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Changing the way we think!

The HUSH program is a great piece of propaganda. It's true purpose is not to feed the hungry. That is pure window dressing or at best a nice side benefit. It's only reason for being is to kill deer. It gives guys that like to hunt deer but not eat them a reason to kill does. To add insult to injury they got us to pay for it too.

I know guys that love to deer hunt but don't eat the meat. Used to be they were buck only and if they did get one they either gave it to someone who they personally knew wanted it or processed the whole thing into jerky, sticks and the like that their kids would eat. Not cheap but reasonable when it's only one deer a year. Now those same guys can kill at will without remorse. The meats for a "good cause".

Am I little bitter about HUSH? HELL YEAH! The group that shotgun hunts the same farm I hunt bow and muzzle loader hushes every deer they shoot and no deer gets a pass from these guys. Not picking on gun hunters. Lots of bow hunters do it too including my good friend that hunts this farm with me. Fortunately, when he saw me passing does that my family would eat he agreed no does off this farm.

I have no doubt that there are areas where more deer then the hunters allowed in that area can use "need" to go. HUSHING some of those is understandable. I hunt primarily in East Central Iowa. Lots of hunters not so many deer. Doe tags sell out quick and a lot of them are bought knowing the deer they go on our going to HUSH. In my opinion that sucks.

I do think that deer tagged out of a low density county should not be eligible for HUSH.
 
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10-15 deer in a group is not an indication "overpopulation" in Iowa. 80-100 in a field, ok, not 10-15. Especially since Dec thru late winter deer are grouped up.
Wish seasoned hunters looked at bucks like size limits on fish - harvesting mature bucks while leaving a young crop to get a crack at the next year- be the same amount of mature bucks (give or take) every year if folks could wait til they mature. But obviously those who want to continue to shoot young bucks year after year (seasoned hunters) will get pissed if anyone says this. Ok - probably not going to change any minds on that one, at least not easily.
 
The HUSH program is just another tool for the state uses to take advantage of hunters that have no control of themselves ......give them a tag to kill and they will kill! Again ....self control!
 
pamarcole said:
The HUSH program is just another tool for the state uses to take advantage of hunters that have no control of themselves ......give them a tag to kill and they will kill! Again ....self control!
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Really??? Come on guys.....this topic is getting ridiculous. The Hush is a good program and it needs to stay.
 
Sligh1 said:
10-15 deer in a group is not an indication "overpopulation" in Iowa. 80-100 in a field, ok, not 10-15. Especially since Dec thru late winter deer are grouped up.
Wish seasoned hunters looked at bucks like size limits on fish - harvesting mature bucks while leaving a young crop to get a crack at the next year- be the same amount of mature bucks (give or take) every year if folks could wait til they mature. But obviously those who want to continue to shoot young bucks year after year (seasoned hunters) will get pissed if anyone says this. Ok - probably not going to change any minds on that one, at least not easily.
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I agree we have installed slot limits in MN, and the fishing has really improved on certain lakes, It's like night and day.

As far as does are concerned. If you are in a county with low deer numbers, petition the DNR to decrease permits? This is happening in MN right now.

MN has also added antler point restrictions...which has really helped SE MN. Finally, some positive changes in our state. Maybe Iowa should try a 3-4 county block of APR to see how the results would be?
 
The hush program is not an issue. only 4.5% of deer shot last year was donated. 110,000 out of the 115,xxx deer shot were consumed by someone. only 5281 deer were donated last year.

Most residents I know do not eat their rutted up bow bucks. They hush them. Those deer would be shot regardless. Most NR I know hush their deer as well as it is a pain to keep a deer from spoiling when living across the country plus they are here for a buck anyways. Those deer would be shot regardless.

It simply comes down to lowering doe tags. Less tags, less chance for people to fill them and buy excessive tags. If you can't get a doe tag people may start eating their rutted up bucks.
 
I've seen this come up quite a few times here in the last year or so. The only thing HUSH is good for is FB and their deer eradication program. Those of you that dont believe that need to pull their head out of the sand. It all boils down to us hunters, gun or bow and being educated in the land we hunt. The deer densities that are there and what the land can hold. EHD has taken a major toll in the places I hunt, primarily Madison and Warren Counties. Are there still pockets of good deer numbers? Yes, but they are few and far between from what I've seen and what I've heard from the farmers across those 2 counties. 3 years ago it was nothing to see 15 - 20 deer on stand in a sit, now I'm lucky if I even see 2 - 3, and numerous sits this year I had no sightings what so ever. I have pulled my bow back twice in 2 years, and both times were to shoot coyotes.
Its about being smart guys thats all it boils down to. Just because the state people that sit behind their desks all day say its ok, doesnt mean that it is. They don't know, they have an idea but they don't understand the loss of income that the state will incrue over the next couple years from the deer numbers being down. Loss of tag sales, loss of motel rental from out of staters, loss of fuel being purchased to drive to hunt like most of us do, and the loss of people hunting. Its a snowball effect. Lets look at what has happened to the pheasants in the last 20 yrs for a prime example of lost revenue for the state. 20 yrs ago, I couldn't drive down a gravel road and not see a group of pheasant hunters somewhere and I was one of them. Now I'm lucky if I see one group from opening day to close in South Central Iowa, and I haven't hunted pheasant in over 15 yrs. If we don't wise up, and be more smart about what we kill ( what we need vs. what we want) it will take a long time to get the herd back to where it was a couple of years ago. That is time where we will loose the next generation of deer hunters to something else, because it will simply be no fun for them to go out and participate. It just boils down to using common sense and knowing what is good for the land and the deer herd and what is not. The state doesnt make you pull the trigger or touch off your release, the individual is up to that. So use your heads, and try to educate those that need educated that you can't kill every deer you see and expect there to be something left in the future. The math just doesn't work that way.
 
