Post by js2397 on Jul 29, 2010 13:49:12 GMT -5
Sent them nine messages today. Here is the big one.
This whole process was started in response to Rep. Friend and his push to reduce the deer herd and reduce deer vehicle collisions.
I am against the proposals to shorten the gun season and move the starting dates and here is why.
Losing the last seven days of the firearms season will greatly reduce the take of antlerless deer. Firearms hunters by far harvest the most deer, 77% of the total harvest is accounted for during the firearms and muzzleloader seasons. During the general firearms season 32% of the antlerless deer killed are harvested during the last seven days. Only 15% of the antlered deer killed are taken during the last seven days. By reducing days it will have a greater effect on the antlerless harvest than the antlered harvest.
Here is the effect by moving the opening date back one week. Each time the opening date of the general firearms season moved from the second weekend to the third the firearms harvest decreased. The first from 1999 to 2000 had a decrease of 4.5%. The next occurred from 2005 to 2006 and had a decrease of 4.7%. Also the lowest harvest this decade occurred when the season opened on the third weekend(2005)and the highest harvest occurred when the season opened on the second weekend(2009) which was also an all time high. During this same period the firearms season moved forward eight times. Of those eight times the harvest only decreased twice from one year to the next. The highest increase was 15.3% and happened from 2003 to 2004 when the start date moved from Nov. 15 to Nov. 13.
Here is the measure of success the IDNR is going to use.
First and foremost1) Increase and then maintain the harvest ratio of 60% female and 40% male in the harvest.2) Landowner and Deer hunter survey responses3) A reduction in antlerless quotas4) A reduction in deer auto accidentsThere is no mention of herd reduction in that statement only to reduce the number of bucks killed to does killed. Currently the kill ratio is 40% antlered deer and 60% antlerless but when looking at male to female kill it is 50-50 since 10% of the harvest is button bucks.
By moving back the start date the firearms season will be moved away from the main breeding window when the antlered deer are most vulnerable. If you look at the data above you will see when the start date moved from the second weekend to the third there was a loss of 4.5% of the firearms harvest. This loss was all antlered deer since the antlerless harvest changed less than 1%. We are asking the gun hunters to give up time a field and to kill fewer bucks so that in the future there will be more deer that will make the Hoosier Record Bucks book. The only group losing anything in this process is gun hunters and they harvest 77% of all deer and 74% of the antlerless deer. There has been a downward trend in the percentage of bucks in the harvest since 2003. The highest buck kill percentage this decade occurred in 2001 when antlered deer made up 47% of the harvest when the start date occurred during the third weekend.
Here is a chart showing the break down of the harvest. You can see that the first five days the antlered harvest is more than 50% of the daily total. The percentage of antlered deer in the harvest goes down all way through the end of the season. In addition the muzzleloader harvest is 80% antlerless.
I looked at the starting dates for the years 1999 through 2009.
Starting dates of November 12 through 15 averaged an ANTLERLESS kill of 41,400.
Starting dates of November 16 through 18 averaged an ANTLERLESS kill of 39,214.
The early start dates were responsible for an increased ANTLERLESS kill of 2,186.
Starting dates of November 12 through 15 averaged an ANTLERED kill of 38,816
Starting dates of November 16 through 18 averaged an ANTLERED kill of 34,950
The early start dates were responsible for an increased ANTLERED kill of 3,866
That is a 5% reduction in antlerless kill and a 10% reduction in the antlered kill.
Also during this decade the start date of the season was 16, 17, or 18 five times. In each of those years button bucks made up 11% of the harvest. Four of the five years that started 12, 13, 14, or 15 button bucks made up 10% of the harvest. Only in 2008 was the button buck harvest 11%. So by moving the start date forward the ratio is 1% closer to 60/40.
During the five late start years this decade the average buck harvest is 47,725 and the average total harvest is 111,225, so in those years bucks make up 43% of the harvest. In the five early start years the average buck harvest is 52,118 and the average overall harvest is 123,614, so in those years bucks make up 42% of the harvest. By moving the start dates forward we gain 1% towards 60/40 in the button buck harvest and another 1% in the antlered harvest. This is a 2% gain by having an early start date.
One more thing to consider in the five early start years only once did the buck harvest make up more than 44% of the total harvest. In contrast three of the five late start years had the buck harvest account for more than 44% of the harvest.
