November Deer Harvest Second Highest Ever

  Frankfort, KY. – Kentucky’s modern gun deer season is now over statewide, tipping the total harvest past 108,000 deer. Even with several days of archery and crossbow hunting left in November, the month’s harvest of more than 88,000 deer had already topped every season but 2004.

  "I thought we might kill 115,000 to 116,000 deer this season, but I think we’re going to do better than that," said David Yancy, a wildlife biologist in the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources’ big game program. "If it’s a pretty typical December muzzleloader season, that’ll help us toward 120,000."

  The high harvest eases the minds of the state’s deer managers, who closely watched last year’s severe outbreak of epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD). Kentucky Fish and Wildlife received reports of more than 4,000 suspected EHD cases last year. The state’s deer herd is estimated at 1 million animals.

  "If EHD had an impact, the November harvest should be down," said Yancy. "But it’s not down – it’s up. That tells me that EHD didn’t have a significant impact to statewide deer numbers."

  Overall harvest trends are a much better indicator of deer populations than single-year results, however. Kentucky’s total deer harvest has stair-stepped up and down only slightly since 2000, varying by fewer than 10,000 deer most years. "When you take a step back and look at that – that’s stable," said Yancy.

  Hunter harvest of male and female deer has also stabilized; with hunters taking a nearly even split of bucks and does each year. About 52 percent of deer taken so far this season have been bucks.

  "We go into gun season usually slightly ahead on antlerless deer," said Yancy. "Bowhunters are more willing to take antlerless deer – it’s a challenge just to kill a deer with a bow."

  During modern gun deer season, however, the buck-to-doe balance tips toward antlered deer. "Gun hunters are out there buck hunting," Yancy said. "Some already have some venison in the freezer from early muzzleloader or bow, and others say ‘I can get my antlerless deer during late muzzleloader to fill my freezer.’ It shifts back in late muzzleloader season, and we end up with slightly more females taken."

  The 9-day late muzzleloader season typically adds another 8,000 to 10,000 deer to the overall harvest. Yancy hopes to see more deer taken in high-density counties, where doe harvest is especially important to keep the population in balance with available habitat.

  "Counties like Jefferson, Shelby, Franklin, and from there north to the Ohio River – we would definitely like to see more deer taken, especially female deer in those counties," said Yancy. "That’s what it’s going to take to get them down to a Zone 2 level."

  Southeastern Kentucky’s Zone 4 counties are a different story. Deer populations are smaller than managers and hunters would like, due to the region’s mountainous, forested habitat that isn’t ideal for deer. The Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission voted this year to restrict this zone’s antlerless deer harvest during late muzzleloader season to the final three days only. Hunters in Zone 4 may take only antlered deer during the season’s first six days.

  "The point of it is to reduce kill on females and young deer," said Yancy. "We thought we were being restrictive enough, but we weren’t. We’re trying to allow some opportunity, but not too much. We’ll see in the next 2 to 3 years how this affects Zone 4 populations."

  Late muzzleloader season for deer runs December 13 - 21 statewide. For complete deer hunting regulations, pick up a copy of the 2008-09 Kentucky Hunting & Trapping guide, available at www.fw.ky.gov and wherever hunting licenses are sold.

  Hunters Prepare for Second Firearm Season December 4 - 7

  Springfield, IL – Hunters in Illinois harvested a preliminary total of 71,894 deer during the opening weekend of the 2008 Illinois Firearm Deer season, November 21-23, Illinois Department of Natural Resources Acting Director Sam Flood announced November 26. The second portion of the firearm season will be December 4 - 7.

  The preliminary total for the first three days of the 2008 firearm season compares with the first weekend harvest of 85,490 deer during the 2007 deer season. The top county harvest total was in Pike with 2,194 deer, followed by Adams (1,900), Fulton (1,878), Randolph (1,770), and Jefferson (1,650). The preliminary first-season figures reported for each county include those deer taken on special hunt areas within that county as well as on private land.

  "Deer hunters in Illinois once again provided a good deer harvest for the first weekend of the firearm season,"” said Flood. "We offer some of the best deer hunting opportunity in the world here in Illinois, and the firearm deer season continues to be our most popular hunting season."

