Deer gone in South Woodward County

[BigTexOK]

I've been hunting in the Fargo are for several years. Always had lots of deer until last season (2013). Last year the drought from th previous two years started showing its damage, saw less than half what we did before. This year I've yet to see a single deer. I hunt archery, primitive and rifle. Camera has been up since July and we've seen a total of 5 on camera.

Locals say blue tongue disease is killing a bunch. Folks around me say it's never been this bad.

We never see dead deer on the road. Lots of oil trucks in area, usually see a few on roadside...but not this year.

Boy does it suck. Never seen anything like it.

 

[Okie4570]

I don't know much about blue tongue other than it's spread by midges.................which I wouldn't think would thrive in drought conditions?

 

[dennishoddy]

The drought didn't do the deer herd any favors.

 

[Deer Slayer]

nope!!!

 

[retrieverman]

We are seeing fewer deer on my place in Alfalfa county too, and the theories I've heard from locals are die off during the drought, coyotes eating fawns causing less deer maturing, and deer migrating to areas with better/more feed and water.

If the difference in the number of deer we were seeing compared to the number we're seeing now had died, there would be ALOT of carcasses, and they aren't there. I did see a couple while shed hunting in the spring but not any more than normal.

Yes, there are ALOT of coyotes, but there doesn't seem to be any more than "normal".

If the deer have migrated, where would they have gone? The drought hasn't been localized. I have friends that hunt north west Kansas, and the deer up there have disappeared too.

I don't have an answer, but I don't believe really believe these theories.

 

[Okie4570]

We and neighbors found many skeletons during the spring of 2013. None were around water, as if there were any anyway. They were not near roads, couldn't see any trauma, majority of them were bucks of various sizes, nothing large. 2012 wasn't as dry and the couple years prior, and we didn't have the "kill" after those years, so I'm not sure really what happened. We saw very few deer in general last year, this year has been much better as far as numbers.

Agree on the coyote numbers, there's a ton of them this year.

 

[dlbleak]

i agree on the coyotes. we've seen and killed more from the stand than ever before. my rule is on my place is, if you see one shoot it!

 

[Oklahomabassin]

If reproduction success is LOW because of bad forage/drought their won't be carcasses. In healthy years a mature doe will have twins. So it is pretty easy to see a herd double in size in a healthy year, likewise it easy for a herd to appear to decrease in size by half if you have very little reproduction.

Self limit your harvest if necessary, to only old bucks and does and let the herd rebuild. Hopefully we will have another good spring and summer to benefit quail and deer populations.

 

[VIKING]

Maybe too many does have been killed and it's finally catching us with us. I hardly ever see a doe and when I do my neighbor kills it.

 

[BigTexOK]

We've always had a ton of doe till two years ago. Most years we did more choosing than hunting. I watch the harvest totals and they are WAY down last two years.

I think its mostly drought related. In 2011 and 2012 we hardly saw any twins and most doe didnt have a fawn at all during height of the drought. In 2012 we found a few fawn carcasses (not eaten) on our CRP land.

And in that time frame our neighbors continued to shoot anything that moved and we had a constant road hunting problem with all the O&G workers.

I'm afraid that's all catching up to us.