Bonus weekend, season down.

brock ratcliff · Dec 17, 2012

mrex said:
Where's your sense of humor?

I am staying in the stands this year for multitude of reasons...maybe if this Mayan Calender thing passes I'll feel like picking up the torch. I will say this...I'm a big proponent of dropping the 2 day December gun season...I'm also a big opponent of a statewide early antlerless only muzzleloader season. That's an absolutely horrible idea and I have made my feelings about this known to the Division on several occasions. I've had a fair amount of success killing target bucks early. Taking an October weekend away from the archery enthusiasts is just plain stupid...IMO.

I think the Mayans got my sense of humor...

You know as well as I do that you took the time to post Joe's statements because you haven't figured out a good spin to put on this crap for the DoW. I think you need to learn the same lesson as I did with my friend.... He's a big boy, makes his own decisions, let him live with them. It isn't your job to carry the DoW's torch anymore, they sure haven't given you any help in defending them. They are dead wrong, and you know it as well as we do!

hahahaha <----------------- this is here so you know I'm grinning and giggly.

Jackalope · Dec 17, 2012

Jackalope · Dec 17, 2012

mrex said:
:smiley_chinrub:

Good Try .. But my first quote was in reference to increasing opportunity and how it increases kills, and my second is about population numbers. And actually, they prove each others point.. So I'm not sure where you we're going with that.. lol

cotty16 · Dec 17, 2012

Mrex, I hope your voice is heard because we all agree on eliminating the 2 day bonus weekend and NOT doing an antler less October thing. That would be an insane idea!

Ohiosam · Dec 17, 2012

I've asked a bunch of farmers that hunt. Haven't found one yet that likes the idea of the early muzzleloader season.

JD Boyd · Dec 17, 2012

Deer are an easy way out for the dnr to try and get taken care of to please the farmers. How many coon hunters do you know???

jagermeister · Dec 17, 2012

cotty16 said:
Mrex, I hope your voice is heard because we all agree on eliminating the 2 day bonus weekend and NOT doing an antler less October thing. That would be an insane idea!

To me it doesn't seem like anyone's voices are being heard... I've yet to see anyone say that they support the early statewide muzzy season, and I'm pretty sure last year's hunter survey results said the same, yet nearly every press release we read this year mentions the DOW's potential implementation of a statewide early muzz season. What the fugg?!?!? Nobody (hunters, that is) wants to see that happen.... So quit proposing it for crying out loud!!! :smiley_boos:

Jackalope · Dec 17, 2012

JBrown said:
To me it doesn't seem like anyone's voices are being heard... I've yet to see anyone say that they support the early statewide muzzy season, and I'm pretty sure last year's hunter survey results said the same, yet nearly every press release we read this year mentions the DOW's potential implementation of a statewide early muzz season. What the fugg?!?!? Nobody (hunters, that is) wants to see that happen.... So quit proposing it for crying out loud!!! :smiley_boos:

Actually. about 2800 hunters responded. Only about 980 said NO. But it was a misleading question after filling their head with bs about the state being overpopulated etc for years. You could ask the same question but say " do you want a month long rifle season" and hunters would probably say yes. It's just how we are, if we don't know the overall consequences we trust the dnr. We would take deer to the brink of extinction if given the unmanaged opportunity and not know it until too late. We entrust the dnr to do what's right for us. They have been slipping us the dick and hoping we don't find out. The early muzz season is no different.

LonewolfNopack · Dec 17, 2012

Jackalope said:
It's probably time to start thinking about a booth at the next D&T expo. Would be an awesome time to hand out literature about how those boys in green are slipping hunters the dick. We can turn their little shake hands and kiss babies booth into a weekend of getting grilled.

I'll sign up immediately and help with any costs associated.

jagermeister · Dec 17, 2012

Jackalope said:
Actually. about 2800 hunters responded. Only about 980 said NO. But it was a misleading question after filling their head with bs about the state being overpopulated etc for years. You could ask the same question but say " do you want a month long rifle season" and hunters would probably say yes. It's just how we are, if we don't know the overall consequences we trust the dnr. We would take deer to the brink of extinction if given the unmanaged opportunity and not know it until too late. We entrust the dnr to do what's right for us. They have been slipping us the dick and hoping we don't find out. The early muzz season is no different.

Ahh... my mistake. I was thinking it was the other way around. Shows how good my memory is. lol

Huckleberry Finn · Dec 17, 2012

Well, I saw more deer that usual, but I guess that's because I usually see nothing...dang now I don't know what to think.

