Community
Whitetail Deer Hunting Gain a better understanding of the World's most popular big game animal and the techniques that will help you become a better deer hunter.

What happens when the deer herd is over populated?

Thread Tools
 
Old 09-19-2013 | 09:46 AM
  #1  
lukec19834's Avatar
Thread Starter
Spike
 
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 35
Likes: 0
From: Crawford County WI
Default What happens when the deer herd is over populated?

We think were having a over population of doe's by personal sightings and by trail camera. Also the rut has been real non aggressive and lazy what happens to the deer herd and the bucks we always seem to have the little guy by us and no mature bucks on camera ! is this what happens ?
lukec19834 is offline  
Reply
Old 09-19-2013 | 10:52 AM
  #2  
Spike
 
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 14
Likes: 0
Default

Originally Posted by lukec19834
We think were having a over population of doe's by personal sightings and by trail camera. Also the rut has been real non aggressive and lazy what happens to the deer herd and the bucks we always seem to have the little guy by us and no mature bucks on camera ! is this what happens ?
Basically yes, I would fill all your tags and ask the other hunters who share your property too as well, donate the meat if necessary if its more than you can handle. Maybe even invite some friends that don't have a place to hunt to harvest some meat doe's too. Here in Indiana our state parks had some severe overpopulation problems and opened them up to hunters to help.
Jakester136 is offline  
Reply
Old 09-19-2013 | 10:53 AM
  #3  
Fork Horn
 
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 172
Likes: 0
From:
Default

Agree with Gangly 100%...especially the starvation aspect.
Doughboy2 is offline  
Reply
Old 09-19-2013 | 11:28 AM
  #4  
Gangly's Avatar
Nontypical Buck
 
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,525
Likes: 0
From: Texas
Default

Bachelor buck groups stay hidden a lot more-so than doe groups do. So based purely on the habits of deer, you will generally see a lot less bucks than doe's.

If the deer population is out of control, that generally means one or more of the following will occur:

1. Meat hunters are gonna have a GREAT year
2. A lot of deer will die of starvation during the winter
3. You will have a low fawn birth rate in the spring
Gangly is offline  
Reply
Old 09-19-2013 | 02:46 PM
  #5  
Spike
 
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 70
Likes: 0
Default

The biggest impact with overpopulation isn't noticed until a couple years down the road when shrubs and natural forages are decimated. Of course then deer start leaving and dying off. Once that happens it can take years and years for a habitat to recover fully even with proper land management.

I hunt near some guys that subscribe to the more deer is better philosophy. They figure more does means more bucks later. The problem is, it just doesn't work like that for a ton of reasons. But I don't think I'll be convincing them any time soon .
North22 is offline  
Reply
Old 09-19-2013 | 06:00 PM
  #6  
Night Crawler's Avatar
Fork Horn
 
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 489
Likes: 0
From: North Carolina
Default

If I see more than 3 does at one time bullets start a flyin. I got a real unstable trigger finger.
Night Crawler is offline  
Reply
Old 09-22-2013 | 07:32 AM
  #7  
Nontypical Buck
 
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 2,178
Likes: 0
From: Southeast Missouri
Default

Another thing to consider....are You letting the Bucks mature and get older and bigger racks?You also need to let the Bucks grow to Maturity,Younger Bucks will show their selfs more while older smarter Bucks will stay hidden,move more at night and be a lot more cautious!If You have too many Bucks they will disperse and find their own area too!

Once colder weather sets in You'll see more Bucks moving,making rubs and scrapes also....if You have Does the Bucks will be looking for them eventually.Im thinking the ratio of 1 Buck to 2 Does is ideal in a good managed area?
GTOHunter is offline  
Reply
Old 09-22-2013 | 08:10 AM
  #8  
FlDeerman's Avatar
Nontypical Buck
 
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 4,329
Likes: 0
From: DeFuniak Spr.Florida
Default

Florida's herd has been over populated and me as a meat hunter have a blast shooting does,to me they taste better.
FlDeerman is offline  
Reply
Old 09-23-2013 | 03:12 PM
  #9  
lukec19834's Avatar
Thread Starter
Spike
 
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 35
Likes: 0
From: Crawford County WI
Default

LOL! I here that I think thats how we got in this position the first place. some hunters I tell ya !
lukec19834 is offline  
Reply
Old 09-23-2013 | 05:04 PM
  #10  
Nontypical Buck
 
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 3,818
Likes: 1
From: Eastern wv
Default

I live and hunt wv, we never had a doe season for 17 years, then in 1974 we had a doe season, but it was too late, by 1990 we had 80 deer per square mile, this country has a carrying capacity of 18-26 psm, they've eaten the underbrush down to nothing, they eat your gardens all summer, they eat the danged flowers in the pots on your deck. we now have 5 full weeks to kill does, we are allowed 4 per year, farmers kill them by the thousands in august, and you constantly dodge them in the roads when driving.......oh and the biggest one I ever killed weighed 126 pounds.
if there is food to fatten them in October, they will not starve. a well fed deer population is more than capable of tripleing itself every 2 years, so ya better kill a bunch of does.
RR
Ridge Runner is offline  
Reply


Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2026 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.