Are the glory days of deer hunting coming to a close?

[Mtyhunter]

yeah, but they gotta walk in that 50ft cam zone over those thousands of acres. no pics doesn't mean they aren't there.

 

[BenA]

Are there any states that adjust licenses and tags based on where the non-resident is coming from? Something like immigration quotas for visas, where people coming for more populated states have less of a chance at a draw?

That might be a way of incentivising states to work on themselves first.

I like how Indiana handles non-resident landowners hunting on their own land.

 

[Hoytvectrix]

I like how Indiana handles non-resident landowners hunting on their own land.

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That's actually super informative. It's interesting that they focus on non-resident landowners.

 

[SwampCat]

I read where MO is going to a NR one bird limit for turkey - unless the NR is hunting their own land - then it is same as resident.

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

I read where MO is going to a NR one bird limit for turkey - unless the NR is hunting their own land - then it is same as resident.

It’s a start.

 

[BenA]

That's actually super informative. It's interesting that they focus on non-resident landowners.

Ohio does the same thing. I believe Ohio, Indiana, North Carolina, and Virginia are the only states that allow non-resident landowners the same freedoms on their own land as a resident has.

 

[SwampCat]

It’s a start.

Now if Arkansas would go to a NR one duck limit on public land, it would also be a really good start.

 

[Hoytvectrix]

In their press release announcing license fees increasing, MDC showed what each of the neighboring states charge for the same license. They are obviously tracking it.

 

[MN Slick]

Talked to a guy last week who owns 3000 acres between Kansas and Missouri. Several tracts, largest about 500 acres, he said his biggest deer on on camera on any of those properties was 160”. Great single deer but overall seems low for the part of the world his properties are in.

I believe it in MO. Heck, there are farms in Southern Iowa that kicked out mega giants back in the day that now struggle to get them past 160.

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

I believe it in MO. Heck, there are farms in Southern Iowa that kicked out mega giants back in the day that now struggle to get them past 160.

I think a lot people have their head in the sand or are denial OR most likely, don’t care cause a 130-140 is good enough every year.

 

[SwampCat]

I think a lot people have their head in the sand or are denial OR most likely, don’t care cause a 130-140 is good enough every year.

In Iowa, a lot of people just want to kill a deer - any deer - if 50% of the buck harvest is 1.5 yr old deer. In AR, about 8% of the harvest is 1.5 yr old bucks. Most folks dont own 700 acres of hunting land. I have a lot of 10/20 acre neighbors, and none of them have the false notion that passing deer and waiting for a 150” buck is the best way to put meat in the freezer.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

I like how Indiana handles non-resident landowners hunting on their own land.

View attachment 86685

Interesting. I like the reciprocity angle. The whole idea of not needing a license at all is foreign to me and I think it's stupid for a game agency to do such a thing. For one, a state's allocation of federal pittman-robertson funds (millions of dollars) is based on the number of paid hunting licenses. Make em $2 if you dont want to value your wildlife but at least get more licenses bought so the residents of your state get more federal PR $. Also, how are you supposed to manage anything if you dont know how many people are hunting and where?

 

[SwampCat]

Interesting. I like the reciprocity angle. The whole idea of not needing a license at all is foreign to me and I think it's stupid for a game agency to do such a thing. For one, a state's allocation of federal pittman-robertson funds (millions of dollars) is based on the number of paid hunting licenses. Make em $2 if you dont want to value your wildlife but at least get more licenses bought so the residents of your state get more federal PR $. Also, how are you supposed to manage anything if you dont know how many people are hunting and where?

I agree with you. Also, the game does not stay all the time on your land, and secondly, if you dont pay for licenses, you are not paying your fair share of enforcement activities.

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

In Iowa, a lot of people just want to kill a deer - any deer - if 50% of the buck harvest is 1.5 yr old deer. In AR, about 8% of the harvest is 1.5 yr old bucks. Most folks dont own 700 acres of hunting land. I have a lot of 10/20 acre neighbors, and none of them have the false notion that passing deer and waiting for a 150” buck is the best way to put meat in the freezer.

Are you giving reasons for why the quality is decreasing are saying it’s not decreasing?

 

[SwampCat]

Are you giving reasons for why the quality is decreasing are saying it’s not decreasing?

I would guess, without ever hunting there, that is a reason why quality is decreasing. When we in AR went to an APR and stopped shooting a high percentage of 1.5 yr old bucks, age structure increased a LOT.

 

[BenA]

Interesting. I like the reciprocity angle. The whole idea of not needing a license at all is foreign to me and I think it's stupid for a game agency to do such a thing. For one, a state's allocation of federal pittman-robertson funds (millions of dollars) is based on the number of paid hunting licenses. Make em $2 if you dont want to value your wildlife but at least get more licenses bought so the residents of your state get more federal PR $. Also, how are you supposed to manage anything if you dont know how many people are hunting and where?

Yeah, I don't agree with someone taking a resource for free when others are paying for those same resources either.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

I believe it in MO. Heck, there are farms in Southern Iowa that kicked out mega giants back in the day that now struggle to get them past 160.

What do you think is the cause of that decline? I'm assuming it is the increased focus on big bucks now as opposed to the freezer filling goals of the past.