How many house sparrows will I need to kill to notice less?

[Drunk_Dynasty]

I work from home this time of year and the inlaws whose basement I live in are gone for the winter so can just shoot outside whenever I want. Honestly I’m probably around dozen. The first 10 went quick and it’s been a struggle to kill these last two.


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[Nershi]

You need to kill way more than a dozen to notice less of them. You best put out more bait so you can pump those numbers up.

[Drunk_Dynasty]

Sh!t the bird feeder gets filled every morning. I think I’m gonna need to get a trap.


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[Drunk_Dynasty]

Also, the deer are starting to come into the yard at night, but this time last year after all the snow they were tipping over bird feeders and getting into sh!t in broad daylight. There are also less birds at the bird feeder in general, although it has picked up a little with that last snow storm.

My bold prediction, if this winter stays this mild, is we see a big uptick in deer harvest in 2024, and we get a brief respite from wolf/dnr mismanagement debates because there will be less unhappy people.

[Drunk_Dynasty]

Man, two tried to sleep with the chickens in the coop.

They did not pay rent. And paid for it with their life.

**** I hate those things but that was savage even for me.


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[Fish Felon]

My bold prediction, if this winter stays this mild, is we see a big uptick in deer harvest in 2024, and we get a brief respite from wolf/dnr mismanagement debates because there will be less unhappy people.

What qualifies as a big uptick?

Usually it takes two mild winters to get the deer back after two severe winters. I think the population is low enough that one mild winter won't do much besides fatten the wolves a bit more. And really, we're talking Zone 1 mainly, right?

[Drunk_Dynasty]

yeah you right it usually takes two mild winters, I was two weed gummies deep when I said that last night. Idk wtf I'm talking about.

[Fish Felon]

Nah, it's not a bad take. Supposedly harvest in Zone 1 was only down by 3,000....from 34,000 to 31,000 which I'm not sure if I believe. Opening weekend was arguably the worst in history, for sure recent history....and that's when like half (or more?) of the harvest happens. I kind of think they're fudging the numbers since all of the reports from their own game wardrens describe how bad the hunting was and how few harvested deer they saw. So it seems strange harvest was only off a few thousand from last year.

Point being, let's say their harvest numbers are accurate.......one mild winter could up the kill by 5K to 6K which doesn't sound like a ton, but if harvest was "way down" by 3K to 31K....then it jumping to 35K-36K could easily be argued is "way up" and prove you right. So I don't think it was a bad take at all. It all depends on how subjective a "big increase" amounts to.

Personally, I think the numbers are fudged but I also think it's strange how low the harvest consistently is in Zone 1. Compared to Zone 2 it ain't shit. A combination of harsher winters, a shitload of predators (Wolves, bears, coyotes, bobcats, lynx, etc), and the terrain being the hardest of any Zone in the state. Drives in Zone 1 are futile compared to elsewhere....too much cover.

So for those reasons I think it'll take a couple mild winters to see a significant increase, but I've been wrong before.

[Fish Felon]

In 117 the harvest was 8 deer, in 131 it was 18 deer....Jeeeezus.

[Fish Felon]

I think they're definitely fudging the numbers to protect Wolves from taking blame for the decline. They'll adjust them based on their fukced up models knowing that a lot of guys who harvest a deer don't register it. It'd be incredibly easy for them to play with that model. I'd like to see the "actual-actual" harvest reports.