Corn and cameras has been devestating in a lot of areas. Entire age classes are being removed and no amount of trigger restraint from even large properties can stop it. Deer have large Home ranges and they’re getting smoked on adjoining properties. It’s quickly becoming increasingly more difficult to hold members when they have nothing to shoot year after year due to the actions of neighbors. I’ve seen it first hand. One neighbor not on board can ruin hunting for a lot of people around them. It’s just what it is.
Yep and this will continue to cause hunting lease prices to climb. On average those clubs hunting mature deer pay 2 to 3 times (sometimes more) the club dues as those clubs that shoot indiscriminately. Generally they can better afford the rising costs and will often outbid poor neighbors in order to remove them from equation.
Private land is different. If you’re surrounded by a bunch of folks that own 20-40 acres that insist on killing their 4-5 deer then you’re screwed. All these folks are well within their rights to do so but you’ll never manage deer under those situations.
