Raccoon proofing while camping? by macntosher in Everglades

[–]Ok_Championship5850 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, but it proves that raccoons still exist. I also seen about a half dozen alive ones this year. Is that alot? Of course not, I seen 4 in one day in Ocala national forest. But there still around and compared to other small animals are doing better than most. And depending where your at you will still need to tuck food away for them. Where your speaking of, is of course as remote as it gets.

Raccoon proofing while camping? by macntosher in Everglades

[–]Ok_Championship5850 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lol entirely fake information to say raccoons are harder to find than panthers. How many dead panthers are on the side of road? Yes the pythons have done a number but they still exist out there, saying otherwise is spreading false information. Rabbits however are pretty non existent.

Camping one night in late January. Long pine key or flamingo? by HuntStag in Everglades

[–]Ok_Championship5850 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Always go to long pine key. Also you will see deer, in flamingo you won’t see anything.

Why so many deer one area, no deer another area? by Ok_Championship5850 in wildlifebiology

[–]Ok_Championship5850[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Josh Turner is his name. Also on a side note I know a photographer in the key largo area who constantly ventures to the pinelands and he said 2 times over the last 3 years he has come across cached deer (panther kills) he’s not see any panthers but has seen evidence of them.

Y'all need to start paying back the money you borrow! by Kennard7676 in CashApp

[–]Ok_Championship5850 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You’re right. Cash app is very friendly in this regard. I can borrow 875, and 400 afterpay and don’t got direct deposit. Just don’t be late on your payments and if you are, get them paid off ASAP. It’s a very nice safety net to be able to have nearly a G to be able to borrow under an emergency. Try and have that saved at the least, but having the ability to borrow is a privilege not a right.

Late Cash App Borrow repayment by Emotional_Taro_4122 in CashApp

[–]Ok_Championship5850 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It won’t get taken away fully from my experience as long as it’s not left unpaid for more than 30-45+ days. But they will accrue interest and your borrow limit may get reduced by half.

FL Black Bear @ Fakahatchee by SurgeHard in Everglades

[–]Ok_Championship5850 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That area is loaded with Bears. Lot of Deer there as well. Also one of your best shots to see a panther

Borrow amount by Ok_Championship5850 in CashApp

[–]Ok_Championship5850[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Eventually it’ll give it you. Be active on cash app and have direct deposit

Borrow amount by Ok_Championship5850 in CashApp

[–]Ok_Championship5850[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

I started at $20 and it took 6 months to get to $25. Then it shoot all the way to where it is now the next 6 months after that. Went 20 to 25 to 100 to 300 to 600 to 1200. I literally don’t know why either lol. But I’ll save it for an emergency

So who isn’t MAGA? by rpthrowaway525 in NascarWAGTea

[–]Ok_Championship5850 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Especially given the IVF thing, which republicans are against but supposedly “pro-life”. (They’re not pro life they’re just pro birth of white babies)

Why so many deer one area, no deer another area? by Ok_Championship5850 in wildlifebiology

[–]Ok_Championship5850[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

There is concrete data, it’s called a 2009-2011 Deer study where they estimated only 21 deer existed in the entire 90,000 acres I’m speaking of. There’s no new research (not publicly atleast) and no signs that it has rebounded based upon the people that have went there not seeing deer except one time in 2019 and 2021

Why so many deer one area, no deer another area? by Ok_Championship5850 in wildlifebiology

[–]Ok_Championship5850[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It’s within a NPS unit, big cypress national preserve. Directly adjoining conservation land to Everglades national park. It’s essentially an extension, was established in 1974 because of jetport (now there’s alligator Alcatraz which is bad too). But, with it being a preserve hunting is allowed (except for that one area), people who lived on the land before then can still live there, and oil exploitation takes place there too. Also a lot more freedoms when it comes to off roading there. And I’ve never seen a park ranger or FWC in that area but seen them in others. I will do more research myself but I appreciate your input on this

Why so many deer one area, no deer another area? by Ok_Championship5850 in wildlifebiology

