2021 Deer Season Observations

[Ridgerunner]

I'm guessing that I know how this one is going to turn out but still would like see what folks are seeing.  Lots of doom and gloom talk leading up to this season lets see how it plays out.

[hunter399]

We can't talk about this NOW!!!!
I mean.....we all know it early in the season..
You have to wait for....
Last moon phase
3 in of snow
Blood moon
4 days of rut
Gallon of Doe pee from Amazon.
Buck. Lip curl
Most important .....for hunting buddy to take a crap at high noon after a case of beer and gas station nachos.

After all this happens ,then after I see this buck ,I'll talk about buck/doe ratio ,one thing I do know ,it's not Vegas out there on ratio.

[Igor]

We had 14 hunters in camp for opening weekend, and the general consensus is that the deer numbers are way down in the Methow valley.

[elkrack]

The continual decline in methow is really sad!! And I only started hunting it in 2001. I only wish I could have seen it in its hay day. Gonna be a really long recovery if it does recover.

[Mtnwalker]

I by far saw the most traffic and heard the most shooting that I've ever experienced on an opener. Never seen another vehicle at the spot I hunt before, opener or not. Got there at 4:40am Saturday and there were 5 trucks there already. The amount of shooting in the first 4 hours of daylight was almost unimaginable.

[KP-Skagit]

Should be two poll questions. Personally, I saw more deer and less hunters than years past. Lots of two points so far...

[phildobaggins]

Certain areas I've seen significantly less deer, other areas seem about the same...

Now hunters on the other hand.... more people out hunting than I've seen -- ever.

[jjhunter]

Deer numbers were about as expected in the Palouse.  I hunted the lower scabland country for a day and saw plenty of deer and plenty of bucks.  Typical Whitman 3 and 4 points.

The whitetail were plentiful and the age class decent going into  harvest.  Blue tongue has changed that.  I saw quite a few whitetail bucks in the upper farm country this last week, but found two more mature bucks dead.  I never did see a mature whitetail buck alive.   Even if I did, I wouldn’t have killed it.

I probably saw 15 legal bucks in 3 days. 



 

[Machias]

I have a trail camera out in the same spot it's been for the past three years.  I average about 15 to 20 deer per week.  I'm sure several are the same deer, but I get a lot of lone bucks wandering through at various times.  The camera has been out for 7 weeks and I have yet to get a single deer on camera.  6 turkeys,  4 coyotes, a coon and a porky pine.  Nothing else, not one single whitetail deer.  The deer kill around my place has been devastating.

[baker5150]

Should be two poll questions. Personally, I saw more deer and less hunters than years past. Lots of two points so far...

 

Doe and Fawn counts are thru the roof in our area.  I've never seen so many Fawns.

Bucks, thats a different story.  Very few legal bucks seen

[Chesterdog]

We hunted Grant County and saw more does and fawns then previous years, but only a handful of bucks and definitely no mature shooters.  We saw multiple does with protruding ribs that looked mangey and seemed like they'll struggle to make it through the winter.  More hunters this year as well.  We were a ways out there and saw multiple groups.  I always hear that hunter numbers are down and the sport needs more new hunter participation, but I think it's all a scam perpetuated by the orange yarn fat-cats who produce beanies and vests.