  Illinois has issued approximately 350,000 firearm deer hunting permits for the 2008 season. Most hunters register their deer harvest online through the IDNR web site or by phoning 1-866-ILCHECK (1-866-452-4325) by 10 p.m. on the day of harvest. Hunters in Boone, DeKalb, Grundy, Kane, LaSalle, McHenry, Ogle, Stephenson and Winnebago counties take their deer to county check stations where IDNR conducts sampling for chronic wasting disease.

  "The weather was unseasonably cold to start the season on Friday, but it appears many hunters were in the field enjoying some success on that day and throughout the first weekend of the firearm deer season," said IDNR Forest Wildlife Program Manager Paul Shelton. "Most corn had been harvested, although 10 to 12 percent remained in the fields in the northern part of the state."

  "The good news for managers and for deer hunters with permits remaining for the second season is that most of the decline in harvest was a drop in buck harvest," Shelton added. "This means that our doe harvest was fairly comparable to last year and that there are plenty of both bucks and does still out there for second season hunters."

  Approximately 59 percent of the deer taken the first weekend were bucks, compared with 62 percent bucks taken during the first weekend of the firearm season in 2007.

  The Illinois firearm deer season concludes December 4 -7. The muzzleloader-only deer season is December 12-14. The Late-Winter Antlerless-only firearm deer season and the Special CWD deer season are January 16-18, 2009. The state’s 2008-09 archery deer season continues through January 15 (except closed in firearm counties during the second firearm season Dec. 4 -7).

  Back in late October I made my fifth trip to southeast Oklahoma to try my luck during their muzzleloader deer season. Just like the previous trips I was full of hope and anticipation. Visions of 12 point bucks and two hundred pound does filled my dreams. After all it was the start of a new year of deer hunting and all the failures of the past couple of seasons had faded into the recesses of my mind.

  I arrived, as usual on the Thursday before opening day on Saturday. The extra time gives me time to recoup from the 9 hour drive and to do a bit of scouting and set stands. Although this season my friends David, who owns the ranch and Robert had set up a stand for me overlooking a freshly planted area that had been quarried for rock and recently reclaimed. The rye grass was coming up nicely and they felt it was a good spot that would attract the deer. The mineral block they placed at the edge of the field was also sure to bring in a few does.

  Thursday evening David decided to bow hunt from a blind he had set up on the edge of a food plot. He had just gotten there, set down his bow, rearranged his chair and looked out just in time to see a flock of turkey’s come in to munch on some corn that had been flung from a feeder. He picked out a nice big tom and stuck him with his broadhead. It was his first turkey with a bow. The gobbler weighed eighteen pounds, had one inch spurs and a double beard. A nice trophy!

  That same evening, Charlie, one of David’s friends was also bow hunting from his blind. He stuck a doe and since it was getting late, he decided to let her lay awhile and not push her. Later he and David went to track her down. They arrived later without the deer but since it was cold that night there was little fear she would spoil overnight.

  The next morning, Charlie took a button buck from his blind. After the little dude was skinned, quartered and placed in the cooler, Brentt and I went back with David and Charlie to find the doe from the previous evening. We were able to pick up the blood trail only to have it fade out. After several hours and several circles of the area no deer turned up. Back at camp the guys decided that Charlie had taken my title as "The Crippler".

  Opening morning found me shivering in the stand David and Robert had set for me. Seems as though I had left my long-johns at home and now I was paying the price as a cold front had made its way into the area. Luckily I had taken my camouflage blanket with me and I wrapped it around myself. I didn’t see any deer nor did I hear any. The only things I saw and heard was Mike, another fellow at camp, shoot further down the way and then riding past me, not real close but close enough I could see him through the trees, going to get his buddy Dave to help him load the big doe he had taken and then them riding past again. I was hoping that their travels would push something my way but it was not to be.

  I hunted the same stand that evening. It was only the first day and you can’t give up on a spot too quick. Least ways that’s my theory and I stick to it. Needless to say no deer appeared for me to cripple.

  Robert was determined he was going to put me on deer this year and give me a chance at a buck. To help me out he took me to his secret stand that no one had ever been to. The guys kind of knew where it was but Robert had never allowed anyone to hunt from it. To press how secret it was he couldn’t tell me exactly how to get there so the next morning he had me follow him to it.

