southern iowa late rifle (meatlocker) update???

[buckeye]

Whats the difference in shooting a buck with a rack or one that dropped its rack. I dont get it alot of ppl are on here complaining about deer numbers being down should be thankful they are shooting shed bucks not does.

Theres a lotta difference. Bucks, escpecially big ones arent just another game animal in Iowa, theyre a commodity.They generate millions of dollars across the state each year in different ways.At the state level the resident either sex tags cost more than doe tags for the most part.Non residents pay much more for either sex tags than they do for doe tags.Even the fines for illegaly taking deer are based on antler size.

Trickle down from this is huge, farmers count on money coming in from leasing thier land to hunters, much of what used to be worthless ground that couldnt be farmed is now expensive and desirable as hunting leases or its bought outright for hunting.Nobodys going to pay that much for a prime doe hunting spot.Outfitters, taxidermists, local outdoor stores, etc... all count on deer hunters as a huge part of thier income.And the majority of these people are trying to kill a once in a lifetime buck.

I could go on but I wont.Every buck without antlers thats killed potentially costs the state thousands of dollars and costs hunters the oppurtunity to take that deer when hes had a chance to mature and show his true potential.With the doe population getting lower all the time it increases the odds every year of more and more shed bucks mistakenly being shot.

Kill most of the bucks off as well as a large portion of the does and Iowas just another state that used to be a good place to hunt.

 

[gundog870]

Fortunately and unfortunately, you need to get people "stirred" to get this message out. There's a ton RIGHT about Iowa and it's hunting BUT... This late season is really damaging and if folks aren't speaking out, making people aware and the hunters aren't taking any action against- it's gonna stay and create a ton more damage. This season IS CREATING A LOT OF DAMAGE. The thing is, it's hurting the "little guy"... Like I said earlier- it's not hurting a guy with 600 acres that knows what's he's doing- it's hurting the guy who shares hunting rights on an 80 and the 60, 120 & 100 next to it have different groups blasting the heck out of everything. That's where it's NOT UNCOMMON to see 5 shed bucks get killed out of 1 section and more does killed than needed. Leaving these "regular" areas lacking of mature bucks, bucks in general and in many cases- far too few deer. I sure hope stuff like this gets people's butt's in gear to do something and write the DNR, Governor, etc, etc. 2 issues today that really need to be addressed... This is absolutely one of the tops on this list to stop and get this season ended. January 10th needs to be the END of deer season! We need to go back to our original seasons & regulations!

Wait a second???? I thought you ran a shed buck contest!?!??!

 

[Bowtech84]

Well i will assure you most farmers are making so much money now that they do not count on money coming in from leases. Sure some do lease their ground but i dont know any that count on it. Instead they take back hoes and bulldozers to the ground that used to be considered useless and increase their plantable acres. Outfitters charge thousands to hunt deer in iowa i understand that but they have there own bought or leased ground and im sure they dont allow anyone to shoot shed bucks on there property. I understand the argument about ending the late antlerless season but not all are trophy hunters some people still do actually hunt just for meat.

 

[hotshott2289]

even if you are a supposed meat hunter you should still want this season closed; three weeks in Jan. is way to much it should be over jan 10 every year

 

[AIRASSAULT]

even if you are a supposed meat hunter you should still want this season closed; three weeks in Jan. is way to much it should be over jan 10 every year

I agree.. If someone can't find the opportunity to harvest enough meat from October 1st through January 10th, something is seriously wrong. Most hunters I know that travel south for the rifle season are just "joy" killing and giving all the meat away..

 

[buckeye]

Well i will assure you most farmers are making so much money now that they do not count on money coming in from leases. Sure some do lease their ground but i dont know any that count on it. Instead they take back hoes and bulldozers to the ground that used to be considered useless and increase their plantable acres. Outfitters charge thousands to hunt deer in iowa i understand that but they have there own bought or leased ground and im sure they dont allow anyone to shoot shed bucks on there property. I understand the argument about ending the late antlerless season but not all are trophy hunters some people still do actually hunt just for meat.

Im not arguing that people hunt just for meat, if I have a tag left and seasons running short I will most times kill a doe myself for the freezer.You asked what the difference was in shooting antlered or shed bucks and I answered your question, in terms of revenue the difference is huge.

Heres a question for you.Why have this season that late in the year?Why not have it before the regular seasons?Why not just add that many tags to the current seasons?Why not do it when there is a very slim chance of mistaking a buck for a doe?Biologically it makes no sense does it?

The only reason to have it at that point in time is so they can sell more tags to people that are bored and have nothing else to hunt.The DNR even wants to do away with it, but the politicians want to squeeze every dime they can out of deer tags.It has nothing to do with a balanced or healthy deer herd at this point, its all about money and theyre screwing all of us in the process.

 

[wapsiguy]

My name is Robert Hearn and I....I................I hunt does after January 10th in Iowa.

I have for the last few years and I really enjoy it BUT if the season went away I wouldn't complain. I hunt public ground in NE Iowa and I have NEVER shot a shed buck.

Bonkers earlier post "Confessions being good for the soul" lead me to create this post.

Now let the verbal beating begin. :thrwrck:

 

[Big Buck]

Your an idiot!

 

[LANDROBBER13]

Well i will assure you most farmers are making so much money now that they do not count on money coming in from leases. Sure some do lease their ground but i dont know any that count on it. Instead they take back hoes and bulldozers to the ground that used to be considered useless and increase their plantable acres. Outfitters charge thousands to hunt deer in iowa i understand that but they have there own bought or leased ground and im sure they dont allow anyone to shoot shed bucks on there property. I understand the argument about ending the late antlerless season but not all are trophy hunters some people still do actually hunt just for meat.

