treein dixie
Twelve Pointer
North Carolina deer harvest dips this season
http://wr.al/17ut5
http://wr.al/17ut5
I only shot one Doe in NC. That is the fewest amount of deer I've ever shot in a season. I could have killed a 18 wheeler full if the law allowed, but I just didn't feel like messing with them.
I think a lot of it is people changing how they hunt.
I hope so but I personally don't know anyone who is doing so. Several of my neighbors didn't see jack this past season here in Harnett. I heard less shots in Rockingham county but we { Albemarle Hunting Club } had a good season down in Scotland county .I think a lot of it is people changing how they hunt.
Vance County is struggling to recover from the EHD outbreak. Those posters on NCH&F who proclaimed that the deer would suddenly "reappear" when all the acorns got eaten were wrong, of course.
County wide dropped 66% that year.I also hunt Vance and I don't think it was as bad through out the county.
I'd agree with that. Lots more hunters leaving young bucks to grow.
We are down 20% from the peak. what exactly is the magic line for adjustments in regs or seasons?
and remember that is with additional days of opportunity. Sundays should have seen numbers increase all things being equal.
i am asking those of you with more than layman's knowledge of wildlife bio.
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NC herd managers are not expressing the concerns about herd size that are coming from Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Mississippi. In NC, the size of the acorn crop plays a major role when explaining a drop in the total kill. This acorn factor has not been noted in the numbers coming from other states including the 36% drop in South Carolina's herd size.
Coyote populations have significantly increased during the period that the other states have expressed concerns about herd size. The attached article is a summary of research projects in the SE US dealing with fawn predation and is written with no obvious bias....simply states the research and quotes the researchers in layman's terms. https://gameandgarden.com/sustainability/land/do-coyotes-affect-deer-populations/
The research notes a consistent climb in fawn survival when coyotes are removed pre-fawning. NC's research at Ft Bragg showed low fawn survival due to predation and poor fawning habitat has been offered as a contributing cause. Conversely, NOTE that the habitat factor has been addressed in other research and habitat differences were not a factor in fawn survival.
ALL research has shown predation to be a significant factor in fawn survival......and as was noted with wolves/moose calves, learned behavior is playing a role....meaning that as the coyote is a recent arrival, we may not have reached the peak of fawn predation.
POINTS:
1. NC herd managers have not yet stated that the herd has seen a statistically significant population drop to the point that we should be concerned.
2. Research in AL, SC and NC has consistently shown that the coyote has a very high impact on fawn survival and two of these states are expressing deer population concerns.
3. Pre-fawning predator removal resulted in increased fawn survival in every trial.
NOTE: A $1,000,000 coyote research project in SC, GA, and AL will conclude in early 2018.
how is the herd size estimated in NC?
is reported kill not a factor in the estimate?
I do not know how herd size is estimated in NC. The acorn crop comment was a jab at NCWRC's insistence on attributing reduced kill to the large acorn crop while failing to publicly note research associated with fawn predation and the potential impact on herd size.
I'm not sure about other areas, but the 5 county "red wolf" recovery area that is under coyote control also has been significantly impacted by the hybrids and coyotes. There's not enough "red wolves" left to have any impact, and the bears may get an occasional fawn, but the coyotes are completely over running these counties. These stats show just how stupid this coyote protection program has been for the game population of these 5 counties . The good thing is, it's wild canid breeding and denning season and the bastards are easier to kill now than any other time. Set ups are simple with pup squeals and fawn distress calls .
I think the dip is just aggravated by the massive acorn crop. True there are coyotes working on the herd and counties like Northampton and Halifax have increased their permit hunting during the summer. Compound that with the planting of more cotton instead of peanuts has hurt those counties. With that said our dog club in Scotland county had a much better year this past year. We saw and jumped a lot more deer . I know the local dog club also had a better year of jumping and seeing deer. On the other hand they had tough luck still hunting. T
The NCWRC are contemplating adjusting the seasons from what I hear.