Deer densities in your area?
- Dhurtubise
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Deer densities in your area?
A recent thread on the Minnesota deer densities really got me thinking. Video was posted where a man was advocating for somewhere along the lines of 40 deer per square mile. The numbers sound Astronomical to me.
What are good healthy deer densities in The type of terrain you are hunting? What is that terrain and what do you feel good numbers are for that terrain?
I hunt In the big Woods in the northern Boundaries of the deer population in my area. I live in thunder Bay, and Suspect the deer densities here are in the neighborhoods of 3 to 10 deer per square mile. I have asked the MNR about this before and never got an answer.
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What are good healthy deer densities in The type of terrain you are hunting? What is that terrain and what do you feel good numbers are for that terrain?
I hunt In the big Woods in the northern Boundaries of the deer population in my area. I live in thunder Bay, and Suspect the deer densities here are in the neighborhoods of 3 to 10 deer per square mile. I have asked the MNR about this before and never got an answer.
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Re: Deer densities in your area?
Dhurtubise wrote:A recent thread on the Minnesota deer densities really got me thinking. Video was posted where a man was advocating for somewhere along the lines of 40 deer per square mile. The numbers sound Astronomical to me.
What are good healthy deer densities in The type of terrain you are hunting? What is that terrain and what do you feel good numbers are for that terrain?
I hunt In the big Woods in the northern Boundaries of the deer population in my area. I live in thunder Bay, and Suspect the deer densities here are in the neighborhoods of 3 to 10 deer per square mile. I have asked the MNR about this before and never got an answer.
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I think 40-50 deer/sq. mile is ideal IMHO for mixed forest/agriculture. 3 to 10 deer per square mile sounds right for northwoods where forest harvest is somewhat limited.
Here are the WI "estimates"
http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/hunt/documents/ ... rperdr.pdf
The population in the central WI farmlands is getting out of control. Many of these counties were kicking out really good bucks during the earn a buck years. They still do, but less these days. In another thread, I commented that 2010 was a year of giants for reasons outside the good spring. This is one of them IMHO.
- nater
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Re: Deer densities in your area?
How does WI DNR determine their densities?
- Dhurtubise
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Re: Deer densities in your area?
BassBoysLLP wrote:
I think 40-50 deer/sq. mile is ideal IMHO for mixed forest/agriculture. 3 to 10 deer per square mile sounds right for northwoods where forest harvest is somewhat limited.
Here are the WI "estimates"
http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/hunt/documents/ ... rperdr.pdf
The population in the central WI farmlands is getting out of control. Many of these counties were kicking out really good bucks during the earn a buck years. They still do, but less these days. In another thread, I commented that 2010 was a year of giants for reasons outside the good spring. This is one of them IMHO.
Those are some crazy numbers s few of those counties have more than 100 deer per square mile. It must be hard not to see deer on a hunt down there. That's about one deer for every 200x200 yd square. I always wondered about this while I was hunting and rarely seeing deer this fall.
Those apostle Islands look sweet! I would be on that in a heartbeat!
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Re: Deer densities in your area?
Currently modeled based on the number of antlered bucks harvested. Hence "estimates". The model doesnt calibrate well in some areas.
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Re: Deer densities in your area?
Dhurtubise wrote:BassBoysLLP wrote:
I think 40-50 deer/sq. mile is ideal IMHO for mixed forest/agriculture. 3 to 10 deer per square mile sounds right for northwoods where forest harvest is somewhat limited.
Here are the WI "estimates"
http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/hunt/documents/ ... rperdr.pdf
The population in the central WI farmlands is getting out of control. Many of these counties were kicking out really good bucks during the earn a buck years. They still do, but less these days. In another thread, I commented that 2010 was a year of giants for reasons outside the good spring. This is one of them IMHO.
Those are some crazy numbers s few of those counties have more than 100 deer per square mile. It must be hard not to see deer on a hunt down there. That's about one deer for every 200x200 yd square. I always wondered about this while I was hunting and rarely seeing deer this fall.
Those apostle Islands look sweet! I would be on that in a heartbeat!
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The population use to be a lot higher in the late 80s/early 90s. I recall several of those hunts where I would see over a 100 deer a night. It was nuts!
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- ozzz
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Re: Deer densities in your area?
nater wrote:How does WI DNR determine their densities?
Asking the magic 8 ball.
If it bleeds, we can kill it . . . .
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Re: Deer densities in your area?
Dhurtubise wrote:BassBoysLLP wrote:
I think 40-50 deer/sq. mile is ideal IMHO for mixed forest/agriculture. 3 to 10 deer per square mile sounds right for northwoods where forest harvest is somewhat limited.
Here are the WI "estimates"
http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/hunt/documents/ ... rperdr.pdf
The population in the central WI farmlands is getting out of control. Many of these counties were kicking out really good bucks during the earn a buck years. They still do, but less these days. In another thread, I commented that 2010 was a year of giants for reasons outside the good spring. This is one of them IMHO.
