# Need Deer Management?



## waterdogg (Aug 11, 2007)

Let me start off by saying I am a very responsible hunter and always err on the side of safety. I am looking for a place to deer hunt in 2010 in Ohio. I currently hunt in Pickaway county but I am willing to travel ANYwhere. 

I am very big into deer management. Ideally I would like to be the sole person hunting on the land other than the land owner. 
I do have all the equipment to put food plots on the land, or I can leave the land as it is and harvest deer as you wish.

Please send me a message if you are looking for a responsible hunter to manage deer on your property as well as leave it looking just as good or better than before I arrived.


Thanks in advance,


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## I_Shock_Em (Jul 20, 2008)

not the place for getting permission to hunt.....get a knockin


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## 70bolt (Mar 12, 2010)

Hope you have better luck than I do. Farmers have taken around 125 to 130 deer from around my home in the last 9 months (about 350 acres). Im forced at this time, for the first time in my life to have to travel to hunt. For the last 40 years, Ive had the opportunity to live and hunt where I grew up. Not the case anymore. Been deer hunting for 40 years and have set up next to corn fields a lot and done a lot of scouting. I have seen families of **** and groundhogs climb the stalk to get corn and can tear up a patch pretty quick. Anybody thats bowhunted around corn fields knows what Im talking about. But in all my years of bowhunting, I have never seen a deer take an ear of corn from a stalk. They will, however, eat the corn, once it is on the ground. I guess when a farmer has damage and see's deer around their property, they assume the deer is doing it. They need to take a closer look. A mother **** with a litter of 4 or 5 can and will demolish an area of corn real quick. Fur prices are at its lowest and very few hunters and trapers are pursuing them.
The saddest part is my grandson has taken a real interest in deer hunting and he is almost to the point, after 2 years, of thinking its impossible to not only see deer, but to get close enough to kill one. Even though I think it would be special for him at age 50, to brag about deerhunting at a time when there wasnt any, Im not sure he understands that at age 11. Its sad when we are setting in the woods and ive told him what a good spot this is and we never see anything. I believe that the crop damage thing has gotten way out of hand, at least in Mt Vernon Ohio. I thought it was just me but when I talk to other hunters in this area, they are going through the same thing.
Ok Im done venting now. Im not bitter but will stop here before I become so.


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

After that last post, the crap got so deep in here I had to go get my hip boots.  If in 40 years you&#8217;ve never seen a deer pick an ear of corn, you haven&#8217;t paid much attention. 130 deer off of 350 acres? Good story. Oh, and nice touch adding in the grandson part.  I&#8217;m sure the original poster appreciated how you hijacked his thread.


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## 70bolt (Mar 12, 2010)

M.Magis said:


> After that last post, the crap got so deep in here I had to go get my hip boots.  If in 40 years youve never seen a deer pick an ear of corn, you havent paid much attention. 130 deer off of 350 acres? Good story. Oh, and nice touch adding in the grandson part.  Im sure the original poster appreciated how you hijacked his thread.


Everything in my post is factual. I dont know where you get off doubting anything I say unless you are me or you've been in my "hip boots". Its of no advantage to me to come on here and fabricate a story. The farmer behind me had 87 kill permits and farms 1000 acres around the county, only choosing to take out the deer around his farm(next to me). This was probably because he is able to shoot them from his bedroom window with a rifle at 300 yards. The farmer across the road had 40 kill permits. Both farmers filled them all.
_ If in 40 years youve never seen a deer pick an ear of corn, you havent paid much attention. _
Not much I can say about this other than I know what I know from experence and I didnt get it by spending all my time on the computer trying to pick an argument with someone.
But your probably the expert being you have over 2000 posts to my 2 and there is that big fish your holding in that pic. Thanks for playin buddy!


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

I have zero interest in an argument with you, but I still don&#8217;t believe you. Just the thought that deer don&#8217;t eat corn off the stalks is beyond ridiculous.


