Post by 76chevy on Jul 28, 2010 13:54:48 GMT -5
gcdailyworld.com/story/1649965.html
DNR proposal would reduce deer hunting days
Friday, July 16, 2010
By Rick Curl, Sports Writer
A proposal to the Natural Resources Commission of the Indiana Dept. of Natural Resources calls for a reduction in the total number days shotgun and muzzleloader deer hunters would have available to them beginning in 2011.
According to an agenda for Tuesday's NRC agenda, the committee will face a decision regarding adoption of several new hunting and fishing regulations.
One part of the agenda calls for the committee to consider amending the current 16 day allotment of days devoted to hunting white tail deer with both a shotgun and muzzleloader rifle.
Under the new proposal shotgun hunters would be allowed to hunt beginning the first Saturday before Thanksgiving and continue for eight days.
The proposal also shortens the muzzleloader season to nine days as well -- effectively cutting the amount of time for practitioners of the two disciplines in half -- and that has one local hunter crying foul.
Aaron Gambill says the new regulations are an unnecessary change and they fall under the category of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."
Gambill also goes further by saying he believes it's a change that has been encouraged by bow hunters who fear that all of the big bucks will be gone by the time bow season opens.
"From what I'm hearing there are some bow hunting enthusiasts that are trying to get this pushed because the big bucks are getting killed during that first week of gun season because of the rut," Gambill said. "And so they want the gun hunters out of the woods at that time."
Gambill, who is also a bow hunter, admits that his words might seem harsh to other bow hunters. But he says shotgun and muzzleloader hunting is about more than just getting a buck.
"I've taken my biggest deer with a bow and I love to bow hunt," he said. "I just like to gun hunt more because my whole family gets into it during gun season. And I have more fun hunting with them than I do by myself bow hunting."
But according to IDNR Communications Director Phil Bloom, it has little to do with what bow hunters want and more to do with reducing the deer population by as much as 25 percent in some counties.
He says the change in time frame, along with some increases in bag limits for anterless deer, are aimed at reducing problems related to higher deer populations.
"There have been increases in deer-vehicle accidents over the past several years," Bloom said. "By increasing bag limits in some areas we hope to reduce them and other problems related to a larger deer population."
Gambill counters Bloom's argument by saying he personally hasn't seen anymore bucks than before.
"They made a change a few years ago to go back to one buck per year," Gambill insists. "Honestly, I've not seen any more bucks in the last five years than I saw the first 15 years I hunted."
But Gambill cites other reasons hunters should be concerned about the decrease in the number of days.
The Union (Dugger) High School football assistant coach says the economic impact to Greene County alone could be noticeable.
"By shortening the season by two weeks that's two weeks less our area has to bring hunters in to buy food, drinks, gas and rent hotel rooms," he said. "That's probably two of the best weeks of business that some places do during the year."
The proposal does offer some remedy to hunters who feel the same as Gambill by offering to add two additional hunting periods for antlerless deer.
It proposes to add two additional days in October in counties with an anterless quota of four or more. The proposal also suggests that the hunter be able to take the number of anterless deer in each county allowed under the bonus county quota.
The second set of days proposed are slated to run between Dec. 25 and Jan. 1 of the following year when hunters would be allowed to take the number of anterless deer in each county allowed under the bonus county quota.
"I think that some of their thoughts is hunters will shoot deer when they see them now and not wait because of a shorter season," Gambill said. "But if I'm waiting on that big boy, I'm not going to shoot at a doe and blow my cover and my chance at that nice buck I've been hunting."
With that in mind, Gambill believes it will defeat the purpose of the mentioned reason for the changes.
"I think the harvest numbers will actually go down," he said. "The only thing that will help the harvest numbers is the extra two weeks of doe hunting only.
"But I still think the harvest numbers will go down and that's not what they want -- or at least that's not what they say they want."
Other changes proposed by a year-long study conducted by the NRC and DNR staff of deer hunting rules include allowing youth hunters to take the number of anterless deer allowed in each county during the special youth deer season (in addition to one antlered deer), extends the urban deer season through Jan. 31 of the following year and requires hunters to take at least one antlerless deer prior to taking an antlered deer in the urban deer season.
The proposal also includes allowing a crossbow to be used by hunters who are at least 64 years old during the early archery season, allows a crossbow to be used during the deer firearms and muzzleloader seasons by hunters of any age, allows a hunter of any age to use a crossbow in an urban deer firearms zone during the urban deer season and allows a rifle cartridge to have a maximum case length of 1.8 inches instead of 1.635 inches.
