Deer Heard

[MK-M-GOBL]

Well it seems that other forums feel that adding a survey directed at AR, I guess so they can email it to into F&G to help voice their preferences. So I thought I'd add one on here for an overall view of the deer numbers.

Now just like the other poll, we have no way of deciding as to who is actually in NH voting for the future of the F&G making a decision, I encourage all non-residents to take part in this poll.

[Scout]

Ken, I'm embarrassed to tell you how many hours I have spent in a stand and what I have seen. We were just talking about that the other day. I said if anyone saw these numbers they would say that I just don't know what I'm doing. Who knows maybe I don't cause some of you on here are seeing way more deer than I see in a season.

[danf]

Don't know if anything needs to be done to improve the hearing of the deer, but I do think something needs to be done to improve the population of deer. ;D ;D

[soccerref]

I've seen more deer this year than in recent years, but it's still a very low number. The deer are around, at least winter scouting says so. I covered a lot of ground today and didn't see hardly any sign, rubs, scrapes, tracks, droppings, was depressing. I also think the weather has stunk for hunting. Way to much wind, more often than not I've been swaying in trees.

I think the herd has levelled off, it's low, but over the last 10 years has come up. It can come up WAY more and I think before doing AR you need to get the body count up.

[soccerref]

Now that I've spent two weekends in D2 where I hunt, there's been very few taken there, very few shots heard and people we've become friends with are saying the same thing: lack of deer sightings and sign.

they are also saying : lots of coyotes.

[MK-M-GOBL]

Good info Ken but it will always come back as...we're not Missouri & they don't have the winters we have At least that's all I'm hearing now.

The fact is...nobody wants to do anything to improve the hunting in NH. They want it to be better but in the same breath their saying don't mess or change anything to do it Doesn't make much sense but I'm it will happen someday I'm sure. Maybe when we get a back to back mild winters, F&G will patting themselves on their backs saying the deer heard is doing outstanding ;D If VT can do so can NH!

Yes soccerref...there’s a ton of coyotes out there!! In fact, here's a few new signs that NHDOT will be putting out soon. First one is their new sign for the next 30 years & it’s not a goat or great dane either…that’s F&G projected trophy deer. Second sign speaks for itself! We need to kill them all!!

[soccerref]

I am done going north to D2 for the year, and it was, without a doubt, the worst year I've seen up there. Spent Friday/Saturday of thanksgiving weekend in the woods there, with snow on the ground that came Thursday night into Friday morning, total of less than 1 inch, but enough to see tracks. I logged a bunch of miles, saw two tracks. this with the deer having up to 48 hours to create the tracks!

Talking to other hunters in the area, same thing, nobody seeing deer.

Also lost faith in F&G "biologist". My uncle called iwth a question about the survey. While he had him on the phone, he asked "why no deer sign in the woods". The answer, "whlie last winter was mild, the two before that were hard on the deer". When I pointed out that last winter we saw deer, lots of sign and people all over the area were seeing deer, it became obvious that a hard winter two years ago, cannot effect the deer that were alive last winter during a mild winter.

Also found out a farmer up the road slaughtered two pigs and dumped the bodies in teh woods, that explains the sudden coyote increase.

My son saw a coyote run past him, no shot since he was getting ready to move and not holding the gun, but that's 3 coyote sightings by our group.

[bassandbucks]

I am a new member to the site, but have been reading the site daily for months now...finally decided it was time to join and start posting. So thank you to all the regulars who provide regular content for me to read and enjoy.

Now, I have been reading many posts from all of you about your frustration with the deer heard. My question to all of you is what unit you all live in and hunt? I live in unit M and can personally say that my 3 close hunting buddies and I have had the best hunting year that any of us have ever had! One friend had tagged out pre-rut with 2 absolute monsters this year. According to our local CO whom we know well, he had pre-gun season the 2nd and 3rd largest bucks in the state.
Now we are younger hunters (ages 24-27) and are fortunate to have time to scout hard all off season, and hunt harder during the season.
Our biggest threat here in our part of unit M are the increased posting of land and the developments that are sprouting up and destroying our hunting lands. Other than that this year has been the best in our short hunting lives. Others we know have been reporting a good year as well.
What do you all believe is accounting for the disparity between our units? Now it can be said that unit M traditionally has larger harvest numbers than much of the state, and the weather is different from unit M and A, but I also feel that the heard should suffer proportionately across the state whether it be bad winters/hunting pressure/food sources/etc...
Now I do not believe there should be an AR, at least not in my part of the state. We are seeing monsters. What I want from F&G is the PR to open up more posted lands, because withing 15 years, my hunting buddies and I are going to have few areas left to hunt, and we will NEED to travel to other further north and west units. So all in all your concerns are mine.

P.S. I have also seen coyotes in the woods on 3 occasions. I am strictly a bow hunter. But seeing coyotes 3 times has already caused me to pursue my sidearm permit for next season, one for the ease of mind, two to hunt another species and save some deer!

[bowhunter603]

nice post bandb. i have seen what you mean lately. went to a buddy's old spot in unit m last week and was blown away by the sign i saw out there. i hunt in the southern portion of unit k primarily and definitely see a difference in the amount of sign. not that i am not finding any good sign in my area just the woods arent covered like they were down there. couldn't tell you why because we only get three days of killing does with guns here as opposed to unit m which has a bunch.

[soccerref]

bandb, I hunt the western edge of unit M all bow season, then D2, J2 and occassionally M in gun season.

Outside of M: complete lack of sign, especially in D2.

Inside M: decent sign, but not what I normally see. But MANY hunters. haven't seen a deer since mid October.

My guess is you are further east of me in Area M where you get more deer and more posted land.

There are pockets of deer in NH. Southeast and South West are supposedly pretty good. But on average, state wide, it's lower than the state can easily handle.

Last report I saw was down 8-10%. When I checked in a doe first week of Oct the checkin station said they had almost no traffic and were WAY down. Possibly due to first two weeks of bow season being bucks only.

[bassandbucks]

I am actually in the southwestern M area. And wayyyyy too many hunters for sure. I stick to the smaller pieces most of the year, especially during the gun season. It was real slow for me early season, saw sign everywhere during that time, but actual sightings were rough. Things picked up big time mid october both in sightings and sign, and have been good up until the weekend before thanksgiving. Starting to slow down again, but trying to use those gun hunters to my advantage!