a year without much effort, once or twice 7.

Last year I shot 3 during bow season and a 4th in December, which is pretty normal.

This year lots of rain, lots of fruit, acorns, and clover in my plots.
However, starting in early summer I noticed very few does and fawns sightings as well as camera pics.
Plenty of bucks, seeing groups as big as 7 at a time in later summer. Very few does and fawns though.

I only had one shot all of bow season on a doe, which I made good on. No shots during muzzleloader or rifle season. Still seeing a few buck but really with the lack of does there is a pronounced lack of rubs and scrapes.

In October after dark one night I dropped a friend of my son's off at his house about 1 mile away straight line. There were literally a couple of dozen does and fawns eating acorns along their driveway. So it's not like they've been depleted out of the county.
I have plenty of cover on my property as well, as much as ever.
There has been a steady increase in bears and coyotes over the last 20 years, but I can't believe that's the problem.

My property is 90 acres, typical for the area. My place and a neighbor with 30 acres of pasture form the tip of a point between two roads, the end of a couple thousand acres of woods and pasture. Across one of those roads is a 160 acres property that was clear cut 20 years ago. Then 2 years ago most of it was cleared and put into hay. I am thinking that may be the answer to what has happened, the fescue fields probably not attracting the deer, and my property otherwise being the end of the line as far as terrain features go, I don't have deer moving through like they used to.

Just venting I guess but it is strange to have more deer than I can count for years and then it literally changes overnight.

 

[jteeen]

Not sure your area but this has been a strange year from everyone I've talked to. We are doe city also and I could probably get the same amount if I lived on the property. However this year the does have completely changed patterns, herded up early, and are staying out of the fescue hay fields until after dark. They are nowhere near the stands I've used the last few years.

Bulldozers go up and down the road all the time. Between marijuana and new houses/trailers nothing can be counted on from year to year. Part of the game I guess.

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[OkieKubota]

Not sure your area but this has been a strange year from everyone I've talked to. We are doe city also and I could probably get the same amount if I lived on the property. However this year the does have completely changed patterns, herded up early, and are staying out of the fescue hay fields until after dark. They are nowhere near the stands I've used the last few years.

Bulldozers go up and down the road all the time. Between marijuana and new houses/trailers nothing can be counted on from year to year. Part of the game I guess.

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Funny you mention that marijuana deal...the Hmong have come to Oklahoma and they are buying everything and throwing up grow houses everywhere!

 

[jteeen]

Funny you mention that marijuana deal...the Hmong have come to Oklahoma and they are buying everything and throwing up grow houses everywhere!

Yes. 800k for 100 acres that 2 years ago would barely sell for 200k.

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[OkieKubota]

I've been hunting the property I grew up on since I was a kid, bought it and moved back 3 years ago. We are in a very high density deer area, estimated 50+ square mile...and the state as earn a buck for this county. so you have to shoot a couple of does to earn your 2nd and 3rd buck tags. Going back many years I have shot 4-6 a year without much effort, once or twice 7.

Last year I shot 3 during bow season and a 4th in December, which is pretty normal.

This year lots of rain, lots of fruit, acorns, and clover in my plots.
However, starting in early summer I noticed very few does and fawns sightings as well as camera pics.
Plenty of bucks, seeing groups as big as 7 at a time in later summer. Very few does and fawns though.

I only had one shot all of bow season on a doe, which I made good on. No shots during muzzleloader or rifle season. Still seeing a few buck but really with the lack of does there is a pronounced lack of rubs and scrapes.

In October after dark one night I dropped a friend of my son's off at his house about 1 mile away straight line. There were literally a couple of dozen does and fawns eating acorns along their driveway. So it's not like they've been depleted out of the county.
I have plenty of cover on my property as well, as much as ever.
There has been a steady increase in bears and coyotes over the last 20 years, but I can't believe that's the problem.

My property is 90 acres, typical for the area. My place and a neighbor with 30 acres of pasture form the tip of a point between two roads, the end of a couple thousand acres of woods and pasture. Across one of those roads is a 160 acres property that was clear cut 20 years ago. Then 2 years ago most of it was cleared and put into hay. I am thinking that may be the answer to what has happened, the fescue fields probably not attracting the deer, and my property otherwise being the end of the line as far as terrain features go, I don't have deer moving through like they used to.

Just venting I guess but it is strange to have more deer than I can count for years and then it literally changes overnight.

We had an over abundance of acorns here and that caused a big change in the deer movements on our place. Still seeing a few but not like the past couple of years...

 

[OkieKubota]

Yes. 800k for 100 acres that 2 years ago would barely sell for 200k.

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They bought a really nice house and 20 down the road and threw up some grow houses real quick. Won’t be long until the travel trailers show up all over the property and the big grow houses go up. I saw some more Hmong about 3 miles over looking over a patch of woods over near rocky ford a couple days ago...

 

[John Paul]

We had an over abundance of acorns here and that caused a big change in the deer movements on our place. Still seeing a few but not like the past couple of years...

