PA Buck to doe Ratio?
 

Any one have any true idea how to tell what the true #'s are? Or what they really should be?

Trail cam pics?

Spot lighting?

In season sightings?

Pre season sightings?

RE: PA Buck to doe Ratio?
 

Commercial Break,
This could be an interesting topic - If it doesn't go down the Yellow Brick Road to the Land of PGC Bashing.

If there is a hint of PGC bashing It's Gone - Outa Here.

Now - Back to the Wizard of OZ

RE: PA Buck to doe Ratio?
 

Just remember that if we go by sightings, if we had a 1:1 BD ratio every fourth deer would have antlers... one buck, one doe, two fawns

RE: PA Buck to doe Ratio?
 

I live in Pike county and I can honestly sayI haven't seen all that many deer to make an accurate estimate. From what I have seen I'll bet it's probably 2 or three doe to every buck. In the community where I live there's no hunting and I've seen about 3 doe to every buck.

RE: PA Buck to doe Ratio?
 

I don't know about other areas, but in the state gamelands in which I hunt, sightings are down. What I am noticing is that of the deer I see, a much higher percentage are bucks with antlers. If we consider only adult deer, I am seeing about three adult does to two adult bucks. This contrasts to years prior to 2000 in that back then I would see approximately five adult does to one buck with antlers. Just my opinion based upon what I am seeing, but I believe that the adult buck to adult doe ratio is about 1.5-2 does to one buck.

RE: PA Buck to doe Ratio?
 

I hunted 7 days of this years Rifle season .All days I was in the woods from 6;00 AM till 5:00 PM.
Monday I saw 19 deer &10 fawns , 7 does & 2 bucks a small 8 pt & 4 pt

Tuesday one deer 7 pt buck.

Thursday 14 turkeys, 1 buck 3 pt & 2 does

Saturday I did not see a deer

Tuesday 1 buck4 pt ,2 does & 3 fawns

Thursday 1 buck 4 pt , 2 does

Saturday 5 does , 4 fawns , 4 pt buck I shot a 10 pt with 17" outside spread at 1;30 in the afternoon.

Totals 43 deer total for the season
17 Fawns
18 does
8 bucks

RE: PA Buck to doe Ratio?
 

Motrin,you're seeing a b/d ratio that's just a little over 1/2 and that's assuming all the doe you saw were different animals.

RE: PA Buck to doe Ratio?
 

This is exactly the same way I have seen it this year and last! I also hunt public land!!

RE: PA Buck to doe Ratio?
 

Very interesting thread. And a great point was made when someone asked regarding the total number of does, could perhaps be seeing the same animal more than once.

This portion of QDM is 2nd most difficult to accurately measure for management purposes. The most difficult is age structure. The "easiest" is a flat out head count, and that one is hard enough.

1.5:1 or 2:1 doe:buck ratio is fine. Remember, some of those fawns are BBs.

Sounds to me the deer herds have a fairly healthy structure. If one cannot get a solid handle on numbers, the rest of the discussion is a moot point, is it not?

RE: PA Buck to doe Ratio?
 

if ya go by what deer ya see at any one time i'd say that's hard to say....when i drive 16 miles to work one way here in pike county to wayne countyi see bout 100 - 150 deer and sometimes count upwards of 200....maybe see 5 buck in that same 16 mile stretch....so that would be 5: 20 - 40 ratio....yer milage may vary...........bob

RE: PA Buck to doe Ratio?
 

Bob how mnay of those doe are actually fawns?

RE: PA Buck to doe Ratio?
 

this year hunting private property in colley, bradford/sullivan county i saw 5 bucks and 6 does. bucks were 1-8 point, 1-7 point, 1-6 point, 2- forkhorns.
the 7 point was shot before it got on our side of the property by one of neigboor hunters. the 8 and the 6 and one of the forkhorns came over top of the mountain i was hunting at 241 yards, lasered,and were not running, but never stopped moving, shot was there, but i use a single shot and i only make one clean shot kills. it was just too difficult a shot through too much woods and i never saw themn again, oh well there's always next year hopefully

RE: PA Buck to doe Ratio?
 

In the southeast where I do most of my hunting I would say its 10doe to 1buck we are thick with doe down here. In Pike co I hunt SGL180,209 and the Delaware ST Forest. I say its 2doe to 1 Buck. The rifle hunters shot alot of doe when the let you shoot a doe during Buck rifle season. There are some nice bucks runing around the woods though.

Hatchet Jack

RE: PA Buck to doe Ratio?
 

Bob1961 is that deer per year? If not where in God's name are you seeing that many deer in Pike county? Just curious

RE: PA Buck to doe Ratio?
 

dougE....i'd say bout half....

chr103yod....that's going from lackawaxen in pike county to honesdale in wayne county....

hatchet jack....the reply about gameland 180 being 2 doe to 1 buck ratio....i think it's more like 5 to 1 at least.................bob

RE: PA Buck to doe Ratio?
 

MOTRIN, THAT IS IMPRESSIVE, I ASSUME YOU WERE NO WHERE NEAR WMU2G,COULD YOU LET US KNOW WHAT COUNTY YOU WERE IN..

RE: PA Buck to doe Ratio?
 

I'm not sure that an accurate ratio could ever be established.
There is too much variation depending on the area you're in.
Ihunt an area of WMU2E and 2G. I can say for sure 2E has a better ratio .
In 2E I have yet to see a buck. But that's just me.
I live in a gated community where hunting was not allowed until this year. Archery Only.
In the confines of the property which is in 2G, there is a descent ratio, around 3 does to 1 buck.

I would say overall health of the herds in all these places is much better than it was 3 years ago.
But I think I'm getting off track.

RE: PA Buck to doe Ratio?
 

Bob1961, were I hunt on 180 I hardly ever see a doe. Most of the time if I see a deer its a Buck. Thats why I love to hunt there. We hunt off of 739 on the ridge up from Smith Swamp. Been hunting that spot for 15years


Hatchet Jack

RE: PA Buck to doe Ratio?
 

Based on the notes I took on deer sighting this past year my ratio comes out to 2.6 to 1 and that is for WMU 2F. Most of the bucks were not shooters.

RE: PA Buck to doe Ratio?
 

Gene,the b/d ratio may be as poor as 1/3 in Treasure lake because no one's been shooting does for the past 40 years.On top of that,enough big bucks get poached every year.On the surrounding public land,the b/d ratio is better than or at least no worse than1/2.We've been killing more antlerless than antlered deer for over 20 years and almost twice as many antlerless than antlered since about 2001.If you're killing a sufficient amount of doe,it's impossible to have a pre-season adult b/d ratio any more than 1/3.

RE: PA Buck to doe Ratio?
 

I was hunting in Crawford county.1- B.

I have grouse hunting in your area and there is not allot of deer sign but where you find thick grouse cover we find deer sign. We have great grouse cover here but there are no birds!