Post by tynimiller on Aug 12, 2016 7:23:23 GMT -5
The actual article is found here: www.wideopenspaces.com/8-worst-states-to-bow-hunt-this-fall-even-with-a-crossbow/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=partner&utm_term=kj&utm_campaign=kj
I already had a handful of folks PM me this link on Facebook...and apparently Wide Open Spaces is getting exactly what they want: people buzzing and coming to their page/article.
The writer states right in the beginning this is not a scientific study, nor does he elaborate on what "trend" this is he claims points to this...is he stating the % harvest in a state of bow vs all other each year? Is he tracking only mature bucks? Trophy bucks? Success rate vs licenses sold?
Than to make it worse I kid you not he states the following:
"With that in mind, just look below to see what we predict will be the worst states to bow hunt in 2016, not just by the trends, but mostly our gut."
He discredits the entire piece as nothing more than a shoot from the hip [gut] type write up....astonishing. I swear people anymore have been dumb'd down by social media to the extent they fail to digest and read what they share or see.
Furthermore, he states the following when discussing Indiana:
"Indiana was very close to taking the top spot as one of the worst states to bowhunt. Luckily though, it’s the runner up. Things were on the right track in Indiana for a number of years, but politicians are now heavily involved and the deer population is just awful.
Extended doe seasons, practically unlimited doe tags, and a hard summer are going to equal another down year for Hoosier bow hunters."
Only things the politicians have done of late is the HPR thing...which we still have no actual proof (love it or hate it) of whether it increases or impacts the harvest or success rate at all.
I laugh at the practically unlimited doe tag thing...as yes it is true someone can go to all 92 counties and harvest "x" number of deer, which grand total is well above 100. However, do some research...delve into the amount of hunters that harvest say more than 3 deer a year? Let me know what you find. It simply doesn't occur overall the amount some claim.
However, since we are spouting shoot from the hip type thoughts....I'll share mine. Yup, some areas are suffering no question. EHD is to blame in some areas, which was/is compounded by folks not practicing good harvest numbers and loss of more and more land to less and less hunters for various reasons.
Other areas simply have vastly too matured forests with less and less understory which provides most of the deer's diet and security cover....or in other places vast amounts of ag land with less and less wooded pockets means once harvest happens there is next to ZERO reason a deer be present.
I also think another factor in this whole discussion is many folks in my generation that started hunting in the mid/late 90's early 2000's saw a deer herd in Indiana which was so easily hunted and seen ANYONE and I mean ANYONE could walk out into the woods and see multiple deer (at least in my area, cannot speak for everywhere). So the state made a move towards lowering overall deer numbers of which we are closing on the 5 year plan and as expected bonus quotas have been going down more than up...and I expect for the coming years that trend will occur. However, the mindset of many is still stuck back in the "I need to see a dozen deer every hunt type thought process..."
Couple the above paragraph with the perception all the shows and pages of guys hunting low pressured spots seemingly harvesting a deer (usually a big buck) with ease has painted a picture that hunting shouldn't be tough...quite the contrary...especially big mature buck hunting if that is your flavor of hunting.
Areas are in trouble no doubt, some localized herds in Indiana seem to need some serious replenishing...but don't let an article based on nothing more than speculation and a gut feeling concern you. There are much more justifiable and proven things which should concern you IMO.
Blessings....rant over.
I already had a handful of folks PM me this link on Facebook...and apparently Wide Open Spaces is getting exactly what they want: people buzzing and coming to their page/article.
The writer states right in the beginning this is not a scientific study, nor does he elaborate on what "trend" this is he claims points to this...is he stating the % harvest in a state of bow vs all other each year? Is he tracking only mature bucks? Trophy bucks? Success rate vs licenses sold?
Than to make it worse I kid you not he states the following:
"With that in mind, just look below to see what we predict will be the worst states to bow hunt in 2016, not just by the trends, but mostly our gut."
He discredits the entire piece as nothing more than a shoot from the hip [gut] type write up....astonishing. I swear people anymore have been dumb'd down by social media to the extent they fail to digest and read what they share or see.
Furthermore, he states the following when discussing Indiana:
"Indiana was very close to taking the top spot as one of the worst states to bowhunt. Luckily though, it’s the runner up. Things were on the right track in Indiana for a number of years, but politicians are now heavily involved and the deer population is just awful.
Extended doe seasons, practically unlimited doe tags, and a hard summer are going to equal another down year for Hoosier bow hunters."
Only things the politicians have done of late is the HPR thing...which we still have no actual proof (love it or hate it) of whether it increases or impacts the harvest or success rate at all.
I laugh at the practically unlimited doe tag thing...as yes it is true someone can go to all 92 counties and harvest "x" number of deer, which grand total is well above 100. However, do some research...delve into the amount of hunters that harvest say more than 3 deer a year? Let me know what you find. It simply doesn't occur overall the amount some claim.
However, since we are spouting shoot from the hip type thoughts....I'll share mine. Yup, some areas are suffering no question. EHD is to blame in some areas, which was/is compounded by folks not practicing good harvest numbers and loss of more and more land to less and less hunters for various reasons.
Other areas simply have vastly too matured forests with less and less understory which provides most of the deer's diet and security cover....or in other places vast amounts of ag land with less and less wooded pockets means once harvest happens there is next to ZERO reason a deer be present.
I also think another factor in this whole discussion is many folks in my generation that started hunting in the mid/late 90's early 2000's saw a deer herd in Indiana which was so easily hunted and seen ANYONE and I mean ANYONE could walk out into the woods and see multiple deer (at least in my area, cannot speak for everywhere). So the state made a move towards lowering overall deer numbers of which we are closing on the 5 year plan and as expected bonus quotas have been going down more than up...and I expect for the coming years that trend will occur. However, the mindset of many is still stuck back in the "I need to see a dozen deer every hunt type thought process..."
Couple the above paragraph with the perception all the shows and pages of guys hunting low pressured spots seemingly harvesting a deer (usually a big buck) with ease has painted a picture that hunting shouldn't be tough...quite the contrary...especially big mature buck hunting if that is your flavor of hunting.
Areas are in trouble no doubt, some localized herds in Indiana seem to need some serious replenishing...but don't let an article based on nothing more than speculation and a gut feeling concern you. There are much more justifiable and proven things which should concern you IMO.
Blessings....rant over.
What amazes me is that some people take this as gospel, especially if they have their own personal agenda..
LOL!!!!
