If you could change one regulation in your state

[SwampCat]

I don't think you have to kill 2 to make a difference. Having 2 buck tags in your pocket allows you to satisfy the itch with killing a less than spectacular buck (young one) while saving the other tag for a monster. Only one buck dies, but with only 1 tag it wouldn't have been the young up-n-comer.

That works two ways. We have a lot of management areas with a one buck limit and a short season. A lot of the hunters think I need to shoot the first buck I see because I might not see another one.

 

[Bill]

I’m sure there’s a lot of “catch me if you can” going on. In 7 years I’ve never seen the warden.

In MO the fine for hunting without a license was only about $20 more than on out of state license. Haven't looked lately but that made no sense to me get caught once every couple years and you're way ahead of the game.

 

[Cool Hand Luke]

Crossbows for more than apt adults.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[SwampCat]

For you guys down on the crossbow - we have a five month season for crossbow and those hunters only take five percent of the harvest - less than vertical bow hunters. What % of harvest are crossbow hunters taking in the northern states?

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

For you guys down on the crossbow - we have a five month season for crossbow and those hunters only take five percent of the harvest - less than vertical bow hunters. What % of harvest are crossbow hunters taking in the northern states?

I’m not sure what percent of the total harvest is the full story. No one south of Iowa is complaining about too many deer being harvested. In fact it’s not even close to the issue.

 

[PatinPA]

I wish we had stiffer penalties for poaching/trespassing.

 

[SwampCat]

I’m not sure what percent of the total harvest is the full story. No one south of Iowa is complaining about too many deer being harvested. In fact it’s not even close to the issue.

So what is the issue - principle?

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

Yeah principle and tangible. Deer are lost that would other wise provide an archer or later rifle hunter an opportunity. It’s a contribution to the erosion of age structure for bucks as well.
Why have season structures if they don’t matter? Set a harvest quota and let er rip. Any weapon all year, shut it down after the quota is achieved. If principle doesn’t matter then clearly we can have guns in archery season. Why not? Noise? Is decibels the line in the sand? Season dates and methods are arbitrary to a degree anyway. Why was an archery season ever distinguished from a gun season in the first place? Crossbows are much closer to a gun than a bow in my opinion.

 

[Bill]

So what is the issue - principle?

Can’t figure that out myself either. On my farm we can only shoot 1 deer a year if we’re lucky ( self imposed). I shoot the same amount of deer with an X bow as I did with a compound.

Now what my X bow lets me do is smoke a bunch more coyotes further out then I’d ever try to shoot a deer.

Guys that think Xbows are bad probably don’t think an outlaw is an outlaw. If someone wants to the game the system their going to use a gun during the bow season anyway. Can’t fix stupid but you can make it easier on old guys with bad shoulders.

Kinda the same logic as why suppressors are not legal everywhere. Someone might shoot something like in the movies.

 

[SwampCat]

I look at it completely different, more science based than personal feelings. If I have one wish to make a noticeable increase in buck age structure in my state - I am going to use my wish on something that would actually count for something as opposed to increasing regulations on the least effective hunting method In my state - except a spear. Crossbow hunters take 6% of the harvest - 10,000 deer in five months. Modern gun hunters take 40,000 deer the first four days of season. Vertical bow hunters kill more deer in this state than crossbow hunters. Crossbows are still a short range, single shot weapon. If they were closer to a gun than a vertical bow, they would not be be taking 6% of the harvest with a season five times as long as modern gun season. Not many folks killing deer at 200 yards with a crossbow. My 13 year old grand daughter will kill 95% of the deer she shoots at 200 yards. It is not even in the same universe.

But, back to the original post - If I have one chance to do something to make a difference - it is going to be something I believe will make the biggest difference. I would make gun season two weeks long, starting the weekend after thanksgiving - instead of a five week season starting the second Saturday in Nov. Not only does that cut 60% off modern gun season, it would put season after the rut instead of right over the top of it. I believe a lot more tangible, positive difference, than anything else that would realistically make a noticeable difference with improving the buck age structure

the question I asked about crossbow usage was a legitimate, straight forward question. I have no idea how many deer are being killed with a crossbow in other states. A crossbow is basically a non issue in my state - it is the least ineffective weapon allowed besides a spear. I was just trying to understand if crossbows account for a much larger portion of the harvest in other states to the point of more restrictive regulations being the most important thing to use your one wish increase buck age structure. I truly do not know.

 

[Bill]

One buck a year across all platforms would solve it and be my wish. Kill it with an ied for all I care but that is your buck this year and your done.

 

[Bill Loser]

Can’t figure that out myself either. On my farm we can only shoot 1 deer a year if we’re lucky ( self imposed). I shoot the same amount of deer with an X bow as I did with a compound.