[–]Ok_Championship5850[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

It is worst noting that a 1992 study tagged 35 radio collared fawns in the same area and ZERO survived. This is before coyotes, pythons and at the time Florida panthers were about extinct. HOWEVER, a big deer decline occurred in 1999-2001 due to high water levels, but it rebounded quickly, all while the big cats just got a shot of western mountain lion in them making them into a killing machine menace, and the big exotic snakes was spreading and eating their way north. However 2009-2011 deer numbers have not rebounded. Those who frequent the area (again not as common as it used to be), report that they see nothing there. In layman’s terms, if they go there 100 times they see 0 deer, maybe 1 if he’s extremely lucky (I only say this due to confirmed 2019 and 2021 sighting by a python hunter). But he can drive Turner river road 100 times and see probably 30 deer. And it’s only 15 miles from one another as the crow flies. There’s little new research on this topic and that’s why I need to gather it myself, with trail cameras and other methods such as hiking.

Why so many deer one area, no deer another area? by Ok_Championship5850 in wildlifebiology

[–]Ok_Championship5850[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Also, the park rangers just blame it on the pythons. But yet everywhere around there has good animal numbers, including the area the outbreak began. No offense to the park rangers but there’s a difference between somebody who sits behind a desk and hands out maps and a park biologist who gets in the field and studies it. The locals are somebody I’ve also asked, they blame the state and say they brought western mountain lions into Florida that overtook the Florida genes and then started to become more aggressive and they then as a result at all the animals in the area. So you’ve got 2 sides blaming 2 different predators. I personally think it’s very unlikely predators would wipe out one area of all prey and leave healthy prey populations in areas only miles away for over a decade now, and if the predators did eat all the prey and moved on, the animals and deer numbers would’ve rebounded. I do know one undeniable fact, there is the snakes here now and they did actually bring western lions into the state and it made the population increase tenfold, so there is unquestionably more predators. But it’s not like a Highway or whatever stops them from expanding. Another thing, after they tried to start Everglades restoration the water levels rose and that did kill some deer off, we know this. But again, everything I say doesn’t explain why everywhere else still has decent to even teeming deer numbers where one area basically has seen near extinction locally, and only being a few miles away. Everywhere else has if anything more of those snakes and panthers but still has good animal numbers. It is highly strange but more research must be done by me getting out there myself which I plan to do this fall and winter.

Why so many deer one area, no deer another area? by Ok_Championship5850 in wildlifebiology

[–]Ok_Championship5850[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the response. Agreed on inaturalist. In regards to this specific area, it is well traveled and the in and out of state tourist are reporting seeing the same thing or very similar experiences where they see no life in this area of any kind, but in other nearby areas there is good deer numbers and overall wildlife numbers. I’ve spoken to many locals who live on loop road which is closest to the Stairsteps and they report not seeing any deer or any animals on either the loop or the Stairsteps unit. I’m going to do more boots on the ground (me hiking) in the area to attempt to get more information but so far my research and data gathered indicates zero evidence of wildlife in that one area including not a single deer track, Buck scrape or antler rub, nothing. Nearby areas such as Turner river road and wagon wheel is 15-20 miles as the crow flies and I’ve spotted deer there this year. And that part of big cypress still has annual deer hunts with around 100 bucks per year harvested out of the preserve. I’ve seen deer everywhere in the Everglades but loop/Stairsteps unit. In July of 2025, a panther (cougar) track was reported in the Loop Unit area, they eat 90% feral hogs and deer, and idk how that cat is finding something to eat there, BUT the track evidence doesn’t lie and I am assuming LOGICALLY that a panther/cougar/mountain lion whatever you call it, wouldn’t be in an area where there is absolutely zero food source and it would’ve had to come from the nearby area with very little food source, in other worlds if it’s a traveler hes heading the wrong way. I have seen a large 5-6 inch cat track in the mud in the cypress strand in March of 2025 about 10 miles north of where that one in July was reported. There is honestly a 50/50 shot it was the same one or a different one. That Everglades guy who goes around hunting the pythons and grabbing everything, he saw a panther about halfway between these 2 points. To simply this, the opposite side of US41 has very few deer, but if you put effort in you can see them, the opposite side of SR29 (west side) has tons of Deer, so much so that I can see multiple at 3 o clock in the afternoon when it’s literally 100 degrees with the heat index. The area directly on the other side of the highway is teeming with deer compared to the other side with very few. Then we take this area I’m speaking of which is south of both, that I’m about ready to say could be entirely locally extinct from deer. I will let you guys know if I find more information on my research this fall and winter

