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Post by Old Ironsights on Nov 1, 2006 11:04:23 GMT -5
How long will it take Indiana to get to this point? Not long, I fear.
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NY wants to attract younger hunters Albany, N.y. | November 20, 2005
For the past 20 years, the number of hunters in New York has been declining, so the state decided to begin deer hunting season on Saturday to attract youth.
New York Department of Environmental Conservation officials said they hope that moving the opening day to Saturday would make hunting more accessible to young people, reported the Albany (N.Y.) Times Union, Saturday.
Officials say if the current trend continues, there won't be enough hunters in the future to control New York's deer population. Hunters kill about 35 percent of the deer herd -- estimated at 800,000 to 1 million -- each year.
The hunting population is graying faster than the general population, said Steve Wagner, a spokesman for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, a national hunting and gun organization based in Connecticut.
Wagner says there are fewer hunters because landowners ban hunters from their property and a there is a lack of interest in hunting among teenagers.
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#1 - SHARE YOUR SPOT / TEACH NEWBIES - EVEN IF THEY'RE NOT KIN. #2 - FIGHT FOR REGULATIONS THAT MAKE IT EASIER TO ATTRACT YOUNG HUNTERS #3 - STOP FIGHTING AMONGST OURSELVES.
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Now, back to your regularly scheduled Forum.
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Post by Woody Williams on Nov 1, 2006 11:13:35 GMT -5
How long will it take Indiana to get to this point? Not long, I fear. #1 - SHARE YOUR SPOT / TEACH NEWBIES - EVEN IF THEY'RE NOT KIN. #2 - FIGHT FOR REGULATIONS THAT MAKE IT EASIER TO ATTRACT YOUNG HUNTERS #3 - STOP FIGHTING AMONGST OURSELVES. Good advice. Lots of reasons that we are a dying breed. Topping the list would have to be lack of a place to hunt. The root causes of that are many. Should we list them? .
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Post by DEERTRACKS on Nov 1, 2006 11:38:41 GMT -5
Good post Ironsights.
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Post by Decatur on Nov 1, 2006 11:45:04 GMT -5
I would say urbanization, people not exposed to the hunting life style, along with developement eating up ground are our two biggest hurdles.
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Post by whiteoak on Nov 1, 2006 12:57:00 GMT -5
It's the posted sign around where I live. I hated to do it, but I have put up my share of them. It's only going to get worse. Big antlers make people do stupid things sometimes, and also spend lots of money to get them. Where I live if your not in a hunting club or own your ground the only thing left is public ground which is not to bad during bow season, but firearms season look out! Five year ago it was not that way. Very seldom did you see a posted sign. I know several hunters that have gave up hunting because of this.
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Post by hunter480 on Nov 1, 2006 14:40:40 GMT -5
How long will it take Indiana to get to this point? Not long, I fear. #1 - SHARE YOUR SPOT / TEACH NEWBIES - EVEN IF THEY'RE NOT KIN. #2 - FIGHT FOR REGULATIONS THAT MAKE IT EASIER TO ATTRACT YOUNG HUNTERS #3 - STOP FIGHTING AMONGST OURSELVES. Good advice. Lots of reasons that we are a dying breed. Topping the list would have to be lack of a place to hunt. The root causes of that are many. Should we list them? . You`re exactly right Woody-we do have many issues to deal with, but lack of access to somewhere to hunt is without a doubt the biggest obstacle to hunting today. It`s only going to get worse, and there may be even more challenges sooner than we think, like availability of decent butchers, (processors), as not everyone has the skill or the place to cut there own deer, and who wants to take your deer to a risky, do-it-behind-the-house amateur who is going to ruin your venison, or worse, make you sick. I`ve long thought that the DNR, in conjunction with deer hunters, should be involved in getting professional meat cutters involved in deer processing, to give us safe, reliable and tasty venison. It`s definitely a partnership, and deer hunters are invaluable in the role we play in helping to keep the deer herd in check.
