Author Topic: VT Deer (Read 18693 times)

Zorros shack · « **on:** Jan 03, 2011, 04:08 PM »

Hey guys this is a little off topic, but how do you feel about VTs deer population. My family and friends there don't think there are as many deer as there use to be a few years ago. I hunt in southern VT and see some deer and got a deer in 09. Say what you think about it.

finlessbrown · « **Reply #1 on:** Jan 03, 2011, 04:12 PM »

i have 6 uncles that tag a deer every year no matter what. last year 4 got a deer and not 1 got a deer this year. i haven't got a deer in 3 years but got 1 7 years consecutively before that. the deer hunting SUCKS.

mroy44 · « **Reply #2 on:** Jan 03, 2011, 04:42 PM »

The deer population is on the rise in vermont. My uncle lives in Iowa and gets 1-3 deer a year. People have to realize that Vermont is one of the hardest states to hunt in and that deer are not guarenteed especially here. You need to be on a good piece of land with deer on it and If you can find where a heavy deer trail is and find where a buck is running and set up a stand on his scrape line, you will get him when he comes around to check and freshen his scrapes. Or find a food source like a corn or alfalfa field, or an oak hardwood forest, and set up if you know deer are going out there. If you put in the time scouting getting ready you have a good chance, the rest is luck and being in the right place at the right time. Good Huntin!

rawrightII · « **Reply #3 on:** Jan 03, 2011, 05:10 PM »

I think the deer hunting in this state has dropped big time. I think the amount of doe tags that have been issued is one major cause to this. Shooting all these does in December when they're bread is not helping our situation. My family owns a very large piece of land in Windsor County, and over the last four to five years we have seen a major decline. We need to start going to these Fish and Wildlife meetings and voice our opinions. I know alot of people who are very frustrated and upset with the way things are going with Vermonts Deer hunting/herd right now.

icejumper · « **Reply #4 on:** Jan 03, 2011, 05:23 PM »

The three deer limit is not helping ether should be lowered.

rawrightII · « **Reply #5 on:** Jan 03, 2011, 05:30 PM »

completely agree

pikeaddict · « **Reply #6 on:** Jan 03, 2011, 06:32 PM »

Where I live the only real available land I have to hunt is the national forest under the wilderness designation. Not many deer running around there. Only saw one deer in over 100 hours of hunting rifle and muzzleloader. If I need to go elsewhere in the state to see deer some what often, that means at least an hour travel time. I possibly would have to find a place to stay overnight too. If I have to do that, I might as well go to NH or NY.

MHC94 · « **Reply #7 on:** Jan 03, 2011, 06:52 PM »

The deer hunting in this state is bad at best. Yes, there are pockets of deer on posted land that only a handful of guys can hunt and those are the guys that consider the hunting here acceptable.

stevedubo · « **Reply #8 on:** Jan 03, 2011, 07:02 PM »

Deer population has dropped signifigantly in the last 15 years...........I believe from poaching.The state really needs to do something about it.

wilec · « **Reply #9 on:** Jan 03, 2011, 07:10 PM »

The amount of guys that shoot 3 deer is actually really low so i don't believe that would have that much affect. the amount of deer shot during youth is higher but... if we're looking at deer kill numbers that wouldn't matter anyway. In my opinion as a few said the amount of posted land is just crazy. I moved to the Burlington area and could not get permission anywhere. i've ended up on mt. mansfield state forest and actually really enjoy myself up there. I'm one of these nuts who doesn't mind not shooting a deer. i actually saw 2 buck up there one spike and a rack buck in the dark just before my parking spot. I also strongly believe a small state like Vermont, is much harder to manage than the much bigger states. i've done internships with state biologists and the crap that they have to deal with is unreal and i'm not talking about putting up with us hunters. A LOT of politics and they spend A LOT of time defending every move they make to someone or another. I'm not saying i agree with all their moves but ... just my 2 cents

wilec · « **Reply #10 on:** Jan 03, 2011, 07:12 PM »

and now that i've opened my big mouth

i'll try to get some numbers on the 3 deer a year thing i know the youth numbers are readily available... somewhere

ckashner · « **Reply #11 on:** Jan 03, 2011, 07:13 PM »

Gentlemen, This is ICE SHANTY...Ice fishing....come on now...

wilec · « **Reply #12 on:** Jan 03, 2011, 07:41 PM »

Deerkill

2003 - 14,528
2004 - 11,889
2005 - 8,546
2006 - 12,682
2007 - 14,516
2008 - 17,046
2009 - 15,237
2010 - 15,675

couldn't find the number on how many hunters killed 3 deer a year the last number i saw from a few years ago was in the low 200's.

