Where have all the deer gone?

By Philip Sharp

Certified Wildlife Biologist
Superior Whitetail Habitats LLC

This is a simple but very complex question going around. The Kentucky modern firearm deer season brings outdoorsmen and outdoorswomen from far and wide to our great state known for hospitality and phenomenal deer-hunting opportunities. So, back to the simple question: Where have all the deer gone?

Here is my honest and professional opinion on that question – it’s complicated – but I will try to shed some light on the subject.

First and foremost, EHD (Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease), commonly known to most as blue tongue, took a devastating toll on deer populations in certain counties. Within any individual county, we saw huge variances in occurrence and mortality from the disease, which is spread by a midge fly. If your area saw significant mortality rates from EHD, it likely took out a disproportionate number of 2½- and 3½-year-old bucks compared to does, leaving your area with a gap within the buck age class. This will alter deer rut and movement behavior. With fewer mature bucks in the age class and higher-than-normal doe-to-buck ratios, territorial displays are minimized, leaving fewer scrapes, rubs and what we all hunt for — the chase.

Many are asking about CWD, or Chronic Wasting Disease. Has this affected Kentucky’s population? My

answer to that is no — not yet. Although CWD has been detected within the wild cervid population in more than one county in the state and close to our borders within surrounding states, the prevalence of the disease is not high enough at this point to make any difference. Please note the key words “not yet” and “at this point.” Make no mistake – this 100 percent fatal disease can and will alter our deer herd of the future. That’s why we must all do our part to follow Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife rules and recommendations as they pertain to minimizing unnecessary risk of disease transportation. If we all use common sense and do our best to fight the spread, we will all be better for it – especially our children and grandchildren, who we hope will spend their hard-earned money and even harder-earned time in the woods for some much-deserved peace and quiet.

Now let’s talk about date and weather. This is the earliest modern firearm season can open – always the second Saturday in November – and this year that date was early, on the 8th. Most hunters are in the woods at least a week earlier than in past years. Our weather has been at least two weeks behind the entire year. My son Tucker showed me a picture from his deer stand on Nov. 3, 2023, versus Nov. 3, 2025. In 2023, it looked like the dead of winter with not a single leaf on a tree; this year, many of the trees, especially white oaks, were still fully leaved and green. Acorn drop from white oaks was overall late this year – typically dropping heavy by the first week of October – but white oaks are still dropping acorns today. The moon has been bright at night, the wind has blown seemingly every day, and the temperature has swung from highs to lows. All these factors keep deer in their beds during daylight hours and allow them to move at night when winds are calm, temps are cooler and no one is bothering them.

Anyone can go online and research harvest data for individual or all counties within the state. Looking at my home county of Crittenden, September and October numbers are within the average harvest, but November is definitely behind. Many will say, “How can you say November is down in harvest? It’s only the 11th.” Only one-third of the month has passed and only one-fourth of the modern firearm season, but history shows that opening weekend always produces the highest overall harvest days. In November we typically see a harvest of 2,000 to 2,500 deer, with a ratio basically at 50/50 buck to doe harvest, which is great. As of today, the total harvest is 753, and that is low.

Looking at the brighter side, I believe the best hunting opportunity is yet to come. If your area has seen significant deer mortality due to EHD, the future may be bright for producing record-book potential in the near future. Now, you probably think I’ve lost my mind, but think about this: We all know all Zone 1 counties in the state have too many deer per square mile – however you want to quantify it. Simply put, we have too many deer, and that’s bad for overall herd health, including antler development and spread of disease such as EHD. As the herd rebounds, you will have a two- to three-year window of opportunity for antler development before overall numbers again reach unhealthy levels. Opportunity exists after EHD to continue harvesting does and keep the population balanced in sex ratios and within the surrounding ecosystem.

We, as stewards of the land, should take note of the changes we’ve all seen and do our part to make the future as bright as possible. We can accomplish this by doing more than simply planting a food plot or putting out a deer feeder. Research options such as HuntPro or utilizing a thermal drone for gathering deer density, antlered vs. antlerless ratios, and fawn recruitment data for your property. Knowledge is power – and if you have no idea what I’m talking about, we can help.

Please feel free to reach out to us at Superior Whitetail Habitats for more information on how to gather, interpret and utilize data for long-term deer management. Good luck hunting, and if you need thermal drone services to help locate your animal, we are ready to help.