Deer numbers?

[Rayne]

Hey guys so it's been an unproductive year for me atleast so far. I'm using the same tactics as last year. Road hunting, hiking into areas I've seen good numbers of deer. And this year nada. I've been out almost every weekend and have seen maybe 25 deer. So whats the verdict guys and gals are you still seeing good deer numbers in your areas (region 3 and 8 ) ? have you noticed better numbers the farther from the roads you get? Or did the fires cause them to congregate and now when you find them there just in high densities?
Thanks for any input hbc

[twoSevenO]

I noticed more deer this year. More in the low lands and more in the alpine.

[RackStar]

Pretty rockstar year for deer I’d say. Have seen prob the most yet in my seasons.
2 in the freeZer. 1 tag left for mr big.

Try new tactics and keep your tried and true spots. But always explore and keep on the move You never know when you will find that next honey hole.
Keep at er it only gets better from here.
Good luck

[Rayne]

Are you guys seeing them through out the day at all or only at first light and last light

[RackStar]

Lots at first and last light
and a bunch in the day time, just get into their bedding areas and you still see a lot more.
Started seeing more daytime movement last weekend, I shot a mulie at 3pm

[Rayne]

Alright I'm heading to a spot tomorrow that I've seen be productive the last 3 years. Hopefully atleast see a few does

[carnivore]

Deer are there but there sixth sense seems to be more finely tuned. STEALTH.

[4 point]

Been out six times in October and have seen 6 bucks. No not 1 a day! We couldn’t get a shot at any of them. Two were really nice. Heading out again tomorrow maybe see 1 or 2 we can get.

[Liveforthehunt]

I'll be completely honest with everyone on here filled 2 tags a 4 point Muley and whitey thus far but either deer numbers are way down or they have moved to different locations than previous years... In an evening I would hunt areas and see upwards of 30+ deer a few mule deer majority whitetails this year not the case . A few small bucks and does but I have not had a day over 11 deer and that's a full day . The cameras don't lie either one good example... one of many cameras I have set up that produces a fair amount of deer in a couple week period is seeing few deer like 1/4 or less in comparison to the past 7 seasons since I started using cams frequently ... predator numbers are up but I'm getting the usually wolves grizz and cougars nothing crazy ... I saw more moose this weekend than deer both days . Looking forward to more feedback ? The big boys start showing up on the cams within the next couple weeks hoping for a change !?

[Rayne]

Alright liveforthehunt your onto what I'm trying to get at. I'm not the best hunter but I can usually find deer or areas they frequent but this year those spots are dry so I'm curious if I need to go that extra mountain range back or if they've just gone nocturnal and I need to be quicker on the binoculars in the am

[one-shot-wonder]

Hey guys so it's been an unproductive year for me atleast so far. I'm using the same tactics as last year. Road hunting, hiking into areas I've seen good numbers of deer. And this year nada. I've been out almost every weekend and have seen maybe 25 deer. So whats the verdict guys and gals are you still seeing good deer numbers in your areas (region 3 and 8 ) ? have you noticed better numbers the farther from the roads you get? Or did the fires cause them to congregate and now when you find them there just in high densities?
Thanks for any input hbc

That's a success in it's self right there.... Keep it up and you will close the deal on a buck. This is the week the mules start searching so cover ground (on foot) and you'll run into deer.

[Rayne]

Fair enough thanks one-shot-wonder. I usually rely on the number game to get my deer put in enough hours and your bound to run into a buck. So I'll just keep doing what I'm doing and hopefully it falls into place.

[mike_69]

0 in the freezer so far. Lots of time spent sitting in blinds but very little moving through what has generally been productive areas for us.. So far I have seen a total of 8 deer in 10 days and none that I was able to take. Time to scope out some new ground.

[HarryToolips]

I usually wait til winter to see what numbers/sign I see on winter range to make an assessment, but I'm hearing from a lot of people that they're not seeing as much..I'm seeing the usual amount I'd say, and have a WT buck in the freezer..on winter range this spring I saw lots of deer, so that's a good sign..one of my main hunting partners and I took our 4 year old boys out yesterday, mostly driving but a bit of hiking, from first light til mid afternoon we saw 25+ mulies, a couple bucks on private land even..

[hoochie]

weve talked about this in other threads, but the thing I have found has had the greatest impact is the amount of trucks, quads etc roaming around. Both our bucks this year were taken in quiet areas. WT buck was last light in a field, the mulie buck was 16:45 on a sunny day. He was all by himself, no more than 50m from the tree line. I didnt see him come out, my wife did. we watched him a little while to see if another would come out, but we decided she should take the shot as he headed back toward the tree line after being exposed for only a few minutes.
We found it very difficult to find WT this year. We only saw less than 10 in reg 3 area.. where there had been plenty in the past. Maybe they moved? I dunno.

