W
WI Shedhead
Guest
Since this is the IBA forum, this is to IBA members, Directors and Lobbyists.
First off I am a 10 year NR member of the IBA.
The issue I have is not with the number of NR liscenses in Area 9 where I hunt, but with the way they are divided up and how the NR Bowhunters are being discriminated against.
The 600 liscenses should be equally awarded to the 1320 people that put in for area 9 tags with no discrimination for weapon choice. Thier are many good reasons for this.
First, lets just say that 600 bowhunters drew these tags for one year. The resource can definately handle this and I know from 13 years of hunting in this area that thier is plenty of room for these bowhunters here. Even if all 600 hunted on the same day across the unit it would mean each hunter would only be impacting several thousand acres per person. I have seen very little hunting pressure from ANYONE in the areas I hunt, even during the rut, and it seems ridiculous that the concept of a few more bowhunters one year or the next would severly impact anything.
Second, many gun hunters have a trump card available to them already. They buy the antlerless tags and party hunt during the gun season with other NR's or with residents at a cheaper rate. Why buy a gun liscense if they can get virtually the same thing for cheaper. I tried to buy an antlerless tag over the phone on the first day they were available. After 4 hours of trying I finally got through and was told they were sold out for my area. Doesn't it seem peculiar that people would be beating down the doors for NR antlerless tags at $239.50? So basically there are 2500 extra antlerless party hunting tags avaiable to the gun hunters.
Thier should be 2500 antlerless tags available to bowhunters and muzzleloader hunters that cannot be party hunted off of. These tags would get used instead of abused and for that should be sold at the "Holiday rate" of $139.50 for hunters that did not draw an any deer liscense and for $50.50 for hunters that drew an any deer liscense and want an additional antlerless tag.
Third, and one thing that people don't consider very often is that bowhunters spend more money in Iowa simply because of the season length and the resrictions on our weapons. When I draw a tag I spend close to 3 weeks a year in Iowa shed hunting, erecting stands and hunting. Most gun hunters make it a long weekend at best.
45% of the hunters that put in for NR any-deer liscenses for Iowa are bowhunters. Figure in the 2500 antlerless party-hunting tags available to the gun hunters and as you can see we are being slapped in the face. Like I said, I support the 600 liscense quota in my area, and I am a member of the IBA. I hope this thread does not fall on deaf ears as this is a real problem. I have discussed this with the Director of wildlife for the State of Iowa and he said the reason this cap is on is because this is what the IBA wanted. I hope this isn't the case because the mission of a bowhunting organization should be to promote ALL bowhunting not just resident hunting within the Iowa borders.
Thanks for your time,
Shedhead
First off I am a 10 year NR member of the IBA.
The issue I have is not with the number of NR liscenses in Area 9 where I hunt, but with the way they are divided up and how the NR Bowhunters are being discriminated against.
The 600 liscenses should be equally awarded to the 1320 people that put in for area 9 tags with no discrimination for weapon choice. Thier are many good reasons for this.
First, lets just say that 600 bowhunters drew these tags for one year. The resource can definately handle this and I know from 13 years of hunting in this area that thier is plenty of room for these bowhunters here. Even if all 600 hunted on the same day across the unit it would mean each hunter would only be impacting several thousand acres per person. I have seen very little hunting pressure from ANYONE in the areas I hunt, even during the rut, and it seems ridiculous that the concept of a few more bowhunters one year or the next would severly impact anything.
Second, many gun hunters have a trump card available to them already. They buy the antlerless tags and party hunt during the gun season with other NR's or with residents at a cheaper rate. Why buy a gun liscense if they can get virtually the same thing for cheaper. I tried to buy an antlerless tag over the phone on the first day they were available. After 4 hours of trying I finally got through and was told they were sold out for my area. Doesn't it seem peculiar that people would be beating down the doors for NR antlerless tags at $239.50? So basically there are 2500 extra antlerless party hunting tags avaiable to the gun hunters.
Thier should be 2500 antlerless tags available to bowhunters and muzzleloader hunters that cannot be party hunted off of. These tags would get used instead of abused and for that should be sold at the "Holiday rate" of $139.50 for hunters that did not draw an any deer liscense and for $50.50 for hunters that drew an any deer liscense and want an additional antlerless tag.
Third, and one thing that people don't consider very often is that bowhunters spend more money in Iowa simply because of the season length and the resrictions on our weapons. When I draw a tag I spend close to 3 weeks a year in Iowa shed hunting, erecting stands and hunting. Most gun hunters make it a long weekend at best.
45% of the hunters that put in for NR any-deer liscenses for Iowa are bowhunters. Figure in the 2500 antlerless party-hunting tags available to the gun hunters and as you can see we are being slapped in the face. Like I said, I support the 600 liscense quota in my area, and I am a member of the IBA. I hope this thread does not fall on deaf ears as this is a real problem. I have discussed this with the Director of wildlife for the State of Iowa and he said the reason this cap is on is because this is what the IBA wanted. I hope this isn't the case because the mission of a bowhunting organization should be to promote ALL bowhunting not just resident hunting within the Iowa borders.
Thanks for your time,
Shedhead