Acorns will definitely spread the deer out. This is the best acorn crop we have had in 5-6 years and the deer are healthy but really spread out. I’ve noticed the neighbors around us have shot quite a few bucks I’ve had on camera all season and I usually see this on heavy acorn years. Our Foodplots still aren’t being hammered (like they usually are) and they just have too much food still. Not a typical field edge hunting season like we usually get in VA. Of course this is just my opinion.

 

[Drycreek]

It hasn’t been a normal season for us either. Scads of acorns and warm to hot temps have really decreased deer sightings in general. Normally I rely on N to NW winds at least twice a week, and as I’m retired, I go when the conditions are best. I haven’t had many of those this year. Very little rain also, but my food plots still look good, so with the wind forecast to be N tomorrow I guess I’ll be sitting in a stand.

As to the lack of does, and I don’t know if this is your problem readonly, several years ago the Texas Parks and Wildlife decided that letting everybody have four doe tags was a good idea. It wasn’t ! Some people acted like it was their obligation to fill those tags. That went on for about three years and it hurt our deer population. Someone down in Austin regained their sanity and they then dropped it back to two tags in East Texas. IMO, that’s about right, but they then only allowed does to be killed up until Thanksgiving. Again, IMO, that’s just dumb. What difference does it make when you kill does ? And if you think it was because they didn’t want to kill bred does, why did they have a January muzzleloader season where you could again kill does ? I know it’s a monumental task to try to please all hunters, in fact it can’t be done, so why not manage what’s best for the overall health of the deer herd first, and hunter satisfaction second ?

 

[OkieKubota]

It hasn’t been a normal season for us either. Scads of acorns and warm to hot temps have really decreased deer sightings in general. Normally I rely on N to NW winds at least twice a week, and as I’m retired, I go when the conditions are best. I haven’t had many of those this year. Very little rain also, but my food plots still look good, so with the wind forecast to be N tomorrow I guess I’ll be sitting in a stand.

As to the lack of does, and I don’t know if this is your problem readonly, several years ago the Texas Parks and Wildlife decided that letting everybody have four doe tags was a good idea. It wasn’t ! Some people acted like it was their obligation to fill those tags. That went on for about three years and it hurt our deer population. Someone down in Austin regained their sanity and they then dropped it back to two tags in East Texas. IMO, that’s about right, but they then only allowed does to be killed up until Thanksgiving. Again, IMO, that’s just dumb. What difference does it make when you kill does ? And if you think it was because they didn’t want to kill bred does, why did they have a January muzzleloader season where you could again kill does ? I know it’s a monumental task to try to please all hunters, in fact it can’t be done, so why not manage what’s best for the overall health of the deer herd first, and hunter satisfaction second ?

Here in Oklahoma it’s managed for what appeases the insurance company...

 

[Drycreek]

Here in Oklahoma it’s managed for what appeases the insurance company...

I’ve heard lots of the same from guys from different states, and I really don’t know how much the insurance companies influence our TPWD guys. It would be interesting to know for sure. I see more dead hogs on the highway here than dead deer though. Dead hogs are on the highways all year long and deer are mostly found during the last of October through November.

 

[HB_Hunter]

Doe sightings on camera and on the stand are on par with past years for me. Three mature bucks have been taken in the general area, but I haven’t heard of any does being shot.

I was going to take one or two, but don’t think we have too many so I’ll probably hold off.

We also had a great hard mast year with most of the normal persimmon trees having fruit and some still holding on to some fruit. Food plots haven’t been hit hard and I’ll keep a gravity feeder filled until March.

 

[readonly]

I did break the drought Saturday afternoon. I took my wife out in an attempt to get her first deer. We went to a stand that has been hot for many years, but strangely cold this year since the first of November. Over looks a funnel between two blocks of timber. 20 minutes into our sit and something is moving above us about 75 yards away. Sounds too big to be a squirrel, but not covering any ground just going back and forth. Not scratching like a turkey and there are not oaks at the spot where the noise is coming from. So I assume it's squirrels. But then I hear a deer grunt after 10 minutes. Then a doe comes down to where I can see and gives me a 50-60 yard shot. I either take a doe or I'm done for the year. So I take the doe. Then a button comes down and runs 25 yards past our stand and stares back. I reload the single shot .243 and hand it to my wife. She goes through the breathing checklist and makes a perfect heart shot, the deer falls within sight. Very cool as I never thought I would get her to hunt, she is not an outdoor girl, but after 13 years I figured I would give it a shot and eased her in with target practice, etc. She seemed to have a very good time, this was our 3rd trip. Anyway a few moments after the button crashed, we were enjoying the moment when in came a 2-3 year old buck charging in. I reloaded and handed her the rifle but he was alerted to the movement and noise and took off. That is always very cool when they come in charging to another's deer death run, has happened at least 2 other times for me at this same spot.

So I am done with the does for the year unless they show up in droves late season. Which there are usually more does then healthy in my area, this year as been off. Also this doe had bruising on the backside of her hind quarter under the hide, but no wound there. From mating?

 

[Chainsaw]

During November it was very difficult to see a daytime mature doe on our property. As the rut is winding down the does are back to normal and seen regularly again. It happens most every year but this year it was extreme.