Hey, Old Guys ??

[BeastMaster]

I've often heard of the days (40's-70's) of how scarce deer were in MS and to see a track was something to marvel at....what was the cause of decline, if in fact the population dropped or never was high, in MS and what were the major reasons for the boom of deer populations as we know it today ? what caused it? what fixed it?
management/disease/food/pressure/no mojo deer ?

[mudsucker]

I aint that old, but hungy people during the depersion and right after decimated the herd(pressure) from what I read. Then management practices is what probbally brought it back. I'll bet wingman might know a little history on this. Maybe they taught it in "MR. Greenjeans" school!

[Greenhead22]

Dad and his crew used to ride around in jeeps for hrs on end just looking for a single track, didn't care how old/fresh it was. They'd find one and turn the dogs out. If they didn't hit it and go, pack up and move again. You could take does back then either, which helped the population boost some. But when you did take a deer, he was more than likely a trophy. He always told me that the population never really was that high in the area, and it seems like with all the doe busting that's going on now our deer herd is looking more and more like the 50's everyday now.

[QUACKERS]

I hunted at SHCL in Lexington for a couple of years and remember stories of how they brought deer to the area and did not hunt it for i think 7 yrs in order to get the population up, but I dont remeber how long ago this all took place?

I will say that whatever they did it really worked!!!

[sportsman450]

it seems like with all the doe busting that's going on now our deer herd is looking more and more like the 50's everyday now.

Please explain what you mean by this.

[Cotten]

The deer track stories are funny to hear now. I remember riding around with my dad looking for tracks. It was a big deal to see deer tracks in some areas in the late 60's early 70's.

A friend of mine told me last year he could remember the first time they found a deer track in the Canton area. He lives a few miles from where the Jeff Saik deer was killed. He also said you could go up and down the Big Black River and not find a tract in the 60's.

At the same time on some Mississippi River Islands they were having to slaughter does in order to get the population under control.

A lack of management on each end of the spectrum IMHO.

[Cotten]

And for the record, 42 is not old!

[Spoonallard]

I remember riding and looking for tracks in the mid 70's. I was told that there were never that many aroud these parts till the game and fish people turned them loose, but we did have black bear.

[BeastMaster]

wonder how much the introduction of soybeans/corn to MS played a part. figured most farm land was cotton.. when did soybeans really take off?

[judge jb]

i remember the first track i saw, was a deer standing in it.... a early frosty morn when my pointer locked up on him... a load of # 8's to the head proved vital.... a small racked 8 pointer with warts growing out of his gazoo...completely covered from head to tail.... i drove him around on the tailgate of a 1961 chevy station wagon most of the day to show him off.... i still have the horns, but give the animal to some neighbors.....i was the most popular hunter in Tippah Co. that year.. made the local paper....

judge jb

and i ain't that old......haha....

[duckamateur]

I remember the first deer I saw on our place in Yazoo County! The year was 1983 I was 12 years old. I was told "Tell no one what you saw." I now work with guys who tell me what it was like in the "Good Old Days." I have been given a set of horns by one person whose Grandfather killed the deer @ the turn of the century, it is a good deer but, nothing to brag about now a days!! He told me that during that time it was kill them and eat or let them walk and try to kill squirrells or other small game! It was during this time that the Deer were pushed out of the Big Black Swamp by High water. This is when people who lived outside the swamp got after them! I can't say that I blame them!!!!!! It was either eat or find something else to kill!!!!!!!! I am really amazed at some of the pictures I have seen pertaining to when the Deer were killed "OUT" in Mississippi. They were not ever really killed out in my opinion just "knocked back to smaller numbers" I believe they were just sitting in the swamps and reproducing!!!! This is just my opinion though!!!!!

[Greenhead22]

it seems like with all the doe busting that's going on now our deer herd is looking more and more like the 50's everyday now.

Please explain what you mean by this.

Aiight, I'll try my best. We are surrounding by people that hunt for meat. You make it legal for them to take one doe, they take 10. We've gone from seeing 10-15 deer total, morning and evening 3-5 yrs ago......to 1 now if you are lucky in a whole day. We usually avg 12-15 bucks/season. The past 2 yrs have produced 5 and 4. You take all your does, the bucks are leaving and that's what has happened to us. I used to be gungho about deer hunting, have gotten my fair share of nice bucks but these past couple of yrs have pushed me basically to duck hunting full time. When my dad takes his vacation from work during the winter and only sees 7 deer all season, I know something is wrong.

[Anatidae]

I'm too old to give a Damn.

[duckamateur]

If it was about Ducks would you give a DAMN?

I'm too old to give a Damn.

[mudsucker]

Old Anatidae is just contrary no matter the subject! That's way we love 'em so!