Latest Eastern U.P. Camp Survey Report

[Jeff]

2009 Eastern U.P. Camp Survey Report


Each year at our deer camp we participate in this survey by keeping careful record of our time afield and observations we make while hunting. At the end of the Firearm Deer season we turn in our camp data to be compiled into this report.

Its obvious to me that we are not the only ones seeing a problem with our deer herd, and not the only ones blaming predators. I don't think you need to read between the lines that the DNR knows we have a valid issue.

Makes for some interesting reading and even though we had a bad season, I'm glad we take part in this annual study.

[bl73]

worked night shift for a month out in Gould City dewatering, had more wolf sightings than deer.

[Jeff]

2010 Eastern U.P. Camp Survey Report

[chevytaHOE5674]

Come west, as far as I'm concerned there are too many deer. Hit 3 of them with the truck just this fall. See tons of them on the trip to and from work daily.

[doctorb]

You could set up camp in my kitchen and shoot a dozen or more today.

[Jeff]

Do I need to bring my own pillow? :D

chevytaHOE5674, the thing is, my land is in the eastern u.p. and its mine. Just something about hunting on your own place that makes it special, irregardless of the success. 

[chevytaHOE5674]

I understand. The deer heard will return, as ours has. A few years ago you would have been lucky to see a deer round these parts. Now they are eating from my bird feeder and throwing themselves into my truck quite frequently. hahaha  8)

[SwampDonkey]

Our population of deer is no where near what it was in the 80's. During those years fishing in my old stomping grounds, we had nice deer paths in the woods to walk on. Fifty or more deer in a bunch was common place. Them days are gone.  :-\

[Jeff]

I think we've had this conversation before Chevy. :D  DNR biologist Terry Minzey came and hunted on Lou's the first two days of black powder, and we had supper with him on that Friday night.  He's anti baiting, and pro wolf and an avid still hunter.  However he said that after two days tromping around in our territory, he was beginning to lean towards are way of thinking at least for our immediate area.  Our thinking is that our deer population crashed due to winter severity 1995-1996 and has never been able to rebound, mostly due to being very predator heavy.

We have bears and coyotes wolves and bobcats and now documented cougars.

[DouginUtah]

Here in the top of Utah, in Cache county, the deer hunt is now limited to three days, because the herds have been over-hunted.

[SwampDonkey]

The deer here in the north have to compete for mature softwood forest (from logging) to have winter thermal cover, that's the most critical. They are also hunted and eaten my man and coyote, bear to some degree, and probably bobcat to a lesser degree.  ;) As to cougar, the last one here was trapped, skinned and stretched on the Miramichi in the late 20's. ;D