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Thread: Where did all the whitetails go

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
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    KOOTENAYS
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    376

    Where did all the whitetails go

    A petition is going around about the liberal doe season and being out there for the last month it is been a strange year hunting whitetails here in the kootenays sighting have been less and hard to find them We have scientific proof that there are alot of them out there just wondering are hunters from here and afar having the same problem as I am hearing here in the streets that harvesting a whitetail has become like looking for a needle in the haystack
    bigben

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  3. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Yucatan Mexico
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    14,832

    Re: Where did all the whitetails go

    So they disappeared from last year to this year?
    https://oceola.ca/
    http://bcwf.net/index.php
    http://www.wildsheepsociety.net/

    I Give my Heart to my Family....
    My Mind to my Work.......
    But My Soul Belongs to the Mountains.....

  4. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
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    Yucatan Mexico
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    14,832

    Re: Where did all the whitetails go

    Forgot to ask... how are the mule deer doing in your area? Have they improved??
    https://oceola.ca/
    http://bcwf.net/index.php
    http://www.wildsheepsociety.net/

    I Give my Heart to my Family....
    My Mind to my Work.......
    But My Soul Belongs to the Mountains.....

  5. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    In the bush near a lake
    Posts
    7,198

    Re: Where did all the whitetails go

    I don’t hunt the koots but when it comes to whitetail I don’t judge a population on physical sightings or hunter success. They react to pressure and disappear turning nocturnal. If you are running lots of cams and getting a big decrease or no longer seeing tracks in the snow there maybe an issue

    Most of the WT areas I am hunting this year in Alberta I have not seen a whitetail on the road or any nearby openings. But the sign is there, cam pics, and when sitting in the bush I see them everyday.

    Like I said I don’t hunt the koots and numbers could be down but I have had a lot of hunters tell me there is no WT well there is 20 different sets of tracks behind them in the snow lol

  6. #5
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    christina lake
    Posts
    847

    Re: Where did all the whitetails go

    In my part of 8-15 numbers are down. Even on large sections of private land numbers are down. Are they still here yes but numbers are down. I have also not seen the quality of bucks I have seen in other years.
    Mule deer do seem to be doing a little better but am hearing that too many mule does are being shot by mistake. Did find a couple of mule does myself that had been shot and left, I guess some people can't tell the difference between MD and WT
    Hoping for a mild winter and death to a few predators

  7. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    In the bush near a lake
    Posts
    7,198

    Re: Where did all the whitetails go

    Quote Originally Posted by Stone Sheep Steve View Post
    Forgot to ask... how are the mule deer doing in your area? Have they improved??
    Elk numbers being down and elk being documented as the MD top competition and have the largest impact on MD numbers they should be improving in the koots

  8. #7
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    7A
    Posts
    20,732

    Re: Where did all the whitetails go

    Quote Originally Posted by Wild one View Post
    I have had a lot of hunters tell me there is no WT well there is 20 different sets of tracks behind them in the snow lol
    hah so true
    "If you ever go into the bush, there are grizzly bears lurking behind just about every bush, waiting to pounce, so you need a powerful gun, with huge bullets" - Gatehouse ~ 2004

  9. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    East Kootenays
    Posts
    9,143

    Re: Where did all the whitetails go

    The population is down, but it depends what year you compare it to.

    Compared to last year, maybe not much.. Compared to 1995 way down..
    "It's not the kill, but the thrill of the chase" - Deep Purple

    "Lord knows I'm a Voodoo chile" - SRV (RIP 8-27-90)

    "Know your Land, Know your Prey" - Mantracker

    http://www.youtube.com/user/welderse...e=results_main

  10. #9
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Posts
    1,916

    Re: Where did all the whitetails go

    Quote Originally Posted by bigben View Post
    A petition is going around about the liberal doe season and being out there for the last month it is been a strange year hunting whitetails here in the kootenays sighting have been less and hard to find them We have scientific proof that there are alot of them out there just wondering are hunters from here and afar having the same problem as I am hearing here in the streets that harvesting a whitetail has become like looking for a needle in the haystack
    numbers are down in many parts of the Kootenays, only thing that was really changed was the doe season so probably the cause of the decline. The doe season and decline of the whitetails has caused lots of problems with lots of the animals
    in the Kootenays. One thing that was interesting was the comment on the CWD post about many of the deer that couldn't be tested because they were to young/under one year of age so if these deer are being shot this young maybe they reason for no fawn recruitment.

  11. #10
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Location
    Kamloops
    Posts
    822

    Re: Where did all the whitetails go

    I have not seen a difference in population//numbers at all here,,,,Kamloops,,,,,,if anything certain areas where showing more sightings,,,,BUT with that being said,,,,,the WT are still on a steady spread through region 3,,,,,but this time of year,,,,unless someone actually gets out of their vehicle and scouts,,,,,,sightings are gonna be rare and far between,,,,,,,,they are a very smart animal,,,,,,about same time every year,,,,,the hunting pressure wises them up for another year,,,,,,,keeping well away from public sight,,,,and any noise not natural to their surroundings,,,,,,even the mule deer on my property have gone skittish,,,,,,and will only see or hear them in middle of night,,,,,,i checked my trail cameras from the 2 areas I harvested my WT this year,,,,,,and they are still moving around,,,,,,,average times of moving from 2am--4am
    Aim small,,miss small

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