Deer numbers

......get away from the corn. 

Unit 1  is way  way down compared to the last 10 years but there are still a few left for seed. I put 1000 miles on my pickup in the last 10 days as far east as  Devils lake and as far west as Mohall and saw 1 road kill  . I always watch for skid marks on the highway ,There are none this year.

Way better'en last year........but we don't got no corn around.

Weather is too nice. The deer are in the flowers and corn during the day sunbathing.  Kickin back relaxing with their friends and family.  My kids and I saw four deer all day.  One running from a combine and three streaking across crp to the flowers and corn.

We have two doe tags to fill. Just at closing of shooting hours Saturday we were driving along a cornfield and three more does walked out to our left.  We pulled over, and sat and watched them.  My kids couldn't understand why I was not going to shoot one...I said it is too late, we are one a highway, and those deer are smart deer.  They know we are on our way home and that dad is too tired to gut a doe under the headlights.  :)  I explained to them that it isn't safe or legal to shoot deer from a highway or anywhere else for that matter if you don't know what is out there in the dark.  The land may be posted, and you might be shooting at some other hunters or maybe even somebody's house.  Good learning experience for them to see dad following and explaining the rules.

My 8 year old son realized he can shoot a deer with a bow and doesn't have to wait until he is 15...he now wants a bow.  :)  I may have created a monster. Stizo :)

Possibly down a bit  in 3E2, but much better than expected.  We were overrun with deer there the last few years, so maybe  last winter trimmed them down a bit.  Still far far more than back  15 - 20 years ago.  I think we all got a bit spoiled and had begun to believe that the last 5 - 10 years were the norm.  Another winter or two like last winter and continuing loss of CRP we might have something to complain about.