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Post by Woody Williams on Jan 5, 2009 15:18:37 GMT -5
We've all heard, and maybe some of us have said, that there are too many "bonus tags" issued.
I ran the numbers on the "Deer Contest" kills to see whhat percentage of the hunters were kiling a lot of bonus deer.
This was a couple days ago, so it will not have any later entries included.
This shows that 74.7 percent of the hunters took 2 or less deer.
Kill Total (number of hunters)……% of hunters
0 (39) – 30.7%
1 (27) – 21.2%
2 (29) – 22.8%
3 (11) – 8.6%
4 (8) – 6.2%
5 (7) – 5.5%
6 (2) – 1.5%
7 (0) – 0%
8 (2) - 1.5%
9 (1) - .8%
10 (0)- 0%
11(1)- .8%
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Post by Old Ironsights on Jan 5, 2009 16:34:23 GMT -5
Well, it's like the Park Hunts...
You are ALLOWED to take 3... and they are essentially bonus freebies.
Most people take 2 or fewer.
I think I calculated that if I took everything I was "allowed" to in LaPorte County alone, I could take somthing like 12 to 16 deer...
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Post by Hawkeye on Jan 5, 2009 17:31:12 GMT -5
Based on the chart posted by Woody,personal knowledge,and in viewing other surveys.
At this point in time I feel there are not to many bonus tags.
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Post by trapperdave on Jan 5, 2009 19:55:15 GMT -5
I took one deer,,,,,I would have liked to have taken more, but the does just arent around in my area.
So, as you can see, your reasoning is a little flawed. Did those 74% take 2 or fewer deer by choice, or because they didnt have the opportunity?
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Post by Hawkeye on Jan 5, 2009 21:09:02 GMT -5
As for myself I could have taken several more Does during early archery season,Several hunter friends also took only two or three by choice.
Maybe depends on what area you hunt.
Also in talking to people at checking stations,was advised,few hunters took more than Three Deer.
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Post by lugnutz on Jan 5, 2009 21:18:34 GMT -5
With the economy the way it is, it gets a bit costly for those who have them processed. Not to mention the price of tags and equipment that we use every year. I'd think this is the biggest reason why some peeps are shooting less deer. I know momma said i couldn't shoot anymore unless i gave them away.
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Post by Decatur on Jan 5, 2009 22:25:29 GMT -5
I don't think there are too many tags. Most people don't fill them all anyways, and it allows that have the need/want to kill more to do so.
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Post by DEERTRACKS on Jan 6, 2009 7:20:18 GMT -5
Most of us kill what we need instead of what we can so I will support the numbers IDNR biologist recommend per county.
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Post by trapperdave on Jan 6, 2009 9:07:09 GMT -5
ok again, Hancock county gives up on average about 300 deer/year. We are a 3 doe county.  I NEVER saw a doe this year while hunting. Not ONE. Never saw a single deer driving home after hunting. Its a 10 mile drive from my house to my woods. Years past on average Id see 2-8 on the way home at least 50% of the time. Deer just arent here like they used to be. |
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Post by Old Ironsights on Jan 6, 2009 10:24:35 GMT -5
LaPorte is an 8 bonus county.
I regularly have 6-10 does in my back yard. I just missed hitting 3 in town last night. There were 6 together when I arrowed my doe on the 24th.
I think LaPorte will stay an "8" for a very long time.
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Post by tickman1961 on Jan 6, 2009 11:09:26 GMT -5
Facts are facts. Few hunters continue to hunt deer after they kill the first one of the season. This was one of the rare years I continued to hunt after killing a buck on the second day of firearms season. I killed an additional 2 bonus deer for folks that wanted the venison.
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Post by bschwein on Jan 6, 2009 12:47:43 GMT -5
I don't fill all my bonus tags simply because i'm not spending the money on them. (no L.L License) I've had the opportunity to fill them if I was willing to buy them. I hunt Jennings, Jackson, Bartholomew some. I just started hunting Washington this year.