This whole process was started in response to Rep. Friend and his push to reduce the deer herd and reduce deer vehicle collisions.
I am against the proposals to shorten the gun season and move the starting dates and here is why.
Losing the last seven days of the firearms season will greatly reduce the take of antlerless deer. Firearms hunters by far harvest the most deer, 77% of the total harvest is accounted for during the firearms and muzzleloader seasons. During the general firearms season 32% of the antlerless deer killed are harvested during the last seven days. Only 15% of the antlered deer killed are taken during the last seven days. By reducing days it will have a greater effect on the antlerless harvest than the antlered harvest.
Here is the effect by moving the opening date back one week. Each time the opening date of the general firearms season moved from the second weekend to the third the firearms harvest decreased. The first from 1999 to 2000 had a decrease of 4.5%. The next occurred from 2005 to 2006 and had a decrease of 4.7%. Also the lowest harvest this decade occurred when the season opened on the third weekend(2005)and the highest harvest occurred when the season opened on the second weekend(2009) which was also an all time high. During this same period the firearms season moved forward eight times. Of those eight times the harvest only decreased twice from one year to the next. The highest increase was 15.3% and happened from 2003 to 2004 when the start date moved from Nov. 15 to Nov. 13.
Here is the measure of success the IDNR is going to use.
First and foremost1) Increase and then maintain the harvest ratio of 60% female and 40% male in the harvest.2) Landowner and Deer hunter survey responses3) A reduction in antlerless quotas4) A reduction in deer auto accidentsThere is no mention of herd reduction in that statement only to reduce the number of bucks killed to does killed. Currently the kill ratio is 40% antlered deer and 60% antlerless but when looking at male to female kill it is 50-50 since 10% of the harvest is button bucks.
By moving back the start date the firearms season will be moved away from the main breeding window when the antlered deer are most vulnerable. If you look at the data above you will see when the start date moved from the second weekend to the third there was a loss of 4.5% of the firearms harvest. This loss was all antlered deer since the antlerless harvest changed less than 1%. We are asking the gun hunters to give up time a field and to kill fewer bucks so that in the future there will be more deer that will make the Hoosier Record Bucks book. The only group losing anything in this process is gun hunters and they harvest 77% of all deer and 74% of the antlerless deer. There has been a downward trend in the percentage of bucks in the harvest since 2003. The highest buck kill percentage this decade occurred in 2001 when antlered deer made up 47% of the harvest when the start date occurred during the third weekend.
Here is a chart showing the break down of the harvest. You can see that the first five days the antlered harvest is more than 50% of the daily total. The percentage of antlered deer in the harvest goes down all way through the end of the season. In addition the muzzleloader harvest is 80% antlerless.
I looked at the starting dates for the years 1999 through 2009.
Starting dates of November 12 through 15 averaged an ANTLERLESS kill of 41,400.
Starting dates of November 16 through 18 averaged an ANTLERLESS kill of 39,214.
The early start dates were responsible for an increased ANTLERLESS kill of 2,186.
Starting dates of November 12 through 15 averaged an ANTLERED kill of 38,816
Starting dates of November 16 through 18 averaged an ANTLERED kill of 34,950
The early start dates were responsible for an increased ANTLERED kill of 3,866
That is a 5% reduction in antlerless kill and a 10% reduction in the antlered kill.
Also during this decade the start date of the season was 16, 17, or 18 five times. In each of those years button bucks made up 11% of the harvest. Four of the five years that started 12, 13, 14, or 15 button bucks made up 10% of the harvest. Only in 2008 was the button buck harvest 11%. So by moving the start date forward the ratio is 1% closer to 60/40.
During the five late start years this decade the average buck harvest is 47,725 and the average total harvest is 111,225, so in those years bucks make up 43% of the harvest. In the five early start years the average buck harvest is 52,118 and the average overall harvest is 123,614, so in those years bucks make up 42% of the harvest. By moving the start dates forward we gain 1% towards 60/40 in the button buck harvest and another 1% in the antlered harvest. This is a 2% gain by having an early start date.
One more thing to consider in the five early start years only once did the buck harvest make up more than 44% of the total harvest. In contrast three of the five late start years had the buck harvest account for more than 44% of the harvest.