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Post by js2397 on Nov 1, 2006 15:17:07 GMT -5
We need to come up with an incentive for private landowners to grant access to their land for hunting. I think Kansas and a few other states have some type of program.
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Post by dec on Nov 1, 2006 15:26:04 GMT -5
I'm sure that lack of access to hunting ground is a problem in some areas, but I don't think it is as big of problem on a large scale as some think. If you are talking State owned ground, then, yes it is limited. Let's face it, we aren't out west, so Indiana will never have vast amounts of public ground. But in general, it is not too hard to find a farm to hunt, IMO. Unfortunately, some of that land is going to cost the hunter in some form of lease fee. But that is the way the world works in 2006, good or bad. I can see some loss around cities as neighborhoods expand. Yes, we are loosing hunting ground, but I don’t think it is as big as a problem as some feel. There is still a lot of farm ground out there to be hunted. Not all of it is. I just happened on a piece of ground the other day. I asked the owner why no one hunted it and he said “because no one has ever asked”. I’m saving this guy’s name for a friend that I have in mind who is need of a place to hunt. IMO, the greatest threat we face in hunting right now is youth recruitment. I grew up in a family of non-hunters. I had go out and teach myself to hunt after I could drive, as no one in my family would drive me out of town to go hunting. I remember as a kid, nearly all my friends hunted. They came from hunting families. I wanted to go so bad, but couldn’t. Now you look around and life has gotten so crazy and out of control that Dad gave up hunting as it was just something he did as a youth and now he no longer has time for. Further, his kids are not exposed to it and have no interest in it because of the 1000’s of other outlets available to them. Television, computers, video games, sports, and parents that are too busy, have all contributed to the death of hunting to the younger generations. Even my generation to a degree. There are a lot of things killing hunting’s future. Unfortunately, if we could only fix one of the problems, it would still not save hunting, IMO. But it is not all bleak. IMO, now is the best time to be a hunter. There are (in general) more animals than anytime in recent history to hunt. There are more trophy animals (assuming that is your thing) than in recent history to be hunted. There are more choices out there in how to hunt and when to hunt. Technology has arguably improved how we are able to hunt. (yes there is a bad side to that as well, I agree) And with our aging population of hunters, many into semi or full retirement, there is a vast resource available out there to volunteer and help pass on the hunting traditions and knowledge to a younger generation. It isn’t all bad out there.
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Post by LawrenceCoBowhunter on Nov 1, 2006 15:34:03 GMT -5
Well said dec..
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Post by swindianapaul on Nov 1, 2006 16:33:42 GMT -5
One other thing which may be contributin got NY's decline in number of hunters is their license structure. Youth may not hunt small game until they pass hunters ed course at age 12. Deer hunting with a gun must wait until they are 16. Archery for deer is allowed at 14 provcided they have taken the required archery class.
In a day and age where youth have so many options for things to do for fun and excitement, not allowing exposure to hunting at a younger age may be part of their problem.
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Post by solohunter on Nov 1, 2006 18:30:08 GMT -5
1 - SHARE YOUR SPOT / TEACH NEWBIES - EVEN IF THEY'RE NOT KIN. Guy at work has been bugging me to take him hunting during gun season......he has never hunted. Ain't going to happen. Why? Some of his after work habits are illegal, too bad he is 25 and burning his life away. Solohunter
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Post by steiny on Nov 1, 2006 18:34:03 GMT -5
I'll add one more reason. Kids these days, in gerneral, just don't have much interest in hunting.
Don't know how you change that one.
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Post by TagTeamHunter on Nov 1, 2006 19:07:04 GMT -5
I'll add one more reason. Kids these days, in gerneral, just don't have much interest in hunting. Don't know how you change that one. As my mom use to say "How are you going to know if you do try it" My daughter is the type of kid whose first reaction to something new is to say "NO". Most of the time when we force her to do it she enjoys it. Expose a kid to hunting or the shooting sports. Let's start with our kids first.