What would be the best indicator to compare VT to other states?? how many deer killed per square mile??

mempfree · « **Reply #13 on:** Jan 03, 2011, 08:14 PM »

Yes, this is a ice fishing website, but alot of us fishermen and women hunt to. I buy my combo licence every year, with all of the tags. I live in the NEK. Sorryful thing here is, I got a Game Warden, next door to me, and he has only been a Game Warden, as he says for 12 years, but then he hurt his arm, and is now behind a desk, as a Lt Game Warden, in St. Johnsbury, and this past Rifle Season, I heard a shot at mid night, and who you going to call? A Game Warden, 30 miles away, to catch a jacker? Get real. Same thing last year, they shot down below my place. Also, during Rifle Season, at our family Hunting camp, I heard another shot, at mid-night, just over the mtn from our camp. Then during muzzleloader season, I was told from a guy, who lives next to our hunting camp, that his friend, saw a guy, shoot a doe, right in front of him. He started walking up to this downed deer, and the individual who shot it, took off, like a jackrabbit. Sorryful thing is, they called the game warden, that lives next to me, and he couldn't go, to check it out? This Game Warden, is only in his late 20's? They had to call a Game Warden in Morgan, Vt. Alot of jacking going on in the NEK.

Leafmountain10 · « **Reply #14 on:** Jan 03, 2011, 10:13 PM »

My game warden story quickly ... found a dead doe during muzzleloader season in Montpelier .... and I mean right in Montpelier ...very populated area 1 1/2 miles from the capital building. She had been shot then dragged to thick bushes to hide ... and left there. It was cold and the carcass was frozen solid. The tracks were less than a day old and there were houses and a road very close by.

I called the Warden and got the St. Police dispatcher and told her my story, left contact info, etc ... nothing.

a couple of days later I filled out a report on the F&W website under Operation Game Theft ... nothing again.

went back there today and found most of her eaten and know for sure the Game Warden never paid any attention to my efforts.

A State Police buddy of mine encouraged me to call again a give them an earful.

Deer Hunting in Vermont? I agree it could always be better. Did see some nice antlers on some bucks this year and manage to get one with a bow and a 6pt opening day rifle in the NEK.

northernfisher · « **Reply #15 on:** Jan 03, 2011, 11:11 PM »

Well I was lucky enough to get three deer this year and I am happy with the deer hunting around me, I understand different parts of the state are not as well off as my area, as for posted land most farmers in VT are in the land trust program and still post there land, now correct me if I am wrong, but I believe is not supposed to happen. We need someone to start policing this matter, our tax dollars go to these farmers that are "hurting" for money driving around in there new pick ups and 100,000$ tractors posting their land illegally

wilec · « **Reply #16 on:** Jan 04, 2011, 03:13 AM »

Quote from: northernfisher on Jan 03, 2011, 11:11 PM

Well I was lucky enough to get three deer this year and I am happy with the deer hunting around me, I understand different parts of the state are not as well off as my area, as for posted land most farmers in VT are in the land trust program and still post there land, now correct me if I am wrong, but I believe is not supposed to happen. We need someone to start policing this matter, our tax dollars go to these farmers that are "hurting" for money driving around in there new pick ups and 100,000$ tractors posting their land illegally

land trust deals keep propertys from being developed they have nothing to do with posting property... unfortunately

fishingidjit · « **Reply #17 on:** Jan 04, 2011, 04:49 AM »

Keep shooting does and button bucks during muzzleloader and it will only get worse.

