I saw this this morning and was wondering what you fellas think who deer hunt. I hunt a lease that I have had for 35+ years, our herd stays close to the same yearly but I know many that have seen a big decline in herd size. What is your thoughts???
Indiana Whitetail Deer Herd Management
February 24 at 3:46pm ·
IWDHM “2011-2017 Deer Seasons by the Numbers”
In 2011 there were 276,398 privileges/tags sold, excluding youth. There were 39,030 youth licenses sold and the total harvest was 129,018 deer.
2012 marked the first year of the DNR “reduction plan”. 2012 also was the year where a new license, weapon, and season were added. The DNR implemented a new bundle license, giving hunters a cost effective opportunity to purchase 3 privileges/tags good for all seasons, with one license. The DNR also made crossbows legal for all seasons for any legal hunter, and the DNR implemented a late antlerless only season for counties with a bonus quota of 4 or greater. With all of these new additions, hunters responded with a record harvest. Privileges/tags sold skyrocketed with the bundle license including 3 privileges/tags.
The numbers:
Privileges/tags sold excluding youth licenses:316,858, an increase of 14.6% from the prior year.
Youth licenses sold:
39389, an increase of 1% from the prior year.
Total harvest:
136,248, an increase of 5.6% from the prior year.
2013, year 2 of the DNR reduction plan, looked to be promising. After a record harvest in 2012, youth license sales dramatically increased in 2013, while adult privileges/tags remained nearly the same as the prior year. However, the end result was not as anticipated, with the harvest total suffering its largest percentage drop in this 7 year period.
The numbers:
Privileges/tags sold excluding youth licenses:314,877, a decrease of .62% from the prior year.
Youth licenses sold:
41,437, an increase of 5.2% from the prior year.
Total harvest:
125,635, a decrease of 7.8% from the prior year.
In 2014, the 3rd year of the DNR reduction plan, the increase in youth license sales lost all of its gains from 2013. Adult privileges/tags again remained nearly the same as the prior year. However, the harvest again fell.
The numbers:
Privileges/tags sold excluding youth licenses:313235, a decrease of .5% from the prior year.
Youth licenses sold:
39298, a decrease of 5.2% from the prior year.
Total harvest:
120,073, a decrease of 4.4% from the prior year.
Here is where we believe the DNR should have looked to adjust some counties out of the reduction mode, however they continued the 5-year reduction plan.
2015, the fourth year of the DNR reduction plan, marked the first year of the online check-in only rule. Youth license sales plummeted and, again, adult privileges/tags remained nearly the same. The harvest however, increased in 2015.
The numbers:
Privileges/tags sold excluding youth licenses:313932, an increase of .2% from the prior year.
Youth licenses sold:
32810, a decrease of 16.5% from the prior year.
Total harvest:
123664, an increase of 3% from the prior year.
In 2016, the 5th and final year of the DNR reduction plan, high powered rifles were legalized for deer hunting, and for the first time, the DNR included park hunt harvest totals in the overall harvest totals. Despite the addition of both, the harvest fell to its lowest total since 2003. Again, adult privileges/tags sold remained nearly the same as did youth license sales.
The numbers:
Privileges/tags sold excluding youth licenses:314283, an increase of .1% from the prior year.
Youth licenses sold:
32967, an increase of .5% from the prior year.
Total harvest:
119477, a decrease of 3.4% from the prior year.
In 2017, the DNR claimed that the “statewide reduction plan” was ending and that the new plan was more of a maintain plan, except for counties they believed still needed further reduction. They made very modest decreases to the quotas in several counties, while keeping them the same in several others, and raising the quotas in a few. Also, many more calibers of high powered rifles were made legal for 2017. The harvest fell for its 2nd largest percentage decline in this 7 year period. As of this writing we do not know how many adult privileges/tags or youth licenses were sold. Those numbers will be in Joe Caudill’s deer summary, which usually isn’t released until the spring. We do know the harvest.
The numbers:
Privileges/tags sold excluding youth licenses:
?
Youth licenses sold:
?
