It’s way early to get a final tally for Virginia’s deer season, but if the results from a local hunt club are any indication, the kill may be off statewide. Results show that for at least one hunt club, the total number of deer killed is down.
While some nice animals were harvested, like this handsome buck taken by Robert Runnet (left) on the last day if the season, Sherman Shifflett of Louisa said his hunt club had poor luck overall.
According to Sherman, the president of Fox Run Hunt Club said the club checked in 33 deer during the 2016-17 season. The previous year’s total was 52 and the year before produced a harvest of 66 animals. That’s a 50% drop in two years. The hunt club, incidentally, leases 2,000 acres in Louisa and has 25 members.
Conditions were very good this year with cooperating weather, but the kill certainly didn’t reflect that situation.
Sherman and fellow hunt club members wonder if an abundance of coyotes, bears and bobcats aren’t having an effect on the survival of fawns.
Could be!