Lake county doe harvest
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I’ve never been more vindicated then I am now.
I’ve been complaining about Lake county doe permit since they went unlimited.
“Lake county has no issue killing does. Killing more does in lake county isn’t going to fix Jackson counties deer numbers.”
Lake county is the only county in Michigan shooting more does then bucks. Also notice the high population counties are killing 2 bucks for each doe. Universal doe tags have little to no effect in those counties.
Universal doe tags are a disaster for public land hunters and have zero effect on over populated deer areas.
I’ve been complaining about Lake county doe permit since they went unlimited.
“Lake county has no issue killing does. Killing more does in lake county isn’t going to fix Jackson counties deer numbers.”
Lake county is the only county in Michigan shooting more does then bucks. Also notice the high population counties are killing 2 bucks for each doe. Universal doe tags have little to no effect in those counties.
Universal doe tags are a disaster for public land hunters and have zero effect on over populated deer areas.
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I would quit as I am not able to draw a bow.
I am starting to think that hunters are thinking..."why sit out in the cold weather with a rifle when I can fill my tags with a crossbow while it's still comfortable?" I'm beginning to lean that direction myself.
They would go back to the compound bow they put down to pick up the crossbow which is what over 70% of compound hunters did.
I should of said how many without disabilites or because of age would stop.
I hunt mostly private now, but they never should have went to essentially unlimited doe tags on stateland. It sounded like a disaster when I heard that, and this thread is confirming it. I will say it kind of does drive me crazy when everyone is complaining about not seeing deer, yet they themselves are still taking does. I get it though, everyone should be able to put a deer in the freezer, and sometimes that's the only way. Tough situation. The guys that have private doing it for their own greedy reasons is bs.
Typical sighting from year to year suggest buck to doe ratio of 1:4 ratio with mature doe to fawn ratio in the neighborhood of 1:1. Those are more realistic numbers. Doe to fawn ratio can vary based on winter conditions and predator density.
These are not my numbers but published annually by the DNR.
These are not my numbers but published annually by the DNR.
You may be right. Not quibbling. What strikes me is if dnr densities were close then hunters are taking more bucks than most would have thought. Maybe there are more deer than originally thought. Thats not what i see from my home area of nw wexford. The question should be asked are we harvesting too many adult bucks each year? Could be the reason the buck to doe ratio remains high and you don't see many larger bucks. If not for antler restrictions things would be worse. My 2 cents.
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No question about it. Based on this forum and folks I know and work with, most hunt for antlers. How many threads are people “seeing xx deer but no antlers” so no shots. Buck to doe ratios in most areas are jacked. Lately I see 20+ does per buck, on one hunt.
Save a buck shoot a doe.
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Save a buck shoot a doe.
Sent from my iPhone using Michigan Sportsman
Overall harvest numbers didn't really change did they? So does it matter?
Please don't shoot anymore does on Public land in Lake county.
Your statement could be true where you hunt buts it absolutely incorrect on most public land.
Your statement could be true where you hunt buts it absolutely incorrect on most public land.
So....if APR's are the solution for not enough antlerless deer getting shot, is there a solution that readily comes to mind for too many antlerless deer getting shot?
APR’s are not the solution, Hunter Mentality is the problem. The solution is to force hunters to take doe, and the only way to do that is to sell an antlerless only, and when that is filled, then issue antlered tag.
So....if APR's are the solution for not enough antlerless deer getting shot, is there a solution that readily comes to mind for too many antlerless deer getting shot?
If that’s the trade off I’m in. FYI.
So....if APR's are the solution for not enough antlerless deer getting shot, is there a solution that readily comes to mind for too many antlerless deer getting shot?
I was just having some "NDA fun" with you....
Serious question: Are you a public land hunter in Lake County?
Serious question: Are you a public land hunter in Lake County?
Yes, I am. But in full disclosure my property is also in Lake County and is heavily managed so the hunting is pretty good but can only withstand so much pressure.
That being said I host a large deer camp for both archery and firearm. Those guys hunt public land hunting exclusively. It is getting so bad I'm concerned for longevity of our camp. If they can't see deer or even have hope of seeing deer, they will either drop out or go somewhere else. Which would be a heart breaker for me. I'm not even sure I would keep the property if that was the case.
That being said I host a large deer camp for both archery and firearm. Those guys hunt public land hunting exclusively. It is getting so bad I'm concerned for longevity of our camp. If they can't see deer or even have hope of seeing deer, they will either drop out or go somewhere else. Which would be a heart breaker for me. I'm not even sure I would keep the property if that was the case.
It certainly does if you hunt public land.
If harvest didn't change, why does public vs private matter? Seems that similar number of deer would be taken across the whole season.
I dont recall what the data looks like from years past but I could swear success rates overall stayed fairly flat.
I dont recall what the data looks like from years past but I could swear success rates overall stayed fairly flat.
Public land in lake and surrounding areas with a lot of public land have been way down on deer and the current antlerless permits that can be used on public are going to keep it near rock bottom. It is human nature to protect what you own but let them fall on public. I know people that go to low population state land to harvest does instead of taking them off their own property. There is no way Lake County is not going to suffer under the current laws. Lake County is one of the few that the antlerless harvest exceeds the antlered harvest.
Interesting that with so few deer on public land that these private land hunters can simply go to a piece of public land and easily kill a doe. If they can do it why can't the public land hunters that hunt this ground exclusively?
They don't necessarily kill does easily but if you put enough time in you can make it happen. This is the first year of basically unlimited permits for public. In the past very few permits were available.
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