Need statewide deer data

[Buckrub]

This started on another hunting site. There is a big discussion of what changes are needed in Arkansas deer hunting. There's a lot of misinformation being bandied about.

I am trying to amass a 'spreadsheet', if you will, of every state where whitetails are hunted, with the following data:

Estimated Whitetail Population, by year, for last 75 years
# deer hunting licenses sold annually
# deer tags sold
# deer harvested by sex
Length of season by method
Limit by sex annually by method

I admit that I have an ulterior motive for this. I set out to amass this information, thinking that it would prove that regardless of season length, limit, or restrictions, the herd has thrived in every instance, in every state, for a long time. However, I am big enough to admit that if the data proves me wrong, then I'm wrong.

I do realize that in the south, deer were almost eradicated by meat hunters and no restrictions in the 1900-1920 range. I don't advocate that, of course, but my point is that I believe that every state/province has highly varied limits and season lengths, and.........I don't believe there's a whit of difference between the most liberal (probably South Carolina) and the most restrictive (probably Oklahoma ?), in all cases the herd is at, or headed towards, maximum carrying capacity for their respective habitats.

I will assimilate the data, if I can find it. It's turning out to be a chore. I see where Mississippi claims to have more deer than any state other than Texas. I see states that wildly guess what their population is. I see some wild stuff. But I can't find any definitive data.

Any ideas?

[LJ3]

I cannot, in good conscience, participate in your confirmation bias.

That... and I have no idear where the data may exist.

[Buckrub]

Your opinion is welcome. I am not adamant. I have opinions, based on anecdotal information, not evidence.

I'm looking for the evidence.

[jb]

Some background
http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10363_10856_10905-28543--,00.html

[Buckrub]

Thanks, Bubba. Good stuff.

I find a lot of this.......rhetoric........in almost any state's website. But finding the statistics I want is proving a real task.

[jb]

Here's more.
http://www.deerfriendly.com/deer/michigan

[Arty]

Virginia

http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/wildlife/deer/harvest/

Just kill statistics.

[Buckrub]

OUTSTANDING, RT. Exactly what I need. Now do the other states! :)

[Gunther]

This started on another hunting site. There is a big discussion of what changes are needed in Arkansas deer hunting. There's a lot of misinformation being bandied about.

I am trying to amass a 'spreadsheet', if you will, of every state where whitetails are hunted, with the following data:

Estimated Whitetail Population, by year, for last 75 years
# deer hunting licenses sold annually
# deer tags sold
# deer harvested by sex
Length of season by method
Limit by sex annually by method

I admit that I have an ulterior motive for this. I set out to amass this information, thinking that it would prove that regardless of season length, limit, or restrictions, the herd has thrived in every instance, in every state, for a long time. However, I am big enough to admit that if the data proves me wrong, then I'm wrong.

I do realize that in the south, deer were almost eradicated by meat hunters and no restrictions in the 1900-1920 range. I don't advocate that, of course, but my point is that I believe that every state/province has highly varied limits and season lengths, and.........I don't believe there's a whit of difference between the most liberal (probably South Carolina) and the most restrictive (probably Oklahoma ?), in all cases the herd is at, or headed towards, maximum carrying capacity for their respective habitats.

I will assimilate the data, if I can find it. It's turning out to be a chore. I see where Mississippi claims to have more deer than any state other than Texas. I see states that wildly guess what their population is. I see some wild stuff. But I can't find any definitive data.

Any ideas?

All that weren't mulies or hybrids. So 100%

I get 3-8 so average of 5.

I have never harvested a deer by sex, that's just creepy and I think illegal.

From opening day until it closes.

Sex again? Are you a freakin' pervert? Into deer porn are ya? You're gonna end up like Kribbs, hairy palmed and blind.

[airbud7]

http://www.qdma.com/uploads/pdf/WR2012.pdf

[Captain]

There is no way in hell SC data on deer harvest can be considered anything but a swag.... (Scientific Wild Ass Guess) the season comes in in August and goes out Jan 1st. There is no tags, and no check in.... It's just shoot till you get tired of dragin'. Now how in the world can they say what has been shot on my place? They never call and ask, or send any kinda survey at the end of the season?
This is state wide. Even in the parts of the state where they limit the amount of bucks you kill in a season there is no check in or tag.
So let's say the limit in Florence Co SC is 5 bucks a season (I have no clue just making this up) and a guy has already shot 12 and is checked with a deer in the back of the truck he would be a dufe to tell the game warden this was his 13 deer? There is no check in or tags to use. All he's got to say is this is my first deer....