Now what my X bow lets me do is smoke a bunch more coyotes further out then I’d ever try to shoot a deer.

Guys that think Xbows are bad probably don’t think an outlaw is an outlaw. If someone wants to the game the system their going to use a gun during the bow season anyway. Can’t fix stupid but you can make it easier on old guys with bad shoulders.

Kinda the same logic as why suppressors are not legal everywhere. Someone might shoot something like in the movies.

Like it or not the biggest impact of xbows is pressure ( imo for those that need it lol) A lot of people who would be to lazy to practice practice practice with a bow can just pick up a know and go hunt and in most cases shoot out to 60 yards or farther(?) . I'm short a lot who wouldn't otherwise do it are doing it and that's not always good.
On the other hand, physically unable, elderly etc, go for it use them if it gives a few more years. He'll been thinking about it myself as I get older,the eyes are getting bad(can't shoot the bow with my glasses on) and my shoulders are going but I'm putting it off for as long as possible.
Another honest question that I think about a lot. If you can baiting does that cover food plots? It's the same thing at the basic level just spread out more.

 

[Stubborn1VT]

I would get rid of 1 buck here in Vermont. According to the state's harvest reports, it protects 1,400 bucks a year. Big deal. We aren't Iowa and we aren't ever going to be. All it does is push successful hunters out of state. I'm not saying I need to shoot a second buck, but I would like to HUNT a second buck.

 

[Natty Bumppo]

Where do I even start in Massachusetts? LOL.

Allow Sunday hunting.

 

[Derek Reese 29]

For PA, I would like to see an “earn-a-buck” policy for a second buck tag. Like shoot two does (which is all you can legally shoot in one wildlife management unit) then get an additional tag for a second buck. Heck put like a trophy restriction on the 2nd one I don’t care. And even make it so you can’t use the buck tag as an antlerless tag in the late season (we are allowed to do that here in the MZ season after Christmas). This is coming from a guy who for the first time ever shot his buck in the first 2 weeks of the early archery season, then watched his cams blow up with even bigger bucks. I understand trigger restraint, but those big boys didn’t even show till late October and my tag had been used for 2 weeks at that point..live and learn..
Also no coyote dog running on private land that law is stupid..

 

[H20fwler]

That Ohio would use the exact same format and fees for NR hunters that Iowa uses.

 

[H20fwler]

For you guys down on the crossbow - we have a five month season for crossbow and those hunters only take five percent of the harvest - less than vertical bow hunters. What % of harvest are crossbow hunters taking in the northern states?

They have been legal here for forty years, archery hunters shoot more deer than gun hunters, Xbow is over half the archery deer taken.

Xbows haven’t hurt Ohio deer hunting at all.

 

[Electrodigical]

I would need to change dozen and dozens, if not hundreds and hundreds of regulations in my state before I even got to the hunting laws.

One buck a year across all platforms would solve it and be my wish. Kill it with an ied for all I care but that is your buck this year and your done.

That would never work, unless they tripled the price of your tag. Remember it's not about the deer, it's about the money.

Why do you have to pay to shoot a deer? "The deer don't belong to you, they belong to the people of the state." Meaning they belong to the state. ("The king's deer.")
You're paying, oh... $400 to $40k in property taxes every year, the state's deer are living on your land, eating your vegetation. Pay for a deer? The state should be paying you! Why aren't they? The real answer is, because they're not your deer, it's not really your vegetation and it's not your land. You're just paying $400-$40k a year for the privilege of pretending it is.
(My right wing, tinfoil hat, anti government, "Taxation is Theft" rant for the day )

 

[gwm]

For you guys down on the crossbow - we have a five month season for crossbow and those hunters only take five percent of the harvest - less than vertical bow hunters. What % of harvest are crossbow hunters taking in the northern states?

Wisconsin info....

Smith: Growing popularity of crossbows in Wisconsin contributes to a record buck kill by bowhunters

Wisconsin bowhunters have registered a record 63,401 bucks, including 36,766 with crossbows, during the 2020 Wisconsin deer hunting season.

www.jsonline.com

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

Can’t figure that out myself either. On my farm we can only shoot 1 deer a year if we’re lucky ( self imposed). I shoot the same amount of deer with an X bow as I did with a compound.

Now what my X bow lets me do is smoke a bunch more coyotes further out then I’d ever try to shoot a deer.

Guys that think Xbows are bad probably don’t think an outlaw is an outlaw. If someone wants to the game the system their going to use a gun during the bow season anyway. Can’t fix stupid but you can make it easier on old guys with bad shoulders.

Kinda the same logic as why suppressors are not legal everywhere. Someone might shoot something like in the movies.

Never heard anyone advocate against people with physical limitations using a crossbow