[trotts900]

no every thing is not ok on limited private property because the property next to you and so on still have these insane bag limits an you not able to keep the deer on you property all the time so for years now the deer herd gets less and less

 

[JoeS500]

Unfortunately it takes years to "grow" a decent mature buck and only takes a few minutes for a neighbor or tresspasser to push out a piece property. Lord knows there's enough time to do it in a 6 month long season. I think a lot of us with our own property are almost forced to babysit more than hunt anymore.

 

[jerseyboy32]

I'm in zone 7 n 9 and I have seen deer
N now I'm seeing more on camera. And I am seeing tons more now on 78. As to a few months ago I wasnt

 

[Thunderchicken]

Numbers are way down in zones 43 and 45. We need to take a hard look at this!!

 

[ruttinbuck7]

zones 47, 28, and 26 way down

 

[Tarhunt]

There's a bunch in my freezer.

 

[pa bowhunter]

zone 48 way down or at least the farms I hunt are.

 

[teddrick]

I too have suggested WMAs' and the immediate surrounding region, be re-zoned. I also have a theory, that some may agree with, some may not... Lets all agree that a big vast WMA like "Whittingham" gets the living snot beat out of it. It's premium deer habitat, but between small game season, archery, muzzy, and multiple shotgun days, combined with many a deer drive, it's pretty hard for a herd of deer to find a comfort zone to make it their core area. It's not so much the amount of deer that are taken off such a spot, it's the constant pressure, gunshots, and overall human intrusion that drive the deer out into "unhuntable" areas. Whitetails need sanctuaries. There used to be a massive sanctuary bordering Whittingham, but the Nature's Conservancy opened it up to hunting several years ago. Now what was once a sanctuary- gets hammered as much if not more than Whittingham itself, in terms of deer hunting. (sans the small game hunting). While certainly "unlimited antlerless" and 6 legal bucks a year needs to be trimmed down to something more sensible, like 2 bucks per calendar year any weapon any season of choice, and 2 doe per hunter - I think the bigger issue is reducing the days afield to reduce the pressure on the herd... It will make the hunting BETTER if all firearm/muzzy hunting ended after 6-day, deer driving on public land were eliminated, no September bow hunting, etc... If the pressure on the land were simply reduced - the deer would return.

I would gladly give up total # of days afield in exchange for better quality hunting when afield. As of now- an WMA like Whittingham and the surrounding area have over 150 days of deer hunting...

I know to some it seems sacrilegious as a hunter to beg the F&G to reduce amount of hunting days, especially after fighting so hard to include Sunday bow hunting (do not want that removed), but the seasons are too long, the deer cannot tolerate the pressure.

So my "warped" theory is, reduce the seasons (especially the gun seasons) and it would allow more un-huntable deer to actually be hunted.

Yes I agree that that would work, however for you not me!
if you want to reduce the number of hunting days, why leave Sunday, because it suits you!

I also think that there is way too much opportunity, 2 bucks and 2 does you say! some guys (you know who you are)will fill that in a day, sometime a morning, I also think the multiple deer/unlimited does every day is a big problem. I for one like the long season as it provides an opportunity for me to get out with my sons, and now that they are older its harder and harder every year. (any body that does not know what I mean listen to

)however I think that there is more to the problem then just the hunters. deer, lots of deer are in places that never had deer until a few years ago. The deer have learned to adapt to man in the woods, they move into safe harbors and out of the normal routine. In Z5 I have no Idea where they go, but on my property, they just disappear for weeks at a time only to return at a later date. Just for the record, I did deer hunt a few day this year, however outside culling programs, did not harvest a deer, Why, I don't shoot bucks nor mature doe's and did not see any fawns/yearlings this year! I also water fowl hunted quite a bit, and what surprised me is that there are areas that EHD hit in 2011 and we have not seen a single deer return to the area, yet less than 5 miles away there are more deer than you can shake a stick at (both areas that cannot be hunted). 5 miles/4 + years, cannot believe that they have not made the move by now. What happened to the fawns this year? My property in Z5 only 1 on camera, Z12 less than a dozen, but large herd where my cameras are, (for trespassers not deer) Union county, fewer deer and no fawns and no hunting where I live. Something else besides hunters is thinning the deer, bears, coyotes do have an impact, some say 30% of fawns in Sussex county. Most guys talk the talk, but few will adhere to personal conservation, most just what the law allows.

 

[ooobuckshot]

I believe with a lot of posts above, that deer are thin in some areas and plenty in others..But I also believe that since baiting has been legalized
more deer have been shot as per New Jersey's master plan and to hear people complain just reassures NJFG&W plan, that the plan is working..
I also believe we have been spoiled with baiting to the point that if we go out for a hunt and dont see 6-8-10-15-? deer everytime we think OMG
theirs no deer..?? We have a lot of hunters that hunt now, that don't even know what its like to hunt without corn/bait or have forgot what it was once like
to not even see a deer, or only a couple each time just hunting sign, and when the deer came through they had to be within range, and then hope they
stopped for the shot (with bow anyway)etc. But to answer the OP's question Yes deer numbers are down.. Mission accomplished

 

[deergetter]

The wma's are wiped out . I have seen more bucks killed on the highway then ever before . This past year .

 

[tcook8296]

I believe with a lot of posts above, that deer are thin in some areas and plenty in others..But I also believe that since baiting has been legalized
more deer have been shot as per New Jersey's master plan and to hear people complain just reassures NJFG&W plan, that the plan is working..
I also believe we have been spoiled with baiting to the point that if we go out for a hunt and dont see 6-8-10-15-? deer everytime we think OMG
theirs no deer..?? We have a lot of hunters that hunt now, that don't even know what its like to hunt without corn/bait or have forgot what it was once like
to not even see a deer, or only a couple each time just hunting sign, and when the deer came through they had to be within range, and then hope they
stopped for the shot (with bow anyway)etc. But to answer the OP's question Yes deer numbers are down.. Mission accomplished

You are absolutely right. I hunted a lot with an outfitter in Illinois quite a bit over the past few years and I stopped recommending hunts to hunters in NJ that I did not know personally. It truly was a embarrassing to see NJ hunters show up in deer camp and cry the whole week because of the amount of deer they were seeing or because a booner hadn't walked by yet at 9am on the first day of their hunt. I hate to say it, but a lot of NJ hunters could not kill a deer if it were not for the corn pile.

 

[deergetter]

I hunt different spots all the time . Yes I do hunt one baited stand . But all the other stands have no bait at all . It's called moving to a different spot even in the same Forrest will make a big difference .