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Re: Observation about quantity and quality of deer over the years
[Re: gobbler]
#1544370
12/01/15 11:22 PM
12/01/15 11:22 PM
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Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 8,377
Gulfcrest
bigt
14 point
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14 point
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 8,377
Gulfcrest
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So there it is, good or bad, you can do everything in your power to help the deer as far as harvesting goes and still not be as productive as your neighbor who you hear shoot every evening. Habitat, if you can control it, is the absolute equalizer.  Our habitat hasn't changed in years, but our quality and quantity has risen over the years. Our habitat and quality of deer hasn't changed in years, Virtually impossible for habitat not to change in years. It usually changes year to year and sometimes significantly even if there has been no cutting, storms, etc to alter the canopy. Simple plant and tree growth, mast production in addition to weather variables change habitat each and every year. IMHO I guess I should have been more specific lol. Our landowner burns our property according to a set schedule and has a set timber harvest rotation. So different sections of our property are in different stages of habitat all the time, but as an overall property the habitat has not changed.
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Re: Observation about quantity and quality of deer over the years
[Re: globe]
#1544496
12/02/15 03:45 AM
12/02/15 03:45 AM
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,637
Kennedy, al
globe
OP
Booner
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OP
Booner
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,637
Kennedy, al
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My main point was that you can drive an electric golf cart, only hunt one day a week, and shoot nothing but 5 yr old deer, and it may not pay off like you think. If your neighbor has a nice new clear cut , he's gonna kill more (and better) deer than you do in a 20 yr old pine plantation that has been managed for timber only.
I've seen it, done it, and am still doing it. I've been really good to deer and I've hammered their ass. Nothing I've done with my trigger has had the effect on them like I've seen with habitat change. I was going through some old 8mm film from 2000-2003 where I had bucks on video making scrapes in one of my greenfields, now you can't hardly buy a deer there in the daytime. 26 yr old pines are there now with no browse. They come through at night to eat a little, but they don't stay there. Just a little first hand FYI.
Everything woke turns to shucks
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Re: Observation about quantity and quality of deer over the years
[Re: gobbler]
#1544582
12/02/15 05:05 AM
12/02/15 05:05 AM
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Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 37,741
Boxes Cove
2Dogs
Freak of Nature
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Freak of Nature
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 37,741
Boxes Cove
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True. I was kidding with him, but it may be better to say that it has changed minimally instead of not at all. I guarantee a tree or trees have fallen from a storm or etc. Something has to have changed somewhere. A tree or two falling is not enough change IMO. Now a tornado , wildfire would be a different story. If your "habitat" consists of only mature hardwoods then 1) I feel sorry for you because your "habitat" sucks, 2) you can't tell me that a top didn't die somewhere allowing sunlight in or a blueberry bush finally grew too tall for deer to browse, therefore habitat change and 3) your habitat then consists of primarily acorns which DO change in quantity and species that are falling, hence habitat change. I would not consider "no change" in a case where your property is half a deers home range since habitat is changing on the neighbors. Mature hardwood is as close to no change as you could get just not there, again IMHO. Sure it does change , could be very small, that being said how much does one tree top dying in a mature forest effect the big picture. Yes , I'll agree it's technically changing if one twig breaks I suppose. Acorns are on a 4 year cycle I believe and that's just the cards you're delt in hardwoods. We get used to it. I don't know if that's a change or cycle. I agree, if all you have is mature hardwoods and nothing else, your habitat sucks.
"Why do you ask"?
Always vote the slowest path to socialism.
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Re: Observation about quantity and quality of deer over the years
[Re: globe]
#1544630
12/02/15 05:52 AM
12/02/15 05:52 AM
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 421
Bama
topcat223
4 point
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4 point
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 421
Bama
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We use to see a lot more deer when there was a dog season. We would hunt from daylight until dinner. We would then go back and stand hunt the same areas we dog hunted that morning and see a ton of deer. They were moving back in to where they had been jumped earlier that morning. Killed more and bigger bucks then as well. These days they don't have to move and when they do they just wait until after dark. That's a fact! People use to be a lot different as well. There was no jealously among our group. If someone killed a big buck everybody was tickled-to-death as if they had killed it themselves. We all hunted together and had a great time. It was social and a great time every deer season. Now days you hunt by yourself and very seldom see anybody. You have to call around and hope you can get someone to come help you drag one out. Even then you may have to wait a long time for them to get there to help. We use to all get together and clean and process our deer as well, which just added to the social part of the hunt. You would get to talk and cut-up with uncles and cousins. Now days people just take their kills to the processor drop them off, pick them up the next week and complain about how much it cost to have them processed! My how times have changed.
The world and all it's beauty is best seen through the eyes of a hunter.
Sept 09, 2004
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Re: Observation about quantity and quality of deer over the years
[Re: topcat223]
#1544647
12/02/15 06:04 AM
12/02/15 06:04 AM
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Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 16,402
Brierfield
Beadlescomb
Old Mossy Horns
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Old Mossy Horns
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 16,402
Brierfield
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We use to see a lot more deer when there was a dog season. We would hunt from daylight until dinner. We would then go back and stand hunt the same areas we dog hunted that morning and see a ton of deer. They were moving back in to where they had been jumped earlier that morning. Killed more and bigger bucks then as well. These days they don't have to move and when they do they just wait until after dark. That's a fact! People use to be a lot different as well. There was no jealously among our group. If someone killed a big buck everybody was tickled-to-death as if they had killed it themselves. We all hunted together and had a great time. It was social and a great time every deer season. Now days you hunt by yourself and very seldom see anybody. You have to call around and hope you can get someone to come help you drag one out. Even then you may have to wait a long time for them to get there to help. We use to all get together and clean and process our deer as well, which just added to the social part of the hunt. You would get to talk and cut-up with uncles and cousins. Now days people just take their kills to the processor drop them off, pick them up the next week and complain about how much it cost to have them processed! My how times have changed. I agree a 100%
We will burn that bridge when we get there
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Re: Observation about quantity and quality of deer over the years
[Re: Beadlescomb]
#1545568
12/02/15 05:04 PM
12/02/15 05:04 PM
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Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 12,788
Thomasville, AL
Hogwild
Booner
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Booner
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 12,788
Thomasville, AL
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We use to see a lot more deer when there was a dog season. We would hunt from daylight until dinner. We would then go back and stand hunt the same areas we dog hunted that morning and see a ton of deer. They were moving back in to where they had been jumped earlier that morning. Killed more and bigger bucks then as well. These days they don't have to move and when they do they just wait until after dark. That's a fact! People use to be a lot different as well. There was no jealously among our group. If someone killed a big buck everybody was tickled-to-death as if they had killed it themselves. We all hunted together and had a great time. It was social and a great time every deer season. Now days you hunt by yourself and very seldom see anybody. You have to call around and hope you can get someone to come help you drag one out. Even then you may have to wait a long time for them to get there to help. We use to all get together and clean and process our deer as well, which just added to the social part of the hunt. You would get to talk and cut-up with uncles and cousins. Now days people just take their kills to the processor drop them off, pick them up the next week and complain about how much it cost to have them processed! My how times have changed. I agree a 100% X3
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