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Post by Woody Williams on Dec 12, 2022 12:51:44 GMT -5
Since 72% of the deer killed in muzzleloader season are antlerless I'd say that isnt a whole lot of pressure on "male whitetails". Last time a "shorten and move the firearm season" proposal came up it was soundly rejected by 80+ percent of the Indiana deer hunters that gave input. I prefer to hunt with my crossbow, but I am a practical man so I pick up my rifle for firearms season. My main objection to shortening and moving the firearm and muzzleloader season was a fairness issue. It appeared to me that the bowhunters (having 90+ days to hunt) basically wanted the gun hunters to have even less than they did AND kick the gun hunters completely out of the rut... The rut is the prime jewel of deer hunting that everyone wants. Bowhunters have it every year and gun season cycle in such a way they get some of the prime time some years and then the tail end some years. I see nothing wrong with that. The firearms season is the DNR's number one deer management tool and the firearm hunter step up to the task. All very true! Many are shocked to hear that ML season is majority antlerless but truthfully once you get past the first week of firearms I believe that is the case across the board (correct me if wrong). Matter of fact I think a ton of folks would be BLOWN away by just how much of the entire state's harvest total is accounted for in just say 10 days of the first firearms season. So I can to the point of reason get when folks say harvest wise shortening the firearms season wouldn't be very noticeable if any....BUT that isn't how everyone measures their opinion. While I'm sure since the last proposal perhaps a few more percentage points of people would support it depending on severity I'd still bet minimum 70% of hunters that buy licenses would support such a thing. And a few days of inclement weather at the beginning of firearms can totally throw the harvest numbers way out of whack. With a 16 days season there is “make up time”. Where do you get your 70% will support it?
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Post by pigeonflier on Dec 12, 2022 13:13:51 GMT -5
I am being greedy. My entire motivation is to limit the amount of male deer being taken before I get a chance.
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Post by pigeonflier on Dec 12, 2022 13:15:45 GMT -5
But again things should be managed differently up here in the NW corner than other parts of the state. It's bizarre the state thinks all areas are the same.
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Post by lawrencecountyhunter on Dec 12, 2022 13:40:40 GMT -5
FTR I don't envision ANY changes season length wise of the main three Archery, Firearms or ML changing at all. Every now and then a September start date for archery gets thrown out there for consideration. I'd love to see it happen, don't know that it will though. If anything though, I bet season dates get less restrictive, not more so.
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Post by lawrencecountyhunter on Dec 12, 2022 13:44:01 GMT -5
And end up like a lot of the locals in Illinois and Iowa and get priced out of hunting... Maybe in Illinois. A nonresident in Iowa can only get a tag once every several years though, so out-of-state leasing is actually much less of a problem than it is here. But that's due to license structure, not season structure.
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Post by boonechaser on Dec 12, 2022 13:55:56 GMT -5
FTR I don't envision ANY changes season length wise of the main three Archery, Firearms or ML changing at all. Every now and then a September start date for archery gets thrown out there for consideration. I'd love to see it happen, don't know that it will though. If anything though, I bet season dates get less restrictive, not more so. IBA has tried multiple times over year's but it has always been shot down. As a bowhunter it would not bother me if we went back to Oct. 15th start date myself. (If very warm I do not hunt much early season.) Although I like the longer seasons Indiana offers, giving plenty of opportunities to be in outdoors, I for one would not support adding anymore day's to existing seasons lengths. We already have some of most liberal in midwest. JMO
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Post by Woody Williams on Dec 12, 2022 13:57:43 GMT -5
Easy solution, if ya want less pressure. 2 weeks of bows/crossbows 2 weeks of gun, include muzzleloaders. 2 weeks of muzzleloader. Include bows and crossbows. Pick in any order - 2 weeks in October 2 weeks in November 2 weeks in December Put the guns in October. That should set some free. Lol. The bowhunters hair was in fire when they proposed a two day muzzleloader season in October. They bit their tongues on the youth weekend but submitted as “long as it wasn’t in archery season”
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Post by boonechaser on Dec 12, 2022 14:06:56 GMT -5
Easy solution, if ya want less pressure. 2 weeks of bows/crossbows 2 weeks of gun, include muzzleloaders. 2 weeks of muzzleloader. Include bows and crossbows. Pick in any order - 2 weeks in October 2 weeks in November 2 weeks in December Put the guns in October. That should set some free. Lol. The bowhunters hair was in fire when they proposed a two day muzzleloader season in October. They bit their tongues on the youth weekend but submitted as “long as it wasn’t in archery season” Was a member of IBA for many year's but opted out several year's ago. ME, ME, ME ..... leadership, when it should be WE,WE,WE. Doesn't matter what weapon you use, WE are all deer hunter's. Some seem to think if your not a bowhunter , then your below them. I have ZERO animosity towards any hunter for what weapon he choose's to use. There are alot who do.
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Post by tynimiller on Dec 12, 2022 14:31:23 GMT -5
All very true! Many are shocked to hear that ML season is majority antlerless but truthfully once you get past the first week of firearms I believe that is the case across the board (correct me if wrong). Matter of fact I think a ton of folks would be BLOWN away by just how much of the entire state's harvest total is accounted for in just say 10 days of the first firearms season. So I can to the point of reason get when folks say harvest wise shortening the firearms season wouldn't be very noticeable if any....BUT that isn't how everyone measures their opinion. While I'm sure since the last proposal perhaps a few more percentage points of people would support it depending on severity I'd still bet minimum 70% of hunters that buy licenses would support such a thing. And a few days of inclement weather at the beginning of firearms can totally throw the harvest numbers way out of whack. With a 16 days season there is “make up time”. Where do you get your 70% will support it? Mistyped meant I bet no less than 70 still would t support!
