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deer numbers down

I think they need to take out the two doe seasons or least just one. I've been thinking about this and I also think instead of 3 weeks of shot gun hunting just 2 and only consider it 1 season. I have been hunting hard lately and have shot my gun 3 times this week.
 
Cooter said:
The governor doesn't issue depredation tags the DNR does. When a counties antler less quota isn't selling out why are depredation tags even issued? I think they just give the impression the deer herd is still too high and more does need to be taken.
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Becasue specific properties and sections of a county may hold to many deer. I'd like to see the antlerless tags nearly completely done away with in some counties and then just depredation tags issued to the landowners who have to many deer, those landowners can then give those tags to the hunters who hunt their property. That way just because a county has 1000 antlerless tags, for example, people don't go and buy a bunch and then shoot a bunch of does in a portion of the county that doesn't need any extra does harvested. This would ensure that the properties with an excess population get the treatment they need. Of course suburban areas would still have city hunts, etc.
 
beararchery said:
I think they need to take out the two doe seasons or least just one. I've been thinking about this and I also think instead of 3 weeks of shot gun hunting just 2 and only consider it 1 season. I have been hunting hard lately and have shot my gun 3 times this week.
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The November antlerless was proposed to be eliminated this year, but Branstad turned it down.
 
Cooter said:
The governor doesn't issue depredation tags the DNR does.
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Joe Farmer calls the DNR and says he has a deer problem and wants 60 depredation tags, the DNR says we have more than brought down the population and we don't feel you need any tags. The farmer hangs up and calls the governors office and says the DNR has turned me down for depredation tags and the deer are eating all my profits and I've hit two deer in the last 6 months with my car...can you help? 10 minutes later the DNR calls the farmer and says we have 70 tags in the mail.
 
sep0667 said:
The November antlerless was proposed to be eliminated this year, but Branstad turned it down.
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And, the number of antlerless tags per county was proposed to be cut back in many counties and Branstad turned that down too. I don't always agree with the DNR but they had it right this year and were turned down by the higher ups.
 
Cooter said:
The DNR is still handing out depredation tags. One farmer got access to 60 for around 400 acres. If the DNR agrees numbers are down why are they doing this?. I believe just to keep the farmers happy. To me there was not enough sign on this property to warrant that many tags but what do I know.

Most guys are too trigger happy. If they have tags and see deer they are gonna shoot them.
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Tell me who controls the DNR. Oh yeah, the governor.

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SquirrelBoy said:
I filled my 3 tags this weekend on public ground, so Id say deer numbers are looking good in my area!
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Unfortunately, this is the same attitude that a lot of the 5 day/year hunters have. "well I filled my tags, so the population must be good". Give me a break man! That's the equivalent of me saying " I filled my anysex archery tag this year on a buck, so the population in my area must be good".... Are you serious? 3 deer justifies the herd being up in your area? Not razzin you Greg, but cmon!
 
Here's one for you guys. A co-worker of mine (great guy that I really get along with) is a 1st season shotgunner. He got his shotgun out on Friday the 2nd to shoot a few shots making sure it was sighted in. He's not much of a hunter other than every year on Saturday and Sunday of 1st season. He goes out with a group of 15-20 guys and drive like many others do. I don't know for sure what kind of hunters the other guys in his group are, so I can't comment on that. But I do know they are meat hunters and out there just to enjoy their time. If it's brown, its down. Stereotypical Shotgun hunters. Anyway, last week (after season is over) he asked me if I wanted a doe. I told him no, because I still have a couple of tags (doubt I'll use both) for late muzzy, plus a bow tag (that won't get filled either). I asked him about the doe and he said they just didn't need it!!!! Now, it's one thing to shoot as much as you can use, but why even buy tags when you know you have too many? I don't even think they filled all their tags either. He said he was trying to either give it to someone or it was gonna go to the coyotes. I told him to at least take it to a locker and donate it to HUSH if he couldn't find anyone to give it to. I ended up finding a buddy of mine that does not hunt and he is going to take it, so at least it isn't going to waste, just makes me mad.

But like everyone is saying, the majority of the shotgun hunters have NO CLUE what is going on with the herd! This is case in point. I could tell him everything I know about the herd going downhill, but would he relay that to his party and would it make a difference? Probably not. They won't know a thing until one year they go out and can't find any deer because there aren't any. I think our educating other people will work, to a point. But there will be a lot of people who won't believe us, don't care or just like shooting everything too much to stop.
 
dedgeez said:
Unfortunately, this is the same attitude that a lot of the 5 day/year hunters have. "well I filled my tags, so the population must be good". Give me a break man! That's the equivalent of me saying " I filled my anysex archery tag this year on a buck, so the population in my area must be good".... Are you serious? 3 deer justifies the herd being up in your area? Not razzin you Greg, but cmon!
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I agree, hunting success rate is not the only metric I use as to estimating the size of the deer herd in the areas I hunt.
 
SquirrelBoy said:
I filled my 3 tags this weekend on public ground, so Id say deer numbers are looking good in my area!
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One person with 3 tags filled. That is why our population is going in the pots.
I think dnr or gov definately needs to put a wrap on these doe tags and these extra doe seasons. I understand going out and haveing fun and shooting deer but before long our deer will be few and far between.

