Some mountain counties set record deer harvest so far in 2018

CRC

Old Mossy Horns
Avery- 770 deer

Cherokee- 642 deer

Madison- 1322 deer

Clay- 315 deer

Swain- 153 deer

Yancey- 1405 deer
 

timekiller13

Old Mossy Horns
Why is this CRC? Thought mountain dee4 numbers had been declining for years? Whats up with these record harvests?
 

CRC

Old Mossy Horns
Why is this CRC? Thought mountain dee4 numbers had been declining for years? Whats up with these record harvests?

On private land people are better managing their deer herds and poaching is way down over the years.

Poaching was a major reason imho why the Mtn deer population struggled for years

Deer herds are declining on national forests due to bad forest management
 

Loganwayne

Ten Pointer
I’ve seen more deer every year consistently over the last 4-5 years in Haywood county. I can’t speak for the other counties but a lot of property has been turned into housing developments where lots Are 3-5 acres. The developments are keeping poachers out and if you can get access to property around or in them you more likely to see deer now. I’ve seen a single doe in my parents development the last 4 years and every years she has twins.


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CRC

Old Mossy Horns
It’s the same for many surrounding counties

The William Silver GL in Maggie Valley is surrounded by homes on many sides
 

Tipmoose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
No no no no.....I have it on good authority from a western mountain deer hunting expert that "There are no deer in the mountains."
 

DarrinG

Six Pointer
You are correct about the herds declining on forest service lands in the mountains due to VERY poor management. Back in the 80's - early 90's we saw sensible, valid selective timber harvests happening and the deer / grouse/ game was thriving. The FS gave in to the yuppie treehuggers who didn't like the view off the parkway (or other scenic road) for what they deemed "spoiled their views" somewhere along the late 90's and into the early 2000's and very, very, VERY little sound forest management has happened since. I hunt/fish and scout several of these big tracts of mountain FS lands regularly and have seen the deer numbers, year by year, dwindle. When public comments are open for management practices/plans to the public, I voice my opinion every time I get the chance, which falls on deaf ears. I guess sound forest and wildlife management plans are overpowered by touchy-feely snowflakes who squeak loud and get the grease.
 

kilerhamilton

Old Mossy Horns
Swain- those are low numbers,
I wonder how the local deer hunting population is? [emoji848]


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WNCTracker

Eight Pointer
I saw deer every hunt this year in Madison. That’s never happened to me here in the last 7 years.


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dpc

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I saw deer every hunt this year in Madison. That’s never happened to me here in the last 7 years.


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Some nice deer taken there too this year

Sure there's some lower elevations agriculture , but when I hear Madison county I always picture I-26 going towards Johnson City. Have to be a rock climber to hunt there, lol
 

WNCTracker

Eight Pointer
I saw deer every hunt this year in Madison. That’s never happened to me here in the last 7 years.


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Some nice deer taken there too this year

Sure there's some lower elevations agriculture , but when I hear Madison county I always picture I-26 going towards Johnson City. Have to be a rock climber to hunt there, lol

Yeah, it’s steep where I hunt. The hunting part is the easy part. It’s after the shot that about kills you


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darkthirty

Old Mossy Horns
Well duh. Everyone knows this past summer they stocked a bunch of deer from the south Mtn game land because everyone knows it’s loaded with deer...................................
 

waymoe1

Ten Pointer
Good now maybe some of the guys that come from the mountains to hunt and raise lease prices will stay closer to home and hunt.
 

turkeyfoot

Old Mossy Horns
Good now maybe some of the guys that come from the mountains to hunt and raise lease prices will stay closer to home and hunt.
I don't think the mtn hunters are to blame for high prices fact that Nc is so populated would be that reason and mtns is least populated area of state. I would blame the city slickers first?
 

waymoe1

Ten Pointer
I don't think the mtn hunters are to blame for high prices fact that Nc is so populated would be that reason and mtns is least populated area of state. I would blame the city slickers first?

Yes the city slickers for sure are to blame for most of the high lease land, but for the area I hunt a lot. Most of the guys who lease land around me are from the mountains. Dont have any real problem with that its america, and most of the guys are good guys.
 

turkeyfoot

Old Mossy Horns
Yes the city slickers for sure are to blame for most of the high lease land, but for the area I hunt a lot. Most of the guys who lease land around me are from the mountains. Dont have any real problem with that its america, and most of the guys are good guys.
Most of us are pretty decent. I was just kidding around except for the population part there is where the blame lays and don't expect it to get better anytime soon
 

Jrbrandt25

Ten Pointer
Contributor
Mountain hunting is too hard for city folk,,kinda have to be selective when killing a deer in the hills(at least where my mountain house is) its alot of work getting there and twice as challenging if you kill a deer getting it back home.you definitely learn to field dress and pack out a deer rather then drag it 2 miles up and down the mountain.
 

Jrbrandt25

Ten Pointer
Contributor
Also with that being said the county the cabin is in according to the report is like 2nd to last or last for deer.but at the top for mountain bear,hogs,and good on turkeys
 

wturkey01

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Good now maybe some of the guys that come from the mountains to hunt and raise lease prices will stay closer to home and hunt.


That sounds like the whining I used to hear from SC hunters talking about the folks from the NC Piedmont!
 

CRC

Old Mossy Horns
Well duh. Everyone knows this past summer they stocked a bunch of deer from the south Mtn game land because everyone knows it’s loaded with deer...................................

The WRC quit restocking deer in the mountains in 1984.
 

CRC

Old Mossy Horns
To be fair to Swain, half the county is the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and 1/4 of it is the Indian reservation.

And with the Cherokee's deer restoration program I expect the deer population in Swain Co (part of the reservation is in Jackson Co) to grow even more
 

oldest school

Old Mossy Horns
on the mtn hunters.
they are sure fun to talk to when they converge.
they stopped traffic this year at smithfields. they had a caravan of trucks and trailers and every one of them had an eight pointer attached. one more amazing scene.
last year I was going to help a couple that said they were on the GLs. They listened then said they really didn't need much help.
They had one tag left between them. :LOL:
you better lock up your deer when they are around. they flat ass kill deer. and they don't need private land to do it.
 
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