Sent from my iPhone using Forum Runner

[Niner]

Funny you should post this at this time. Not funny, ha ha....but funny ironic.

Georgia 's DNR is currently reviewing things for their "10 year" plan, and the statewide "outdoorsy" magazine (Georgia Outdoor News) included a questionnaire in this month's issue.

IMO we currently have no control over our deer harvest. The current limit is 12 deer, two of which CAN be bucks. BUT there are no "tags" per se. Instead we have a "harvest record", which is a form that you fill out date, county, sex of the kill before the deer is moved. However, these forms are not collected, AND if you "loose" your form another BLANK ONE can be printed off online. NO "tag" is affixed to the carcass.

Additionally, the state is divided into two hunting zones....Northern and Southern. Some counties have QDM rules, and some counties have different does days than others. Plus hunting over bait is legal in the Southern zone, but strictly verboten in the Northern zone.

At some point in the past, we had a tag system, the limit was about six, and there were much fewer doe days than now. For the past several years, does days ran all season long. I liked that, as a hunter could either put meat in the freezer, or he could wait for a buck to show up.

Also, we have one of the longest seasons in the country (thankfully). Not as long as Cap'n's though. Archery generally starts the first part of September, and Firearms generally starts the latter part of October. Season closes Jan 1 the Northern zone. The Southern zone gets an additional week or two, and some special areas run even longer.

This prolly is of no use for your data collection, but that's how our deer laws run at this time.

EDIT: I forgot to add that licences can either be bought over-the-counter, or online. There is no drawing for hunting here, with the exception of certain hunts on certain Wildlife Management Areas.

[Bwana]

Bucky, if you are serious about acquiring this data I would think it is simply a matter of putting together a letter and sending it to each of the states you are interested in. Make the request as a Freedom of Information request if they don't want to give it to you.

[Big Muddy]

Ditto for MS what Cap said about SC....it would only be a swag here, too.

Our deer population is greater than our people population....highest deer population per acre in the nation.

However, I will help you out with some reference websites....knock yourself out.


http://www.outfitters.org/writer.html

http://www.msudeer.com/popdynamics.asp

http://www.mdwfp.com/wildlife-hunting/deer-program.aspx

http://www.ms-sportsman.com/details.php?id=387

http://www.deerfriendly.com/deer/mississippi

http://agfax.com/2013/10/04/mississippi-deer-population-poses-problems-for-farmers/

http://www.buckscore.com/About/DeerLabInfo

http://www.naturalresources.msstate.edu/wildlife/white-tailed-deer.html

[BarryBobPosthole]

I think that's the conundrum Bucky is trying to figure out, Eddie. Is the Mississippi deer population a result of the way hunting seasons and bag limits are managed or is it a result of habitat (which Arkansas has in spades)?
There's even areas of Arkansas where its like you describe in Ms. I've hunted down in SE Arkansas near Warren and there's more deer there than there are people. On a dusky late afternoon trip to the liquor store (seems like it was about a 30 mile drive) we counted 200 deer just from the highway there and back. Of course, some genius had planted winter wheat in the right of way so there were deer everywhere about dusk. I doubt opening deer hunting up to no limits like SC or Ms would have much impact there. But there are other parts of Arkansas, south west is mostly what I'm familiar with, where there are a lot of deer but if there were not some serious regulation there wouldn't be any. As late as the 60's there weren't any to speak of.

BKB

[Big Muddy]

As a kid, I remember back in about 1954 or '55, there were virtually no deer here....I remember my Dad heard about someone seeing a deer track up on the banks of the Quiver River, not too far from here....when we got there, about 10 truckloads of people were out there, just to look to see what a deer track looked like.

A couple of years later, a truckload of deer were shipped here to the Delta from Michigan....then, later, another truckload from, I believe, Pennsylvania.

[Buckrub]

same here.