Yours must be the only salt block around or else you have a healthy deer population. Great photos!

In a way we have a healthy deer herd, it depends on where you are. I think it was 2 years ago the disease "Blue Tongue" killed a bunch of deer on the eastern side of my home county, Hardy Co. The DNR confirmed hundreds of dead deer. There were also a pile of dead deer found here on my side of the county too.

Our local deer population peaked back in the 80's, it's been in a steady decline since. Some of this is hard to believe, but years ago I could drive up on that hump on the McNeil farm, late in the evening and count over 100 deer from one spot. Up on the mountain where I have my "lured rock" camera, the first day of buck season, on a still, calm morning, you would hear over 100 rifle shots before Noon!

I could take you for a ride up the Fork, it wouldn't be anything special to count over 100 deer, between here and the county line. 25 miles. That was years ago.

It seems that our deer did bunch up, or yard up this year. Just about all of them are down along the river bottoms.

My #3 camera, up on the mountain, I haven't got a deer picture on it, for the last 2 checks. There are very few deer on that mountain. I'll have bear pictures on that camera next check. And I'm sure I'll have bear pictures on my lured rock camera too.

I was running short on time this morning, I'll try to fill in the holes.

Last fall I talked to a family that lives near the McNeil farm, that I mentioned above, we were talking about deer. I agree with them, on a good evening, mid summer, you'd be lucky to see a dozen or 15 deer. Big big change!

As far as driving up the Fork Rd and seeing 100 plus deer, that's a thing of the past.

As far as hearing 100 shots before Noon, on the first day of buck season, that's a thing of the past.

I'll tell you this real quick, maybe 15 years ago?, I was talking to my buddy Wardney and told him that we just didn't have the deer like we did have. Wardney, about half way argued with me, and said that they were still stacking them up.

I told him, sure you guys hunting down along the river bottoms are still seeing deer, get up in the mountains and see what you think. It's a whole different game!

Wardney and I talked, maybe 5 years later, and agreed with me. We don't have the deer along the river bottoms like we did before, not now.

Up where I have my "lured rock" camera, that property is only 440 acres, I remember years where there were 20 or 25 legal bucks harvested on that place. Bucks that I know of, and as far as I know there were 3 killed on the same property last season. Very big change!

The "lured rock" camera area, is unique, there are fields below and above, the property. When the sun comes up, the deer go to the woods. Very good hunting, or it was 20 years ago.

You see, back years ago here in WV, our deer license allowed each hunter, 1 buck deer. Then, doe permits were issued, so many per county, by more or less a drawing system. Today, I can buy 3 "Antlerless permits", for a rifle. Add in all of the additional licences for bow, muzzeloader, etc. If I'd buy them all I can legally harvest, 9 deer.

Long story short, we've shot the ass off of our deer for the last 25 years.

If you look at the pictures above, about half of the deer in that one picture are adult does, that should be heavy with fawns. So, our population should "rebound".

Are the females heavy with fawns?

Do you have more or less hunters? How about habitat?

In terms of deer hunting: what was better? The old days withn lots of deer/buck only/one deer orm now?

Thanks. Snow is melting here but I can't get into the bush now.

I talked to a local at my "up North" camp yesterday. He said that there is still several inches of ice on the logging roads, topped with a few inches of snow--and knee deep snow in the woods yet. However, the temps are now getting into the 50's and 60's F. there, so it won't be much longer until I can get into the woods. I do wonder how all the critters manage to have their young in such adverse conditions. Around home, people are mowing their lawns already.

Ron

Well, I talked to my Coke Cola guy yesterday, he's already seen a pair of fawns, just this week. Ricky and I talk more about outdoor stuff than we do soda. He lives in western Maryland. He also said he'd found 3 more shed antlers.

The hunting pressure in this area is way down from what it was years ago. Here at the store where I work, we sell hunting licenses, you get to meet the same folks year after year. You don't really know each other, but some of them I'll recognize, or by their address or their accent, etc.

In the past few years, I've had a lot of these non-residents come to me and say something like this: "Well, we talked about it at camp last night, we've hunted here for 20 years and this is the worst season we've ever had. Hell, we've got more deer at home, we're not coming back next year."

Well, the DOH guys from Grant co. stopped by yesterday, that's the county west of me. They were on the roadkill project, they picked up 3 yesterday. Said 1 doe had 2 fawns in her, he said they already had spots and were about 18" long. I think they have more deer than we do.

Talked to the DOH guy from Hardy Co the other day, he said they'd only picked up 1 roadkill this week, that was Thursday, I think.

As far as habitat, our woods are more open than they were years ago. One thing that I have noticed within the last 5 years, we have new oak sprouts coming up now. Small little trees, maybe 2 feet tall. It seems like before, the deer had trimmed off every little sprout and twig, from the ground up to around 5 feet high. I first noticed that in the county north of here.

We have places here where you can get an honest 150 or 175 yard shot, in the woods. Not talking about ridge to ridge shots, I mean on the ground. Other places, you're lucky to get a 15 yard shot. It just depends.

Wifey and I went for a drive to Timmys for a coffee after supper yesterday. We wanted to see the water level, which is close to as high as we want it, and maybe see a few deer.

We saw 9. This is in about a 50 km. drive. Some looked fine and others were all ribs.

I'd say the snow is half gone in the bush. You will see ground under all the trees but patches of snow up to 2 feet deep in the other spots. Pussy willows are trying to come out.