Is Deer Hunting in Honey Island this bad

[frankinola]

Did anyone see the article on the harvest results in WMA? they listed Honey Island as the worst. Is it because of the wild hogs? or is it a case of hunters not reporting tags?

http://www.nola.com/outdoors/index.ssf/2015/08/deer_harvest_still_strong_on_l.html#incart_river

On WMAs close to Southeast Louisiana, hunter success was a mixed bag.

Pearl River WMA hunters put in 36.3 efforts for every deer, making the swampy WMA the worst-performing tract in the state. Total harvest was six bucks and six does.

The odds were much better at Maurepas Swamp WMA, where every 8.3 efforts produced a deer. Of the 71 harvested, 25 were bucks.

On Joyce WMA, 76 efforts produced three deer, a ratio of 25.3.

Sandy Hollow WMA hunters scored seven deer on 193 efforts, an average of 27.6.

Sherburne WMA hunters required only 11.2 efforts per deer, taking a total of 137 deer, 48 of which were bucks.

 

[DBMJR1]

Pearl River WMA attracts many first time hunters from the NOLA area. I suspect this effects the averages.

 

[john17427]

I spent a good number of years in Pearl River back in the 70's and early 80's and there were very few deer there then. We took a lot of squirrels, wood ducks, and hogs out, but it was rare to see deer at least in the areas I was in. They also had turkey and rabbit in good numbers, and a few beaver. That was about it.

 

[mike84z28]

There have never been great numbers in the Pearl. Katrina did a number on the deer population and they have never really recovered. Compoud that with the high number of hogs competing for the same food source and you can see why the numbers are down.

 

[madwabbit]

louisiana boys call animals "deer" that we used to be embarrassed to shoot in alabama. those that have been here longer than I tell me that it wasn't so before the rita/trina combo.

 

[bjeepin2]

when I started work out here at SSC (right across the river form PRWMA) back in 07 it was not uncommon to see someone hit a deer once a week here on the center, but now 1 or 2 a year at most. some nights when I would get called in late you could see 15 to 20 out in front of our building but not in the last few years. you can see hogs all the time.

 

[doc ace]

We have monster bucks here in CENLA, on public land. Just have to get out and scout and know what they are eating on, and bedding down at. All you have to google is Beauregard WMA Buck or Dewey Wills Buck and see thousands of photos of monsters. You need to learn the psychology of the species and scout before during and after the season.

 

[xobelkcat]

I've been hunting the PR WMA since the late 90's and I've never seen a deer in those woods!
I've had fellow hunters tell me they've seen them. But from what I've been told by much older and wiser men, the big bucks stay north of the shooting range where no one hunts.

 

[mike84z28]

Hogs out number the deer 50-1. The deer I have seen in the past 3 years were not worth killing as all weighed under 100lbs. The hog population has basically starved out the deer in the PRWMA. However the hog hunting has been GOOD !

 

[mike84z28]

http://www.louisianasportsman.com/details.php?id=8523

HOGS

 

[stancel]

Been hunting the PR WMA for about 30 years. There are PLENTY of deer in there. There is a very nice buck I have been hunting for 3 years. Seen him during bow season a couple times, but always too far away. The reasons for the low harvest are many. Topping the list for the last 9 years has been the explosion of underbrush following Katrina. A deer can be 20 yards away and you would never know it in many areas. Next is that most of the WMA is very hard to access. Most people access the WMA by car, which only gets you into a small portion of it. Even by boat, unless it is a particularly dry year (like the one we just had), it is hard to get far off the river before running into swampy muck. Next, we had a run of 3 or 4 years of really high water starting in 2009. Deer can only survive in that for so long. I have seen trees with the bark eaten off where a deer was probably stranded and trying to survive.

I go in by boat, then when I can't go any further I put in a canoe and paddle for a mile or so. It is the only way to get away from the hunting pressure and other people. I saw several does during bucks only, but only 2 were big enough to harvest. Saw a button buck, but I let him walk.

And I have heard for years about the hog "problem" in the WMA. I in my opinion it is no worse now than it was 20 years ago. The deer are in there, but it is hard hunting and tough terrain. When I move to Covington in a few years I will no longer hunt the PR WMA. There are much better WMA's towards Hammond. But it is very convenient if you live in Slidell, so I keep going back for more.

 

[Emperor]

Been hunting the PR WMA for about 30 years. There are PLENTY of deer in there. There is a very nice buck I have been hunting for 3 years. Seen him during bow season a couple times, but always too far away. The reasons for the low harvest are many. Topping the list for the last 9 years has been the explosion of underbrush following Katrina. A deer can be 20 yards away and you would never know it in many areas. Next is that most of the WMA is very hard to access. Most people access the WMA by car, which only gets you into a small portion of it. Even by boat, unless it is a particularly dry year (like the one we just had), it is hard to get far off the river before running into swampy muck.

I go in by boat, then when I can't go any further I put in a canoe and paddle for a mile or so. It is the only way to get away from the hunting pressure and other people. I saw several does during bucks only, but only 2 were big enough to harvest. Saw a button buck, but I let him walk.

And I have heard for years about the hog "problem" in the WMA. I in my opinion it is no worse now than it was 20 years ago. The deer are in there, but it is hard hunting and tough terrain. When I move to Covington in a few years I will no longer hunt the PR WMA. There are much better WMA's towards Hammond. But it is very convenient if you live in Slidell, so I keep going back for more.

Thanks stancel, I was too tired to say this exact thing!

 

[Dranrab]

I don't know that reliable data exists on the deer population in Pearl River, but I would suspect the deer per square mile in PRWMA is appreciably lower than the population in other WMAs. Hogs and deer compete for food and with the hog population being so high, it will affect the deer population. It and the other swampy WMAs are not prime deer habitat for a number of reasons. And as mentioned above they aren't prime hunter habitat either.