[Rayne]

That's a pretty good day. I'd be happy to see 5-8 in a day. I usually find I'll see a bunch of deer over the course of a day. Or I'll see 1 and it'll be a buck. I'm just surprised that my spots have dried up. There not that pressured there quite the hike in so unless the predators are pushing them I don't know why they would move

[butthead]

iam not seeing much of anything this year
no deer
no sign of deer
nothing in the snow maybe just the odd one passing through
worst year ever for myself

[HarryToolips]

weve talked about this in other threads, but the thing I have found has had the greatest impact is the amount of trucks, quads etc roaming around. Both our bucks this year were taken in quiet areas. WT buck was last light in a field, the mulie buck was 16:45 on a sunny day. He was all by himself, no more than 50m from the tree line. I didnt see him come out, my wife did. we watched him a little while to see if another would come out, but we decided she should take the shot as he headed back toward the tree line after being exposed for only a few minutes.
We found it very difficult to find WT this year. We only saw less than 10 in reg 3 area.. where there had been plenty in the past. Maybe they moved? I dunno.
I'd wager those whities went nocturnal..

[Salty]

Take it fwiw as I'm hunting mainly new areas this year having recently moved to the mainland so not a great test to compare to other years obviously. I've only made it out about 10 times .. doing a lot of work on the house this year. Anways.. early season was tough sledding found little sign in September and saw few deer. Its picked up in Oct started seeing some mules in my new areas in region 3 and almost got a poke at a decent buck about 3 weeks ago. Just got back from 3-4 days for white tail near the 8/4 boundary to an area I have been before. First couple days were slow, finding a bit of sign here and there but nothing to write home about. This area has been logged heavily recently and patterns had changed a lot. Finally found a hot little hidden pocket littered with sign and came close to a chance on a decent buck yesterday at last light but couldn't quite get the x hairs on him in time. Hit the area again dark and early this morning for one last chance before I had to come home and shot a nice fat flat top. Mixed bag for me not great but certainly not too bad either.

[ajr5406]

Im seeing way more WT than Mule deer in the areas i have hunted, these areas I have only seen MD in the past few seasons. This is from limited experience though, but a few friends have found the same.

[Fisher-Dude]

I only have one tag left for the November hunt.

Been pretty good for us this year, some days not much seen but other days were polluted with deer.

That's why it's hunting.

[Darksith]

one whitey down from our elk trip, 2 tags left to fill, only really interested in finding a big mulie or a moose immy...the deer left one area I frequent early this year because of the wierd cold snap that brought a big dump of snow. Moving to lower elevations to find the deer personally.

[gamer]

I have only been out for a day trip and one 4 day trip. I have seen does every day I have been out. Only found a spike buck so far that we passed on. Not lots but at least 1-3 every outing morning and evening. Definitely more action from 4pm and on. This was in 8-5 both times. I'm just happy to see deer every time I have been out.

[Linksman313]

Many have forgotten how cold the temp and deep the snowpack was during winter (at least region 8) last year. Imo this has had a significant effect on WT populations in the areas that I hunt. Or the city folk just shot them before I could get time off work:lol:

We also noted this years growing season was late (2 weeks), this may have also thrown off the natural cycle of wild game as well. WT Does here have just kicked off their fawns within the last 3 days, late according to our observations in this part of the region.

[scotty30-06]

Thibk the deer remember the deep snow of last winter and are staying lower in preperation for it?

[Rayne]

Well I had more luck today than most days seen the biggest Muley buck to date but he didn't feel like coming home in my warm car. Thinking tomorrow I'll go chase blacktails. Whats everyone's opinions on how hard it is to find a spike or two point.

[sawmill]

I`m seeing way less than I`m used to. Hunting here for 18 years.

[Liveforthehunt]

Interesting observation, it was a cold hard winter which is probably a good theory that the animals got hit pretty hard. There are far too many people saying the same thing does the govt keep anything somewhat accurate on deer numbers ? Also hunters can say they have 1 tag left ... as do I but I don't shoot WT does for the exact reason of it eventually having an impact on deer numbers, passed on a few small bucks.

[aamenta]

Still nothing for me and I've been putting in the most effort ever as well.
I think its been a problem of location and timing this year :(

still got some time though.