Obviously this person has not spent near the time in the woods that i have. I still have many unfilled tags that i wasnt going to fill and wont fill. When you shoot a doe you are killing atleast 2 or 3 deer for next years herd.

I am almost scared to shoot a doe, but my wife is complaining that we only have one package of burger left. I have had many chances to and have just chosen not to.
 
The Dnr and the governor are not the ones pulling the triggers.The non resident land owners who actually are willing to buy a tag to hunt their own land for many times what a resident pays arent your problem either.It seems that groups of 20 to 30 or more with pockets full of tags go in and sweep an area with permisssion or not and kill everything they see can and will and has had a negative jmpact on the deer herd.It changes from hunting and fair chase to killing. This should make all of us mad.I think the majority of deer hunters hunt ethically and these are the guys that will suffer from the actions of a few.Trespassing laws need to be severe and enforced.We would all be shocked if we knew real numbers that are killed from poaching and trespassing.
 
LYON said:
Here's one for you guys. A co-worker of mine (great guy that I really get along with) is a 1st season shotgunner. He got his shotgun out on Friday the 2nd to shoot a few shots making sure it was sighted in. He's not much of a hunter other than every year on Saturday and Sunday of 1st season. He goes out with a group of 15-20 guys and drive like many others do. I don't know for sure what kind of hunters the other guys in his group are, so I can't comment on that. But I do know they are meat hunters and out there just to enjoy their time. If it's brown, its down. Stereotypical Shotgun hunters. Anyway, last week (after season is over) he asked me if I wanted a doe. I told him no, because I still have a couple of tags (doubt I'll use both) for late muzzy, plus a bow tag (that won't get filled either). I asked him about the doe and he said they just didn't need it!!!! Now, it's one thing to shoot as much as you can use, but why even buy tags when you know you have too many? I don't even think they filled all their tags either. He said he was trying to either give it to someone or it was gonna go to the coyotes. I told him to at least take it to a locker and donate it to HUSH if he couldn't find anyone to give it to. I ended up finding a buddy of mine that does not hunt and he is going to take it, so at least it isn't going to waste, just makes me mad.

But like everyone is saying, the majority of the shotgun hunters have NO CLUE what is going on with the herd! This is case in point. I could tell him everything I know about the herd going downhill, but would he relay that to his party and would it make a difference? Probably not. They won't know a thing until one year they go out and can't find any deer because there aren't any. I think our educating other people will work, to a point. But there will be a lot of people who won't believe us, don't care or just like shooting everything too much to stop.
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I really love your "holier than thou" attitude just because you're a bowhunter. :mad:

Once again, I can't stress this enough, not ALL shotgun hunter's are the same. I would say your co-worker is of the group of un-ethical shotgun hunters that make up 5-10% of shotgunnners.
 
One person with 3 tags filled. That is why our population is going in the pots.
I think dnr or gov definately needs to put a wrap on these doe tags and these extra doe seasons. I understand going out and haveing fun and shooting deer but before long our deer will be few and far between.
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Saturday I was draging 2 of my deer out of the woods, when I passed 14 other people that were going in to group hunt this public land. I'm just thankful I got there before they did. Yes, I fill my tags every year, but I butcher and eat every deer I shoot. I don't shoot them just to donate to HUSH. I even butchered a buck that we hit with our minivan. How many people hit deer with their cars and just leave them to rot on the roadside.

When you shoot a doe you are killing atleast 2 or 3 deer for next years herd.
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Yes, this is true, so If the deer population in your area is low, then don't shoot does.
 
hawkjosh22 said:
I really love your "holier than thou" attitude just because you're a bowhunter. :mad:

Once again, I can't stress this enough, not ALL shotgun hunter's are the same. I would say your co-worker is of the group of un-ethical shotgun hunters that make up 5-10% of shotgunnners.
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Whoa! I think you are reading this wrong, and I apologize if it gave the wrong impression. I have NO problem with shotgun hunting, that's why I never once said that I do! I said "stereotypical" because that's how a lot of people see shotgun hunters. The stereotype of a shotgun hunting group is a bunch of guys getting together once a year and shooting everything that moves. Not everyone is like this and I never said they were! I also said the "majority" of shotgun hunters don't know what is happening with the herd. I did not say ALL! I would say that, by numbers, there are more shotgun hunters that go out for the weekend or two weekends (depending on season) and hunt that don't truly know what is going on with the herd than there are shotgun hunters that really have a good grasp of our herd condition. Thus being a majority.

Yes I am a bowhunter, but I have no problems with any way any other hunter wants to hunt, so long as it's legal.

Again, sorry if my post made it sound like I am a "better than you" bowhunter. My bad;)
 
Yes, this is true, so If the deer population in your area is low, then don't shoot does.[/QUOTE]

That is why i have not shot a doe this year. I have had numerous chances but have elected to pass. Still, wife is complaining no burger in the freezer. I am fighting with shooting a buck that i dont think will amount to much or what to do.

I have 5 acres of standing corn and beans and a late muzzy tag. Maybe that big boy will come around???
 
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