Here is a question for those that have or are still hunting deer in the Buckeye State, "Did you notice less deer on you hunting trips this year?"
I live in zone three where a hunter could take up to six(6) deer (1 antlered and 5 doe). Most complaints I heard from other hunters this season was that they were not seeing any deer, nor hearing much shooting while they were out in the field.
I travel a lot on the interstates and state routes through the state and I noticed there appeared to be a lot less deer road kill.
Anyone out there think as I do that the doe have possibly been over harvested the past few years with this six deer bag limit?
Any thoughts?

js

Have you seen this?
http://news.yahoo.com/northern-plain...HRlc3QD;_ylv=3

The state does autopsies on the deer, I understand they get the head's from processors for this study for any sign of EHD. Not here in Ohio but in surrounding states maybe. I did not see any deer while hunting this year, but hay I might have been in the wrong place at the wrong time . Any way the the count has been down this year and with mild weather to hunt in.

CVG Ohio

I did see a few less this year, but I also hunted less here in Ohio than I have in previous years. I got my buck in archery fairly early and only hunted five times for deer. The rest of my time was small game and PA deer. The hard winter we had last year could have something to do with it maybe.
-Jake

yes Pluckit, I read about this news the other day. I've read about Michigan's EHD and agree with CVG Ohio's post, but according to Ohio DNR there has been no confirmed cases in Ohio. Funny thing about Ohio DNR, they denied black bear and coyotes were here until someone showed them dead ones. ??

I did notice a few less deer this year after the first phase of the rut. I hunted almost every weekend and there were a few days in there where the woods were alive with deer. Like I said, it was mostly durring the early chasing stage of the rut. I do agree with you that there were fewer deer compared to last year but I also think that it has a lot to do with the weather. We have had such unseasonably warm weather lately. I took off in November to do some hunting durring the peak of rut and it was almost 60 degrees one day. I sat in my stand all day around a well traveled creek bed and never even heard a deer move. Hopefully this warm weather will not return next year....

i hunt in the south-eastern part of the state, and this has been actually my best year of hunting since 2007. I agree with u on the road kill part and the rut for me was non existing. the weather i would say could be a big factor. i remember the fisrt gun season was a down pour of rain the first 2 days of the season.... at least for me it was. i think that hurt harvest numbers.

I understand they get the head's from processors for this study for any sign of EHD. Not here in Ohio but in surrounding states maybe. I did not see any deer while hunting this year, but hay I might have been in the wrong place at the wrong time.