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Poll: How many times did yousee a group of deer (or individual) on your last they hike?

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  1. #1
    ME => GA 19AT3 rickb's Avatar
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    Default How many Deer did you see on your thru hike?

    Some years ago I posted a poll asking how many moose hikers saw on their most recent thru hike here:

    https://whiteblaze.net/forum/showthr...How+many+moose

    Easy question, right? Everybody remembers their AT moose sightings.

    This poll is more difficult as it asks about far more forgettable deer sightings.

    The the question was inspired by a recent thread discussing hitting them with our cars, and my own memory of seeing far, far fewer on the Trail than in my everyday adventures and suburban backyard.
    Last edited by rickb; 03-13-2018 at 03:35.

  2. #2
    I plan, therefore I am Strategic's Avatar
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    I've seen deer on the AT, but it's hardly surprising that we'd see fewer there than in suburban environments. It's about the density of food available. Suburban habitat is pretty much ideal for deer, tailor-made by us to grow very large deer populations. The wilder land of the AT is not as ideal an environment, even though it is natural too them.
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  3. #3
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    The deer in the Southern Appalachian's don't concentrate in the mountains. I lived in Tennessee for about 15 years and as a deer hunter I thought that the place to hunt was the mountains. Not if you want to find deer. They concentrate in agricultural areas where there is better food. On my last thru hike I saw no more than perhaps 35 deer on the entire trail.

  4. #4

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    Deer are often active at dawn and dusk.
    I'll bet the guys who are out there trying to set records see a lot more than the average hiker, who are in their tents at these times.
    Just my opinion..
    If you hike alone, and are quiet and get on the trail at first light, and still on the trail at dark, you'll see deer.
    Most days.
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  5. #5

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    Didn’t see the first one until I was leaving out of Erwin,TN. Lost count but I would say somewhere between 30-40, for my thru. As a deer hunter, I’ve seen more in one morning sit in South Texas then I did my thru hike haha.
    Did see 22 Black Bears, 17 of which were in Shenandoah. Did not see a moose


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  6. #6
    ME => GA 19AT3 rickb's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jj dont play View Post
    Didn’t see the first one until I was leaving out of Erwin,TN. Lost count but I would say somewhere between 30-40, for my thru. As a deer hunter, I’ve seen more in one morning sit in South Texas then I did my thru hike haha.
    Did see 22 Black Bears, 17 of which were in Shenandoah. Did not see a moose


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    Holy bear scat!

    Even in SNP 22 has to be some sort of record.

    I ned to resurrect an old poll on bear sightings now.

  7. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by rickb View Post
    Holy bear scat!

    Even in SNP 22 has to be some sort of record.

    I ned to resurrect an old poll on bear sightings now.
    Yep and I did SNP in 3.5 days so I felt like everywhere I turned there was a dang bear


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  8. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by fiddlehead View Post
    Deer are often active at dawn and dusk.
    I'll bet the guys who are out there trying to set records see a lot more than the average hiker, who are in their tents at these times.
    Just my opinion..
    If you hike alone, and are quiet and get on the trail at first light, and still on the trail at dark, you'll see deer.
    Most days.
    And I'll add...

    If you do happen to be going in the same direction as another early riser, let them start out ~30 minutes ahead of you, walk stealthy, and deer will be so focused on avoiding the first hiker , the ones that hunker down or circle around can result in some amazing close encounters. Especially if you have a slight headwind.

  9. #9

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    I was a deer hunter like JJ. Now, I'm more interested in observing preferably when deer are behaving naturally.

    I usually hike solo starting before 7 a.m. and hike after dusk often night hiking. I move quietly, stealthily just like when moving into a place to sleep. Not to top JJ, but in 2006 I'd easily estimate seeing much more than 50 Whitetail. In W VA alone in the pre dawn 2-3 a.m. I came across two groups one with 14 and another with 9 individuals. I remember counting them. In MD I'd estimate at least another 20. And these are short mileage states. Eyes at night are awesome once you know what deer eyes look like. Don't hike that fast a pace don't huff and puff after a FKT but I hike long hrs and I don't limit hiking to daylight hrs. Additionally, I see much more wildlife in its natural behavior because I don't limit myself to always needing/wanting trekking poles. I can hear someone with trekking poles long before I see them.

    Exactly as Little Tim said, deer can circle back around, but it takes time for them to settle back down. That can be difficult for them on the busy AT unless they are very attracted to a location near the trail. Sometimes 30 mins is not enough. Often the would rather move further away from the trail.

  10. #10
    ME => GA 19AT3 rickb's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dogwood View Post
    I usually hike solo starting before 7 a.m. and hike after dusk often night hiking.
    I never thought of deer as crepuscular animals, but I suppose they are.


  11. #11
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    Not sure where they hang out beyond VA/WV/MD, but in MD I can't go anywhere without seeing at least a half dozen deer. They are everywhere around here.
    Plaid is fast! Ticks suck, literally... It’s ok, bologna hoses off…
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  12. #12
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    I used to day hike in Shenandoah NP a lot and rarely saw deer. One night in March years ago I drove from Thornton Gap to Big Meadows and deer were everywhere along the road. I started counting them and gave up when I got to 150. I guess they were attracted by the grass that grows along Skyline Drive.
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