Not many bucks but lots of fawns

[Billy74]

I haven’t seen many WT bucks on my cameras in the NE this summer but i have seen a lot of does with fawns.  Haven’t found sheds either.  Should i scrap these areas and keep scouting others places or look at the numbers of does with fawns as a good indicator that at least a few bucks and they just are not playing nice for the cameras.  I feel good about these areas but not seeing many rubs or sheds makes me a little skeptical.  Ive been told if you find the does the bucks will be there too. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[vandeman17]

Bucks will not be now where they are during hunting season, assuming you are hunting later. Just find areas where there are deer and deer sign, both new and old. Also, try to have multiple areas picked out so you can have plan a,b,c etc

[Rainier10]

It depends on when you are hunting. If you are hunting early season the bucks won't be with the does.  If you are hunting late season then follow the does, the bucks will also.

[hunter399]

I haven’t seen many WT bucks on my cameras in the NE this summer but i have seen a lot of does with fawns.  Haven’t found sheds either.  Should i scrap these areas and keep scouting others places or look at the numbers of does with fawns as a good indicator that at least a few bucks and they just are not playing nice for the cameras.  I feel good about these areas but not seeing many rubs or sheds makes me a little skeptical.  Ive been told if you find the does the bucks will be there too. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It's a trend that's been going on here in the northeast.A lot of small bucks on my cams.
The buck to doe ratio is way off this year.A lot of people that come to hunt northeast Washington public ground are gonna go home empty handed this year .maybe when harvest results come out for 2019 ,people find out our deer herds have been raped the past few years.Just maybe we can get some rebounding changes put on the table but I doubt it.

There is A lot of fawns this year which is good.If people will even read the regs.I see a few does getting poached this year just due to the lack of bucks which is really sad considering does and fawns should have a free pass this year .I hate to say this but there should be no doe harvest next year also other wise I don't see deer herds getting any better.

I hate to be that guy but with deer herds hurting so much if I see anybody poaching I will turn them in.There might of been a place and time when I would look the other way .Not this year or anytime soon.

A lot of my cams have been out since April so this is not like a week soak.In the areas I'm hunting ,I can see what some area's have and it's not much.

[OutHouse]

I haven’t seen many WT bucks on my cameras in the NE this summer but i have seen a lot of does with fawns.  Haven’t found sheds either.  Should i scrap these areas and keep scouting others places or look at the numbers of does with fawns as a good indicator that at least a few bucks and they just are not playing nice for the cameras.  I feel good about these areas but not seeing many rubs or sheds makes me a little skeptical.  Ive been told if you find the does the bucks will be there too. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It's a trend that's been going on here in the northeast.A lot of small bucks on my cams.
The buck to doe ratio is way off this year.A lot of people that come to hunt northeast Washington public ground are gonna go home empty handed this year .maybe when harvest results come out for 2019 ,people find out our deer herds have been raped the past few years.Just maybe we can get some rebounding changes put on the table but I doubt it.

There is A lot of fawns this year which is good.If people will even read the regs.I see a few does getting poached this year just due to the lack of bucks which is really sad considering does and fawns should have a free pass this year .I hate to say this but there should be no doe harvest next year also other wise I don't see deer herds getting any better.

I hate to be that guy but with deer herds hurting so much if I see anybody poaching I will turn them in.There might of been a place and time when I would look the other way .Not this year or anytime soon.

A lot of my cams have been out since April so this is not like a week soak.In the areas I'm hunting ,I can see what some area's have and it's not much.

Interesting. Similar issue in my area. However, there are plenty of does and very few bucks. The unit is open to any whitetail during archery.

[buckfvr]

I haven’t seen many WT bucks on my cameras in the NE this summer but i have seen a lot of does with fawns.  Haven’t found sheds either.  Should i scrap these areas and keep scouting others places or look at the numbers of does with fawns as a good indicator that at least a few bucks and they just are not playing nice for the cameras.  I feel good about these areas but not seeing many rubs or sheds makes me a little skeptical.  Ive been told if you find the does the bucks will be there too. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It's a trend that's been going on here in the northeast.A lot of small bucks on my cams.
The buck to doe ratio is way off this year.A lot of people that come to hunt northeast Washington public ground are gonna go home empty handed this year .maybe when harvest results come out for 2019 ,people find out our deer herds have been raped the past few years.Just maybe we can get some rebounding changes put on the table but I doubt it.

There is A lot of fawns this year which is good.If people will even read the regs.I see a few does getting poached this year just due to the lack of bucks which is really sad considering does and fawns should have a free pass this year .I hate to say this but there should be no doe harvest next year also other wise I don't see deer herds getting any better.

I hate to be that guy but with deer herds hurting so much if I see anybody poaching I will turn them in.There might of been a place and time when I would look the other way .Not this year or anytime soon.

A lot of my cams have been out since April so this is not like a week soak.In the areas I'm hunting ,I can see what some area's have and it's not much.

If youre seeing lots of does and fawns, youre in the wrong spot to find rubs and sheds.  Get out and hike around more until you find fresh buck sign or last years rubs......fresh sign Id be most interested in is fresh rubs and maybe even some scrapes........they scrape year round to mark territory.  There may even be some noticeable scrapes from last year if you know what youre looking at.

Harvest numbers have been on a steady decline since they removed the 4 point rule.  Last year it was the worst harvest ever, this year should easily be worse than last in units 101-121. 

We have been pressing the game commissioners and wdfw to take steps to help our ungulate herds and they have responded by removing most doe tags/hunts from northeast units for the foreseeable.  We are still pressing for the return of the 4pt rule for all but youth hunters.  Most bucks harvested in n.e. wa. are young 18 month old bucks that havent been run off by mommy yet.  If you check their lower jaw and see the first premolar has three cusps, its considered the milk teeth (temporary tooth) and gets replaced by permanent two cusp molar at about 18 months.  Some of these bucks are small 4pters, so by getting a 4pt restriction, we by no means are creating a trophy hunt, we just would like some escapement to help with the buck to doe ratio, which is extremely hard to pin down.  It certainly cant be done this time of the year.

THE ISSUE.......predators, way too many of them and way too few hunters willing to come over here to hunt them.  Wolves have pushed us over the top and theres nothing can be done at the moment about it, but we got bear hunting improved with more opportunity and we are well on the way to a similar accomplishment with cougar hunting.

If you like hunting deer, you better start learning to hunt coyotes, cats and bears because they are virtually mismanged to the extreme and are the biggest reason our herds are in poor shape.  One bad winter or a bad bout with blue tongue and deer hunting as we know it is over.  People better learn to enjoy deer hunting as hunting mostly and an occassional kill every few years because that is the trend.  People that live in 101-121 account for most of the success while 80+% of hunters who travel to the n.e. go home with nothing.  From here it looks like thats about to get worse.

[huntnnw]

there isnt many fawns in the mountains of 105 and 101, ag fields might be different. One weekend I saw 12 does and 1 fawn. Cams are the same ratio 5-8 does and 1 fawn

[buckfvr]

there isnt many fawns in the mountains of 105 and 101, ag fields might be different. One weekend I saw 12 does and 1 fawn. Cams are the same ratio 5-8 does and 1 fawn

   Same for 121.