No shortage of Whitetails.

I have strong suspension that people are poaching them where I am. About 6 weeks after the plandemic kicked off all the mule deer that would hang out in my fields, up to 20 at a time vanished, I have only seen 3 together at once since.

I posted in another thread that I had loaded up my grandkids and skirted our beloved riverbottom for a 10 mile round trip and counted 33 deer in bean fields.
Two were wider than their ears, one of them was a beast. I think he had tusks too, lol.
We find good deer numbers coincide with good farm yields.
It looks like a bumper crop in 2020. Deer and corn!

We did not even have a winter last year where I live. Felt like spring in Jan and Feb. Plenty of deer, Turkey and have already run across a about 4 black bear.

H&Hhunter said:

We’ve got a healthy crop of fawns, and lots of promising bucks in velvet. We had an easy spring which tends to promote survival in our deer herd.

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Lotta fawns around here too. Almost too many. Easy winter and 25% drop in overall deer kill in the state has made for above goal populations in many areas. An indicator of deer populations here in Wisconsin that is more accurate than sightings and tracks is amount of dead deer one sees along side the road. Saw 5 last Sunday in the 25 mile drive down to the cabin. Used to be the only time you saw that was during the rut. Now it's a year round thing. Saw half a dozen does with fawns out feeding in the middle of the day too, with no active weather coming in. Never used to see that. While there is a good amount of bucks, our doe/buck ratios are outta whack in most areas. State gave me 6 free permits this year for antlerless along with the two buck tags(one for gun, one for archery). Last year they gave me 8 and I didn't fill any. Kids and grandkids took what was needed off our property. Let several good bucks walk last year, don't know if the neighbors did the same.....we'll see. There's always a few good ones left.

We have plenty of deer in this area, but you won't see them in daylight right now. Just too hot, I guess. Fl is a tricky place to hunt deer.

View attachment 933605 The deer on our place are in really good shape this year. All the animals are fat and slick in good position to go into the fall. I thought the neighbors had killed one buck in particular with a fork on his left rear tine but he has showed up under one of my feeders. Good to see him again. Looks like he will have 10 points this year. The other buck in the picture is really large and is showing 11 points which includes three small burrs. The tine length is only about half of what it will be after they are at full length. The cattle are also fat and slick with plenty to eat.

Captcurt said:

I wish that we had more agriculture here near home. Luckily there is feed in the form of grain where I hunt. They raise registered cattle and have high protein feed out all year. Have a lot of oaks too. I put feeders out with corn and they always quit them when the acorns come off. Talked the owner into putting in a food plot last year but it was too dry and didn't do well. Mineral blocks are getting hit regularly and some decent bucks are showing up on the camera on the plot. I may go set more cameras tomorrow on some trails that I found while turkey hunting. Looked like cattle trails, but the cattle aren't in that area. The only problem is getting a buck out of there. It is gnarly!

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Went through 4 mineral blocks on the lease. I just use cattle ones. I need to get out and place one more stand. I also need to brushhog.
I hunt a couple hours North of you. The deer definitely love the oak trees.

All I have to do is look out my back door...

amd6547 said:

All I have to do is look out my back door...View attachment 933617

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Me too

Captcurt said:

I have taken 20 or so deer up in Ozark County. Quit them when they went over $200 for Non-resident license. Used to buy archery and gun license plus bonus doe tags and turkey. Spent $300 a year, but no more. It is a shame because at that time I had access to more land in Missouri than I did in Arkansas.

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That sucks. Deer hunting is family time for me.
My brother and I usually sit on a right of way and drink coffee watching the deer until one of us decides to shoot one.
It does get expensive.

I spot them in my fields here in MN. 5-15 in the early hours and late evenings. Then opener day I see nothing. Skunked 4 years in a row now.

748 said:

I have strong suspension that people are poaching them where I am.

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I know for a fact my area is being poached. Every year about a week or two out you'll here shooting in all directions throughout the day. Not sight in shots either cause it'll be just one shot. Then an hour or so pause and another shot in a different direction. People getting an early start.

they smarten up and become harder to see come hunting season.

I think they detect when something is different like generators at camp, atv traffic, vehicle traffic, campfire noises etc. I spend a few days letting my grandkids ride the SxS around and drive the truck around a couple of times, our best yr we sited our rifles during bow season. I moved my unload site next to the road to help with noises.

I bush-hogged about a dozen paths between the 3 y.o. pines and saw 11 deer on them 2-3 days later. It was the new moon and the deer were out between 4:00 pm and 6:00.
It's a jungle without the paths.

Bud put cams out on our thicket.
Ag all around.
One doe w fawn..........all we have.

Told him to stop the cams and stay out til Halloween.
They will move in.

Have three doe's that hang out in the area and sometimes bed down in the back yard. Trimmed some tree's a few weeks back and then went on a work trip. I processed the branches over the weekend and some had the bard eaten on them so I know they are around. A couple weeks ago just a short distance from the house (almost to driveway) a buck came running full speed towards my motorcycle. I revved it and braked, he pivoted and went the other way. Loud pipes are good for something. There are also a couple fawns that hang out on the lawn now and then. The dear are sometimes so close I could throw donuts at them and never miss a shot.

Nice BMW!