Deer hunters from Ontario, fear not!

Hey guys, go easy on the enlightened one! We might learn something that we have not picked up in our collective years hunting. I am probably one of the younger members here (only been big game hunting for 23 years) and I can see the writing on the wall, or should I say snow? It is plain and simple, deer numbers are down, likely due to a combination of high predator populations, and several tough winters.

But hey, I am going to shut up now so I might learn something from the EXPERT!

apparently the areas i hunt have super deer and the coyotes cant touch them? :rolleyes: i guess the 3 main areas i hunt are also the only ones in ontario that havent been affected by this "exploding" coyote population? i guess i have a dozen horse shoes up my ass too because ive seen deer almost every hunting and quading trip?

deer hunting has been way different this year and most are stuck to their ways and cant accept that they need to change things up. the game plan was totally different this year and on our first hunt it resulted in us having 8 deer within 60 yards at 2 different stands the day i shot a little buck.

but, this must be untrue because there are at least 4 coyotes that live in that bush and they should have had all the deer eaten up by now ;)
 
Hey guys, go easy on the enlightened one! We might learn something that we have not picked up in our collective years hunting. I am probably one of the younger members here (only been big game hunting for 23 years) and I can see the writing on the wall, or should I say snow? It is plain and simple, deer numbers are down, likely due to a combination of high predator populations, and several tough winters.

But hey, I am going to shut up now so I might learn something from the EXPERT!

X2 & I have been at it for 40+ years.DAN>>>
 
Last spring/summer we were golfing on the base in Kingston we would see 4 -5 coyotes every day, chasing deer, they would show no fear of us and the deer were tame enough they would hang around the golfers for some "protection". I chased a coyote off the 4th green with a putter -- the 3 coyotes were not shy of us at all and they were running the deer hard.

Of course as it was late May every BONEHEAD knows that they were only exercising the deer and were subsisting on a diet of small game.

Peter, it is funny when we have 30+ years experience and realize we are not very understanding of the animals we hunt and the patterns of their life :)

Doug, this proves what you told me on a couple of occassions, "BONEHEAD"!!!

Here in NB we are having the same problems, in addition to the deer kills, huntergirl and I found 2 moose kills as well. But all is well there is somewhere in the vast wilderness of SW Ontario a pocket of Shangrala that will save the entire deer herd of Eastern Canada. I can stop writing letters to the MNR about their mismanagment of woodlots and herbacide spraying, sell my coyote gear and spend the winter with my feet up by the fire. I have been told.

So to all my fellow boneheads, Merry Christmas and don't be a bonehead when you are drinking LOL!!!
 
Last edited:
From what I can figure out, its the last two hard winters that had the does abort fawns to survive that is the main cause of the decline. Along with the normal amount of predators, and high antlerless tag numbers not helping the matters out at all. IMO the MNR should have been on top of the situation two years ago after the heavy snow, and dropped the % of antlerless tags then, instead of after two hard winters.
 
I rifle hunt in WMU 54 and bow hunt in WMU 78. Deer sightings and sign are down in both but more so in 54. Definately more big (buck) sign than small (doe/fawn) in 54. Both areas I see coyote and wolf scat, but I havent seen or heard one as other hunters in my group did. I've been out a fair bit this year for only seeing 3 deer, none I could shoot at. The deer population probably peaked around 2007-2008 and the predator population shortly after. I'll still be at it until I fill an archery tag or Dec 31, whichever comes first.
 
apparently the areas i hunt have super deer and the coyotes cant touch them? :rolleyes: i guess the 3 main areas i hunt are also the only ones in ontario that havent been affected by this "exploding" coyote population? i guess i have a dozen horse shoes up my ass too because ive seen deer almost every hunting and quading trip?

deer hunting has been way different this year and most are stuck to their ways and cant accept that they need to change things up. the game plan was totally different this year and on our first hunt it resulted in us having 8 deer within 60 yards at 2 different stands the day i shot a little buck.

but, this must be untrue because there are at least 4 coyotes that live in that bush and they should have had all the deer eaten up by now ;)

What sort of vast expanses of land do you hunt? Isnt it your uncles 10 acres or something? I'm trying to jog my memory here but pulling up blanks.
 
during the warm months and periods where the snow isnt very deep, coyotes will typically pursue small game. small critters are simply an easier meal and dont require a pack to bring down. normally yotes wont take on mature deer unless there are 3 or more trying to take one down.

