Deer population

[JSTWIG22]

LAST EDITED ON Oct-11-10 AT 09:11PM (MST)[p] Just wondering if anyone hunted the archery or muzzle deer season in either 61 or 62 and if you saw a lot of deer? Curious about the population and wanting to know if the bad winter a couple years ago has had much damage on numbers? Headed up that way in a couple weeks. Thanks!

 

[accubond]

LAST EDITED ON Oct-11-10 AT 09:52PM (MST)[p]I hunted 62 last year during the 3rd season and was very dissapointed. My hunt went worse than the rest of the guys in my group but we all still felt the deer numbers were not what they should be. I used 2 points to draw this tag and when talking to the conservation officer and the biologist I was told that the bad winter had little effect on this unit. Once the numbers came out I find out they mysteriously cut tags by 15%? Then I look again at this years numbers and see that they cut tags an additional 15%? Don't mean sound so negative but I feel like I was lied to and that the winter was a little more damaging to the herd than I was told. With that being said it beat the hell out of work and it was gorgeous country. Good luck on your hunt, I hope you get some weather!

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free... it expects what never has and never will be." -Thomas Jefferson

 

[SoleSearcher36]

I for one have spent a fair amount of time in that unit over the past several years and haven't noticed any signs of a major "winter-kill" event. However I don't put much stock in DOW's "population estimate" and do believe that the numbers are anywhere near what they should be. That being said there have always been some exceptional deer on the uncomphagre and likely always will be. But with any knowledge of the terrain there I think you would agree that they have an infinite number of nooks and crannies to avoid us hunters in. I sure do wish that I had more faith in DOW's estimates but I think they pretty much add up to a SWAG(scientific wild-a$$ guess)many times.

 

[COHunter]

The DOW will never give out bad news, cause that in turn might hurt their revenue stream.

We didnt have a bad winter kill a few years back, the deer/elk just found more food up high and didnt follow their normal migratory trends LOL! thats the line the DOW has been feeding everyone in the Northwest part of the state!

 

[SoleSearcher36]

A number of my areas over there seemed to "gain" quite a few more animals following that winter. I think they migrated in more heavily following those big snows and after finding ample feed simply didn't return to their traditional grounds like they normally would have. Now after a couple of years, many of those have worked their way back to their traditional range/patterns, thus giving a false impression of falling population in my areas. Really just a WAG on my part but sure seemed like it could hold water. This was true for both the elk and the deer.