By Cory Boothe
Coryboothe@hotmail.com
Any hunter who has spent time in the woods the last two weeks knows that deer seemed a little harder to locate this year. Is it because of the abundant mast? Is it because of horrible weather during gun season? Is it because we have less deer in the woods to pursue?
This year's mast crop approached record levels. Oaks are everywhere. Deer do not have to look hard to find delicious acorns and it seems as if there are enough acorns to last well into next spring. When deer do not have to move to find food we are less likely to see them.
We are not seeing deers in fields this year because they have all the food they need in the woods. Typically, we see deer in fields during years of a mast failure. Without acorns, they are drawn to fields for nourishment. This year deer have stuck to the woods.
Also, the people that bait deer have not been as successful because the deer do not have a need to visit feeders for food. Overlooking a feeder in 2014 has a much lower success rate than overlooking an acorn patch.
Opening Day was cursed with winds approaching 50 m.p.h. The majority of the harvest in West Virginia occurs the first three days of season. Unfavorable weather on an opening Monday can drastically affect harvest totals. Personally, I heard six shots on opening day. Usually, I hear more than that my 8:00 a.m.
Rain and snow came later in the first week. Reports of 18 inches of snow fell in Hampshire County. Calhoun received a wet, half inch. This was followed by a rainy second week of buck season. The second Saturday was basically a complete wash-out.
So is that the only contributing factors to a reduced harvest? . I'm sure their are others but maybe the question is, "Do we have less deer?"
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