Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by David Allen Lilly on January 6, 2015 at 7:11pm

As for the deer discussion earlier, it really comes down to killing too many deer for too long. The coyotes get some fawns, you can fix that by restoring preferable habitat, mostly with a chain saw.

I have heard the Amish theory many times too, that they kill tons of deer, but I know many of the families over here and I know that is not the case with all of them, and a lot of them go other laces to hunt which spreads the kills out across several counties.

I have watched the deer numbers decline for 4 or 5 years now, but until this year the limits were not lowered, which leads me to believe the state wanted a very sharp reduction in deer numbers, even if hunters are upset.

I drive all over the state and hunt many counties, trust me, it is virtually the same cry everywhere I go.

And with the phoning instead of check stations there is really no way to accurately verify how many deer are being killed, or if the numbers the state provides are even accurate.

What I know for sure is this:

Deer hunting is not nearly as fun when you go out time after time and see very few deer, then you drive county by county and see few deer.

I killed my first deer in 1982, and I can tell you for sure that this is the absolute worst I have ever seen it.

Frankly, I blame the state of Ohio, for either botching the herd estimates and the bag limits or deliberately culling the herd to its' present state to please the insurers and the farm bureau.

Whatever, this stinks.

Permalink Reply by Philip Brutz on January 6, 2015 at 7:17pm

We need to move all of the overpopulated deer up here in Cleveland down to Guernsey.

Permalink Reply by WranglerRouser on January 6, 2015 at 11:26pm

Maybe the apparent decrease in deer numbers is somehow associated to all the drilling activity.  Take a look at this interesting study and how deer movements are affected by pipeline infrastructure...   food for thought

Why didn’t the doe cross the pipeline?

Permalink Reply by Philip Brutz on January 7, 2015 at 8:36am

The deer seem to like the pipeline ROWs across my property.

Permalink Reply by David Allen Lilly on January 7, 2015 at 7:03pm

I spent a lot of time hunting properties with ROW's in Athens and Vinton counties and they were deer and turkey magnets.

Permalink Reply by Rob Rotz on January 9, 2015 at 4:02pm

David,

do you live on Barker ?  what areas do you hunt ? shannon run , Putney Ridge?   who bought all the mine land between Barker and Putney ?  they spent a fortune on fence, will that guy let people bow hunt ? or at least shed hunt ?  i like shed hunting more than deer hunting i find 10-20 a year, well i used too. only got two last year but i have piles of them... im just looking for a new area to explore.  does anyone know who owns the land across 265 from my place, between eldon rd and underpass?  seem like there is a large block over there that Amish had leased put i think it is freed up ? 

oh and  Ace called me today, they are moving equipment into my place to grind stumps and chip the tops.  he said dozers in a few days then the pipe gets set...

see ya

Permalink Reply by Steve McGee on January 10, 2015 at 4:34pm

Shugerts bought all the property that was just reclaimed outside of barnesville and are building fence , I think they have a pay to hunt deal on there property .

Permalink Reply by Steve McGee on January 6, 2015 at 8:42pm

I live on the southeast side of old railroad tracks , hoping the laterals from Robs well comes under our property gulfports McCort well ends right behind my house hoping I'm not stuck in the middle hope they come under tracks to my property .Thanks for the info Rob

Permalink Reply by Rob Rotz on January 7, 2015 at 9:53am

Steve, what i have been told is all units have to touch.  Eclipse told me that they cannot strand acreage. where their unit ends the next will start, meaning all property will be included in some unit.  i do know my unit does go across 265 (leatherwood)

Deer hunters,

i agree that this is the worst it have been in 9 yrs for me.  What i mean by amish shooting them all by me is every time i get a nice 21/2 to 31/2 yr old buck population say five to 10 nice tweener bucks they end up killed by the 12 amish boys who have their stands right on my property line.  i have asked time and time again to let these bucks live but they kill them and throw the racks in the barn...  i quit putting in food plots and spending money to grow some nice deer it gets frustrating....  they told me their dad said they need 8 deer to feed the family all yr so shoot them.. nothing i can do.. 

Permalink Reply by David Allen Lilly on January 7, 2015 at 7:09pm

I have seen some real nice bucks here and two monsters, but nothing big this year and only one Pope and Young buck last year.

I put out my plots because I like to do it, and it is good for the deer, not exclusively to hold big bucks.

I wont shoot anything smaller than a Pope and Young buck, but if others do I just accept it gladly if it is done within the law.

Not that I don't see where you are coming from with your neighbors.

I am much more bothered by the lack of deer sightings overall, not just large bucks.

At one time before gun season I went out 8 times and saw one deer.

This year I have seen two spike bucks here and a hand full of does, that's it, and I hunt a ton, more than anyone I know.

I believe the biggest problem is the limits stayed too high for too long, and we killed too many deer.

I am suspicious that the state knuckled under to the farm bureau and the insurance industry.

Permalink Reply by David Cain on January 7, 2015 at 8:10pm

The only topic I get more excited about than Utica Shale is deer hunting.  I think deer numbers in SE Ohio have been falling for the past 5+ years, with this year being the worst.  It is probably a result of one or more factors including liberal bag limits, poaching, predation and disease like EHD/blue tongue.  

I am fortunate and get to spend quite a bit of time in the woods in Coshocton and Guernsey counties during bow season and the rut. I am just not seeing nearly as many deer as I once did.  This may be in part because the deer have become accustomed to my stand locations and try to avoid them, but I don't think it is the primary reason.  There just aren't as many deer as there used to be.

That being said Rob, I did get a nice 10 pt on my property last year right across Barker road from your place.  

Maybe we have hit bottom and the deer numbers will start to improve for us soon.

Regards,

Dave

Permalink Reply by Rob Rotz on January 9, 2015 at 4:06pm

Dave,

where do you live ? i know i have talked with you before.  when will you be down again ?

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