  When we arrived at the stand, I clipped my gun to his pull rope and proceeded to monkey climb my way up the climbing sticks on the tree, around some limbs and onto the stand. Once I got my feet securely planted on the stand I said a prayer of thanks for making the climb safely. I then heard a thud from below and Robert grunt in disgust. It seems his pull rope had broken and my gun dropped three feet to the ground hitting butt first. Not to let me down, Robert slung the gun over his shoulder and climbed the tree and handed me my gun. I thanked him and wished him luck.

  A little side story about Robert. He had arrived on Friday afternoon and bow hunted that evening and took a nice doe. The next morning instead of muzzleloader hunting he continued to use his bow and proceeded to take another doe! That evening he could have taken yet another doe but decided that three deer in three hunts would just be showing off. My heart bleeds for you Robert.

  Anyway back to me sitting in his stand on Sunday morning. It was still pretty dark when I noticed some movement out to my right. It was a deer coming in to a pile of corn Robert had dumped on the ground. My excitement subsided as I finally got a good look at it. It was a spike buck. I watched him munch on the kernels for several minutes as the sunlight in the woods increased. I was finally able to distinguish that he was a four pointer. His spikes split at the top into small forks. Though he wasn’t shooter, it was nice to finally see a deer.

  The thought of my scope possibly being thrown off by the fall continued to haunt me as I sat there. I just knew that if I drew down on a nice deer I’d see the bullet hit the ground three feet in front of it. I told myself that I’d go down to the rock pit later and check it out. It turned out to be a little low. Glad I didn’t take a shot.

  That evening I watched a small doe eat some corn from Charlie’s blind. He had left that afternoon and I proceeded to hone in on his spot. He had placed one of those feeders that looks like a tree stump in front of his blind about fifteen yards away. Unfortunately the deer wasn’t much taller than the “stump” and I decided to pass on her. I kept hearing something over to my right in an area where I couldn’t see and the little doe kept looking back in that direction. I figured it was momma looking out for her but the idea of it being a buck kept me alert. After fifteen minutes a low grunt/wheeze came from the right and the doe wandered off in that direction. I guess momma finally said "let’s go" and off they went.

  The next morning I went back to Robert’s secret stand and saw two does through a little window in the trees out in a field. There may have been more deer but two is all I saw. I was starting to wonder why he kept this stand so secret.

  I went back to Charlie’s blind that evening hoping to get a shot at a big momma doe or even better a shooter buck but it was not to be. A deer did come in from my left and went straight to the stump looking right in at me. It proceeded to eat some corn while I tried to determine if it was a doe or a button buck. It wasn’t much bigger than the one I had watched the previous evening and decided to take it if it were a doe. It finally turned its head enough and I saw the tell-tale bumps on its head. Dog gone it!

  The little sucker ate some corn from one side of the “stump” for five minutes then went around to the other side and ate for five minutes. He then walked over to a pile on the ground and ate for several minutes then went to another pile and ate. He kept getting closer and closer never noticing me watching him from such a close distance. He got his belly full and wandered off. I stayed hoping something bigger came by but nothing else showed up.

  My luck stayed on the bad side the next couple of days. I saw few deer and never had the chance to cripple anything. I told David I guess I had really passed my crown to Charlie but if he was unable to fulfill his obligations that I, as first runner-up, would step up to assume the duties as "Crippler" once again.

  The morning of the last day I had to hunt I went to another one of Robert’s stands. This one was located on the edge of an open area surrounded by thick brush and trees. It was from this stand that Robert had stuck the two does earlier in the hunt and it was from this stand I was to make my final stand.

  Now Robert had told me that all the deer he had been seeing didn’t show up until after 9:00am but I kept a sharp lookout for them because if I had let my guard down earlier in the morning that’s when they would have showed up catching me napping or something. Fact is I jumped a couple out of the area going in before daybreak. I just hoped they or some others would return.

  As if on cue, at 9:20 I caught some movement to my right. I was lucky I was turned in that direction resting my arm on a limb. The first thing I noticed that it wasn’t a spike buck. "Alright!" I thought. "Is it a button buck? No! Okay I might get a shot."