BCinVT · « **Reply #18 on:** Jan 04, 2011, 05:06 AM »

Lot of good points here.IMO,like it's been said in a few other posts.You just can't continue to shoot does during muzzleloader.You not only take out 2 or more deer,you also don't know what happened to the buck that ran himself ragged breeding her.I feel that the state has lost touch with the herd,and is just more worried about the money the doe permits bring in.I can only speak for my area(C),but the deer numbers on and around my land are horrible.And I gotta say in some cases it doesn"t matter how much time you have to hunt,if there's low deer densities,it's gonna be tough huntin.I mean I live here,and will continue to hunt here,but it's not as much fun as it used to be.
And just a little question i have is.Why is it back in the late 70's the state would say there was about 90,000 deer,and now they're always saying 125-150,000?All I know is,posted land or not,I'd see alot more deer in and out of the woods back then.

mroy44 · « **Reply #19 on:** Jan 04, 2011, 05:14 AM »

Agreed we should not be taking out this many does, we live in vermont. If we lived in a place like Iowa or Texas then yeah we would have to manage our deer heard by shooting lots of does. Im not saying dont shoot does but we should limit the doe tags.

Fish-On-VT · « **Reply #20 on:** Jan 04, 2011, 05:17 AM »

In reply to earlier posts:

People tagging 3 deer per year averages only 200-300

Youth hunting averages around 1600

iceman55 · « **Reply #21 on:** Jan 04, 2011, 05:56 AM »

Yea that they actually report. but they filled mom's dad's uncle joe's. Did you go to the deer meeting last night, All that was talked about, may have made a difference alot of concerned hunters were there.

Fish-On-VT · « **Reply #22 on:** Jan 04, 2011, 06:08 AM »

Ya, I attended the meeting... but only 160 people showed $:-\$ if that is the average for all 3 meetings, only 480 hunters will have voiced a concern... & if the F&W website is correct, they sell roughly 81000 licenses a year... this means only 5/8th's of 1 percent of us will have voiced an opinion/concern... that, unfortunately is a small percentage of entire group & our thoughts, ideas, and concerns are likely to be forgotten...

dave bartlett · « **Reply #23 on:** Jan 04, 2011, 07:57 AM »

I will always hunt Vt.It is what i was taught to do.No i don't agree with the deer population numbers at all.A biologist told me once to cut the number by 40% of what they say and that will be more accurate.Everybody blames it on 3 deer,youth weekend and so on.Take a look at how many farms shut down in the last 20 years.I know of about 6 in one town.Look where you used to hunt as a kid and now there are houses there!License sales dropped by 30 to 40 thousand.
I know somebody that put a trail camera on a coyote den from may to September and in that time period the mom brought home 17 fawns.This shocked the hell out of me.
The last time i shot 3 deer in a year was like 8 years ago and there were only 26 people that shot 3 deer that year.So no matter what you believe in it is a whole gathering of things why the deer population is down you have to go into the subject with an open mind.And i don't believe shooting does is one of them.You have to shoot does to maintain a healthy and balanced herd no matter how many deer you have.

ifslob28 · « **Reply #24 on:** Jan 04, 2011, 08:41 AM »

Quote from: mroy44 on Jan 03, 2011, 04:42 PM

The deer population is on the rise in Vermont. My uncle lives in Iowa and gets 1-3 deer a year. People have to realize that Vermont is one of the hardest states to hunt in and that deer are not guaranteed especially here. You need to be on a good piece of land with deer on it and If you can find where a heavy deer trail is and find where a buck is running and set up a stand on his scrape line, you will get him when he comes around to check and freshen his scrapes. Or find a food source like a corn or alfalfa field, or an oak hardwood forest, and set up if you know deer are going out there. If you put in the time scouting getting ready you have a good chance, the rest is luck and being in the right place at the right time. Good Huntin!

