Originally Posted by
Savage_99
In the forests of Southern Vermont there are no deer these days. The woods are too thick so no sunlight gets to the ground to grow deer food.
The remaining open land is heavily posted.
I walked a rural dirt road yesterday where there had been deer in the 50's, 60's and 70's. No tracks, not even one deer track.
In fact years ago in VT I saw many animals like porkupines, grouse, squirrels, chimpmunks, deer, small birds, red squirrels, etc.
Now: Nothing!
Here is a deer kill report.
http://www.vtfishandwildlife.com/hun...eernumbers.cfm
I am sure this varies by region. I know in my mature woods I had virtually no deer tracks for a few years. Then I had it logged with the effect of lots of food and little cover for a few years so the deer would visit at night and leave. Now the cover is returning and I have some food plots going so things are looking up. A nice mix of agriculture, logging, and woods works great for the deer. Also, from what I am reading about WI deer hunting at
http://host.madison.com/sports/recre...cc4c002e0.html deer hunting can not be a free-for-all and there needs to be limits on harvest. And predators play a big role (wolves). Also, blaze orange would have been helpful in 1914.
WISCONSIN
1910 -- Deer populations drop to record low numbers due to unregulated hunting and market shooting.
1914 -- Twenty-four hunters killed, 26 injured; license sales at 155,000
1915 -- First buck only season.
1917 -- Shining deer illegal while possessing a firearm; Conservation Commission delegated some powers related to deer season, but legislature retains authority to set seasons; deer tags (paper) required for the first time...they cost 10 cents.
1919 -- Estimated kill is 25,152.
1920 -- First use of metal deer tags...they cost 10 cents.
1921 -- Wardens are instructed that "all deer found in possession...with horns less than three inches in length, is a fawn and should be confiscated."
1924 -- Estimated kill is 7000.
1925 -- Legislature passes law closing deer season in alternate years.
1927 -- No open season.
1928 -- Deer hunters required to wear official conservation button while hunting; Game Division formed with Conservation Department; estimated kill is 17,000 with 69,049 deer tags sold.
1929 -- No open season.
1930 -- Estimated kill is 23,000 with 70.284 deer tags sold.
1931 -- No open season.
1932 -- Deer tag price is raised to $1; estimated kill is 36,009 with 70,245 deer tags sold.
1933 -- No open season; Conservation Congress, an advisory group representing public opinion registered at annual county hearings, begins to assist the Conservation Commission in establishing a deer management policy.
1934 -- First bow deer season; estimated gun kill is 21,251 with 83,939 deer tags sold.
1935 -- No open season.
1937 -- Shortest deer season on record, three days.
1938 -- Use of .22 rifle and .410 shotgun prohibited.
1939 -- Licensed children between ages 12 and 16 must be accompanied by parent or guardian; buckshot prohibited statewide.
1941 -- Deer predators rare, timber wolves nearing extinction; estimated gun kill is 40,403 with 124,305 deer tags sold.
1942 -- Back tags required while deer hunting.
1943 -- First doe and fawn season in 24 years.
1945 -- First year of ‘shotgun only' counties; wearing red clothing required while hunting deer.
1950 -- First ‘any deer' season since 1919; estimated gun kill is 167,911 with 312,570 deer tags sold.