Why Are Deer Scarce Lately?

Discussion in 'Animals & Pets' started by Gelecski7238, Aug 28, 2020.

  1. Gelecski7238

    Gelecski7238 Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    What might be the reason for the greatly diminished incidence of deer sightings during this week?

    Several times each week I drive a one-hour 50-mile journey from The Fort Dix New Jersey area to the Weekstown/Mullica River area north of Egg Harbor City, usually in darkness late in the evening or in the wee hours of the A.M. The path includes a stretch of Route 72 and most of 563.

    Up until about Aug. 22 the occurrence of deer sightings during each journey would often be a dozen or more as the deer browse along the edge of the road or contemplate crossing in their travels to and from other feeding areas. Because of extensive woodlands, many deer habitually partake roadside food resources.

    Starting about Aug.23, the sightings went to zero for a few days. I haven’t seen anything like this in two decades of the same journey, other than on a day or two of very adverse weather, and even so there would often be one or two deer that weren’t deterred.

    On Aug.26 there was just one deer evident, a mature doe emerging along Rte 563 a few miles north of Chatsworth. Today at 3 A.M. there was just one lean juvenile deer crossing Springfield Road in Pemberton.

    A friend in the Trenton/Ewing area noticed an absence of the usual squirrel, bird, and deer activity around home in an apartment complex. The herd that browses on the shrubbery has not showed up lately, including a doe that taps her nose on his window in order to receive a handout of an apple. He mentioned this peculiar trend to a hunter friend who subsequently trekked to the woods at the Homasote Plant where a deer herd habituated but found no deer there.

    I wonder what’s going on. It’s as if there’s a deer pandemic. Maybe the deer sense an impending asteroid strike or earthquake. Perhaps the deep state has turned up the dial on HAARP.
     
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  2. DaveBN

    DaveBN Well-Known Member

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    Article is fairly dated so I don’t know if it’s relevant to now or your area, but this is what I could find.

    “Although there are fluctuations, Cumberland says the overall trend over the past 30 years has been "downward progression" in the size of the province's deer population. He said he blames reduced cover for the deer and a reduction of food supply caused by herbicide programs in the forestry sector.“
    https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/deer-population-new-brunswick-1.3339977
     
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  3. Collateral Damage

    Collateral Damage Well-Known Member

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    I guess it all depends on what part of NJ you are in...

    https://www.northjersey.com/story/n...es-search-solutions-deer-problems/2585520002/

    I lived in the Milford PA area about 20 years ago. I commuted into Dover NJ for work (yeah, it was a long haul). Not only did a deer hit ME on that ride, almost everybody I worked with had some sort of incident with a deer on the road.

    Fast forward, my oldest brother commutes on 287 I believe, was working late shift about 2 years ago, had a stag come through his windshield at 2:30am. The NJST said there was a large herd that frequented the area.
     
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  4. joesnagg

    joesnagg Banned

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    Probably went underground after that right-wing one attacked the BLM march back in June.
     
  5. An Taibhse

    An Taibhse Well-Known Member

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    Near me (suburban landscape), I have noticed certain areas seeming to have few numbers of small animals like rabbit and squirrel. Then too, along a bike trail, on public park land, I have counted three tree stands where you couldn’t legally hunt for with gun or bow. I have joked a few times about possible poaching to fill the pot given some of the shortages and increased costs for mea over the last couple months.
    Me, I fish quite a bit, but then I always have, considering it is related to my business.
     
  6. Gelecski7238

    Gelecski7238 Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Update: Several days ago the count was still zero. Then one was seen on the next trip. Lately I saw an increase: A pair of deer at each of three distantly spaced locations and a glimpse of one disappearing into cover at another location. About half of them did not act like the regulars, instead promptly taking evasive action. Small ones didn't have the stabilizing companionship of a larger juvenile or adult. This morning there was only one.
     
  7. Chrizton

    Chrizton Well-Known Member

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    In late summer deer habits change because of the change in food. I don't live in New Jersey and I have observed this in my area. In spring and fall, I might have 6-7 on my property at one time. This time of year, I see fewer congregated herds and more lone-wolf grazers. I have one doe that was born and raised in my woods who is here all the time and a second doe with two post fawn babies that come around at least once a day but the bucks seem to have distanced themselves. Probably because I plowed under the vegetable garden plots so there is less easy food to be had.