[604redneck]

Interesting observation, it was a cold hard winter which is probably a good theory that the animals got hit pretty hard. There are far too many people saying the same thing does the govt keep anything somewhat accurate on deer numbers ? Also hunters can say they have 1 tag left ... as do I but I don't shoot WT does for the exact reason of it eventually having an impact on deer numbers, passed on a few small bucks.
You can shoot 3 bucks......

[Fisher-Dude]

Interesting observation, it was a cold hard winter which is probably a good theory that the animals got hit pretty hard. There are far too many people saying the same thing does the govt keep anything somewhat accurate on deer numbers ? Also hunters can say they have 1 tag left ... as do I but I don't shoot WT does for the exact reason of it eventually having an impact on deer numbers, passed on a few small bucks.

There were no reports of abnormal deer mortality from last year's winter.

If you don't harvest across all age and sex classes, you're harming the health of the deer herd and stagnating the potential for growth in deer numbers.

[Weatherby Fan]

I only have one tag left for the November hunt.

Been pretty good for us this year, some days not much seen but other days were polluted with deer.

That's why it's hunting.

Thats it exactly FD, was up to the cabin for 3 days

Fri-seen nothing ?? my daughters boyfriend was along for his first hunt so I was thinking he's bad luck and I'm leaving him home next time !

Sat - 4 moose no deer ??

Sunday - 2 moose, 2 bucks and a pile of doe's, oh yeh and one dead coyote !

Ya just never know what tomorrow brings......either way "everyday is a great day for hunting"

[Fisher-Dude]

Thats it exactly FD, was up to the cabin for 3 days

Fri-seen nothing ?? my daughters boyfriend was along for his first hunt so I was thinking he's bad luck and I'm leaving him home next time !

Sat - 4 moose no deer ??

Sunday - 2 moose, 2 bucks and a pile of doe's

Ya just never know what tomorrow brings......either way "everyday is a great day for hunting"

Glad to hear your cabin survived!

[Weatherby Fan]

Glad to hear your cabin survived!

Thanks FD, yeh we were pretty lucky, but it was so long before we got any info on the status of our place I figured the worst and I was looking at plans for a new cabin !

[Salty]

x2 good to hear the cabin survived Don. Take one of your plan ideas and build an addition ;)

Dan

[Liveforthehunt]

You can shoot 3 bucks......

Yes I'm well aware

[HarryToolips]

Interesting observation, it was a cold hard winter which is probably a good theory that the animals got hit pretty hard. There are far too many people saying the same thing does the govt keep anything somewhat accurate on deer numbers ? Also hunters can say they have 1 tag left ... as do I but I don't shoot WT does for the exact reason of it eventually having an impact on deer numbers, passed on a few small bucks.
Incorrect, a short doe season for whitetails like we have is beneficial for the populations, I'm still seeing lots of whitetails, look into the science behind it, read 'Whitetail Advantage' it will open your eyes...take Texas for example, they harvest up to 20% of their overall whitetail pops every season, yet their harvest is sustainable, we don't harvest close to that..

[HarryToolips]

Many have forgotten how cold the temp and deep the snowpack was during winter (at least region 8) last year. Imo this has had a significant effect on WT populations in the areas that I hunt. Or the city folk just shot them before I could get time off work:lol:

We also noted this years growing season was late (2 weeks), this may have also thrown off the natural cycle of wild game as well. WT Does here have just kicked off their fawns within the last 3 days, late according to our observations in this part of the region.
I'm guessing region 4 is where your talking about, I saw lots of whitetails in the region 4 area I hunted this season..

[Liveforthehunt]

Incorrect, a short doe season for whitetails like we have is beneficial for the populations, I'm still seeing lots of whitetails, look into the science behind it, read 'Whitetail Advantage' it will open your eyes...take Texas for example, they harvest up to 20% of their overall whitetail pops every season, yet their harvest is sustainable, we don't harvest close to that..

Incorrect hmm I'm not sure about that ... if you think for one second that winters can't and don't effect the animals in numerous different ways then it's time to do some fine tuning in your research . I am not saying that shooting does can't be beneficial to sustain a healthy population . This is not science this is my multiple cameras I have spread through region 8 mostly focusing on whitetails telling me the animals are not in the area as populated as they have been . If more than 30 cams lie then it's time to purchase a whole bunch of $400 U-ways . Maybe it is a bit of science of my own .. This does not include the majority of friends family having very similar input. There has to be more to it .

[Fisher-Dude]

Incorrect, a short doe season for whitetails like we have is beneficial for the populations, I'm still seeing lots of whitetails, look into the science behind it, read 'Whitetail Advantage' it will open your eyes...take Texas for example, they harvest up to 20% of their overall whitetail pops every season, yet their harvest is sustainable, we don't harvest close to that..

