Black Hills Whitetail

[jlh321]

It looks like 87.5% of mortalities were attributed to predation. Overall calf survival was 75%. Big difference from what was stated above.

One thing I do not like is how studies can be manipulated, the elk study that you showed did their study where not many mountain lions exist( I am not sure why there isn't many lions in that location).
If you look at mountain lion harvest map
http://gfp.sd.gov/hunting/big-game/mountain-lion-harvest-map.aspx
and overly the elk study map page 26
https://www.sdstate.edu/nrm/publications/upload/Simpson-Ben_final.pdf
You will see there isn't many lions in that area.

One study shows a 5% survival rate in one area at one time and the other shows a 87% survival rate.

 

[Topgun 30-06]

The one map shows harvest stats on cats in SD, while his map of the study area is west of it and goes well into Wyoming. However, just because there is no data on cats in that study area doesn't necessarily mean they aren't there.

 

[shootbrownelk]

Bluetounge is what I have been told was and still is a problem. But the population is stll growing.

I heard that it was bluetongue as well, I know a guy up around those parts and he was told that from a warden.

 

[shootbrownelk]

The only thing that stops me from a rifle hunt in the Wyoming black hills is the season dates.Starting November 1st , is just to late for me. Maybe someday.

In the good old days before the die off. A friend and myself got I think it was 5 whitetail doe tags apiece. The BH in Wyoming was overrun with WT's and they wanted them shot off. Glad to hear they're making a comeback!

 

[jlh321]

The one map shows harvest stats on cats in SD, while his map of the study area is west of it and goes well into Wyoming. However, just because there is no data on cats in that study area doesn't necessarily mean they aren't there.

There is lions in NE Wyoming, Wyoming does a good job keeping them in check with the use of dogs. South Dakota does not allow dogs.

Here is wyoming's lion harvest map. It looks like a very small % ( I counted it looks like 12%) of there cats were killed in the area that the elk survey was done. You would think more than 12% would come from that area since a good portion of that is forest service public land, I have spent a lot of time in Black Hills of Wyoming and have seen very few lion tracks.

https://wgfd.wyo.gov/WGFD/media/con...arnivore/Mtn-Lion-Mortality-Report-HY2014.pdf

 

[Walkathon]

Not getting in the middle of the cat vs. EHD reason for the decline- but when they die of EHD- you find dead ones, usually several. We found a quite a few dead ones in south western Nebraska back in the early 2000's.

 

[jlh321]

Not getting in the middle of the cat vs. EHD reason for the decline- but when they die of EHD- you find dead ones, usually several. We found a quite a few dead ones in south western Nebraska back in the early 2000's.

The Black Hills deer did not have a drastic die off from EHD in one year. In 2007 there was 9000 deer tags sol with a 60% success.2013 there was 3500 tags sold with a 64% success. The GFP cut tags every year between those dates without any one year having a drastic cut, like you would expect from a bad EHD outbreak.

 

[Walkathon]

Hopefully the deer make a strong return no matter what killed them off. Never hunted in that area but have driven through several times and it looks like it would be a fun place to hunt.

 

[jlh321]

For the Black hills whitetail deer the quality is better than it ever has been. (since I have been hunting). If you are thinking of doing a hunt here now is the time, it may be hard to get a tag with the lower deer numbers but the chance of shooting a mature deer has never been better.

 

[Topgun 30-06]

Just going by the two figures you gave for 2007 and 2013 that's a total tag cut of 5500 for an average of close to 800 per year. I have no idea if any one of those years had a lot bigger cut than that average, but the overall cut tells me that in just 7 years to cut 5500 tags there would have had to have been a year or two when EHD took a big toll because there is no way a cat population could increase to the extent that that many more deer would be lost to cause those tag cuts while EHD can take a huge number from a herd in just several weeks.

 

[Walkathon]

For the Black hills whitetail deer the quality is better than it ever has been. (since I have been hunting). If you are thinking of doing a hunt here now is the time, it may be hard to get a tag with the lower deer numbers but the chance of shooting a mature deer has never been better.

It's on the bucket list. Right now it is about #6 so it may be a few years. I had a friend who hunted it years back and he said it was a fun time.

 

[jlh321]

Just going by the two figures you gave for 2007 and 2013 that's a total tag cut of 5500 for an average of close to 800 per year. I have no idea if any one of those years had a lot bigger cut than that average, but the overall cut tells me that in just 7 years to cut 5500 tags there would have had to have been a year or two when EHD took a big toll because there is no way a cat population could increase to the extent that that many more deer would be lost to cause those tag cuts while EHD can take a huge number from a herd in just several weeks.

In 2005 was the 1st mountain lion season and the quota was 15. In 2012 the quota was 70(hunters went over the quota I think 72 because so many cats were killed the last day).This season is without dogs by people specifically hunting the cats(no other big game season going on)

In the early 2006 there was not many cats lets say 200 by 2011-2012 there was 350 an increase of 150 cats, a cat will kill 1 deer per week but lets go with 40 deer per year 150x40 is 6000 deer per year.

 

[jlh321]

It's on the bucket list. Right now it is about #6 so it may be a few years. I had a friend who hunted it years back and he said it was a fun time.

This tag I believe is tough to draw for nonresident so you may want to start building preference points.

 

[Rooster52]

Also ,this is a place an archery hunter has the chance of taking a good whitetail buck in velvet. With archery season starting September 1st there is a chance that all the bucks have not shed there velet.Makes for a nice mount.

 

[warmer]

Also ,this is a place an archery hunter has the chance of taking a good whitetail buck in velvet. With archery season starting September 1st there is a chance that all the bucks have not shed there velet.Makes for a nice mount.

The South Dakota archery season doesn't start until the 4th Saturday in September. Make sure which side of the border your on.