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## Patriot1 (Sep 24, 2008)

M.Magis said:


> I have zero interest in an argument with you, but I still dont believe you. Just the thought that deer dont eat corn off the stalks is beyond ridiculous.


lol. you think deer eat corn?


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## 70bolt (Mar 12, 2010)

Patriot1 said:


> lol. you think deer eat corn?


Im not saying that deer dont eat corn. All Im saying is that deer are getting a bad rap for the crop damage. There is an ample supply of vegitation in and around the woods for deer to brouse on clear through december. How many times have you hunted over a thicket and watched deer eating leaves off briar bushes or buds off low limbs when there is a big corn field not more than 50 to 100 yards away. There again, you guys and gals thats hunted as long as I have, know what Im talking about.
How many times have you gutted a deer and was suprised how little corn was in the stomach or was anyone paying attention. I have. I cut the stomach open on just about every deer I kill just to see what and where he's eating and I assure you you would be suprised what they eat during certain times of the year. What Im saying is deer dont feast on corn like people think they do. You would think that they do but they dont. They did a study on a 10,000 acre plot on whitetail deer at the univerity of tennessee martin that backs up what Im saying.


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## Fish-N-Fool (Apr 12, 2004)

70bolt - you have a good point about corn damage caused by **** & squirrels; they hit the corn hard.

As a fellow bowhunter of 20 years, I am quite surprised you would say you've never seen deer eat corn off the stalk. Indeed they do, and I see this regularly every season. I've also seen where deer have trampled standing corn down and obviously bedded in the field. I've seen a handful of bucks with antlers large enough they destroyed corn running down the rows (usually during rut when they are running and also they get aggreessive and just thrash the corn like they would a sapling - seen this a lot).

I know many farmers and I don't think I could name one that isn't aware of everything mentioned here. They know small game damages corn, as do the deer.

And regarding seeing the deer chewing the browse instead of entering the corn field. I've found the deer will often stay under cover of the woods and browse on any acorns and or green (they like honeysuckle leaves) until after darkness falls. Well after dark, they enter the open fields and feed away on that grain, then slip back into the woods edge before the sun rises. Conditions cahnge year to year depending on the mast crop, crop rotation, contruction, etc. Typically, if there are good acorns to be had and green soybeans around, the deer don't hit the grain all that much. Once they eat those white oaks up and the reds get scarce, the beans start turning brown and they hit the browse, grain, and any clover/alphalpha they can find.

I've seen stomach contents that consisted primarily of grain - even in SE OH where there was very little grain around. I've also seen deer in SW OH farm country with no visible grain. Depends on the time of year and the local condition of food sources IMO.


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## 70bolt (Mar 12, 2010)

Well I guess we've witnessed different things, none of which I need to argue with you about. I think some here were under the belief that I was trying to brainwash everyone on here that deer has nothing to do with crop damage. Thats not what I was trying to say. 
A lot of it is aggravation on my part. Knox County dont have near the deer they had 20 years ago. Not even close. And Im sure hunters in other counties are going through the same thing. Ive killed close to 40 deer in my life and its not really that important to me anymore. But you have to feel for the next generation of bowhunters. I would like for my grandson to have the same enjoyment and experences that I've had in the woods. Like I stated in my first post, he is starting to get discouraged and losing interest quickly. And its not just him. Theres probably going to be kids all over that will go through this. Some of the farmers in my area are using illegel tactics to take deer. This bothers me also because when I have to BUY a deer tag, Im bound to cross every t and dot every i or I get a ticket.
_I've seen a handful of bucks with antlers large enough they destroyed corn running down the rows_
I did see this once. Took me a minute to figure out that these 2 rows of corn wasnt getting pushed aside all by their self.


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## johnny fish (Feb 20, 2005)

70, I can see you being frustrated but to say their are not as many deer now as their were 20 years ago in Knox county just leaves me shaking my head since the total deer population in the state is up more than it was 20 years ago. Or is it that the deer population in your neighborhood is down due to the fact that farmers have been removing them so as to protect their means of making a living? If that is the case maybe you should look into other places to hunt even if it means taking a little bit of a drive to another area of the county or state.