Latest discussions I've had with bios shows we're at maybe 7%.

We haven't even scratched the surface.

[HarryToolips]

Incorrect hmm I'm not sure about that ... if you think for one second that winters can't and don't effect the animals in numerous different ways then it's time to do some fine tuning in your research . I am not saying that shooting does can't be beneficial to sustain a healthy population . This is not science this is my multiple cameras I have spread through region 8 mostly focusing on whitetails telling me the animals are not in the area as populated as they have been . If more than 30 cams lie then it's time to purchase a whole bunch of $400 U-ways . Maybe it is a bit of science of my own .. This does not include the majority of friends family having very similar input. There has to be more to it .
I didn't say that winters don't have an impact, in fact, I know they have the greatest impact overall on deer pops, winter severity and winter range..I'm saying an antlerless season is good for the whitetail populations...in the parts of reg 8 that I spend a good portion of time in, including with trail cameras, I saw a good winter carry over..in fact, in march while shed hunting in an agricultural zone, I counted on a large agricultural field 350-400 whitetails - this is no exaggeration..and this is before a bunch of does we're going to give berth to multiple fawns..the whitetails overall are doing fine around here I strongly believe..

[HarryToolips]

Latest discussions I've had with bios shows we're at maybe 7%.

We haven't even scratched the surface.
Yup, they are just an extremely adaptable species, I have a tonne of respect for them....tried sneaking up on some does yesterday, man they're cagey..

[Weatherby Fan]

Yup, they are just an extremely adaptable species, I have a tonne of respect for them....tried sneaking up on some does yesterday, man they're cagey..

Im seeing them out towards Clinton now, they spread faster than a wildfire !

[HarryToolips]

And btw yesterday I saw 20+ deer in 2 hours of an evening hunt, mostly mulies, but some whitetails, the deer are there..

[HarryToolips]

Im seeing them out towards Clinton now, they spread faster than a wildfire !
They will if their pops aren't managed for sure..

[Liveforthehunt]

Lol I saw well over 30 deer in town within a couple hours this evening well if your counting the Muleys down low . 2 good bucks showed up in 2 different locations im hoping they were just in different areas with an easier water access . Alot of springs dried up over the summer that are starting to flow steady again .

[slowjo]

Incorrect hmm I'm not sure about that ... if you think for one second that winters can't and don't effect the animals in numerous different ways then it's time to do some fine tuning in your research . I am not saying that shooting does can't be beneficial to sustain a healthy population . This is not science this is my multiple cameras I have spread through region 8 mostly focusing on whitetails telling me the animals are not in the area as populated as they have been . If more than 30 cams lie then it's time to purchase a whole bunch of $400 U-ways . Maybe it is a bit of science of my own .. This does not include the majority of friends family having very similar input. There has to be more to it .

your own science is probably better than any goverment stuff

[Salty]

Nothing stays the same forever either. Two years ago on a whim I walked into a nice looking mixed hardwood and evergreen flat in a new to me area and low and behold I found one of the wildest scrapes I've ever seen. This WT buck had rooted up a bedroom sized area. He'd rubbed about a half dozen trees within site. I sat on it for a day and a half but no dice. He was coming back every night. There was sign all over and little trails converging on this spot. IME I thought score! I'll be coming back here for years to come.

Was just back there and there was nothing for sign. I mean nothing, I could hardly find the trails big wind storms since and within 2 km probably 500 acres had been logged. Couldn't believe it didn't see anything around the area in two days hunting I was getting really discouraged. Had the new logging opened things up and all the deer got shot? Had they high tailed it somewhere far away from the several months of blasting and saws? Then, by chance, we spotted 4 does and a decent buck at last light one draw over and less then a km away. Snooped around the next morning and got a deer. This was a new one to me. Why would they completely abandon the old safe spot, which looks still very safe. They change. They adapt. Takes a lot of looking and sometimes a lucky break to find out where they've gone to and sometimes its not far at all.

[hunter1947]

In the region I hunted in for 50 years the number of prey animals are down big time the management has to do something about controlling the wolf population first before they do anything else its a real big circle regarding the drop in game numbers..

[Fisher-Dude]

Deer are smart critters. I've found they'll hang in an area for a bit, then once they stink it up with their scent, they head somewhere else before the preds sniff them out.

Also: Timing, rut, weather, preds passing through, human disturbance, food variations/protein availability, moon phases, blowdown, migration - it all factors in to drastic changes that can happen within a very short window. What was hot 3 days ago looks deserted today.