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Post by Mack Apiary Bees on Dec 12, 2022 14:35:49 GMT -5
The bowhunters hair was in fire when they proposed a two day muzzleloader season in October. They bit their tongues on the youth weekend but submitted as “long as it wasn’t in archery season” Was a member of IBA for many year's but opted out several year's ago. ME, ME, ME ..... leadership, when it should be WE,WE,WE. Doesn't matter what weapon you use, WE are all deer hunter's. Some seem to think if your not a bowhunter , then your below them. I have ZERO animosity towards any hunter for what weapon he choose's to use. There are alot who do. There is a lot of the me me me world out there.
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Post by jjas on Dec 12, 2022 14:43:35 GMT -5
Anyone who has hunted in illinios or Iowa has seen what the difference is in buck populations. And as far as gun hunters paying most of the way. I say I pay more than any gun hunter. And haven't used a gun tag yet... We aren't talking about does. We are talking about bucks.
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Post by jjas on Dec 12, 2022 14:50:41 GMT -5
And end up like a lot of the locals in Illinois and Iowa and get priced out of hunting... Maybe in Illinois. A nonresident in Iowa can only get a tag once every several years though, so out-of-state leasing is actually much less of a problem than it is here. But that's due to license structure, not season structure. I'm talking about resident hunters in Iowa and Illinois being priced out of hunting due to leasing costs limiting land availability. I have two friends (one from Illinois and one from Iowa) who hunted their home states exclusively but just can't afford it anymore.
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Post by whitetaildave24 on Dec 12, 2022 17:13:00 GMT -5
Maybe in Illinois. A nonresident in Iowa can only get a tag once every several years though, so out-of-state leasing is actually much less of a problem than it is here. But that's due to license structure, not season structure. I'm talking about resident hunters in Iowa and Illinois being priced out of hunting due to leasing costs limiting land availability. I have two friends (one from Illinois and one from Iowa) who hunted their home states exclusively but just can't afford it anymore. Plenty of public in both those states with giants killed on them every year. Don’t understand the money problem there.
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Post by ms660 on Dec 12, 2022 22:03:49 GMT -5
I'm not trying to discredit anything. I just don't belive that one aspect of the deer management system is responsible for the size of the deer we currently see. Your definitely entitled to your opinion...I am sure many see it differently. Personally...I don't believe we could go back to Two Bucks and see the quality we have now. Especially with the modern equipment being used now. Define modern equipment.
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Post by ms660 on Dec 12, 2022 22:12:04 GMT -5
I think wrong is subjective to the nature of the goal you're attempting to accomplish. Pigeon could be said to be completely right if the primary goal of state management was to grow older more mature bucks. However, if the management goal is more geared towards hunter opportunity across the board regardless of the age of the buck than I'd say leaving it how it is would be the right way. Modern inline muzzleloaders also from a practiced hunter is just as lethal as nearly any legal firearm out to 100 yards also and truthfully adds another what two weeks to an already quite sufficiently long firearms season. I think if anything gets tweeked it is muzzleloader as impact is smaller on both hunters and harvest numbers....whether that is moving it to maybe a split season where only one half of it you can use modern inlines...and the other is all flint or percussion cap level guns. Subjective or not, I think trying to take something from one group of hunters that may benefit another is wrong. Your point about muzzleloaders being nearly as lethal as firearms out to 100 yards may be true, but the equipment most hunters use in the archery seasons (compounds and crossbows) certainly allow for longer, more accurate shots than previous archery equipment did and yet I don't hear any talk about cutting that season. IMO as long as the obr is in effect, I see no reason to change anything. I agree. One buck means one buck no matter the equipment used to kill it with
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Post by boonechaser on Dec 12, 2022 22:24:39 GMT -5
Ha,ha the young man has gotten more than he bargained for with this thread topic....
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Post by greghopper on Dec 13, 2022 6:43:03 GMT -5
Your definitely entitled to your opinion...I am sure many see it differently. Personally...I don't believe we could go back to Two Bucks and see the quality we have now. Especially with the modern equipment being used now. Define modern equipment. Anything not used in the past...Basically anything that makes hunting easier or more efficient.
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Post by greghopper on Dec 13, 2022 7:00:02 GMT -5
Ha,ha the young man has gotten more than he bargained for with this thread topic.... I am sure they knew what they were doing by posting here.....
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Post by boonechaser on Dec 13, 2022 7:48:03 GMT -5
Ha,ha the young man has gotten more than he bargained for with this thread topic.... I am sure they knew what they were doing by posting here..... Better here than FB..... lol. Hopefully he does a follow up here, after survey is completed and what his findings were. Maybe a new biologist in making??
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Post by ms660 on Dec 13, 2022 19:06:19 GMT -5
Ha,ha the young man has gotten more than he bargained for with this thread topic.... I am sure they knew what they were doing by posting here..... It would have to be archery related. Firearms hunters have always been only allowed one buck.
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