LonewolfNopack · Dec 17, 2012

CritterGitterToo said:
Opportunity is fine when deer are to be had. When Ohio's deer population is a verified 750,000 deer then I wouldn't mind the bonus gun weekend at all so long as it is implemented when the deer population rebounds and reasonable bag limits are in place. When they get the herd to 800,000 they can make gun week 2 full weeks if they want to. Doesn't bother me one bit.

However, with the herd we have now, anything short of no bonus anterless tags and no bonus gun (without substituting it with another 2 day gun at a different time) would be bad management practices in my opinion. Also, I woulnd't mind going back to starting archery the 1st Saturday in October and ending it Jan 31st.

Bingo. I keep hearing about shortening and eliminating gun seasons, and while I am for that I also think we need to take about a month off of our bow season. No biological reason anyone should be killing a deer in February. I would like to see an October 1st to December 31st bow season. With the recent flood of bow hunters, this could be especially important if we want to slow the deer decline.

brock ratcliff · Dec 17, 2012

This is one thing the OBA always preached would happen with the addition of crossbows. I'd hate to see them be right on the matter, but I hate worse to see our herd lowered to what it is now. I'd rather see baiting made illegal.... you'd see the January harvest rates drop like a rock. Still, I think we are getting the cart before the horse here - our DoW hasn't even given a hint they are ready to allow the herd to rebound. After the first gun season I thought that's the way they were leaning, but why even consider adding an anterless season if they think we've cut too deep? Only conclussion I've got at this point is they don't think the herd has been knocked back.

Curran · Dec 17, 2012

I gotta agree Brock. I don't think the DOW has any intent on admitting that they've cut too deep and that it's time to maintain. A big part of my thinking says that hunters are going to have to spread the word, and help to bring much of this information forward. We're going to have to educate as many other hunters as possible that just becasue you can kill X amount of deer doesn't mean you should. It comes down to education and knowing what the local heard you're hunting looks like. In some of my urban spots I can see taking out a doe or two without hunting the herd numbers or future hunting opportunities. Hunting in other areas where we're just not seeing the numbers anymore you've got to let them walk.

Volunary restraint is a practice promoted by Delta Waterfowl. Basically, don't shoot hens when given the opportunity. Dead hens don't lay eggs. Certainly duck & deer biological breeding tendencies are different, but the voluntary restaint concept is one we probably need to adopt for a few seasons, depending on what the herd looks like in areas we've hit too hard. Dead does don't produce bucks.

LonewolfNopack · Dec 17, 2012

Your right, all of this is just wishful thinking. The state doing anything to bring back the statewide deer herd would not make since when Tonk smiles every time a doe gets killed. They openly stated they wanted to reduce the herd, and that is what they are doing. Its all nice to think about and discuss though. Like I said in a previous post, I am about 95 % certain we will see changes of some type within the next couple years. One of those will be re-evaluating the zones. None of it really matters though if we do not start cutting out some of our seasons. It has been proven the majority of hunters are not killing more than two deer in a season. Reducing the bag limit (by re-evaluating zones ) would be a start, but if we keep having all of these gun seasons and one of the most liberal bow seasons in the nation, we are not going to see any increase in deer populations.

Lundy · Dec 17, 2012

brock ratcliff said:
Only conclussion I've got at this point is they don't think the herd has been knocked back.

They have to know the population has been reduced. What we don't know is what the target population is and how the determine when they have arrived at it.

I am guessing that we are not at the "80's" population goal yet in their estimates

brock ratcliff · Dec 17, 2012

Lundy said:
They have to know the population has been reduced. What we don't know is what the target population is and how the determine when they have arrived at it.

I am guessing that we are not at the "80's" population goal yet in their estimates

You and I know it. Most hunters that spend any amount of time in the woods know it. But we aren't the ones giving the same, tired old herd estimate every year. The DoW does that, and by their own estimates, they see no change over the last several years. Are they liars, or really bad at their job?

Beentown · Dec 17, 2012

Seems like both Brock. Half truths and poor methods.

Bigpess51 · Dec 17, 2012

oakswamper said:
Things obviously need to change but gettin rid of youth season because there are idiots out there not following the law sounds like the gun control argument to me. I don't buy that either

I completly understand your side of things. Just my .02 is all. The area I hunt in Hancock County seems over run by adults during the youth season so it puts a sour taste in my mouth, personally have caught 2 guys with shotguns while bowhunting the past few years during youth. I participated in the youth hunt this year with 2 young cousins, and had success so i see its purpose.

Something needs to change to allow a higher percentage of does to survive. The way things are going there may not be anything to argue about 20 years from now.

cotty16 · Dec 17, 2012

I personally do not care for the youth weekend and I have 2 boys that participate.
At our club this year I witnessed a drive where the adults were walking and the kids were sitting... Alone.

Things aren't done the right way so just eliminate it.

Bonus weekend, season down.

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