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Gun hunting ethics question......

I think the DNR needs to talk with the National Guard and set up a "training exercise" for shotgun season and post 20 people in every county.Five groups of four and they can freely enforce the laws that already exist and maybe get guys under control to some degree.
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: buck,eyehunter16</div><div class="ubbcode-body">That way I can control who and how many people are trouncing around my property.</div></div>

From the sounds of it that won't do you any good either - people don't care if you say yes or no and have no regard for personal property.
 
There isn't a real good solution to this trespassing problem, but I don't think we need to put the blame on the DNR COs. There are only 70 some COs to cover the entire state, so it is no wonder that they aren't available some times to handle a trespass complaint. For heavens sakes there are more police than that at an Iowa football game and that is in one town with 70,000 fans. The shotgun season has over 250,000 hunters scattered all over the State. What can we really expect.
 
I grew up shotgun hunting for deer here in SW Iowa. However, I've never participated in a "drive", my grandpa thought that drives weren't very sporting, and instilled in me that hunting is about the experience, not just a means to an end. Having said that, I respect any hunter who abides the law and who further will respect fair chase ethics. What I have seen while pheasant hunting the past few years during shotgun season has made me look at things a bit differently. There are deer hunters who hunt with a shotgun and there are deer shooters who push deer with little to no woodsmanship or hunting skill involved. In fact I don't even call what they do hunting, its more of a round up. I'd even support some type rule reducing the number of people in a hunting parties. Blast away at me now.
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 150plus</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> I'd even support some type rule reducing the number of people in a hunting parties. Blast away at me now. </div></div>

&lt;Crickets chirp&gt;
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Iowabowtech</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 150plus</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> I'd even support some type rule reducing the number of people in a hunting parties. Blast away at me now. </div></div>

&lt;Crickets chirp&gt;</div></div>

Sounds genius to me.
 
Me too. Crickets chirping meant the lack of blasting I expected. I think there's a growing # of people that see merrit in the idea.
 
I don't think minimizing group numbers will do anything except reduce harvest rates and cause more conflicts with trespassing.

I think the lack of responses here is because this "issue" is so beyond the simplicity that some have stated on here that is isn't even justified to try and respond.
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: DWilk</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I don't think minimizing group numbers will do anything except reduce harvest rates and cause more conflicts with trespassing. </div></div>

Yeah you're right, it would make shooting something a challenge. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Brew Crew</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: DWilk</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I don't think minimizing group numbers will do anything except reduce harvest rates and cause more conflicts with trespassing. </div></div>

Yeah you're right, it would make shooting something a challenge. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif
</div></div>

Tim we aughta be drinking some beer rather than sittin on this site bickering haha /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: DWilk</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Tim we aughta be drinking some beer rather than sittin on this site bickering haha /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif </div></div>

Haha no doubt!! /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif Tomorrow night!!!
 
I had safety in mind more than anything and yes I admit it's an offshoot of the original topic. Just seems like it could be worthwhile to revisit the current status quo.
 
Never implied it would be easy but its obvious its out of control and they need help.Help usually means more$$$ so maybe trepassing while hunting needs to become a game violation that gets your guns etc. confiscated and a nice big fine.
People,especially people with these ethics only respect serious repercussions.Sorry but its true and theres no easy way to resolve this crap.
I quit gun hunting after the first time cuz' I saw way too much borderline illegal stuff in 2 hrs that I couldn't stand it.Funnny thing was half of it was by people other than the group I was with.The 2nd day I went by myself to public property and only one access location with on one else around.After about an hour being setup in a location that was very visable in blaze orange coveralls I had a group go right thru me blasting at a little buck over 200yds away until it finally dropped then they left it.They knew I was there and insinuated I shouldn't mention anything as they followed me back to ths access to be picked up.
I really don't like the whizzing sound that slugs make when they fly by you.
I'm sure there are many like stories out there and its just ridiculous.I could care less how they chose to address it but I know throwing up your hands and saying its too hard is frankly unacceptable to me and should be moreso to any landowner having troubles with feeble minded people.
 