Those are some crazy numbers s few of those counties have more than 100 deer per square mile. It must be hard not to see deer on a hunt down there. That's about one deer for every 200x200 yd square. I always wondered about this while I was hunting and rarely seeing deer this fall.
Those apostle Islands look sweet! I would be on that in a heartbeat!
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The deer densities listed on that map are crap in my opinion. Based on what I see in Iowa compared to what I see in WI, I have a hard time to believe that there are more than 50-60 deer / square mile in any county of WI.
A square mile is only 640 acres. I easily cover more than a square mile many times when I am out hunting late season. I have never done an aerial survey in my life but tracks in a fresh snow don't lie.
In Iowa, yes we have great deer numbers, but most places don't break 100 deer / square mile - no counties that I have been in do as a whole in Eastern Iowa. Some counties might have 10 years ago before the herd reduction started here but not now. I have hunted a couple individual spots where deer densities might be close to 100 deer / square mile.
In late season tracking deer long distances and doing small nudges I can get very good idea of how many deer are around....yes I realize I am seeing the minimum deer number for an area that time of year. Early in the fall there are more but not that many more when you look at harvest numbers to total deer that are supposed to be there.
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Re: Deer densities in your area?
Another issue with the deer density map is that it does not take into account amount of cover which is a big deal in farm country. In the fall winter months deer are concentrated in small amounts of cover - giving a far different appearance than deer per square mile range. As a result, comparing deer per square mile range in farm country to big woods is apples to oranges....because in big woods it IS per square mile cover.
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Re: Deer densities in your area?
ozzz wrote:nater wrote:How does WI DNR determine their densities?
Asking the magic 8 ball.
There are established methods for it, each with their own problems. I assume they publicly state how they come up with the #s?
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Re: Deer densities in your area?
Yes. A lot of information in the 2012 deer report/audit. A good read.
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- headgear
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Re: Deer densities in your area?
In MN the DNR counts pre-fawn densities, one place I hunt has about 15dpsm and the hunting is good to great, it could be better but I am happy. Another locations has about 6-7dpsm and it can be difficult to say the least, most people couldn't handle it, we have guys move into the area all the time but they don't last more than 2-3 years and move on.
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Re: Deer densities in your area?
JoeRE wrote:Dhurtubise wrote:BassBoysLLP wrote:
I think 40-50 deer/sq. mile is ideal IMHO for mixed forest/agriculture. 3 to 10 deer per square mile sounds right for northwoods where forest harvest is somewhat limited.
Here are the WI "estimates"
http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/hunt/documents/ ... rperdr.pdf
The population in the central WI farmlands is getting out of control. Many of these counties were kicking out really good bucks during the earn a buck years. They still do, but less these days. In another thread, I commented that 2010 was a year of giants for reasons outside the good spring. This is one of them IMHO.
Those are some crazy numbers s few of those counties have more than 100 deer per square mile. It must be hard not to see deer on a hunt down there. That's about one deer for every 200x200 yd square. I always wondered about this while I was hunting and rarely seeing deer this fall.
Those apostle Islands look sweet! I would be on that in a heartbeat!
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The deer densities listed on that map are crap in my opinion. Based on what I see in Iowa compared to what I see in WI, I have a hard time to believe that there are more than 50-60 deer / square mile in any county of WI.
A square mile is only 640 acres. I easily cover more than a square mile many times when I am out hunting late season. I have never done an aerial survey in my life but tracks in a fresh snow don't lie.
In Iowa, yes we have great deer numbers, but most places don't break 100 deer / square mile - no counties that I have been in do as a whole in Eastern Iowa. Some counties might have 10 years ago before the herd reduction started here but not now. I have hunted a couple individual spots where deer densities might be close to 100 deer / square mile.
In late season tracking deer long distances and doing small nudges I can get very good idea of how many deer are around....yes I realize I am seeing the minimum deer number for an area that time of year. Early in the fall there are more but not that many more when you look at harvest numbers to total deer that are supposed to be there.
Those deer densities are not really that out of the question. These are fall deer densities prior to the hunting season. Farmland areas have pretty high fawn production, sometimes boosting the population up by 30%. These numbers would be much lower post hunt.
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Re: Deer densities in your area?
JoeRE wrote:Another issue with the deer density map is that it does not take into account amount of cover which is a big deal in farm country. In the fall winter months deer are concentrated in small amounts of cover - giving a far different appearance than deer per square mile range. As a result, comparing deer per square mile range in farm country to big woods is apples to oranges....because in big woods it IS per square mile cover.
Actually the numbers are deer per square mile of habitat, not total area in the unit.
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Re: Deer densities in your area?
I don't know if I've ever hunted in a square mile with 30+ deer in it.
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