How many deer on average do you see per hunting day?

[EYJONAS!]

I gotta say this is one of the most interesting threads I've seen. Pretty cool to say the least and very interesting to hear from such a variety of states. Very nice job and idea OP. I'll change my smart ass response from earlier..... I'd say depends on region and habitat as in Montana a guy can take an adventure into many different habitats from mountainous 10 11k ft hunts to rolling hills to areas like the breaks that I really don't know how to describe, besides a weird medium.

Some areas of public depending on time of year you can see 5 to 20 deer in a day hiking around and in the same season go back later on in the ywar especially when deer will migrate and there's 200 plus deer there. It's all dependent on conditions, feed and pressure. Even in high pressure areas ive seen lots of deer though. With numerous bucks.

Some ranches in montana you can drive through and no matter what time of the year it is theres more critters out than you can honestly count. Giant deer and bulls everywhere. Seriously the views and amount of wildlife you can see from the county road rival YNP. I just like driving around in them sometimes just to watch.

Then there's areas like the Beartooths that do hold deer. Some areas more than others but I am still yet to run into a high country bruiser over my years up there looking for unicorns. Matter of fact I can count on 1 hand the amount of 6pt bulls and 4pt mule deer bucks on 1 hand, in five years. Not saying theyre not there because I've seen some guys have taken but they don't appear very often. Then there's the areas out in western MT that seem to have some decent deer but I don't know much about it. Yet western montana travels east to hunt deer so maybe I not correct on the western mt deer.

Back to the OP it's kind of a loaded question but I do enjoy reading the responses from everyone. Thanks.

 

[bobbydean]

Have not hunted deer for years, but went out with my brother as a mule this year. We saw 20 a day the least and 40 the most. Unfortunately, does dominated. One spike that we glassed for 10 minutes trying to find a fork to be legal. Also, saw a few elk each day, two bulls. And 60 to 70 turkeys.

In SE NM, near Weed.

 

[HuntTalk Freak]

Private land low fence TX hill country I average around ten this year. Last year was 20-30 a day easily and even that many in one group.

I did see a group of around twenty doe today in the neighbors place.

 

[FLS]

SC private land in the coastal plain, Ive seen as many as 30 in one 4 acre soy bean field during an afternoon hunt. SC public land varies a lot. I’ve seen a dozen in a day and other days none. Only hunted private this season and I’ve averaged seeing 2-3 per hunt.
WY public this year I was seeing multiple does and a few bucks each day.
Iowa private second week of November was a deer parade. Lots of young bucks and does , but only one really nice buck in bow range.

 

[Joe Hulburt]

Very interesting thread...

I hunt Oregon coast Blacktails every year. When I was a kid in the late 70's we would always see 20 plus a day regardless of conditions. This year I hunted 9 days with a controlled late season muzzleloader tag and I saw 4 deer in 9 days of hunting. When I hunt general rifle I hunt 15 or 20 days and see around 10 deer.

 

[Keithk]

Eastern NC, private land. This season been in stand at least 30 times. Only once have I not seen a deer. Average would be 4. Saturday I saw 19, highest last year was 23. I've seen 11 different bucks this season.

 

[ida homer]

The flat landers are down right mentally tough!

I’m discouraged if I see less than 50. An average day is typically 75-80. The last 3-4 days of the season are usually 150-200, as I move to the lower foothill country. Mule deer, ID.

 

[BearFoot]

I hunt public lands. Moose are in the top of the deer family. One scout trip, I counted 22 moose, fourteen bulls that morning. Last year saw 14 bulls, first morning. Over the years we average about 6 bulls spotted each day. When bear and wolf are present, moose are scarce. Machines, technology, mapping allows increasing hunting pressure. When more humans are present, moose become more scarce. Likely to lead toward more restrictive hunts, draws.

 

[Edwin]

I gotta say this is one of the most interesting threads I've seen. Pretty cool to say the least and very interesting to hear from such a variety of states. Very nice job and idea OP. I'll change my smart ass response from earlier.....

Well said and I think this post can explain a lot of questions and controversies often discussed on this forum.

 

[WesternRookie]

In the upper piedmont of Georgia where we are talking whitetails, and on my small piece of land surrounded by "brown it's down" neighbors living in their doublewide on 2 acres, we are talking highly pressured whitetails about to blow out of their skin 24/7. I see an average of 1 deer per day, but I may see zero on two days and then see a group of 3 does on a 3rd day. Also it is not spread out evenly during the season. It is not uncommon to see nothing in September while it is so hot, lots of action late Oct/November during the pre-rut and rut, and then few in December as they all move to 100% nocturnal from pressure.

