That is what I have noticed in the last decade as our bear population has exploded

BSK,
What do you use as bait to do a camera census in bear country ?

In late summer, salt licks. Outside of late summer, I don't use bait.

TN's Unit L doesn't have half the deer density most of AL does, yet that area of TN allows 3 does per day for 3 1/2 months, and hunters haven't shot out the deer population.

BSK - Maybe allowing 3 doe per day is the reason the deer population is low!

Are you a lawmaker in Tennessee?

BSK--You need to tell him about the unbelievable results you've posted on here with 2nd hand beer. (after the guns are up.)

The Unit L regs were put in place to keep a growing deer density from getting too high. In parts of this region, deer densities were getting troubling high for a hardwood environment. However, the 2007 EHD outbreak took care of that, and the continued use of 3 does per day limits have kept the density at biologically sound levels ever since (although the density has slowly been creeping back up).




Thankfully, no.

I hate giving away my best stuff!

To clarify, when the club leased our property it was all either cow pasture, row crops or un managed hardwoods, so our population wasn't near what it is now. That being said, I know BSK has also said in the past how many middle age to mature bucks you should be able to kill per year per X? number of acres. To CNC's point, I know we could kill several buck fawns, yearlings, and 2 year olds every year and still be fine, with our buck numbers, but we are trying to let our deer grow so we can "try" to kill them at middle age or maturity.

so you and your son are killing b/w 6 and 10 mature deer each year? that is incredible. Are these all bucks, some bucks, etc? Is mature 3, 4 or 5? good numbers for 100 acres

deer population or deer sightings?

there is far less emotion with killing does. People kill does to either control the population or for meat, or both...people more often that not, kill bucks for the horns...managing emotions is much harder than managing numbers and the freezer. In other words it is VERY HARD for some hunters to NOT pull the trigger every time they see horns...we all know hunters that would have a 8-10+ racks in the truck bed every deer season... these same guys don't get all jacked up every time they see a doe...there is a difference...

This must be one of the guys that somehow leases 100 acres between 2 1000 acre hunting clubs that plant fields and let deer walk only to have the 100 acre guy shoot every basket rack 2 year old 8 point that crosses his 100 acres. Then because it isn't a spike it is "mature"

ok, now your talking real numbers, statistics and accurate information...those of us in Alabama don't tend to like that kind of talk too much...we'd prefer to ramble about doe extinction based on our "observations" on high pressure hunting clubs where generally speaking you can't see more than 100 yds.

He didn't say the density was low. He said lower than most of Alabama, which is true. I've hunted both enough to accurately say that (at least those areas of NW Alabama, Jackson CO and Pickens CO) and he is privy to property data to show that also. Perhaps I hunted the best areas of the state of AL.

This must be one of the guys that somehow leases 100 acres between 2 1000 acre hunting clubs that plant fields and let deer walk only to have the 100 acre guy shoot every basket rack 2 year old 8 point that crosses his 100 acres. Then because it isn't a spike it is "mature" [/quote]We hunt private farmland and the land around us are private farms. Everyone practices QDM. We hunt creeks and trails and stay away from the greenfields for the most part unless my daughter goes and then she hunts the greenfield. We kill more does then bucks. We killed two bucks last year. One 8 pt and one 6 pt with a 19 in spread. We let over a dozen young bucks walk ranging from spikes to 8 pts. Sorry to disappoint you. We have worked our properties for years and every year is different but most always harvest more does than bucks.

In the early year (early '80s), we averaged around 4 deer harvested per square mile (almost all yearling bucks). Once we implemented QDM harvest guidelines and improved the habitat, our harvests increased to a peak in 2005 at an annual average of around 14 total deer harvested per square mile. Of those 14 deer, 5 were male (almost all 2 1/2+) and 9 were female. Since then, our doe harvests have declined (purposefully) while buck harvests have remained fairly stable.

X2

they do it to sell licenses, why else