  As I watched the big doe come closer I saw another deer out to her right but this one was bigger. She was coming right up a trail and was going to pass within ten yards of the stand. I managed to stand up and get in position for a shot. As she went behind a limb blocking her view of me I brought my gun up and put the scope on her. She walked from behind the limb right into my scope. All I saw was fur. I picked up the shape of her shoulder and moved the crosshairs back a little and squeezed the trigger.

  SNAP!! I knew in that split second what had happened and then, POW!!

  The gun had misfired and at the sound of the primer going off she ducked and turned to avoid the bullet that went over her a second later.

  I was devastated! After five days of hunting I finally had a shot only to have a stupid misfire. I’ll admit it here that it took all of my will to keep from crying like a little school boy who had lost his puppy. What a let down.

  I reloaded my gun but left the primer out of it and climbed down to see if there was any chance I had hit her. I was hoping for a clean miss and searching the area I found no evidence of hitting her. At least that went right. I sure didn’t want a wounded deer running around. I did find a cool looking tortoise shell but it did little to relieve my disappointment.

  When I got off my 4-wheeler back at camp, David was relaxing in a lawn chair enjoying a snack. "I must have been a buffalo hunter in another life and now I’m being punished for my past hunting sins", I told him.

  "What happened?" he said. I proceeded to tell him the latest chapter in my series of unfortunate hunts. After I had finished he said he’d take me to his secret spot (oh boy another secret spot!) on a food plot. He had taken Brentt there a few evenings before so he could try and fill his tags before he left the next day. Brentt scored a nice big doe and just missed another one. I was excited at the possibility of getting a deer but the events of that morning kept me thinking what would go wrong or how I could screw up this opportunity.

  We made it to the blind around four and settled in to wait on the deer. We weren’t there ten minutes when I noticed David’s head bobbing around as he tried to stay awake. I lasted a little longer before I too started nodding off. We kept this up for about twenty minutes dozing off and waking with a start to scan the field and then nodding off again. We finally came around and occupied our time snacking on sunflower seeds.

  Around 5:20, David said, "Here comes a couple." They were coming out from our left in a spot where I couldn’t see very well but he could. They made their way across the field and to the front of the blind as I got ready. The second one in line was the bigger of the two so I waited for her to get in the right spot for a shot.

  She finally stopped thirty yards away and I placed the crosshairs behind her right shoulder and pulled the trigger. This time everything went right. She jumped plum over the smoke cloud and I could see I had hit her in a good spot from the red hole in her side.

  She ran across the field a little and around some trees back into the woods out to our left. The other deer had run to the right side of the field about sixty to seventy yards away. David asked if I could see her and handed me his gun. It wasn’t a good shot as she was looking straight at the blind trying to figure out what in the world was going on.

  As I reloaded my gun, the deer stood there stooping its feet and snorting trying to get something to move in our direction. Of course being in the blind she couldn’t see us. David said "She’s probably going to try and follow the other one" and he was right. She trotted across the field heading in the direction the other one had gone. David got her to stop by going "mah" real loud. Perfect fifty yard broadside shot. I placed the scope on her and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. I had forgotten to let the safety off.

  I guess the excitement of the situation finally hit me as I released the safety, put the scope back on her, pulled the trigger and missed! "Just like Brentt" David said. I didn’t feel too bad as I knew there was at least one deer laying out there dead somewhere.

  It only took a minute to cross the field and look into the woods and see where she was laying twenty yards or so in the trees. I was one happy s.o.b.. The doe weighed one hundred pounds. Not a bad way to end my two year drought.

  Needless to say the ride home the next day was much more enjoyable than last year. My hope is to return next year to try my luck at getting an Oklahoma whitetail buck. Until then I’m sure there will be another chapter in this saga called My Series of Unfortunate Hunts. – Jim Bob

Answer to Bonus Question: The first person to record "Here Comes Santa Claus" was Gene Autry in 1947. He was inspired to write the song after riding his horse in a Christmas parade in 1946 when the crowd chanted "Here comes Santa Claus". Gene wrote the lyrics and Oakley Haldeman set them to music.