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Post by hunter7x on Jan 6, 2009 13:09:20 GMT -5
I killed 5 this year which is a little more than normal but i had lots of people wanting meat. I ended up keeping only the doe my son killed for us. I did try to kill another with my bow but the numbers on my honey hole farm were down for sure this year. Northern Miami co. I had 6 new hunters on one side of me that have never been there before. Im sure they killed some deer but I doubt they wiped out the herd.
They only gun hunted. Sunday I walked the farm and found 3 dead unrecovered deer. A 140ish buck that was gut shot and only been there a couple of weeks, looked like a mz bullet hole, a doe and another small buck. I didnt shoot at anything that wasnt recovered.
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Post by indybassin on Jan 6, 2009 16:25:50 GMT -5
I bought 1 Archery 1 Firearms 1 Muzzleloader 2 Bonus Antlerless I hunted as often as I could from Oct 1 to Jan 4th. I kill one doe with my muzzle loader during firearms and used a bonus antlerless tag. Seems the State and I both won this year, I got a deer, they got lots of money  |
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Post by troutline on Jan 6, 2009 20:10:06 GMT -5
I think if you can kill 2 with Archery 1 with Firearm and 1 with Muzzleloader that 1 bonus should be enough. That would be 4 does and 1 buck. To many does being killed around here in Starke Co.
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Post by birddog on Jan 8, 2009 9:48:39 GMT -5
I think there should be only 1 per bow license and 1 per gun license were that be with a shotgun or muzzleloader.The only reason there is a muzzleloader license is so the state can get more money.This is the way it was years ago and should still be that way.
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Post by Old Ironsights on Jan 8, 2009 10:19:37 GMT -5
I think there should be only 1 per bow license and 1 per gun license were that be with a shotgun or muzzleloader.The only reason there is a muzzleloader license is so the state can get more money.This is the way it was years ago and should still be that way. And we would be overrun with deer within 3 years. Like I said, LaPorte County is an 8 Bonus County... and we STILL can't kill enough of them to deal with the browse-lines/overpopulation. |
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Post by birddog on Jan 8, 2009 11:31:46 GMT -5
And we would be overrun with deer within 3 years.
Please explain your definition of "overrun"??
I own 240 acres and it's used for nothing but deer hunting and this year I never saw the number of does that I've saw in the past years nor the number of bucks especially "shooter" bucks which I know differs with everyone as to what size would you consider a "shooter....me..it has to be at least a three year old deer with a "rack" that has some size matter to it,so 3,4,5 years of age to me is a shooter anything smaller or younger gets to grow.Now if you just want to shoot deer no matter their size I can't do that!!!!!!
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yaz
Full Member
Posts: 67
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Post by yaz on Jan 8, 2009 11:43:59 GMT -5
I took one deer,,,,,I would have liked to have taken more, but the does just arent around in my area. So, as you can see, your reasoning is a little flawed. Did those 74% take 2 or fewer deer by choice, or because they didnt have the opportunity? That is an interesting stat. Woody. But I'm 100% with Dave on this one. How many had the opportunity to take more deer. I'm in the same boat as Dave in Rush County....300 deer annual harvest, and STILL have bonus tags!! I refuse to take a doe in Rush County. I would like to be able to!! It did not used to be that way. Dave, I didn't realize Hancock was a two bonus county!!! THATS NUTS!!! |
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Post by Old Ironsights on Jan 8, 2009 12:00:00 GMT -5
Birddog - look at the context. I can't say what the DNR Biologists are thinking down there, but up here - especially with as much UDZ Only as we have - we NEED the opportunity/permision to whack & stack 'em.
I am reularly visited, in town, by a pod of does & fawns. 10 at the last count. While I was hunting in town, I saw 6, arrowed one, while my wife was watching "our" pod just 4 blocks away.
Monday Night I almost hit 2 crossing the road... again, in town.
Tuesday Noon I busted 3 while retrieving my stand from the in town Preserve.
There are Browse Lines at Indiana Lakeshore & Dunes State Park - and all the surrounding suburbs/steel mills.
There simply aren't enough Hunters up here willing to deal with the UDZ &/or Landowner issues.
Take away the Bonus Does and it will be even harder to manage the herd.
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I NEVER saw a doe this year while hunting. Not ONE.