I take my deer to a local locker and haul my meat home in coolers. I also eat my rut buck. Pretty tasty I have to say.
 
4 Buck said:
Really??? Come on guys.....this topic is getting ridiculous. The Hush is a good program and it needs to stay.
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I would agree to this. The amount of extra tags in some areas is what needs to be limited along with the late doe/rifle season has served it's purpose and may no longer be needed. I don't have a problem with a person buying a tag, killing a deer and donating it to hush, but disagree with the person or group who buys a lot of extra tags just to be able to kill more deer which all go to Hush. Don't know about other Hunters, but I don't always have to kill something to have a good hunt. I threw my doe tag away for 1st season but had a really good time hunting and even saw a few deer, but passed. I will be out again starting on the 23rd for late ML in a different place and not even sure if I will fill both of the tags I have for that season.
 
I'm going to state the obvious here and the reason for stating the "OBVIOUS" is I think some people don't understand how to have more bucks and more deer in general....

IN ORDER TO INCREASE BUCK POPULATIONS YOU MUST LET DOE POPULATIONS INCREASE. DOE'S GIVE BIRTH TO BUCKS AND DOE FAWNS.... THE MORE DOE'S THAT ARE AROUND THE MORE BUCK FAWNS YOU WILL HAVE. YOU HAVE TO LET THE DOE POPULATION GO UP FOR A COUPLE YEARS AND YOUR BUCK POPULATION WILL COME UP WITH IT. THEN WHEN NUMBERS ARE BACK WHERE YOU WANT THEM YOU START TRYING TO GET YOUR BUCK TO DOE RATIO MORE BALANCED SLOWLY.........

Hope this helps some understand what it takes to have more bucks and see more deer in general on hunts.............
 
Sligh1 said:
10-15 deer in a group is not an indication "overpopulation" in Iowa. 80-100 in a field, ok, not 10-15. Especially since Dec thru late winter deer are grouped up.
Wish seasoned hunters looked at bucks like size limits on fish - harvesting mature bucks while leaving a young crop to get a crack at the next year- be the same amount of mature bucks (give or take) every year if folks could wait til they mature. But obviously those who want to continue to shoot young bucks year after year (seasoned hunters) will get pissed if anyone says this. Ok - probably not going to change any minds on that one, at least not easily.
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Yep, we see 60-80 in a field every night up here. Kind of messes with the mind though because if you drive the other 4 square miles around you'll see maybe 10 deer. They all winter in one area but as soon as spring comes they are all spread out again. I saw the fewest amount of deer I have seen during bow season this year and I hunted 60 of the days. But now if you drove by the few fields you would think we were over populated. Winter isn't a good time to judge numbers.

I've only shot one buck in my 3 years of bow hunting and can saw I havr probably passed 70 bucks before that deer. I don't understand why people NEED to shoot a deer. I think I'm more picky about the bucks I shoot than the fish I catch.
 
Liv4Rut said:
The hush program is not an issue. only 4.5% of deer shot last year was donated. 110,000 out of the 115,xxx deer shot were consumed by someone. only 5281 deer were donated last year.

Most residents I know do not eat their rutted up bow bucks. They hush them. Those deer would be shot regardless. Most NR I know hush their deer as well as it is a pain to keep a deer from spoiling when living across the country plus they are here for a buck anyways. Those deer would be shot regardless.

It simply comes down to lowering doe tags. Less tags, less chance for people to fill them and buy excessive tags. If you can't get a doe tag people may start eating their rutted up bucks.
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I would have eaten your avatar buck and loved every bite.

You are right. The HUSH program probably is not the real problem. But, when you look at the 60,000 deer donated over the last decade and consider the long term effect it's nothing to be shrugged off. Yes, I dislike it. I dislike making my required "donation" every time I buy a tag. It kicks me right in my deer hunting nuts and I hate it.

The OP titled this thread "Changing the way we think". The ones who probably need to do that most are the ones whose families exclusively eat deer as their red meat. This includes my family. I went into this season with 4 Clinton county doe tags in my pack. I still have them and will not fill them. I shot one doe in town and that is it. I may shoot another before they build the new casino on the place I hunt. My wife noted the lack of deer in the freezer the other day. I told her that it will be filled with a side of beef until I start seeing more deer where I hunt. I have many friends that feed their families likewise. They are starting to see it too. One way or another at some point they will have to change the way they think about feeding their family.
 
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Jake_Schlotterback said:
10-15 does a night isn't high to you? If that's not high then what is? I agree the numbers are down in some areas just not here. Did I say I was going out and shooting does just to shoot them? No. I haven't shot a doe all year.
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Are you meaning 10-15 for sure big does, or are you talking 10-15 total skin heads a night??

Its really all about understanding herd dynamics and knowing what a hunter is seeing while being a good steward. Are numbers too high? Drop them some...numbers to low...pass on the does.

The real problem are those hunters that do not know or do not care to be a good steward and understand all they can about the quarry they chase...

The MDC gives us unlimited doe tags, yet it is up to each landowner and hunter to determine if they actually have unlimited does that need to be killed.
 
Liv4Rut said:
Most residents I know do not eat their rutted up bow bucks.
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Past years I would have HUSH'd my bow buck, then shot a doe for personal consumption. This year I'm eating the buck, since I chose not to shoot a doe for the freezer.
 
It is simple if you want to see bigger more mature bucks then you need to advocate for size restrictions on bucks so all the bucks that should be given time to grow do not get shot at the end of the year. Also if you are seeing 10 does to every buck then your buck to doe ratio is way off. The problem in itself does not have a one size fits all solution. We as land owners and hunters need to start regulating the number of deer taken off of each piece of property to sustain healthy numbers.
 
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