In 92b this year in 4 sits I saw 18 does and two bucks. However neighboring property hunters shot 3 bucks along with my buck. Heard others in 92b say they've been seeing less but that's the most I've seen since starting hunting 10 years ago.
Hard to say but over the years we’re seeing lots of bucks on camera but during the actual hunt more does have been taken than bucks. However during the muzzleloader hunt more bucks have been seen than does and our group will only take bucks during that week. I’d have to say that the does outnumber the bucks 3 to 1
4 of us spent 7 days archery hunting in 93A. In total, we saw I think 32 "antlerless" and 1 antlered. We ended up shooting two does and a button buck (antlerless). Unfortunately, no shotgun/muzzleloader tags for any of us this year in 93 or 92 :-(
4 of us spent 7 days archery hunting in 93A. In total, we saw I think 32 "antlerless" and 1 antlered. We ended up shooting two does and a button buck (antlerless). Unfortunately, no shotgun/muzzleloader tags for any of us this year in 93 or 92 :-(
Can you tell me if that was 32 individual does, maybe verified by far spaced cameras OR could it be numerous sightings of a couple of does with fawns.
I read some serious stuff , many moons ago, about the buck to doe ratio.
Vaguely remembered few things(mostly that the ratio can never be too dramatic, since nature corrects itself+ establishing this ratio can be more then challenging, ( working with numbers from game cameras and observations are not much more then a good intention)-so i did some research.
For the interested ones-please read https://deerassociation.com/reality-doebuck-ratios.
In a nutshell,see a clearly badly skewed ratio study,and how(considering skewed start and hunting impact ,as worst case scenarios)nature still corrects itself:
Last edited by gbk; December 1st, 2023 at 07:00 PM.
we observed roughly a 1:1 ratio hunting this year between trail cams and in person sightings. We could confirm (roughly) different individual deer through text message and by time stamps.
When looking at a local deer population, it’s important to look beyond the doe to buck ratio and consider the age structure. A ratio of 1:1 might look good on the surface but if 90% of the bucks are 2.5 years old and yearlings then there is a problem. You need older bucks in the herd in order for a short rut.
One of the misconceptions about the selective harvest is that if you shoot only bucks the herd will grow. The selective harvest can result in an over-harvest of mature bucks which isn’t good. In Ontario, deer are managed for recreational opportunities and not for balanced age structures. If hunters are seeing lots of deer (antlerless deer and spike bucks) then the belief is that hunters are happy.
A true sportsman counts his achievements in proportion to the effort involved and the fairness of the sport. - S. Pope
When looking at a local deer population, it’s important to look beyond the doe to buck ratio and consider the age structure. A ratio of 1:1 might look good on the surface but if 90% of the bucks are 2.5 years old and yearlings then there is a problem. You need older bucks in the herd in order for a short rut.
One of the misconceptions about the selective harvest is that if you shoot only bucks the herd will grow. The selective harvest can result in an over-harvest of mature bucks which isn’t good. In Ontario, deer are managed for recreational opportunities and not for balanced age structures. If hunters are seeing lots of deer (antlerless deer and spike bucks) then the belief is that hunters are happy.
Most all the advertising for products feature big mature bucks and educate hunters that to be successful this is what they should be striving for. I know of camps where they set standards to try only for mature bucks, I wonder if they really know the harm they might be doing when they think they are doing good not harvesting does. Its almost a macho thing that taking a doe is beneath them.
If that’s done on a regular basis, targeting mature bucks only there’s a chance that there’ll be no competition for breeding rights and eventually passing on inferior jeans and you wind up with a stunted deer herd. NY state is a good example…
Originally Posted by wasa
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