I was talking with a few hunters that hunt close to me and some neigbors. We have all agreed that the number of deer sightings have gone down in the past few years. Not much has changed that I know of we have had some major flooding every year since I hunt along a major river. There is corn and beans planted every where. Why could the sightings of deer be dropping? I see deer when I hunt , but just not the high numbers.

Weather?!

I'm no expert on Iniana but.....

From your own states' DNR.

"PROBLEM 1: Ineffective communication and lack of education concerning deer management, among deer hunters who want the deer population increased, threatens support for Division deer programs

Strategies

Continue information and education programs to explain the necessity of herd reductions.
Evaluate additional hunting strategies that are compatible with lower herd sizes.
Monitor the attitudes of the deer hunters to changing deer populations, and incorporate user-demand data as well as economic and ecological impacts when setting population objectives.


Strategies

Reduce deer population where necessary by continuing to liberalize the harvest of antlerless deer and by continuing to develop new strategies for increasing the harvest of antlerless deer.
Continue the Deer Damage Control Permit program to reduce economic losses to individual farm operators.
Pursue the strategies to increase hunter access to private land.
Utilize and modify the Urban Deer Zones to put additional pressure on suburban deer.
Continue to respond to deer damage complaints to alleviate farm operator problems with deer.
Support research to develop better ways of preventing excessive deer damage to crops.
Continue to work with other divisions of DNR to minimize deer damage adjacent to DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES properties. "


Now correct me if I am wrong but when your DNR puts an emphasis on reducing deer numbers to prevent problems, by increasing opportunities to harvest more does.....theeeeeeen its not really hard to put 2+2 together.

Thanks chickory I was thinking the same thing when I was in my stand. We can kill a doe any time during shotgun season. It used to be the last four days. It reallly makes me mad I wish I could do something about it. If there is a way to where I can change the rules please tell me.

okay that last one threw me for a loop with all that dnr stuff. I concurr with the deerhunter, i havent seen as many deer as i should at this particular time of the year. However it has been very warm, and it should be alot colder this time of month for ohio. When we have chilly mornings is when i see the most deer.