I've been in areas with day old snow that has a deer track every ten feet and not seen a deer all day. Without the snow, I'd never know they were or had been there.

I shot my first deer in 1976. I'm still left scratching my head some days.

[303savage]

I've been out a few times this year and haven't seen any deer and few tracks.
But I've see 3 different bucks and a doe with 2 fawns in my yard. and one bear.

[hunter1947]

Deer are smart critters. I've found they'll hang in an area for a bit, then once they stink it up with their scent, they head somewhere else before the preds sniff them out.

Also: Timing, rut, weather, preds passing through, human disturbance, food variations/protein availability, moon phases, blowdown, migration - it all factors in to drastic changes that can happen within a very short window. What was hot 3 days ago looks deserted today.

I've been in areas with day old snow that has a deer track every ten feet and not seen a deer all day. Without the snow, I'd never know they were or had been there.

I shot my first deer in 1976. I'm still left scratching my head some days.

Pat when you see wolf scats everywhere with bones and hair in their scats the wolfs keeping you up all night howling you know there eating the prey animals ,,the trapper in the area I hunt just caught a wolf in his leg hold

[hunter1947]

Its a viscus circle out there ,,management ,,lots of road excess,winter kill ,,predators,,habitat one hell of a big circle on the reduction of game animals

[sawmill]

You can shoot 3 bucks......
Not here you can`t. Region 4. 1 Whitey and 1 mule. and 1 white doe.

[Stone Sheep Steve]

I shot my first deer in 1976. I'm still left scratching my head some days.

Have you tried 'Head and Shoulders'?

[Fisher-Dude]

Have you tried 'Head and Shoulders'?

https://pics.me.me/my-new-boyfriend-has-dandruff-you-should-give-him-head-14185997.png

[Liveforthehunt]

Well on one bright note I saw a decent 6x5 Muley today he was looking a little lost :wink: he will be a bruiser next year if he makes it .

[horshur]

Incorrect, a short doe season for whitetails like we have is beneficial for the populations, I'm still seeing lots of whitetails, look into the science behind it, read 'Whitetail Advantage' it will open your eyes...take Texas for example, they harvest up to 20% of their overall whitetail pops every season, yet their harvest is sustainable, we don't harvest close to that..
Harry you are quoting research in a closed system...Texas has little if any predation and no winter..the limiting factors are not the same..I don't disagree but cannot be as confident.

[HarryToolips]

Harry you are quoting research in a closed system...Texas has little if any predation and no winter..the limiting factors are not the same..I don't disagree but cannot be as confident.
I agree, not quite the same factors, but keep in mind, whitetails continue to expand their range in BC..take region 3 for example, where your allowed to shoot 2 bucks or 2 does, very liberal seasons, yet they're still expanding..

[markomoose]

Even up here in Region 7 we have more deer than usual.Hopefully its a mild winter and Vancouver gets all the snow!That was kool to watch on the news last year!

[blacklab]

There was a road check done by the C.O.s on highway 6 at Cherryville last weekend. Does anybody have access to the stats, hunters checked and the number of deer?

[slowjo]

i hunt lots in 4-09 and 8-14. lots of the areas i usually hunt have been logged heavily, full clearcuts. the numbers just aren't what they were prior to the logging. the area where i hunt elk had more wolf scat than elk droppings. we still found bulls. but they were all too small. i agree with the previous posts about changing conditions though, at least as far as sign is concerned. i have first hand experience in area's that are full of sign and the next year, nothing at all. i've had that experience with elk and deer.

[Fisher-Dude]

There was a road check done by the C.O.s on highway 6 at Cherryville last weekend. Does anybody have access to the stats, hunters checked and the number of deer?

Cherryville.

Only one car checked. One of the guy's names was Ralph.


https://i.pinimg.com/736x/21/87/9e/21879e7070a04940e6efcbfdcece08e2--cheech-and-chong-up-in-smoke.jpg

[Salty]

Its a cultural thing to the area ^... If you rearrange the letters in Edgewood you can spell good weed. Just sayin. ..

[walks with deer]

yup ^^^ weed and banjos..

[HarryToolips]

There was a road check done by the C.O.s on highway 6 at Cherryville last weekend. Does anybody have access to the stats, hunters checked and the number of deer?
I've heard from a buddy's brother who has lived there that Cherryville during the doe season is quite the chite show...a lot of morons shooting on private property without permission, people shooting too close to residences etc.. I was glad to hear from them that this year the CO presence there increased..