I wish it were as easy as sitting on a good scrape line. I sat on different scrape lines from October through Muzzle season and the only deer I got was one of the few times I sat in a field. I think the coyotes are out of control right now. There were at least 6 adult doe behind my house this year and none of them had fawns. I don't have the answers but I do know that I am frustrated and I am trying to coyote hunt this winter to help the problem. I cant watch the outdoor channel during VT hunting season because it makes me sick watching hunters see 50 deer a night with the only question being which one to shoot. A lot of people say there is no challenge in this but after sitting for hundreds of hours with minimal results it sure looks fun to me.

gatornation · « **Reply #25 on:** Jan 04, 2011, 01:00 PM »

There are way too many factors to put the blame on one thing. (1) More land is posted. Deer are not stupid, they know where to go when they want to get away from humans and that is posted land. (2) Less farms out there mean less crops and less food for deer. (3) Coyote's populations are thriving due to large increases in the turkey populations, thus you get healthier dogs hunting deer. (4) LAZY HUNTERS not willing to get their ass out of their truck and cover ground. (5) Less people hunting and those that are hunting are stand hunting, which means less deer being kicked up and moved around. (6) Deer are herd animals. They move around over time.

Vermont deer hunting is not for the faint of heart and for pussies.

tench · « **Reply #26 on:** Jan 04, 2011, 01:12 PM »

Quote from: gatornation on Jan 04, 2011, 01:00 PM

There are way too many factors to put the blame on one thing. (1) More land is posted. Deer are not stupid, they know where to go when they want to get away from humans and that is posted land. (2) Less farms out there mean less crops and less food for deer. (3) Coyote's populations are thriving due to large increases in the turkey populations, thus you get healthier dogs hunting deer. (4) LAZY HUNTERS not willing to get their ass out of their truck and cover ground. (5) Less people hunting and those that are hunting are stand hunting, which means less deer being kicked up and moved around. (6) Deer are herd animals. They move around over time.

Vermont deer hunting is not for the faint of heart and for pussies.

LAZY HUNTERS! I agree. Being a tracker, I can't stand the sight of someone sitting in their truck watching a field WHEN they can get out in the woods...

wilec · « **Reply #27 on:** Jan 04, 2011, 02:18 PM »

very well said gatornation

smartpill · « **Reply #28 on:** Jan 04, 2011, 02:38 PM »

Quote from: Fish-On-VT on Jan 04, 2011, 06:08 AM

Ya, I attended the meeting... but only 160 people showed $:-\$ if that is the average for all 3 meetings, only 480 hunters will have voiced a concern... & if the F&W website is correct, they sell roughly 81000 licenses a year... this means only 5/8th's of 1 percent of us will have voiced an opinion/concern... that, unfortunately is a small percentage of entire group & our thoughts, ideas, and concerns are likely to be forgotten...

Explain to me why there are only 3 of these meetings in the whole state, in addition to the fact the locations are HORRIBLE. nothing north of Montpelier... ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS.. MOST OF OUR DEER HUNTERS RESIDE IN FRANKLIN COUNTY AND WE ARE SUPPOSED TO TRAVEL ALL THE WAY TO MONTPELIER OR CASTLETON. NO EXCUSE AS TO WHY THERE IS NOT A MEETING IN ST.ALBANS OR AT THE VERY LEAST, BURLINGTON. I LIVE IN SWANTON AND WORK IN BURLINGTON, THERE IS NO WAY I COULD MAKE ONE OF THESE MEETINGS. WITH ALL OF THESE DRASTIC CHANGES THE F&W IS PROPOSING, YOU WOULD THINK THEY WOULD WANT TO DO ANYTHING/EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO DRAW AS MANY HUNTERS AS POSSIBLE. I HAVE LIVED IN THIS STATE MY ENTIRE LIFE AND OTHER THEN THE EARLY 80'S WHEN THE STATE OPENED UP RIFLE SEASON TO SLAUGHTER DOE, THIS IS THE WORSE I HAVE SEEN OUR DEER HERD. I AM ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED WITH OUR F&W DEPT

gatornation · « **Reply #29 on:** Jan 04, 2011, 02:56 PM »

smartpill,

Start a petition! Like lazy hunters, there are lazy citizens. People give up to easy these days. There are other ways to draw attention to an issue within a public forum and petitions are a good way of doing this. We can't forget, this is OUR democracy.

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Author Topic: VT Deer (Read 18693 times)