bwoods11
5 year old buck +
If every state did this, there would be little reason to leave your home state, we would all have good hunting.
Productive properties in underwhelming states
- Thread starter Howboutthemdawgs
- Start date
If every state did this, there would be little reason to leave your home state, we would all have good hunting.
Triple C
5 year old buck +
I've done a 180 over the past decade. 2 buck limit with 3 month long firearms season in GA leads to slaughtering of 2.5 yr old bucks. But, enough warriors make it thru to keep one's interest peaked. I love hunting season. I love the long season we have here. Add archery season and ours gets stretched out to 5 months. Makes for many, many gatherings at the hunting cabin with family and friends in a relaxed, enjoyable environment with no sense of rush to get it done. Ain't the midwest by any stretch but still, very satisfying and fulfilling in all we do to prepare for the season and then hunt over a long period.
Hoytvectrix
5 year old buck +
I'm a little surprised that other states are not following Iowa's model of having a later firearm season. If you look at states like Missouri that report harvest numbers, the vast majority of bucks killed are button bucks during the opening weekend. Most people firearm hunting are doing it just for the weekend and don't really care about what they shoot. Would it really have that negative of an impact on license sales if the season was later in November or early December?
Has there been any states that have shifted their firearm season away from the rut?
Has there been any states that have shifted their firearm season away from the rut?
Derek Reese 29
5 year old buck +
I could only imagine the outcry if you tried to bump back the rifle season in PA....we already have people freaking out about moving it back 2 days (from an original Monday start to a Saturday start) and in my opinion the rifle season here begins later in the rut (well past peak breeding).
It is unbelievable to me that people would argue against getting more days to hunt, but it happens (and from hunters! not even from antis).
Although we are allowed to archery hunt the best part of the rut, so there's that too..
Howboutthemdawgs
5 year old buck +
Has any state gone more “restrictive” or quality minded in the last 10 years as opposed to more equal opportunity participation trophy minded? Crossbows seasons, in-line muzzleloaders, baiting, longer rifle seasons, etc have been way more the norm than the opposite. So while iowa has a great model i don’t see the genie going back in the bottle for the other states. Restrictions seem to soften over time not tighten
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Hoytvectrix
5 year old buck +
It is older than 10 years, but Indiana is one example of tightening restrictions.
Indiana’s Big Whitetail Buck Revival
In the near future, we will be hearing more about record-book whitetails coming out of Indiana.
Mortenson
5 year old buck +
This is really surprising to me, but IL has on rare occasion removed the late antlerless season from a few counties. There must be literally zero deer in those counties.
PatinPA
5 year old buck +
I was going to say the same thing. People lost their minds when it went from a Monday opener to Saturday. I still know a lot of people that complain about it. Now with being able to hunt that Sunday too is really nice.
Derek Reese 29
5 year old buck +
Weird that some people enjoy new found freedom while others rail against it....I will definitely be hunting both days....
PatinPA
5 year old buck +
I know the big complaint was people that had distant camps had to basically leave Thanksgiving evening or early Friday morning to be ready for a Saturday opener. I love getting to hunt two straight days without having to use vacation time.
Derek Reese 29
5 year old buck +
aw shucks have to miss the old Thursday night football game to go get camp set up to hunt....I heard it railed against for years, but it was mostly the older generation..I know most people my age (30s-40s and below) are totally for the Saturday opener and the first Sunday open as they are the ones that don't have the extra time or vacation days.
Of course I was never a member of a camp either, but we did still have a 2 hour drive to get to my grandparent's farm.
Wind Gypsy
5 year old buck +
The button buck sluicin population cares much more about keeping deer camp weekend in it's spot on the calendar and not working through change than they do seeing bucks over 1.5 years old.
I think this is part of the epic fail. Have enough game and biologist understanding and support to describe the whys of impending changes. Johnny Sitsonbucket will always have an uneducated opinion based on his interests and emotions… occasionally supported with small window observation.
While hunter satisfaction matters- how many really put herd health first? Lots of guy bawk at ARs etc but can’t imagine a world without adults and that’s the construct without a balanced herd (not necessarily ar s but you get the point)
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Wind Gypsy
5 year old buck +
A big chunk of the "hunter conservationists" would greedily race into shooting the last remaining population of a game species if it came to that.
To play devils advocate - how much do we really care about herd health vs big antlers? It's a depressing thought when bucks over 2 years old make up less than 10% of a buck population just because but do hunters really care about that or just the fact that there are hardly any big bucks around to shoot?
omicron1792
5 year old buck +
I would put the number around 99% of “hunters” only care about how big the antlers are to shoot.
But honestly, so do most QDM people. They see and know what it takes to change a deer heard, they put in the time, effort, and money to do it. But if it didn’t produce bigger bucks in the long term to shoot they wouldn’t do it either.
It’s kind of like working out Gypsy. Most say they do it for their health. But there are a lot of mirrors in every gym I have ever been to!
MadMadHoosier
5 year old buck +
I’m ok with your rules IF land owners with over 100 acres are considered residents for license purposes. I grew up in the western Kentucky area and over 30 years acquired 550 acres. Then retired and established Residency in Florida. Too much invested to not be able to hunt my own property!!! PS; Kind of hate the outfitter that leases 80 acres next to me and brings a different group of hunters in every week.
Howboutthemdawgs
5 year old buck +
I agree 100% with all of that, I’m a nonresident too…at least that outfitter doesn’t have 800 acres behind you and bring a different crew of dip asses every week like me! Only so much they can kill off that 80 by you.
Howboutthemdawgs
5 year old buck +
sometimes I wish half the worlds population would go extinct so there would be more land and prices would plummet. Keep the deer.
