GMMAT

DC.....early on....I took EVERY "ethical" shot I had at a female deer. As it got closer to the rut (and it became apparent I had a realistic chance of meeting my mgmt. goal).....I passed on does...."some".

I honestly don't know how many I "could" have killed. I'd be afraid to guess (for fear of what some would say). You know....it woudn't be that many more than we did take, though. So let's assume I killed every one I "could" have.

I keep a log....and could tell you how many doe sightings I had. But I also know that I see the same does over and over a lot.

Jim_IV

Most does (2 1/2 + in age) have two fawns instead of one so.......

8 does x 2 fawns = 16 fawns + 8 does + 2 bucks =



26 mouths

I think you put a pretty good dent in them

GMMAT

Hey Matt....how do you distinguish does? I mean.....I know some of the doe groups....but I'm never "sure". I could NEVER tell you how many individual deer I see every year. Just isn't possible where I hunt.

It's cool you can do that.

bloodcrick

yes i believe it does. Alot is going to depend on the size of ground your managing and how others around you manage Does. In your situation, i think you did the right thing for your area.

huntingson

Jeff, you could transport a few here. I am trying to bring my #'s up.

I think we are both in similar situations looking from different vantage points. It is giong to take time and reduced #'s taken here to see a sizeable difference, whereas it will take time and continued big #'s taken to make a noticeable difference for you. At least it gives us something to think about

Rick James

I can't distinguish between all of them, but 99% of them I can at least at my place in PA. Dan's place is different, his deer move around more and I don't put in as much time in the offseason to know and recognize the core family groups.

I've found that because of the bedding areas I've created from our logging project, and designated sanctuaries we leave alone, and the seperate food plots they feed in, they generally have a VERY small core area (the doe/fawn groups anyhow). This helps a lot to identify which ones are which. I alsowatch them all year long, and tend to get thousands (sometimes 10k+) pictures every year on the game cams and my father emails them to me every 2-3 days to keep tabs on what is showing up where. After the thousands of pics, and repeated sightings through the entire year when I'm there staying at the cabin and working on things and glassing, etc......you learn which family groups are which pretty easily.

Rob saw this when he came to my place, I told him before she showed up exactly what doe was going to show up, that she had a button buck and doe fawn with her, and exactly what she would look like. You get pretty familiar with them all I guess when your really improving the habitat and planting and then watching everything, they get much more predictable in patterns as well. I actually watched Rob's doe from this year give birth to her 2x fawns last spring from my cabin window.

GMMAT

Huntingson.....

Do your herd AND mine a favor, this year. Come down here and shoot one or two....and leave yours, alone!

huntingson

Jeff, I would be more than happy to help reduce your doe #'s. A time and directions is all I need

Schultzy

Don't burn yourself out there GMMAT, its suppose to be fun. You wouldn't think it would be possible but I'm willing to bet a guy could, its good that your inviting your buddy's in there and letting them give you a hand. Also kudos to you on what your doing, I think its the right thing if your numbers of deer are correct like you say they are, just don't go over board. Its going to make a huge difference in your buck hunting in the future too! You won't be in the woods all the time trying to manage your doe population, your scent and human presence will be way down, that could mean more bigger bucks will come around! Good luck!

JoeRE

I think you can make a difference, but from what you describe it would be very hard to do in your locale. When I first heard about your plan, I was not sure you (one person) would be able to make a significant impact because of a)hunting area size and b) total population you described. I based that judgement on what I have seen, namely deer moving fluidly in response to hunting pressure, food sources, etc. You can temporaraly lower the population of course, but I have seen at the end of a season, on a small or medium size property that gets hammered by hunters (while neigboring properties do not) the deer just move over into the vacant ground after the season. When the ratios are that far out of wack, I thought it would be like trying to make a hole in a puddle of water by sticking your finger in it. As soon as you remove it, its gone.

However, the more time I thought about the less sure I am. There are less deer in your woods now than there would have been. Your numbers dont lie obviously. I am curious how your sightings change over the summer and next year...