DNR proposal would reduce deer hunting days
Friday, July 16, 2010
By Rick Curl, Sports Writer
A proposal to the Natural Resources Commission of the Indiana Dept. of Natural Resources calls for a reduction in the total number days shotgun and muzzleloader deer hunters would have available to them beginning in 2011.
According to an agenda for Tuesday's NRC agenda, the committee will face a decision regarding adoption of several new hunting and fishing regulations.
One part of the agenda calls for the committee to consider amending the current 16 day allotment of days devoted to hunting white tail deer with both a shotgun and muzzleloader rifle.
Under the new proposal shotgun hunters would be allowed to hunt beginning the first Saturday before Thanksgiving and continue for eight days.
The proposal also shortens the muzzleloader season to nine days as well -- effectively cutting the amount of time for practitioners of the two disciplines in half -- and that has one local hunter crying foul.
Aaron Gambill says the new regulations are an unnecessary change and they fall under the category of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."
Gambill also goes further by saying he believes it's a change that has been encouraged by bow hunters who fear that all of the big bucks will be gone by the time bow season opens.
"From what I'm hearing there are some bow hunting enthusiasts that are trying to get this pushed because the big bucks are getting killed during that first week of gun season because of the rut," Gambill said. "And so they want the gun hunters out of the woods at that time."
Gambill, who is also a bow hunter, admits that his words might seem harsh to other bow hunters. But he says shotgun and muzzleloader hunting is about more than just getting a buck.
"I've taken my biggest deer with a bow and I love to bow hunt," he said. "I just like to gun hunt more because my whole family gets into it during gun season. And I have more fun hunting with them than I do by myself bow hunting."
But according to IDNR Communications Director Phil Bloom, it has little to do with what bow hunters want and more to do with reducing the deer population by as much as 25 percent in some counties.
He says the change in time frame, along with some increases in bag limits for anterless deer, are aimed at reducing problems related to higher deer populations.
"There have been increases in deer-vehicle accidents over the past several years," Bloom said. "By increasing bag limits in some areas we hope to reduce them and other problems related to a larger deer population."
Gambill counters Bloom's argument by saying he personally hasn't seen anymore bucks than before.
"They made a change a few years ago to go back to one buck per year," Gambill insists. "Honestly, I've not seen any more bucks in the last five years than I saw the first 15 years I hunted."
But Gambill cites other reasons hunters should be concerned about the decrease in the number of days.
The Union (Dugger) High School football assistant coach says the economic impact to Greene County alone could be noticeable.
"By shortening the season by two weeks that's two weeks less our area has to bring hunters in to buy food, drinks, gas and rent hotel rooms," he said. "That's probably two of the best weeks of business that some places do during the year."
The proposal does offer some remedy to hunters who feel the same as Gambill by offering to add two additional hunting periods for antlerless deer.
It proposes to add two additional days in October in counties with an anterless quota of four or more. The proposal also suggests that the hunter be able to take the number of anterless deer in each county allowed under the bonus county quota.
The second set of days proposed are slated to run between Dec. 25 and Jan. 1 of the following year when hunters would be allowed to take the number of anterless deer in each county allowed under the bonus county quota.
"I think that some of their thoughts is hunters will shoot deer when they see them now and not wait because of a shorter season," Gambill said. "But if I'm waiting on that big boy, I'm not going to shoot at a doe and blow my cover and my chance at that nice buck I've been hunting."
With that in mind, Gambill believes it will defeat the purpose of the mentioned reason for the changes.
"I think the harvest numbers will actually go down," he said. "The only thing that will help the harvest numbers is the extra two weeks of doe hunting only.
"But I still think the harvest numbers will go down and that's not what they want -- or at least that's not what they say they want."
Other changes proposed by a year-long study conducted by the NRC and DNR staff of deer hunting rules include allowing youth hunters to take the number of anterless deer allowed in each county during the special youth deer season (in addition to one antlered deer), extends the urban deer season through Jan. 31 of the following year and requires hunters to take at least one antlerless deer prior to taking an antlered deer in the urban deer season.
The proposal also includes allowing a crossbow to be used by hunters who are at least 64 years old during the early archery season, allows a crossbow to be used during the deer firearms and muzzleloader seasons by hunters of any age, allows a hunter of any age to use a crossbow in an urban deer firearms zone during the urban deer season and allows a rifle cartridge to have a maximum case length of 1.8 inches instead of 1.635 inches.
