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First Day Numbers (ODNR)

H

hunter11

Junior Member
14
81
Akron
Here are the first day numbers that the ODNR just released way down from last year.

COLUMBUS, OH - Hunters checked 17,512 white-tailed deer on Monday, Dec. 1, the opening day of Ohio’s deer-gun hunting season, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).

New for the 2014 deer hunting season, rifles using specified straight-walled cartridges can be used. Gun hunters took advantage of the new opportunity on Monday, checking in 1,805 deer with straight-walled cartridge rifles.

Counties reporting the highest numbers of deer checked in on Monday include: Coshocton (793), Tuscarawas (667), Muskingum (652), Ashtabula (586), Knox (573), Guernsey (512), Licking (501), Holmes (477), Harrison (455) and Carroll (451). Last year hunters checked 22,619 deer on the first day of deer-gun season.


But hey we have nothing to be worried about here.
 
bowhunter1023

bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
48,914
274
Appalachia
Tonk will no doubt blame it on the weather and on us. We are a bunch of lazy, stupid hunters. Wait until they ban baiting (if they do) and these numbers will be down even more! I'd venture to say 5% or more of the total harvest is a direct result of baiting.
 
M

MK111

"Happy Hunting Grounds in the Sky"
Supporting Member
6,551
66
SW Ohio
I agree on the baiting. This is the 1st year I ever put corn out. Even though I haven't shot a deer off the corn bait pile.
But watching the deer go straight to the corn pile and feed then feed in the food plot is just short of amazing. On Monday evening 2 does walked through 150 yds. of high quality hay field then 75 yds. of my food plot and never take a nibble then go straight to the corn pile was eye opening to me. Then they fed in the food plot.
Been watching the Plotwatcher Pro cam pictures and I've seen the same thing for the last 3 weeks.
Corn piles will be a every year project for me in the future.




bowhunter1023 said:
Tonk will no doubt blame it on the weather and on us. We are a bunch of lazy, stupid hunters. Wait until they ban baiting (if they do) and these numbers will be down even more! I'd venture to say 5% or more of the total harvest is a direct result of baiting.
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hickslawns

hickslawns

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
39,762
248
Ohio
Bigslam51 said:
I hope they ban baiting, might help the deer population.
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Will definitely make it hard to kill a deer for some guys. Some have small properties and this is the only effective tactic to get deer to them. Others simply don't know how to hunt. I realize, others use it for enjoyment of seeing deer or inventory. NOT saying if you bait, you don't know how to hunt. Just saying, "Some baiters" can't hunt. Boy, this is a tough one to word without offending someone. lol

Less deer and rain in most of the state.
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Less deer? Yes. Rain? We didn't see much of anything up here. It didn't affect everyone.
 
bowhunter1023

bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
48,914
274
Appalachia
It rained all day here. However is was just a drizzle and nothing to effect deer movement. Only rained out fair weather hunters.
 
Blackbeard

Blackbeard

Senior Member
5,521
73
Oak Hill, OH
hickslawns said:
Will definitely make it hard to kill a deer for some guys. Some have small properties and this is the only effective tactic to get deer to them. Others simply don't know how to hunt. I realize, others use it for enjoyment of seeing deer or inventory. NOT saying if you bait, you don't know how to hunt. Just saying, "Some baiters" can't hunt. Boy, this is a tough one to word without offending someone. lol.
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Well worded
 
Diablo54

Diablo54

Senior Member
7,082
126
Outside
Id say mrex and his crew would have a hissy fit with Tonk if they banned baiting. Mrex wouldn't kill a 150+ on opening day. I would say the archery numbers would drop 25% if baiting was illegal. Most people wouldn't know what to do.
 
bigten05

bigten05

*Supporting Member*
3,677
151
knox county ohio
I bait a little for cams mostly. Have never shot a deer over it tho. I have a buddy that talks a big game about hunting but has a corn pile at every stand if he don't have any out in an area he won't hunt it. Makes me chuckle because he thinks he's the great white hunter. And it hasn't rained at all this week in Knox. A little freezing rain for 5 minutes or so but that hasn't made the deer not move.
 
D

Djr

Junior Member
1
0
Diablo54 said:
Id say mrex and his crew would have a hissy fit with Tonk if they banned baiting. Mrex wouldn't kill a 150+ on opening day. I would say the archery numbers would drop 25% if baiting was illegal. Most people wouldn't know what to do.
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I hunted with Mike Rex's sons when I was in high school and heard lots of stories about where they hunted and how they hunted and they were always wrong. I remember mike saying to me, are any of these hunters killing big deer and of course the answer was no. None of stands I ever hunted were over corn unless we were shooting does. I know they use corn and cameras to locate big bucks but the deer they go after rarely show up in the daylight. If killing a big buck was as easy as dumping out a bag of corn and waiting, anybody could kill one.
 
hickslawns

hickslawns

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
39,762
248
Ohio
Djr said:
I hunted with Mike Rex's sons when I was in high school and heard lots of stories about where they hunted and how they hunted and they were always wrong. I remember mike saying to me, are any of these hunters killing big deer and of course the answer was no. None of stands I ever hunted were over corn unless we were shooting does. I know they use corn and cameras to locate big bucks but the deer they go after rarely show up in the daylight. If killing a big buck was as easy as dumping out a bag of corn and waiting, anybody could kill one.
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Agreed 100%. Not sure about Mrex. I don't doubt he can hunt. I believe he did a lot of trapping in his younger days. Most trappers seem to have a real good read on the woods and how animals use it. I am sure he has taught his boys well. If baiting were illegal, I am sure he and his boys could still get on good deer. There are people who could not though. Would MRex have to change his strategies? I don't know. I have heard rumors of his strategies, but I truly don't know. Maybe he would change tactics, maybe he wouldn't change a thing.

Welcome to the site.
 
Jackalope

Jackalope

Dignitary Member
Staff member
38,859
260
Djr said:
I hunted with Mike Rex's sons when I was in high school and heard lots of stories about where they hunted and how they hunted and they were always wrong. I remember mike saying to me, are any of these hunters killing big deer and of course the answer was no. None of stands I ever hunted were over corn unless we were shooting does. I know they use corn and cameras to locate big bucks but the deer they go after rarely show up in the daylight. If killing a big buck was as easy as dumping out a bag of corn and waiting, anybody could kill one.
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Welcome to too. I don't think he was saying they have stands over corn but rather how it's a factor in their key to success. Like you said about using corn and cams to locate big bucks. They're much harder to locate without it for sure and it would undoubtedly hamper their success. I use corn to inventory and locate big deer, it's a crap load harder to locate them setting cams on trails and waiting for them to stumble by.
 
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