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Ohio sucks

Thunderflight

Dignitary Member
17,770
167
Shermans Dale, PA
Well not really but this has been a challenging week.yesterday was the first time I saw any deer. Believe it or not, but I actually passed on a button buck (probably gonna regret it).

What happened to the glory days of gun season when the woods glued with orange and you'd count 50 shots by 9 am..lol

My buddy from Maryland is here too. This is his first time Hunting and the poor guy hasn't seen a deer yet. I'm putting him in this stand tonight. Hopefully that button buck will come by again.

I think part of the problem is I've lost 90% of my old spots. I got access to another farm that is awesome but I've got to learn the property and the deer behavior.

Hopefully things improve. I'd really like to see my friend get a shot
 

Bigcountry40

Member
4,554
127
You wanna see orange and hear shots go to state land where the public land warriors fight over the scraps of affordable hunting. I think a lot more private land leasers and owners are becoming much more selective and/or don't even gun hunt anymore.
 

Bigcountry40

Member
4,554
127
The numbers don't lie

I agree, I'm making a lot of my assumptions based off of facebook post on Ohio hunting groups. I really have no data to support anything I am saying, gun kills were like 4500 down opening day compared to last year.
 

reo

Junior Member
484
68
N.E. Ohio
Well not really but this has been a challenging week.yesterday was the first time I saw any deer. Believe it or not, but I actually passed on a button buck (probably gonna regret it).

What happened to the glory days of gun season when the woods glued with orange and you'd count 50 shots by 9 am..lol

My buddy from Maryland is here too. This is his first time Hunting and the poor guy hasn't seen a deer yet. I'm putting him in this stand tonight. Hopefully that button buck will come by again.

I think part of the problem is I've lost 90% of my old spots. I got access to another farm that is awesome but I've got to learn the property and the deer behavior.

Hopefully things improve. I'd really like to see my friend get a shot

Why aren't there bunches of guys hunting wild pheasants or grouse??

Less deer = less hunters
 

jagermeister

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
18,060
223
Ohio
Why aren't there bunches of guys hunting wild pheasants or grouse??

Less deer = less hunters
I disagree. Every swinging dick is toting a bow or crossbow through the woods these days. Guys just aren't gun hunting like they used to. That in conjunction with leasing, and a slimmer deer herd, is the reason IMO for our decreased gun harvests. I hunted in Carroll County on opening day in an area absolutely THICK with deer and I barely heard any shots at all... Way less than normal. Driving around mid morning I hardly saw anyone in orange.
 

Schu72

Well-Known Member
3,864
113
Streetsboro
I disagree. Every swinging dick is toting a bow or crossbow through the woods these days. Guys just aren't gun hunting like they used to. That in conjunction with leasing, and a slimmer deer herd, is the reason IMO for our decreased gun harvests. I hunted in Carroll County on opening day in an area absolutely THICK with deer and I barely heard any shots at all... Way less than normal. Driving around mid morning I hardly saw anyone in orange.

This was my experience as well.
 

Clay Showalter

Southern member northern landowner
6,400
145
Guilford County
I agree, I'm making a lot of my assumptions based off of facebook post on Ohio hunting groups. I really have no data to support anything I am saying, gun kills were like 4500 down opening day compared to last year.

Down 3480 opening day as of end of day Wednesday down 3321 so far this week.
 
Last edited:

jlane

Junior Member
523
0
dunn nc
Down 3480 opening day as of end of day Wednesday down 3321 so far this week.

Want to increase your deer heard, Only we as hunters can do that, Not the state.
The way i see it, this is just my observation in the last 4 years.
I got 80 acres, the first year i saw about 3/4 mature does and a few bucks, now after 4 years we see on camera in excess of 20 or more different deer. this track used to get hammered hard.
Now here is what i see.
One mature doe on the property(3.5 yrs old).
1doe killed 0 population.
First year,
1 doe walks = 2 fawns=3 deer.
second year 0 kills, doe has 2 more fawns=5 deer.
third year same doe has twins again,=7 deer.
fourth year, 2 more= 9 deer.
fifth year 2 more =11 deer.
now go back and take 50% of fawns over 5 years were does.
second yr olds has 1 each, then after 3.5 yrs old start having twins. now you start multiplying your heard.
So in 5 years you have.somewhere in the neighborhood of 15/20 deer.
This is if that 1 doe has survived all these years,
Now do the math as if i let 5 mature does live on the property that i hunt.
That will go into 75/100 deer.
So i guess what i,m saying if we as hunters want to see bigger heard size, we can;t kill the baby makers.
If i kill the does on my property, then complain about not having any deer on that said property, would i not be part of the problem or solution.
That's just my opinion.
 

bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
48,879
274
Appalachia
I disagree. Every swinging dick is toting a bow or crossbow through the woods these days. Guys just aren't gun hunting like they used to. That in conjunction with leasing, and a slimmer deer herd, is the reason IMO for our decreased gun harvests. I hunted in Carroll County on opening day in an area absolutely THICK with deer and I barely heard any shots at all... Way less than normal. Driving around mid morning I hardly saw anyone in orange.
Word. Everyone is a bowhunter now...
 

reo

Junior Member
484
68
N.E. Ohio
I disagree. Every swinging dick is toting a bow or crossbow through the woods these days. Guys just aren't gun hunting like they used to. That in conjunction with leasing, and a slimmer deer herd, is the reason IMO for our decreased gun harvests. I hunted in Carroll County on opening day in an area absolutely THICK with deer and I barely heard any shots at all... Way less than normal. Driving around mid morning I hardly saw anyone in orange.

Personnel experiences obviously differ as I personally know several long time who have quit hunting because of their lack of deer sightings. I do agree with all the other points though



 

jagermeister

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
18,060
223
Ohio
Classic example tonight...

Drove 15 miles from the edge of Huron county and up into northern Sandusky County... Only 2 trucks parked, at the same spot mind you, on private ground and deer hunting. The last mile I drove, entirely along public land, 9 frickin vehicles parked from deer hunters. Time frame was 5:00 - 5:30 pm.

No one is hunting the private. Public getting pounded. Deer movement = Yea right.
 

Bigslam51

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
25,778
127
Stark County
Classic example tonight...

Drove 15 miles from the edge of Huron county and up into northern Sandusky County... Only 2 trucks parked, at the same spot mind you, on private ground and deer hunting. The last mile I drove, entirely along public land, 9 frickin vehicles parked from deer hunters. Time frame was 5:00 - 5:30 pm.

No one is hunting the private. Public getting pounded. Deer movement = Yea right.
Why isn't anyone hunting the private?
 

jagermeister

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
18,060
223
Ohio
Why isn't anyone hunting the private?
Hard to say. My theory is this... Overall, less people are gun hunting, so you see less hunters on private land. Or they just can't get permission. Or both. But public land is relatively limited, so people drive from miles around to access it. Hell one truck tonight had California plates! So naturally you see more hunters per sq miles on the public land, but overall there's less hunters everywhere IMO.
 

Bigslam51

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
25,778
127
Stark County
Hard to say. My theory is this... Overall, less people are gun hunting, so you see less hunters on private land. Or they just can't get permission. Or both. But public land is relatively limited, so people drive from miles around to access it. Hell one truck tonight had California plates! So naturally you see more hunters per sq miles on the public land, but overall there's less hunters everywhere IMO.
Might be time to knock on a few doors!
 

jagermeister

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
18,060
223
Ohio
As far as reasoning for less gun hunters I think it's a number of things. Obviously the growing popularity of archery hunting is a big one. So too could be lower deer density. But I think another big one is simply the absence of camaraderie in hunting these days. Everyone chasing Bullwinkle as if their lives depend on it... Shunning their fellow hunters... No more mandatory check stations... Etc. The tradition that was once the Ohio gun season is almost extinct in my opinion.
 

giles

Cull buck specialist
Supporting Member
As far as reasoning for less gun hunters I think it's a number of things. Obviously the growing popularity of archery hunting is a big one. So too could be lower deer density. But I think another big one is simply the absence of camaraderie in hunting these days. Everyone chasing Bullwinkle as if their lives depend on it... Shunning their fellow hunters... No more mandatory check stations... Etc. The tradition that was once the Ohio gun season is almost extinct in my opinion.

I agree... People don't even want to share trail cam pics anymore. All about "me" and "my bucks".