I hate to burst your bubble but I've seen a single coyote take down a medium sized deer on the ice, personally, & shot him for it too :) Yes a single Coyote may have trouble with a large mature buck the the damage they do to the deer population is to the does!
 
I hate to burst your bubble but I've seen a single coyote take down a medium sized deer on the ice, personally, & shot him for it too :) Yes a single Coyote may have trouble with a large mature buck the the damage they do to the deer population is to the does!
.


Lots of times they dont even have to catch the deer to kill it. Lots of so called "winter kill" are due to the animal being chased/harrassed all winter by coyotes.
 
apparently the areas i hunt have super deer and the coyotes cant touch them? :rolleyes: i guess the 3 main areas i hunt are also the only ones in ontario that havent been affected by this "exploding" coyote population? i guess i have a dozen horse shoes up my ass too because ive seen deer almost every hunting and quading trip?

deer hunting has been way different this year and most are stuck to their ways and cant accept that they need to change things up. the game plan was totally different this year and on our first hunt it resulted in us having 8 deer within 60 yards at 2 different stands the day i shot a little buck.

but, this must be untrue because there are at least 4 coyotes that live in that bush and they should have had all the deer eaten up by now ;)

Perhaps you just haven't seen any Coyotes from your apartment window? It would also be hard to see any kill sites from there too:evil:
 
apparently the areas i hunt have super deer and the coyotes cant touch them? :rolleyes: i guess the 3 main areas i hunt are also the only ones in ontario that havent been affected by this "exploding" coyote population? i guess i have a dozen horse shoes up my ass too because ive seen deer almost every hunting and quading trip?

deer hunting has been way different this year and most are stuck to their ways and cant accept that they need to change things up.:bsFlag: the game plan was totally different this year and on our first hunt it resulted in us having 8 deer within 60 yards at 2 different stands the day i shot a little buck.

but, this must be untrue because there are at least 4 coyotes that live in that bush and they should have had all the deer eaten up by now ;)

Don't think that your the only one with the powers of observation or the ability to adapt. I know some of these guys personally, and they shoot deer every year, even in tough years like this one-->they KNOW what they are doing in the woods. You don't hunt in their stands, or scout their wood lots, yet you make comments saying there must be deer there and they are just "Boneheads" for their inability to shoot them. You sure know how to make friends!
 
PS) he says he got his PAL when he was 17, so I guess he is SPECIAL. Maybe in an Olympics kind of way. :p

i missed this one...

my uncle had down syndrome and i take great offense to this kind of childish crap and have dealt with it in some very fun ways. i didnt expect this kind of crap from someone who was oh so nice when i had a gun you wanted to buy:rolleyes:

well mr know it all, please explain why i could buy guns from anyone in canada, but not ammo from big box stores? oh wait, because i had my PAL a couple months before i turned 18. walmart and canadian tire dont sell ammo to anyone under 18 and i spoke to managers at each store trying to understand why i could buy guns and ammo at local shops, but not in their stores. once again, an old timer who thinks he knows everything was wrong again:rolleyes:

if you want the name of the firearms course instructor who helped me with this send me a PM. id love to make you look like even more of an idiot.
 
Don't think that your the only one with the powers of observation or the ability to adapt. I know some of these guys personally, and they shoot deer every year, even in tough years like this one-->they KNOW what they are doing in the woods. You don't hunt in their stands, or scout their wood lots, yet you make comments saying there must be deer there and they are just "Boneheads" for their inability to shoot them. You sure know how to make friends!

clearly these arent the guys that my original post was directed towards if they dont have a problem tagging deer. notice how in my original post i said "tell this to the rest of the boneheads who ARENT (as in are not) seeing deer"? some of you need to keep the glasses on til bed time;)

i am still waiting for answers from all you experienced guys who seem to know everything;)

how is it possible for us to see so many deer in the same areas where there are high yote populations? wait, i know. the deer totally changed everything up this year and i followed suit. apparently something you guys with 50 years experience cant comprehend. going by what you guys say this isnt possible because coyotes kill all the deer :confused:

it must be a strange coincidence that there are still very healthy deer populations where we hunt while deer are scarce in the rest of the province?

enlighten me:)
 
it must be a strange coincidence that there are still very healthy deer populations where we hunt while deer are scarce in the rest of the province?

enlighten me:)

I have no doubts there are pockets of healthy deer populations. But to say that the whole province has not been affected by hard winters and high coyote populations would be incorrect. We will see the real effects in another year or two, as the fawn population is the most devastated by these issues.

