ORIGINAL: Phade
Leo, what unit are you in?
I believe deer numbers are not in the order of some of the more southern and western counties. What kind of DMP numbers are there available in your area, did people you know get turned down for them?
Reason I am questioning this is some areas are not even offering DMP tags...Doughboy comes to mind as one who hunts in such an area. The goal is to reduce the numbers state wide(deer population), but in certain areas there are facts going the other way.
You are right in the buck to doe numbers are rough out there, but I believe the first priority is getting deer per square mile and kill count per area/county to a point where they can focus on maintaining the herd at a fair balance both numbers and ratio wise.
Cheers to you though for not hesitating to take a doe, try to turn some of your friends minds.
I am located in 5r in saratoga county. I live 2 minutes from rt 29 which decides the northern and souther boundries which i love cause i hunt northern till southern opens. Of my 6 friends that applied for DMP's in 5R 2 of them recieved them. I used to get 2 each year every so often but was gauranteed 1 but not this year. This year i also purchased a lifetime license for gun, bow and muzzleloader thinking that would help my chances but no way. I am not aware of to the # of permits available in this area as i didnt know you could find out. But i know they cut the number they gave out drastically. Where I hunt it is alot of farm land and my land borders a wildlife preserve so deer numbers are great. I had no oak trees in my woods produce this year so the sign and seeing of deer has been less then ever before. Prior years during bow i used to see 5 or 10 deer and sometimes even more deer feeding in my oaks. I dont think winter killed them off cause i hunt my piece next to the preserve in a swamp from hell and in a days sitting throughout the day i would see doe coming and going. Granted some could be the same deer i counted twice. I know the numbers on my land are still in good number but not down near the oaks and creek due to no acorns. I read somewhere that the deer numbers where i live i believe are less then 2 deer per square mile... my land plus the preserve i would bet there are better then 50 deer and its a probably close to 1000 acres. I hunt almost everyday and have come across a 3,4 and 6 pointer in that time. Thats all. This past weekend i went hunting on the NY/VT border with my friends from VT. who hunt NY. I sat in treestand and counted 19 Doe walk by in a single filed line and not 1 buck with them... I see this alot... 5 or 10 doe and sometimes more go by buckless. This states gos about counting deer the wrong way... fly over with helicoptor i believe and just look out to see what they can see and make number figures that way. With all the doe i see on my land and only 3 bucks I dont care if i dont get a buck cause they will be bigger next year. I'll shoot a doe and save a buck where i live. With the lack of food in the woods where i live and the corn fields already cut the deer cant survive off of just grass.... gonna be a hard winter for deer this year... its gonna be hard to not feed the deer threw the winter monthes to help them but I cant do it and have them become dependent on me.