    Bumble bees seem to be the only thing we are low on this year but we had a weird warm winter followed by a unseasonably late freezing weather spell that probably combined to get them. They'll eventually recover though.

    Have several squirrels, possums, racoon, and groundhogs running around. Have plenty of birds when I remember to feed them.
     
  8. Gelecski7238

    Gelecski7238 Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Several years ago my pickup was hit hard by a deer running full speed coming out from the border between a cornfield and a homeowners row of dense evergreens. There was nothing seen in the darkness and the contact was so loud I didn't know what happened at first.

    I got out and scanned the area with a flashlight but saw no sign of the animal. It left a big dent in the side from the deer's body and a smaller dent where the deer's head impacted. If the timing had been different, the front end would have been wrecked.

    I remember a news report about a deer that crashed thru a vehicle's windshield, beheading the man whose young son was a passenger.
     
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  9. FatBack

    FatBack Well-Known Member

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    Here in SW Fl. there are plenty, I ride my bicycle one mile to a friends house at night to hang out for a few beers, it's residential the whole way, almost every night I see a buck and several does and a fawn munching acorns in folks front yard. One spot they like to cross in the dark I have to be watchful they dont bolt in front of me. Plenty of deer and hogs around here.
     
  10. Gelecski7238

    Gelecski7238 Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    They can be a serious hazard. A neighbor on a motorcycle was a few hundred yards from turning onto his home street when a doe came from his left and knocked him off, breaking some of his ribs and putting him in the hospital for a long stay. He was looking to the right at another house and didn't even see the deer coming.
     
  11. FatBack

    FatBack Well-Known Member

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    I generally ride an average speed of 12 to 14 MPH but even with my 1200 lumen headlight (folks tell me it looks like a motorcycle lamp) I keep it under ten thru there as bushes form a bottle neck to the road. My homebuilt recumbent I fabricated. A deer jumping out at me would be...interesting? IMG_20200524_111441.jpg
     
  12. Chrizton

    Chrizton Well-Known Member

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    One thing one needs to be careful about in my neighborhood is if there is one that runs out in front of you there may very well be another and another and another and another over the next 30 seconds to a minute. They tend to run in or near a line.
     
    Last edited: Sep 3, 2020
  13. modernpaladin

    modernpaladin Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Hunting season is coming. The deer 'know'.

    I used to work at a national park. Every hunting season, the deer and elk populations would explode. It wasn't that they were breeding more, but that they 'knew' they were less likely to get hunted in the park (where it was illegal).

    I'd bet most of them have found somewhere where hunting is not permitted, and they'll return after hunting season is over.
     
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  14. Gelecski7238

    Gelecski7238 Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Around here, it gets iffy after the second one crosses way ahead of your arrival, leaving you with that agonizing prospect of the third one lagging behind but desperate to catch up just when you're about to go past the critical zone.

    On one occasion there were deer poised as if about to cross on both sides of the road, watching motionless as I slowed down. They both waited until the last second before deciding to jump out in front of me. Quite a spectacle with deer crossing in front of me in both directions, as if there's always so much more security over yonder.
     
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  15. Gelecski7238

    Gelecski7238 Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    The expansive college property where I worked is off limits to hunting. Naturally, the deer congregate in the deep woods there to avoid hunters. I saw one guy hike in there just to rout them out. Deer were scattering in all directions.
     
  16. Gelecski7238

    Gelecski7238 Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    The army, probably including National Guard units on weekends, did a lot of training exercises in the megabase ranges during the previous month; the bombardment has been noticeably severe. Maybe the deer responded as if that was the start of the hunting season.
     
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  17. Collateral Damage

    Collateral Damage Well-Known Member

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    The herd that hangs around our property pretty much doubles come hunting season.

    Last year, a new property owner on the other side of our immediate neighbor (life time resident) thought it was jolly to go hunting on 'his land' (maybe 2 acres?) and when all he did was wound a doe, he came onto other people's property to try and find it.

    He was introduced to 'Southern Hospitality' of a different sort.
     
  18. Injeun

    Injeun Well-Known Member

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    Might be that the closer you get to hunting season, the more likely that more and more hunters are doing their preseason scouting. May be poachers skulking about as well.
     

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