My friend told me yesterday that he has 9 different bucks coming to his feeder, on camera. Only a couple does and no fawns. The bigger deer will survive better, but as we shoot them over the next couple seasons, and there are few fawns to replenish the pop, it will be apparent.

The group I hunt with took 3 bucks and 1 doe this season. Saw a few other bucks and a couple more does, but not one fawn in 14 days of hunting from dawn till dusk. Saw lots of eastern wolves though...
 
First of all, don't go calling people boneheads, then get all offended when the favour is returned to you. If you can't take it, don't give it. Secondly, personal attacks on trusted and respected members of the forum is just not cool. They have earned that trust and respect through honest dealings with other members here, not by sitting in front of their computers calling the rest of the members here boneheads because they have not shot their deer. And finally, this was a perfectly polite discussion going on here before some idiot bonehead came in and started calling everyone names.

I for one am done with this crap.:bangHead: Lets get back to the real discussion!:popCorn:
 
I have no doubts there are pockets of healthy deer populations. But to say that the whole province has not been affected by hard winters and high coyote populations would be incorrect. We will see the real effects in another year or two, as the fawn population is the most devastated by these issues.

My friend told me yesterday that he has 9 different bucks coming to his feeder, on camera. Only a couple does and no fawns. The bigger deer will survive better, but as we shoot them over the next couple seasons, and there are few fawns to replenish the pop, it will be apparent.

The group I hunt with took 3 bucks and 1 doe this season. Saw a few other bucks and a couple more does, but not one fawn in 14 days of hunting from dawn till dusk. Saw lots of eastern wolves though...

I agree. There are probably pockets here and there less affected. And the bigger, stronger bucks would likely be the ones to survive with the least ill effects.
 
I for one am done with this crap.:bangHead: Lets get back to the real discussion!:popCorn:

Good idea!----Hunted the last 2 days of the season here and saw 3 deer on the 14th----no chance for a shot, finally connected with a nice doe on the 15th so I will have a bit of sausage and jerky after all!
I have always liked to hunt late in the season when there is snow on the ground, but this bitter cold was a bit much----still -40 on the 15th.
 
I'm 20k north of huntsville .I haven't had a picture of a doe on my camera all season.Just 4 seperate bucks.I never have herd coyotes or wolves or seen any sign of them in my bush, but there sure is no shortage of bears .I wonder how many fawns and calves the bears manage to take each year?The snow is past my knees in the bush already.I 'll put out some hay and corn to help the boys make it through the winter .i'm already looking forward to try finding their sheds in the spring.
 
it must be a strange coincidence that there are still very healthy deer populations where we hunt while deer are scarce in the rest of the province?

enlighten me:)


I dont think there is any chance on enlightening you but here goes,

The healthy deer population in your area (likely close to an urban area) is sheltered from predators and bad winters therefore your very limited exposure to ontario's deer herd is not a good reflection of the overall health of the Ontario herd.

By the way, we tagged out by Tuesday morning with no trouble at all. But I'm not nieve enough to think that means f**k all in relation to the entire herd. We have a good spot and we make sure the deer visit our property.
 
clearly these arent the guys that my original post was directed towards if they dont have a problem tagging deer. notice how in my original post i said "tell this to the rest of the boneheads who ARENT (as in are not) seeing deer"? some of you need to keep the glasses on til bed time;)

i am still waiting for answers from all you experienced guys who seem to know everything;)

how is it possible for us to see so many deer in the same areas where there are high yote populations? wait, i know. the deer totally changed everything up this year and i followed suit. apparently something you guys with 50 years experience cant comprehend. going by what you guys say this isnt possible because coyotes kill all the deer :confused:

it must be a strange coincidence that there are still very healthy deer populations where we hunt while deer are scarce in the rest of the province?

enlighten me:)


This is the first year that I havent' seen any does. We took two Bucks only.

I think its time you come out of your little southern ontario hunting bubble. ;)
 
Back
Top Bottom