Doe tag reductions

[blasted_saber]

my area (82A) has only antlerless tags available for the additional tags. I wonder why they'd required antlerless only. Deer herd too high?
Dan O.

Yes. Thats the reason

[Hardrack]

Yes. Thats the reason

If that's the case why no additional tags for gun and 450 bow only? Doesn't make sense... If they wanted to reduce deer herd open it up for gun season.

[Ahuntr300]

If that's the case why no additional tags for gun and 450 bow only? Doesn't make sense... If they wanted to reduce deer herd open it up for gun season.

Gun control? Someone wants to reduce the use of guns in the area?

[SongDog]

I'm wondering if 49 they just want to really lower deer herd #'s to help the moose.

We had 14 guys at deer camp last year, hunted 5 days straight. We shot one doe and only seen another doe and fawn. Dogging all day the last few days as we all had antlerless tags as well. Not one buck seen either.....Shot 6 deer the year before and probably 7-8 the year before that.....


Wondering if other 49 hunters noticed the same or did we just have an off year??? (West side of Hwy 11 we hunt)

[terrym]

I'm wondering if 49 they just want to really lower deer herd #'s to help the moose.

We had 14 guys at deer camp last year, hunted 5 days straight. We shot one doe and only seen another doe and fawn. Dogging all day the last few days as we all had antlerless tags as well. Not one buck seen either.....Shot 6 deer the year before and probably 7-8 the year before that.....


Wondering if other 49 hunters noticed the same or did we just have an off year??? (West side of Hwy 11 we hunt)

I hunt #49 between Maple Island and Ardbeg. We shot 3 bucks for 5 hunters and one guy missed one. We only saw one doe all week which we passed on. In fact we haven't shot a doe in the last 3 years but usually manage 3 or 4 bucks for the 5 hunters in camp. We are seeing less does for sure. Last year we all drew doe tags and they were also selling surplus doe tags in 49 which baffled us. As for moose, we usually bump at least one during our week up there. Dont even apply for tags up there as they are rarer than pope sheet.

[huntaway]

It isn't uncommon to see more wolves than deer in 48.

We had a 25% reduction. 1600 down to 1200 tags.

HA

[DanO]

I'm wondering if 49 they just want to really lower deer herd #'s to help the moose.

We had 14 guys at deer camp last year, hunted 5 days straight. We shot one doe and only seen another doe and fawn. Dogging all day the last few days as we all had antlerless tags as well. Not one buck seen either.....Shot 6 deer the year before and probably 7-8 the year before that.....


Wondering if other 49 hunters noticed the same or did we just have an off year??? (West side of Hwy 11 we hunt)

I think you're right. It's the same strategy in zone 48. everybody got doe tags last year but there were no deer. I think they're going to try to reduce the deer to help the moose avoid the brain parasite carried by the deer.

Dan O.

[Ont_Excal]

There's a lot of speculation in this topic about why tag numbers are adjusted.
Call a biologist in your area of concern, if they have any empirical data to back up their decisions you'll have your answer.
Email OFAH and see if they can come up with a reasonable answer.

The OMNR for the most part has managed hunter numbers and try to make it look like they manage the resource.
If they actually managed the resource, we would see study results and small annual adjustments instead of knee jerk reactions like this year.

[Fenelon]

Someone in the Minden/Bancroft office must be asleep at their desk ! (or there's nobody at the desk).I can't believe that I'm not seeing any doe tag reductions for WMU 60! The Minden area alone has two provincial snow courses, and the OWSI data clearly indicated that the deer were in trouble as early as late January. Worst winter on record since 1956. Estimated 90% fawn crop loss, yet no cuts. Most of the deer between Fenelon Falls and Dorset were bone racks by the time mid-April was here. IMO, Anyone shooting does and/or fawns in 60 this fall will just be shooting themselves in the foot. It's now the middle of July, and I still haven't seen a single fawn. My five game cameras show nothing but dry does, and overall numbers on all my cameras are down by probably 65%. I don't think that many of our yearlings, or mature bucks made the winter either (based on what I'm seeing on my cams). Talk to all the farmers who are cutting hay. No fawns are being seen in my area. Hope we don't get another spanker of a winter. This might be a good fall to fill a bear tag for the freezer !

[werner.reiche]

There's a lot of speculation in this topic about why tag numbers are adjusted.
Call a biologist in your area of concern, if they have any empirical data to back up their decisions you'll have your answer.
Email OFAH and see if they can come up with a reasonable answer.

The OMNR for the most part has managed hunter numbers and try to make it look like they manage the resource.
If they actually managed the resource, we would see study results and small annual adjustments instead of knee jerk reactions like this year.

Need to disagree with the "small annual adjustments". When a severe winter hits and there is significant winter kill, an immediate and dramatic change in the number of antlerless tags is required. What MNR has been doing in the past was small and infrequent changes - usually too small and five years too late to do much good. What they are doing now is active management - but as Fenelon points out - maybe not enough.