I haven't killed a whitetail in 3 years (by choice), but I enjoy feeding them with supplemental feed, food plots, and running my Spartan cameras year round. Western hunts keep my perspective in check and and my freezer full.

 

[OleRedbeard]

I gotta say this is one of the most interesting threads I've seen. Pretty cool to say the least and very interesting to hear from such a variety of states. Very nice job and idea OP. I'll change my smart ass response from earlier..... I'd say depends on region and habitat as in Montana a guy can take an adventure into many different habitats from mountainous 10 11k ft hunts to rolling hills to areas like the breaks that I really don't know how to describe, besides a weird medium.

Some areas of public depending on time of year you can see 5 to 20 deer in a day hiking around and in the same season go back later on in the ywar especially when deer will migrate and there's 200 plus deer there. It's all dependent on conditions, feed and pressure. Even in high pressure areas ive seen lots of deer though. With numerous bucks.

Some ranches in montana you can drive through and no matter what time of the year it is theres more critters out than you can honestly count. Giant deer and bulls everywhere. Seriously the views and amount of wildlife you can see from the county road rival YNP. I just like driving around in them sometimes just to watch.

Then there's areas like the Beartooths that do hold deer. Some areas more than others but I am still yet to run into a high country bruiser over my years up there looking for unicorns. Matter of fact I can count on 1 hand the amount of 6pt bulls and 4pt mule deer bucks on 1 hand, in five years. Not saying theyre not there because I've seen some guys have taken but they don't appear very often. Then there's the areas out in western MT that seem to have some decent deer but I don't know much about it. Yet western montana travels east to hunt deer so maybe I not correct on the western mt deer.

Back to the OP it's kind of a loaded question but I do enjoy reading the responses from everyone. Thanks.

Agreed. It's always interesting to see just how it is for others. Also allows you to put things into perspective.

 

[FLS]

The flat landers are down right mentally tough!

I’m discouraged if I see less than 50. An average day is typically 75-80. The last 3-4 days of the season are usually 150-200, as I move to the lower foothill country. Mule deer, ID.

We can’t see near as far and our deer don’t migrate. But we do get to hunt longer. August 15th thru Jan 1st and our limits are more liberal. Up until a few years ago we had a two per day limit with no season limit. A few years ago I hunted Picnkey Island NWR near Hilton Head. One day hunt , limit was 5 deer either sex, shotgun only. I had two bucks and 3 does on the ground by 830 AM. It’s all about location.

 

[ida homer]

We can’t see near as far and our deer don’t migrate. But we do get to hunt longer. August 15th thru Jan 1st and our limits are more liberal. Up until a few years ago we had a two per day limit with no season limit. A few years ago I hunted Picnkey Island NWR near Hilton Head. One day hunt , limit was 5 deer either sex, shotgun only. I had two bucks and 3 does on the ground by 830 AM. It’s all about location.

Sounds like duck hunting. That’s awesome.

 

[elker]

100 to 200, mostly muleys with a few whitetails in the river bottoms. Evenings are best, although the majority are in ag fields on private land. Public land varies, depending on the area, still an easy 50+ mostly does. Areas are often rugged and steep, just difficult to get to em. Time of year and food availability dependent.

 

[FLS]

Sounds like duck hunting. That’s awesome.

Nothing lasts forever... went back to Pinckney Island a couple of years ago. Hurricane Matthew had torn the place up. We shot the only 3 deer we saw. Less than a dozen were killed that year. Still a cool place. You can sit in your tree stand and watch dolphins feed in the tidal creeks.

 

[pwrwgn57]

Interesting to see all the different responses. Hunting NY public land, 0-3 deer per day, although I've gone 5 days straight without seeing any and had days where I've seen 5 or so. PA I hunt private and low end is usually 5 per day, and have seen upwards of 30+, had 13 walk by the stand opening day. KS public land I've seen 5-10 per day, more during the late doe season. CO public for mule deer I saw 5-10 per day, mostly does.

 

[Chad Gus]

On our farm in WI around 4 per sit, would be more but all my neighboring landowners are heavy baiters. On public 1 or 2 average per sit, used to be much higher before they waged war on the doe population. Numbers are on the upswing now, with a reduction in doe tags. North Dakota this year around 10 per day with most of them being bucks. Colorado 100 plus with most being on private and 80% being does.

 

[mdeerjunkie]

Once went hunting up in southwestern co and was able to glass 100-125 deer a day.

 

[Stay Sharp]

It depends on where Im hunting. My land, or my leases or the suburban culling I do are all different. I typically see deer every time but I place little value in simply seeing deer if they are out of bow range.

 

[thusby]

Colorado 100 plus with most being on private and 80% being does.

Felt closer to 95%.