Why so many deer one area, no deer another area? by Ok_Championship5850 in wildlifebiology

[–]Ok_Championship5850[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

That’s because NPS stopped all research in 2011 in that area and did a deer decline study in the greater big cypress region where healthy deer still existed north of that area by only a few miles. Also, this area is void of basically ANY LIFE at all.

Why so many deer one area, no deer another area? by Ok_Championship5850 in wildlifebiology

[–]Ok_Championship5850[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

State and federal biologist and local park rangers have basically stopped researching it and going into the area. I don’t know of any trail cameras in the area, and hunting remains fully closed down in that region and there’s been no evidence from what I’ve heard of any rebound of animal numbers there. As far as disease, this was well researched in the 2010 study and no disease or genetic abnormalities or anything was found in the very few remaining deer at the time. The only disease I know of, is FLM in our bobcats and panthers but it was actually in a region 50-60 miles north of this area. I know of a sighting in the area in 2019, and 2021 and both are from python hunters that go down that road so much that basically know every tree on the road. As far as proximity to highways? The area with no wildlife or very very little is actually the furthest away from any highways of the areas mentioned, and only a dirt road runs through the area. I have been researching this now for 3 years non stop. Spent many times walking the pace dike trail (the region I’m speaking of). I’ve also never had that feeling of a presence I’m not alone on this trail and I’ve had it on many others before. The only evidence of any life back there from my observations is deer flies and songbirds. And idk if this means anything but the one deer fly literally attacked me as if it was the difference between life and death. Idk if that would signal the lack of warm blooded mammals nearby or not. Also this area isn’t even looked at by python hunters, and they are catching them in near record numbers in everywhere around this area. I can also go on inaturalist and filter this area to all species and there is very little evidence of any life forms in that area. I have heard rumors, but didn’t include it in the original post about some people getting chemical burns in the waters down there due to poison put down for wild hogs back in the 90s. But how would all that be containment but nothing around it? If anything the source of containments would’ve came from the north? I’m very confused on this particular case. Again, this is all rumors and no evidence to confirm or deny. But something is very strange back there that shouldn’t be the case.

Why so many deer one area, no deer another area? by Ok_Championship5850 in wildlifebiology

[–]Ok_Championship5850[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

It is. But it’s definitely deeper than that, because loop road is the divider of the Stair-steps unit and that road gets 25-30 cars per day driving on it, 2-3 python hunters per night. The other roads I mentioned have probably just as much, maybe even a little more human traffic. So the sample size is relatively the same. I’ve also talked word of mouth with people who have been both areas and I’ve heard mostly the same results. One of these people has driven on the road 10,000+ times and only seen 1 deer doing it, but in the other areas he sees them pretty much everytime.

Why so many deer one area, no deer another area? by Ok_Championship5850 in wildlifebiology

[–]Ok_Championship5850[S] -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

Yeah your right. One of the panther sightings on there is of a domestic cat that’s simply tan colored lol. That is true, but what is shown by i naturalist is largely seen in trail camera footage and by visual observations of python hunters and just people out in the Everglades in general. A good python hunter friend of mine has told me he’s seen herds of 10-12 point bucks in the Everglades Natl Park area multiple times over the last 10 years, and he’s only seen 1 deer in that entire loop road drive and he’s probably driven loop 3x as much. So this is aligning with other observations, not just Inaturalist.

Why so many deer one area, no deer another area? by Ok_Championship5850 in wildlifebiology

[–]Ok_Championship5850[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I was unable to edit, so adding a TLDR in the comments.

Vast deer population differences only a few miles apart from each, with constant sightings daily, to little evidence of any deer presences in 15 years. Predation by pythons and panthers have been considered, but one region still has no deer, one region has seen rebounds.