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## 70bolt (Mar 12, 2010)

_70, I can see you being frustrated but to say their are not as many deer now as their were 20 years ago in Knox county just leaves me shaking my head since the total deer population in the state is up more than it was 20 years ago._
Is it? I believe deer was getting over populated within that 20 year span at one point but for the last 4 to 5 years, there's been a serious decrease in numbers, at least in knox county. I go to the local butcher shops in knox county every year and the last couple years, they tell me numbers are way,way down.
_Or is it that the deer population in your neighborhood is down due to the fact that farmers have been removing them so as to protect their means of making a living?_ 
I dont have a problem with farmers making a living but when some of them are shooting deer on other peoples property and dragging them across the fence and putting a damage permit on them bothers me. When they are doing this, they should have to buy a hunting license and deer tag just like I have to.
_If that is the case maybe you should look into other places to hunt even if it means taking a little bit of a drive to another area of the county or state. _I think thats what I said I was going to do in my first post.

I have a question for anyone in the know. We've heard that for the last several years (excluding this past season) that Ohio has had a new record deer harvest. Does anyone know for sure if these numbers include or exclude deer killed with crop damage permits? Ive sent several emails to ODNR, ODW inquiring about this and no one seems to want to reply. I guess if I were planning a hunt out of state and Kentuckys department of natural resources was reporting a record kill the last several years, I would want to know this before I spent $200. for a license.


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## bobk (Apr 30, 2004)

Knox county is one of the top ten counties in the state . Deer eat corn off the stalk all the time. I'm not sure where you are getting your info but much of it is wrong.


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## 70bolt (Mar 12, 2010)

Aah, another expert from southern ohio that knows more about the area I hunt than I do  I never said deer dont eat corn off the stalk, I just said Ive never seen deer eat corn off the stalk. I have, however seen, on many occasions throughout the years, groundhogs and families of **** demolish the edge of a corn field in a matter of several weeks. And its my opinion that deer are getting all the blame for all the crop damage when they shouldnt be. I dont know why this is so hard for some of you to comprehend. 
Im not on here to pick an argument. I just thought this was a place you could share your opinions and experences with fellow hunters. So sorry if I struck a nerve with some of you.


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## bobk (Apr 30, 2004)

I never said I was an expert but golly thanks for the compliment. I grew up in Richland county and hunted in Knox quite a bit but I sure don't know as much as you. The real experts are the ODNR and that's where the numbers come from and Knox is way up there on deer numbers. I'm sure they are wrong too as is everyone but you. 

As far as striking a nerve the only thing that did so was you being so rude as to hijack the original posters intent. Why not start your own post about how bad the county is since you can't seem to find any deer to shoot due to the massive **** and groundhound damage.

Sorry about the direction the thread went waterdogg. PM me your number if you want to talk. I have a bunch of property and might be able to help.

I have nothing more to add to this silly thread.


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## 70bolt (Mar 12, 2010)

I didnt hijack nothing. I simply responded to waterdogg, wishing him luck, and sharing with him, some of my unfortunate experences that are forcing me to also find other places to hunt. If you would bother to read my original reply to waterdogg, instead of jumping on the "lets beat up 70bolt because the last poster did" bandwagon, you would see that. I didnt attack anyone in this thread until I was attacked.


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## waterdogg (Aug 11, 2007)

Thanks. Ok, so back to my original question. I need a place to hunt and I am willing to do anything the farmer needs to earn the right to hunt on his/her property. Let me know what I can do for you.

Thanks,
Bret


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## jrsfish (May 21, 2004)

If you beleive all the numbers odnr quotes,ive got some land for sale. I wonder why they will never give you the breakdown on the harvest,Ive asked, but told is wasnt available.


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## Big Country25 (Jun 23, 2008)

sence everyone else is more woried about hows right and wrong i can tell u it is better to find somewhere that looks good then start going door to door to get permission i did this exact thing and got 4 properties to hunt for the 2010 season good luck and hope u find somewhere to hunt,


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