Although they expect to have a successful 2014 season, there will likely be fewer deer than in previous years.
“There are several factors contributing to reduced deer numbers in certain areas of the state,” said Chad Stewart, DNR deer management biologist in the release. “Some are by design and some are by external forces.”
The external forces Stewart was referring to include a 2012 outbreak of hemorrhagic disease within Indiana deer populations, which wiped out many deer with its lethal virus.
There have been no reports of the disease, which is transmitted through flies called “biting midges,” as of yet this year.
This information, in addition to the fact that last winter wasn’t particularly hard on Indiana deer, caused Stewart to anticipate a deer harvest that is similar in numbers to last year’s harvest but shy of the record set in 2012.
The record in 2012 was 136,248 deer during hunting season. Last year’s figure fell short of that, coming in at 126,635.
“Hunters in the north are likely to see deer numbers are lower levels than they are accustomed to seeing,” Stewart said in the release. “Historically, deer herds tend to rebound quickly from outbreaks of hemorrhagic disease, but that hasn’t been the case in northern Indiana.”
The DNR has been making a conscious effort to minimize deer populations for the past two years. This is the third year it has actively been employing programs to do so.
Stewart said in the release that the DNR is working to reduce their antlerless quotas in many areas, as well as eliminating the late antlerless season completely in some counties.
“These numbers are more in line with what should be seen on the landscape ... these are the levels at which we are trying to maintain our herd,” Stewart said in the ?release.
The release explains that this year hunters will be permitted to purchase bonus hunting licenses to take additional antlerless deer in addition to regular bag ?limits.
These bonus hunting licenses will be issued based on the individual county’s assigned quota, and hunters will only be allowed to hunt using the equipment deemed legal this season.
As a part of recent cuts, the bonus antlerless season was reduced for 2014 for 19 counties in Indiana, meaning that six counties are also now ineligible for the bonus late antlerless season. This “extra” season runs from Dec. 26, 2014 through Jan. 4, 2015.
While Stewart predicted lower numbers of deer in the Indiana north this winter, he is optimistic about population levels in the south.
“Hunters there should continue to see good numbers of deer,” he said in the release. “The balance of deer cover and the absence of lingering effects from and disease outbreak have produced ample opportunities for hunters to be successful.”
Hunting season runs from Nov. 15 through ?Nov. 30.
Anicka Slachta
