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Post by elmo on Apr 4, 2008 22:47:53 GMT -5
I haven't been on this thread very long and don't know if this subject has ever been discussed, but many counties in the southern part of the state have an eight for bonus antlerless deer. This is to reduce the number of deer in the herd from what I understand. Why do we not have an early spring season before the fawns are born? Kill upto 2 deer whatever sex walks in front of you.
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Post by deerman on Apr 4, 2008 23:55:01 GMT -5
Sounds like fun to me. Ive hunted deer in July when it was 100 degrees and still had a great time. I dont believe a spring season will ever happen though.
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Post by Hawkeye on Apr 5, 2008 7:08:04 GMT -5
I hear hunters complaining all the time when we have mild days in the fall and winter that it is to hot to deer hunt.
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Post by Woody Williams on Apr 5, 2008 7:29:28 GMT -5
I dont know about spring, but I would support the archery season the whole month of January. With maybe a 2 weeks period in there for an antlerlesss only for firearms.
EHD has kept the Indiana deer herd overpopulation wolf away from the door so far.... that could stop and away we go...
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Post by Hoosier Hunter on Apr 5, 2008 7:31:40 GMT -5
I don't think I could take field dressing a doe and finding a fawn(s) in her that were fully developed and soon to be born. That right there would probably ruin it for me.
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Post by hunter480 on Apr 5, 2008 9:23:11 GMT -5
There has been a lot of discussion here, and other places too I would guess, about changing the deer hunting season structure. Some to take hunting opportunities away by shortening the season, and others to add opportunities by lengthening the season.
Of the two, if I had to pick one, I would likely choose adding hunting opportunities, for several reasons on several levels.
I still have to say however, that with archery season opening October 1, and running, with just a little interruption, thru early January, along with two full weeks of firearms season, then another two full weeks of muzzleloader season, that our herd is hunted and pushed and stressed just about all they need to be.
IF, there were to be any additional days afield provided, I could see Woody`s idea of archery hunting being available thru the end of January, (minus the two weeks of firearms hunting that was mentioned), as a possibly viable option. But the thought of these deer being run around and pressured even during the spring just doesn`t make good sense to me.
Mostly, I think we have a heck of a good season structure as things stand right now, and I just believe we should leave things as they stand.
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Post by woodmaster on Apr 5, 2008 13:20:41 GMT -5
I'll be busy turkey hunting......
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Post by ripleyshooter on Apr 5, 2008 16:58:04 GMT -5
I think deer season is just fine the way it is.
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Post by dbd870 on Apr 5, 2008 17:25:14 GMT -5
Think of the anticipation as fall approaches; it would loose something - leave it as is.
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Post by tenring on Apr 6, 2008 7:12:23 GMT -5
I don't think I could take field dressing a doe and finding a fawn(s) in her that were fully developed and soon to be born. That right there would probably ruin it for me. I talked to several guys years ago when the tags were first offered, and they said they would never hunt that early again. Finding a fetus while field dressing the doe turned them off big time. With the declining number of hunters, this idea would be very detrimental to turning the tide.
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Post by whitetaildave24 on Apr 6, 2008 20:21:53 GMT -5
I field dressed a road kill doe last year only to find that she had twins in her and it was a big turn off. I don't ever want to do that again.
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Post by budfields on Apr 7, 2008 8:10:48 GMT -5
I am always for MORE hunting opportunities but I would prefer that they extended the season later than bring it in earlier. The hot weather is really tough if you don't retrieve your downed animal right away and that is really wasting ALOT of great venision..
Besides... the "ANTLER WORSHIPPERS" will NOT allow this to happen. They are already trying to talk everyone in to shortening the deer seasons... moving the season out of the RUT and you can bet the youth hunters will NEVER be able to shoot a buck during their special Youth Deer season just before the regular deer season opens.
Bud
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Post by jkd on Apr 7, 2008 12:58:29 GMT -5
If populations in the "8" counties get out of hand, I would think a more palatible alternative would be a "late firearms antlerless deer" season in January... set it for a week or so after muzzleloader, open to shotgun/PCR/muzzy...
Part of the population control equation issue is that IDNR wants/needs more antlerless harvest in some counties, but the license fee, even with discounted second/additional tags, is still a restrictive cost. If they set up a "buck" tag @ $24, and antlerless tags at $14 or less, they would have an incentive to take more does....
BTW - a spring season, aside from earlier comments, would be both a biological and PR nightmare... this is time when herds split up and does begin selecting an area for dropping fawns... having masses of hunters running around and pushing does out of potential fawning areas would be counterproductive for overall herd health... and the public perception of hunting does carrying fawns is not an image that any hunter I know would want to put out there...
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Post by indianahick on Apr 7, 2008 13:28:01 GMT -5
I agree with JKD that harvesting pregnant does would not help in the publics perception of hunting. I too have dressed road kill does and found fetuses. This did not really bother me, both were already dead and I had nothing to do with it. Actually it was so small that I put it into a butter tub and it now resides in formaldehyde at the local high school. Spring is the time for fawning not hunting. Deer anyway. Extend the season until the end of Jan or just leave it alone.
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Post by cambygsp on Apr 8, 2008 9:24:41 GMT -5
I thought all deer rugulations were frozen while we are under the OBR experiment
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Post by Old Ironsights on Apr 8, 2008 10:11:04 GMT -5
JKD.
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Post by jkd on Apr 8, 2008 15:43:40 GMT -5
I thought all deer rugulations were frozen while we are under the OBR experiment You're right, barring an emergency rule thing... if a local herd got totally out of control, they could still set up a special season, particularly for anterless-only... that way it wouldn't affect the buck harvest or OBR stats....
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Post by breakfastboy on Apr 11, 2008 23:52:06 GMT -5
Totally against a spring season for reasons that many of you mentioned. You would just be giving the anti's some material to use against us.
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Post by trophyhunter1 on Apr 12, 2008 18:12:19 GMT -5
i don`t want to hunt pregnant does.. seems a little cruel to me,maybe more landowners should let people hunt there property??
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Post by Deleted on Apr 17, 2008 20:03:31 GMT -5
This is the topic I bring up with the guys who say "its not about the antlers, its about harvesting a mature buck". I say bull. It is about the antlers. If we had a spring season, it would still be as hard to take a mature buck, but nobody would want to shoot it because it wouldn't have a rack. This is why I find so many of the OBR proponents a bit disingenuous in their arguments. If a mature buck is the goal, why not shoot it in the spring and take the antler argument out of the equation.
I love big antlers as much as the next guy, but I also try to be honest about my motives.
Good topic. It really gets to the heart of the matter.
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