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Post by Old Ironsights on Nov 1, 2006 19:14:09 GMT -5
1 - SHARE YOUR SPOT / TEACH NEWBIES - EVEN IF THEY'RE NOT KIN. Guy at work has been bugging me to take him hunting during gun season......he has never hunted. Ain't going to happen. Why? Some of his after work habits are illegal, too bad he is 25 and burning his life away. Solohunter So find someone else. Or maybe, just maybe, you can turn the goob around by holding out the carrot. Then you will have both saved a Life and brought in a Hunter.
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Post by wolfhound on Nov 1, 2006 19:39:17 GMT -5
I'm sure that lack of access to hunting ground is a problem in some areas, but I don't think it is as big of problem on a large scale as some think. If you are talking State owned ground, then, yes it is limited. Let's face it, we aren't out west, so Indiana will never have vast amounts of public ground. But in general, it is not too hard to find a farm to hunt, IMO. Unfortunately, some of that land is going to cost the hunter in some form of lease fee. But that is the way the world works in 2006, good or bad. Try coming here. Lease prices are outrageous. Outfitters lease everything they can get. This drives the lease prices up. Land prices are horrid too. If it wasn't for my wife's family owning ground I would not be hunting. The public ground here is awful. it's way too overcrowded. If I ever lose private land access then I'll just quit hunting. I can't afford to lease ground and public ground is too overcrowded as it is.
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Post by greenhunter111 on Nov 2, 2006 0:24:52 GMT -5
I never thought I would post my land against trespassers but my new neighbor thinks its alriight to ride his horses through my land as he wants to. NOT! I will not play games with his tresspassing. I will prosecute him before I let him chase any big bucks away with his recreational riding.
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Post by cambygsp on Nov 2, 2006 4:13:53 GMT -5
1 - SHARE YOUR SPOT / TEACH NEWBIES - EVEN IF THEY'RE NOT KIN. Guy at work has been bugging me to take him hunting during gun season......he has never hunted. Ain't going to happen. Why? Some of his after work habits are illegal, too bad he is 25 and burning his life away. Solohunter So find someone else. Or maybe, just maybe, you can turn the goob around by holding out the carrot. Then you will have both saved a Life and brought in a Hunter. I think Solo has invited (and allowed) more folks to his place than anyone on here. HE'S NOT PART OF THE PROBLEM!
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Post by cambygsp on Nov 2, 2006 4:19:06 GMT -5
Further.............
I think the hunters ed requirement has had the most negetive effect on recruiting youth hunters.
My 13 year old son hangs out with several boys in the neighborhood that don't hunt. ALL OF THOSE BOYS HAS ASKED TO GO WITH US........but they don't have the hunters ed.
I firmly beleive that youths should be allowed to hunt UNDER ADULT SUPERVISION without the hunter ed card. It would make it alot easier to introduce kids to the sport. If they like it (and most will) then they have an incentive to take the class/test.
I think the requirements in New York back up my statement.
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Post by Old Ironsights on Nov 2, 2006 9:30:58 GMT -5
I think Solo has invited (and allowed) more folks to his place than anyone on here. HE'S NOT PART OF THE PROBLEM! I don't know Solo personally, and am not intimating that he is part of the problem. My comment is one in General for Everyone to take to heart, and in direct response to the theme he presented. I am very glad he invites people to his place. That's the Ideal.
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Post by hunter480 on Nov 2, 2006 11:31:56 GMT -5
Further............. I think the hunters ed requirement has had the most negetive effect on recruiting youth hunters. My 13 year old son hangs out with several boys in the neighborhood that don't hunt. ALL OF THOSE BOYS HAS ASKED TO GO WITH US........but they don't have the hunters ed. I firmly beleive that youths should be allowed to hunt UNDER ADULT SUPERVISION without the hunter ed card. It would make it alot easier to introduce kids to the sport. If they like it (and most will) then they have an incentive to take the class/test. I think the requirements in New York back up my statement. They must have the hunters ed card to actually buy a license to hunt-but not to simply accompany you on the hunt-right? Take them out to just observe-get them hooked, then they`ll howl so loud and long the parents will be forced to see that they attend the mandatory training.
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