#397 - The BIGGEST Problems in Deer Hunting That No One Wants to Talk About with Mike Rex
The WHTL Podcast - Whitetail Deer Hunting Tactics, Stories & Expert Guests
Jake Hofer
4.9 • 616 Ratings
🗓️ 6 January 2026
⏱️ 63 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
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Ohio has lost ~100,000 deer hunters since 2012
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Fewer hunters means less political influence
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EHD wiped out up to 90% of deer in some areas
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Disease outbreaks take 3–5 years to recover from
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Access to land is a bigger issue than regulations
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Trophy focus has reduced doe harvest
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Crossbows drove a major shift toward archery
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Wildlife management always has unintended effects
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Social media magnifies frustration, not accuracy
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Hunter unity matters more than rule changes
And So Much More!
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Here's a couple things I've heard over the years. Insurance companies dictate the deer program, baloney. When lots of deer get hit, they just raise our premiums. They just raise our rates. And same thing with the Farm Bureau. The Farm Bureau, a lot of people think that the Division of Wildlife and the talking to farmland couldn't be farther from the truth. In this episode of the White Tail podcast presented by Moultrie. We are talking with Mike Rex, chairman of the Ohio |
| 0:22.2 | Wildlife Council. As we lose numbers, we lose our position with the state and general, with the |
| 0:30.0 | legislature. Roughly 5% of the people in Ohio consider themselves hunters or fish or trap, you know, outdoors people, 5%. |
| 0:36.6 | There's twice that many people that consider themselves to be anti. |
| 0:40.3 | As we lose numbers, we lose strength. |
| 0:43.3 | We talk about a lot of the questions that are probably on top of your mind, no matter where you're at, |
| 0:46.3 | whether you're in Ohio or not, talking about the number of hunters, quality versus quantity. |
| 0:51.3 | We talk about regulations and the serious outbreak of Southern Ohio had seen this past year and how is it potentially going to impact the future. |
| 0:58.0 | In 2023, the state of Ohio reported 18 dead deer or casualties to EHD in the whole state. |
| 1:06.0 | I personally, one guy found 72 dead deer this past year. |
| 1:11.8 | I found four times as many dead deer is the whole state found in 2023. |
| 1:17.3 | I think this time of year, people are looking to see what worked last year, what regulation |
| 1:21.7 | changes could potentially improve the resource or opportunity for everyone. |
| 1:26.2 | So Mike is very well respected in the state of Ohio, |
| 1:30.2 | wants to do best for the state of Ohio. So I hope you guys enjoy this conversation. Here we go. |
| 1:34.8 | All right, Mike. Welcome to the White Tail podcast. This is the last podcast for me for the year. |
| 1:39.9 | It's December 31st. And it'll be the first podcast, Whiteale platform for next year. So how's it going? |
| 1:47.0 | It's going well. Very good. Well, so you are the head chairman of the Ohio commissioner |
| 1:54.5 | board for what's your exact title? I don't want to. Okay. Here in Ohio, we call it the Wildlife Council. |
| 2:02.6 | I believe in Illinois, you guys call it the Game Commissioners. |
| 2:06.1 | In Ohio, we call it the Wildlife Council. |
| 2:07.8 | And what I am, I'm chairman of the Ohio Wildlife Council, |
... |
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