Windlooker
Well-Known Member
This would be an easy quantitative statistical study. Yea there may be other variables but the attention from celeb hunters is the primary factor.
CottonwoodCanyon
Well-Known Member
I think it's very multifaceted but attention is a big one. Lakoskis, Kiskis, Lindsays, Drurys, Midwest Whitetail, etc all promote to those who can afford land and The Hunting Public and other DIY/YouTube types promote to those NRs coming in to hunt the public. Everyone is selling Iowa. Then there's the outfitters...
Hardwood11
It is going to be a good fall!
In my home state the biggest detriment is the increase in seasons. When I was a young kid (12-18 years old) I was more of duck/pheasant hunter.
The shotgun season in Minnesota was 6 days total. First weekend was 2 days, second weekend was 4 days . You had to pick one or the other.
Guns were mostly pheasant guns with 1.99 sluggers . No scopes. Not many fancy set ups back then. Very few blinds, not many 18-20 feet tree stand set ups.
We would see big bucks all the time, I’d kick up a giant or two almost every time I walked for pheasants. Big mature bucks .
Fast forward to the today…Gun season days are now up to 29 total days. Early doe, youth, 9 day gun season (during the rut).. then a 16 day Muzzy season. Archery is Sept 17-Dec 31. All guns are rifle, Savage 220, or top if the line Muzzy/with scopes.
The odds of a buck surviving that for 3 years is slim ! It’s just simply too many seasons, better blinds/stands with much more accurate and lethal weapons we have now !
The shotgun season in Minnesota was 6 days total. First weekend was 2 days, second weekend was 4 days . You had to pick one or the other.
Guns were mostly pheasant guns with 1.99 sluggers . No scopes. Not many fancy set ups back then. Very few blinds, not many 18-20 feet tree stand set ups.
We would see big bucks all the time, I’d kick up a giant or two almost every time I walked for pheasants. Big mature bucks .
Fast forward to the today…Gun season days are now up to 29 total days. Early doe, youth, 9 day gun season (during the rut).. then a 16 day Muzzy season. Archery is Sept 17-Dec 31. All guns are rifle, Savage 220, or top if the line Muzzy/with scopes.
The odds of a buck surviving that for 3 years is slim ! It’s just simply too many seasons, better blinds/stands with much more accurate and lethal weapons we have now !
JUNIOR
Active Member
Resident, he’s a really nice guy.
The observation I was trying to make is that for years that ground was virtually untouched until hunting season with minimal pressure as there was only a couple of us that hunted it. Big timber and over grown pastures. Then he buys the properties,adds trails everywhere, food plots, blinds etc. Just a lot of new pressure that was nonexistent before. I do think it has pushed a noticeable amount of deer out of the area.
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I sent the shorter version to a few folks on here & the reception was good so far.
Alright…. Here u go…. Draft. I actually did this BEFORE this thread was started. I’ll post on IW YouTube, etc when it’s done. Got short one and longer one. This is shorter. Lemme know what u think….
brycemeis.smugmug.com
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brycemeis.smugmug.com
tall@wide
PMA Member
I've never heard a serious whitetail hunter once complain about being in a highly managed neighborhood until now. This is what all diehards strive for and search for. I'm guessing you are mainly hunting for meat? I'd give my left arm to get into a better "highly managed neighborhood." As for the doe overpopulation, working with neighbors and each landowner taking several does can fix that fairly quickly.
tall@wide
PMA Member
Great video and spot on! What we have going against us as hunters looking for mature, giant bucks, is that we are in the minority. Most hunters want it to be as easy as possible to kill bucks. They want guns, crossbows, more liberal seasons, bait, and anything allows them to kill bucks with the least effort. It is definitely going to be a HUGE challenge for Iowa hunters to keep the state in the Unicorn status that it has today.Alright…. Here u go…. Draft. I actually did this BEFORE this thread was started. I’ll post on IW YouTube, etc when it’s done. Got short one and longer one. This is shorter. Lemme know what u think….
Skip Sligh - Bryce meis
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Public access to government owned land?
Daver
PMA Member
I think the key to this is the phrase, "highly managed neighborhood". Not shooting enough does to keep a population somewhat balanced is not really highly managed, although people will use that phrase to describe their practices. The problem can be that some neighbors will not shoot enough does and only focus on mature bucks so as to create an imbalance...an imbalance that neighboring responsible landowners are then "forced" to handle or put up with.
Rjack
Well-Known Member
Agree
Where do I get my KIG hat??
chipterp
PMA Member
lol well you have now and no we are not hunting for meat besides a few does for some deer sticks and summer sausage. We could kill 50 does off each farm every year and you would never know you shot any the next year.
Percentage of land open to public hunting.
bkcrrtnps
Well-Known Member
Worse by far…I use to hate “deer drives” but a guy that bow hunted his entire life killing giants explained how those drives made hunting better every year and now with guys managing for high scoring bucks it’s went down hill. Guys won’t kill a 145” buck that’s 5,+ years old and many say he’s not old enough based on score alone when they don’t have a clue. More “inferior” less scoring deer were killed back when everything was shotgun hunted. I could keep going but I’m busy at work lol
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I can't follow what you're saying here. It sounds like you're making both better and worse statements. Can't tell if was is intentional or not.
Worse if you are trophy hunting in my opinion.
I started deer hunting in the early 90’s shotgun season. Pressure was crazy in my area. It was buck only and if it had antlers you shot it. Lots and dinks got killed but a fair number of big bucks too.
Back then you barely saw a tree stand in the timber, now you see them everywhere. Not blaming the increased interest in archery but it seems to have a coralation in my opinion.
The increase in rec parcels is just creating more pressure on a limited resource too, and I own a rec parcel I live on and my wife runs a horse business from. Guys buying land and wanting to hold as many deer as they can are causing some of the legislation we all hate. I have seen the crop damage on a farm the owner is trying to scrape a living off of next to neighbors that don’t care how many deer they have.
Lots of variables, Mother Nature, disease, predators and people.
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I started deer hunting in the early 90’s shotgun season. Pressure was crazy in my area. It was buck only and if it had antlers you shot it. Lots and dinks got killed but a fair number of big bucks too.
Back then you barely saw a tree stand in the timber, now you see them everywhere. Not blaming the increased interest in archery but it seems to have a coralation in my opinion.
The increase in rec parcels is just creating more pressure on a limited resource too, and I own a rec parcel I live on and my wife runs a horse business from. Guys buying land and wanting to hold as many deer as they can are causing some of the legislation we all hate. I have seen the crop damage on a farm the owner is trying to scrape a living off of next to neighbors that don’t care how many deer they have.
Lots of variables, Mother Nature, disease, predators and people.
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bkcrrtnps
Well-Known Member
I think the quality of the herd from an age and or score standpoint has declined, sorry if it was confusing..was at work typing on phone fast
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Thanks for posting. Interesting about the age claim. I wonder how they record the buck ages. I know I've never reported the guestimated age of any of my deer, and I've never sent in teeth or anything else for aging.