Total harvest:
113487, a decrease of 5% from the prior year.
In summary, throughout the reduction plan, adult privileges/tags sold remained nearly the same, youth licenses increased in the 2nd year of the reduction plan, but then fell drastically throughout the remainder of the plan. After the record harvest in the first year of the reduction plan, the harvest trended downward dramatically. The 2017 harvest was 16.7% lower than the record harvest of 2012. The reduction plan was obviously implemented for hunters to kill more deer, combined with the implementation of the bundle license, crossbows, the late antlerless only season, online checkin only, high powered rifles, and the DNR adding park hunt totals to the overall harvest total for the first time, we believe that this downward trend, despite all of those factors, and despite adult privileges/tag sales remaining nearly the same throughout the reduction plan, is indicative of a deer herd that is in drastic decline. Additionally, hunters statewide are becoming very vocal about the decline of their local deer herds, once again indicating our overall state herd is in serious decline. The modest quota changes the DNR made for 2017 were not enough to make any positive effects on the deer herd. The counties in this state that are suffering from seriously depleted deer herds should at a minimum be reduced to an A bonus quota. From comments made to us from across the state, most if not all counties should not have a late antlerless season, and there is large hunter support to abolish this season. This could simply be accomplished by lowering each county quota below the threshold of 4 that makes a county eligible for the late antlerless season. For counties that are not seriously depleted but their deer herd is in a socially unacceptable state of decline, the quotas should be lowered to a minimum of 3. This would eliminate the late antlerless season. Hunters in this state can harvest 4 deer before ever reaching the bonus tags, by lowering the bonus quotas, less does will be harvested during the firearms season. In 2016 over 40,000 antlerless deer were harvested during the firearms season. Antlerless deer can only be harvested in firearms season with a bonus quota. Lowering the quotas in these counties will result in that number decreasing, ultimately increasing the herd numbers.
We hope the DNR and the DFW begin to listen to the thousands of hunters across the state that believe our deer herd has declined to a socially unacceptable level, and that they change their management direction to begin to increase our deer herd. Youth hunters are drastically declining as a result of few deer sightings, and we must change that. The future of this great tradition we all cherish is in jeopardy.
Statute
Indiana statute defines the authority and responsibilities of the DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife:
The [Division of Fish & Wildlife] shall . . . provide for the protection, reproduction, care, management, survival and regulation of wild animal populations regardless of whether the wild animals are present on public or private property . . . [and] Organize and pursue a program of research and management of wild animals that will serve the best interests of the resources and the people of Indiana.
(Indiana Code Title 14, Article 22, Chapter 2, Section 3)
Values
Fish and wildlife resources belong to all the people of Indiana.
Regulated hunting, fishing and trapping are important wildlife management tools.
Professional management is essential to the long-term welfare of fish and wildlife resources.
Fish and wildlife resources enrich the quality of human life.
Fish and wildlife resources are renewable and when wisely managed will indefinitely provide numerous public benefits such as hunting, fishing, trapping and wildlife viewing.
Stewardship of fish and wildlife resources is a shared responsibility between resource managers and the citizens of Indiana.
Public participation is essential for effective resource management.
Regulated hunting, fishing and trapping are legitimate pursuits when conducted in fair chase.
Hunting, fishing, trapping and wildlife conservation are vital parts of our heritage.
Targets
The mission and values of the Division of Fish & Wildlife provide a foundation for the following targets:
Protect aquatic and terrestrial habitat for all wildlife species through initiatives such as land acquisition, conservation easements, reserve programs (Farm Bill), partnerships, improved land use and educational strategies.
Use marketing strategies to increase the sale of hunting, fishing and trapping licenses, and to communicate and educate the public on the importance of fish and wildlife management and conservation programs.
Increase the capabilities of the Wildlife Diversity Program commensurate with new federal funding opportunities.
Develop solid, landscape-level biological information and use that information to communicate the importance of active management for all wildlife species.
Improve opportunities for the hunting, fishing and trapping public to enjoy traditional pursuits.
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