Deer

[JDK]

Took the grandtwerp to Ashland Sunday to look at deer. Saw in the neighborhood of 60 or so plus a like number of turkeys. Deer looked great and there isn’t much snow left. Saw 2 radio collared deer also

Aroostook River is mostly out, sledding is done, and I can see the rock in front of the house. Spring is springing. Was an easy winter

 

[mowbizz]

So, in a Ashland, is there someone that feeds the deer? How is it that you saw so many deer? Not really an easy winter here in central NH as the deep snow packed and crusted giving predators access across the board. It stayed crusted until all the recent rains...on that note, in my “deer poor” area, they started moving around again as evidenced by some massive tracks through my property. No eyeballs on them yet but my cams have recorded them.

 

[Kingman Cruncher]

Will be interesting how the hunting season turns out and what this translates too.

I truly believe in western Maine the herd is worse than what most think. The harvest last year was an indication I think.

This winter was short and mild. I think deer in places didn’t need to yard up too hard, so maybe that’s why I wasn’t seeing as many as usual but it was pretty bleak for sightings. Pittston/NE Carry/Kakadjo/Jackman/Forks. I was in and out of those areas and yards all winter. Not much activity and I hope it’s because the deer were dispersed and not because there were just not many. The good thing is the lack of car collisions on 201. Some years 100 deer are killed. This year I heard about a handful. Only saw one, just a couple blood spots, etc. No many beat down trails in general.

 

[Kingman Cruncher]

That said we drove around Mooseriver two Saturdays ago and saw about 50 deer getting into any grass showing around peoples yards and the golf course. Was more deer than I had seen all year at that point.

 

[JDK]

Yes, there is some feeding going on in Ashland but the Aroostook River basin is a large deer yard. We just putted along a road and saw them bedded in the woods, standing in the road, and feeding in some cuts. They also yard along Route 11 up to Portage Lake although we didn't go that far up. We saw a few deer in downtown Presque Isle.

I'm not entirely sure that the deer fully yarded this year.

 

[JDK]

Will be interesting how the hunting season turns out and what this translates too.

I truly believe in western Maine the herd is worse than what most think. The harvest last year was an indication I think.

This winter was short and mild. I think deer in places didn’t need to yard up too hard, so maybe that’s why I wasn’t seeing as many as usual but it was pretty bleak for sightings. Pittston/NE Carry/Kakadjo/Jackman/Forks. I was in and out of those areas and yards all winter. Not much activity and I hope it’s because the deer were dispersed and not because there were just not many. The good thing is the lack of car collisions on 201. Some years 100 deer are killed. This year I heard about a handful. Only saw one, just a couple blood spots, etc. No many beat down trails in general.

I can't speak for western Maine but would agree with the bold as being the same here. The yards in Caribou, that I know about, had far fewer deer than the past. We used to have them in the yard here at work, this year nothing. No trails no tracks nothing. They also yard across the road from my house....nothing.

 

[802-603hunter]

I’m with Kingman on the western ME herd opinion, at least in the parts of it I hunt along with northern NH.

 

[NoDeerHere]

We hashed this out in another thread. Just look at Bishops in Jackman. They tagged the fewest deer in years.

 

[groundtender]

JDK - Any snow in the woods? My wife and I went to VT for a few days last week. Basically no snow anywhere except the dark shady areas, and very little there.

 

[JDK]

Very little. We went to St Agatha yesterday and were amazed at how little was in the woods all the way up. I may take a ride this afternoon to see what is out west of Caribou

 

[groundtender]

Very little. We went to St Agatha yesterday and were amazed at how little was in the woods all the way up. I may take a ride this afternoon to see what is out west of Caribou

Amazing. I hope to get up that way soon for a few days before I get so busy here I meet myself coming and going. Thank you

 

[Kingman Cruncher]

I spent 3 hours on foot around Jackman yesterday. A few patches here and there in the shade. It’s actually pretty dry up there including the roads. The deer have spread out. I found 1 dead moose and one dead coyote. No sheds.