Anyone noticed a drop in WT numbers??

LuckyStrike

LuckyStrike

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I am not hunting deer this season :( because I burned my holidays hunting geese, so I will pose this question to those of you who are either living in or hunting the prairie provinces this fall... On second thought, lets include everyone from across Canada in this question)

While I was in Saskatchewan in October, I saw very few deer, a couple of antelope (I was told the antelope population was down by 80% because of last winters conditions) The upland game bird population also seems very thin.

I'm curious as to the numbers of Deer you are seeing in your area, especially now that the rut is either in full swing or close to it.

I think the whitetail population on the prairies is vastly down from past years.

Can you give me your impression?

Thanks in advance,

Lucky
 
Numbers are down in Southern Alberta due to last winter's kill off. Both Mule and WT took a hit. Luckily I have been able to find a few this season still. Maybe another one this afternoon with my bow after work.
 
I've heard of it from the official sources, but I haven't been out enough to think that if I hadn't heard of it I would be sure my own impressions were accurate.
 
Recce21 said:
Numbers are down in Southern Alberta due to last winter's kill off. Both Mule and WT took a hit. Luckily I have been able to find a few this season still. Maybe another one this afternoon with my bow after work.
Click to expand...

I agree with your observations on Southern Alberta.

I spent 9 days hunting in Northern Alberta and the deer numbers were way down. A retired F&W biologist told us that he figured the numbers may be down 60% from last year and I wouldn't disagree with that. To further complicate the issue, the number of predators has steadily increased over the past several years and now they are wreaking havoc on an already decimated ungulate population. I could not beleive the number of wolf tracks we encountered up North. Scary actually. When I finally ran into a number of wolves on our second last day, I did my part to help :sniper:.

The biologist I spoke to suggested that it could take up to ten years for the populations to recover but that was also contingent upon a wolf cull and more "average" winters. Apparently, this was somewhat similar to a scenario that played out in the Peace River area several years ago.

The circle of life.
 
My buddy and I have killed 9 deer this year. 5 for me and 4 for him. In Manitoba. Season isn't over yet though and I am taking my wife out tomorrow for hopefully another one.
 
From what I have seen, southern Manitoba whitetail numbers are way down.
Very few out on the open fields. Walking through the bush, there are lots of
tracks, but hunting pressure keeps them off the fields.
In some places there is as much coyote tracks as deer.
 
Manitoba. has Lots of deer this year if you know where to look. We seen 6 BIG bucks. 16+ Big Does and like 30 Fawns. (all in less then 10 days worth of hunting.) hell the First day we seen 17 deer!

Are We got 4 of them freezer. (all 2.5 years old +)
 
I dont' know about southern ontario but everybody I talked to who has hunted either North Western ontario, Central or eastern ontario says the numbers are down. My uncle in Quebec hunting the Upper Laurentians has seen as much as usual and my cousin around Granby /eastern townships area has seen quite a bit and I believe they fill their two tags as usual. Depends on the local winters i guess. Lots of complaints about predation.
 
Moon said:
I agree with your observations on Southern Alberta.

I spent 9 days hunting in Northern Alberta and the deer numbers were way down. A retired F&W biologist told us that he figured the numbers may be down 60% from last year and I wouldn't disagree with that. To further complicate the issue, the number of predators has steadily increased over the past several years and now they are wreaking havoc on an already decimated ungulate population. I could not beleive the number of wolf tracks we encountered up North. Scary actually. When I finally ran into a number of wolves on our second last day, I did my part to help :sniper:.

The biologist I spoke to suggested that it could take up to ten years for the populations to recover but that was also contingent upon a wolf cull and more "average" winters. Apparently, this was somewhat similar to a scenario that played out in the Peace River area several years ago.

The circle of life.
Click to expand...

My mulie draws in 108 (South lethbridge to the US Border) were only a single tag this year instead of two.
 
You wanted to hear from across Canada, in N.S. they are down. IMO they have crashed. I hunt 3 seperate areas which have all been Whitetail hotspots for decades and have yet to see anything. 3 trail cameras out since August have got about 6 deer total. No Rabbits either.

On the bright side, things can only improve!
 
Central Alberta i usally hunt in the redwater area with my family, last year you could get 3 WT per hunter. This year its 1. A combo of ####ty winter and cougars in the area is to blame.
 
In the places that I hunt in Manitoba there have been plenty of deer. One day near the Saskatchewan border a friend and I saw 79 deer in one day. That was an exceptional day and I don't expect to see one like that for a while but out of those 79 there were 6 confirmed bucks. And of those 6 at least 3 were three years or older.

I think people are having problems seeing the deer and tracking them. There are a lot out there.
 
Until it snowed I was begining to think their were no deer, tracks prove otherwise but they are being elusive wee beasties in south western Manitoba
 
I'm in south western ontario and the deer numbers are up. Tags are down. Normally I watch 2-4 deer on the farm this year 13 hung around all summer and yesterday 17 were in my field and we've taken 2 bucks and coyotes have taken 3 fawns that I've found. I have yet to go out for a morning hunt and not see a deer. I'm having a great year. I've shot 5 and took one with my truck. Now to convince my brother to buy a tag and drag his ass to the bush
 
Numbers are down significantly in areas of MB, see pic below for main reason:

nov182011002.jpg
 
Alberta, bad weather last year followed by too many wolves. We've got a few so far but Numbers are at least to 50%. Not that it helps the freezer, but dog hunting is gonna be pretty good after Christmas .
 
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