Funny how traditions are different in diferent places. I suppose it has somehting to do with the landscape,,and Iowa has the large open fields, and fence rows,,but I grew up in southern Mich, which is similar,,but there ,"Deer Drives" were relugated to the very end of the season. The most typical way to hunt deer,even with a shot gun, was to take a stand and wait for the deer as they naturally traveled. I think this is still the most typical kind of hunting up there. I was not too keen on what I saw for shotgun hunting when I moved out here. Still am not.
 
good points,but, the sherrif didnt even show up!, and i can tell you this group has been in trouble before, which makes me think cos are turning their heads to thin the population out, cause if they checked this group, they would have a hayday!! hunters without tags, deer not tagged, open containers, heck , i picked up $2.40 in empty containers- littering,. unfortunatly, being a family owned farm, we hunt it , and wont lease it , as we hunt it ourselves, only thing we can hope for is these slob hunters get boozed up, and thin themselves out instead of the deer that our family would like to hunt!
 
i was discussing this with a Bow hunting friend of mine that quit shotguning also, he brought up a good point, the law enforcement would rather fine two people for getting a little nookkie at the metrodome,at a football game, than go after the $1500.00 fines(plus) they could make in revenue chasing these slob hunters that give us all a bad name. easy ticket, less paper work he figured.
 
I run a shotgun group during the second season. My group consists of ten people that like to hunt but aren't into it enough to bow hunt. We do deer drives on the weekends and sit during the week, mainly because our numbers are down. I also sat in a bowstand 48 days this year.... Not everyone that party hunts during the gun season has no clue what is going on....I don't think that some of these generalizations about gun hunting groups are correct.

I have 1500 acres of ground that I lease and I use shotgun season as a management tool for my deer herd and my friends help me with that. I personally have 50 antlerless tags for the 2nd gun season because I have extremely high deer numbers on my property and am in the process of thinning them out. I am not even sure if 50 is going to be enough and we have already harvested 43 does during archery season. I also use it as a management tool because I have several cull bucks that need to be taken. With only 2 buck tags a year I generally try to harvest one cull buck and one trophy buck a year. My group helps me with the other cull bucks.

I understand where some of you are having problems but I enjoy shotgun season. I like the group atmosphere and the team work that it takes to have a successful drive. I don't agree with some of the previous statements that deer drives aren't fair chase hunting because you never really know which way they are going to run. We walk through little creek draws that are impossible to stand hunt because the deer will see you coming from a mile away to get into your stand. My shotgun group is organized, ethical, and efficient at what we do. In the last four years we have averaged 47 does and 3 bucks per year.

I have several rules in my group....Safety is number one....We don't shoot any bucks that don't go on the wall....Who ever draws first blood gets the deer....I also have aerial photos of the places we walk through so everyone knows where everyone else is.

With everyone bashing shotgun sesaon like this I thought I would voice up and defend something I love. It's a week of friends, family, telling stories, and hanging out. There are still some ethical shotgun groups and I figured some of you needed to hear from one.
 
whitetail warrior i understand where you are coming from being upset... i am a very avid bow hunter but i always look foward to that first wknd in december its always fun the family, friends, stories, great hunting thats what i remember about iowa shotgun. but its true it only takes one bad experience with a group to change your mind on gun hunting... and i know there alot of groups like yours warrior.... saftey is at the top of the list.. my group is the same way usually 5 to 7 of us family and close friends we sit in are bow stands know everyones locations where to shoot and not to shoot... and it really blows that there are those groups out there. but too you warrior thank you /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/cool.gif for standing up b/c i am a fellow gun/bow hunter. there are responsible hunters among shotgun season
 
Whitetail Warrior, it's great that there's gun hunters like you out there and I appreciate your post. You and your fellow hunters are doing you and your deer herd very well and that is great to hear. On a side note I talked to the farmer today where I've bow hunted for 25 years in NE Iowa and he gave me the gun hunters week-end update there. They got all their deer in 1 drive in a valley by standing corn. 17 deer! The REALLY sad part is that in that 1 drive they shot 25 deer! Guess where the extra 8 deer are? That's right they are still laying there. Sorted out what they wanted and left the rest for the coyotes. EXTREMELY SAD.
 
Thanks Whitetail Warrior and Bowtech 88 I also spend many days in the stand running cams and scouting. I love the first weekend in december its fun to catch up with all the guys and run drives I know there are groups that give us bad names. As far as trespassing is concerned I have heard many landowners with bowhunters trespassing also my buddy and I took down 2 stands this morning and I have taken many of them down on my ground. There are always bad apples and I think people are being a little hard on shotgun hunting and deer drives.
 
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