Now you know one; let's call him Jim....He's my neighbor and farms about 2k acres.We were talking a couple of weeks ago and he mentioned that he didn't really care for leasing but now that he has been doing it for several years he has come to count on that money at the end of the year and if he were to lose it things would be more difficult.
Now, on to the real problem; from a stewardship point of view this late season has to be the antithesis of all things QDM.

 

[wapsiguy]

Your an idiot!

Thank You!! :way:

 

[Central Iowa]

MY .02 cents. The state acts like it's a never ending resource. I hope they realize what they have and decide to manage it more responsibly before it’s too late. The windfall will end as it is evident that it's ruined starting with the loss of future generations as the hunting gets harder (we discussed pheasant hunting and it’s affects in another thread), secondly as nonresidents start pulling back and as service providers and retailers in all facets recognize revenue loss as a result of the mismanagement. It will cycle again, it may take 5 years it may take 20 but no doubt in my opinion it will run a cycle but damage will be done. Remember at one time we had no deer. This is only if it is realized what damage has or will be done and the seasons become more conservative. I personally would rather see it managed differently much like most of us do with any resource we have. I understand there are still areas of high densities my guess is these areas always will be because of the reasons they still are. Those areas should be approached on a scaled micro based solution for the local not county wide or statewide broad strokes. I also have a strong negativity about running deer this late in the year over and over again in a time when they should be rebuilding their bodies and nurturing the growing fetuses of the next offspring. If you don't think that stress will affect our deer quality you have to be kidding yourself as our season approaches 5 months in length. I have heard DNR representatives state that older deer shed later and shouldn't be at risk during this late season that's bull. If that was the case it needs another look because a bi product of this season which is favorable is a more balanced heard. This I favor but as the herd becomes balanced bucks should lose their antlers earlier and earlier as the need to breed later in the year decreases. I guarantee this hasn't even crossed their minds or has been assessed. Then again when they can’t even balance a budget how can we expect them to manage this resource?

 

[Daver]

MY .02 cents. The state acts like it's a never ending resource. I hope they realize what they have and decide to manage it more responsibly before it’s too late. The windfall will end as it is evident that it's ruined starting with the loss of future generations as the hunting gets harder (we discussed pheasant hunting and it’s affects in another thread), secondly as nonresidents start pulling back and as service providers and retailers in all facets recognize revenue as a result of the mismanagement. It will cycle again, it may take 5 years it may take 20 but no doubt in my opinion it will run a cycle but damage will be done. Remember at one time we had no deer. This is only if it is realized what damage has or will be done and the seasons become more conservative. I personally would rather see it managed differently much like most of us do with any resource we have. I understand there are still areas of high densities my guess is these areas always will be because of the reasons they still are. Those areas should be approached on a scaled micro based solution for the local not county wide or statewide broad strokes. I also have a strong negativity about running deer this late in the year over and over again in a time when they should be rebuilding their bodies and nurturing the growing fetuses of the next offspring. If you don't think that stress will affect our deer quality you have to be kidding yourself as our season approaches 5 months in length. I have heard DNR representatives state that older deer shed later and shouldn't be at risk during this late season that's bull. If that was the case it needs another look because a bi product of this season which is favorable is a more balanced heard. This I favor but as the herd becomes balanced bucks should lose their antlers earlier and earlier as the need to breed later in the year decreases. I guarantee this hasn't even crossed their minds or has been assessed. Then again when they can’t even balance a budget how can we expect them to manage this resource?

I think you make some good points there CI, one in particular that intrigues me is the stress factor on does carrying fetuses now. This is not scientific, but I sure seem to see fewer fawns per doe over the past few years than what I used to. Having found a couple of fawn carcasses in late spring/early summer I was sort of suspecting that predators were getting a few more fawns than in times past.

However, I could also totally see where does would have fewer fawns and/or less healthy fawns due to being on the "run" for longer each year. Of the people I know that hunt this late antlerless season most...it is about a 50-50 split as to whether they hunt via stand/sit v. push and block. In other words, there is still a fair amount of deer drives taking place during this late season.

Also, I know some that almost never shoot a shed buck and I also know folks that basically do not care and/or don't have the skills to tell the difference and their shed buck % probably runs right around 30% of what they knock down, with buttons being another 20+%. So they are roughly averaging a 50% ratio of male v. female deer during an antlerless season.

 

[Bowtech84]

Now you know one; let's call him Jim....He's my neighbor and farms about 2k acres.We were talking a couple of weeks ago and he mentioned that he didn't really care for leasing but now that he has been doing it for several years he has come to count on that money at the end of the year and if he were to lose it things would be more difficult.
Now, on to the real problem; from a stewardship point of view this late season has to be the antithesis of all things QDM.

Well Jim must be doing something wrong or feeding you some bull because anybody that is farming 2k acres should have more than enough to survive. But maybe not maybe he does rely on that couple thousand a year he gets from leases. Maybe all farmers should get into leasing there ground that would slow down the killing of shed bucks. But then everyone would be complaining about that. If everyone is worried about the deer numbers you yourself can do something about it talk to your buddies and take a couple deer seasons off.

 

[skyleralan]

I have seen several pick ups go by with deer legs sticking in all directions, spike bucks or not, it is disheartening to see nonetheless.

I hate this late rifle season with a passion. it is just too tempting to have a rifle in your hands and not have all sorts of legal and illegal shooting of bucks going on.

Some could argue this has been going on forever with guys running coyote dogs and coyote hunting and poaching deer, but not at this magnitude.

Our deer herd numbers are down regardless of the sex being killed.

 

[Sligh1]

Another ADDITIONAL thought on why not kill shed bucks? And should the state put importance on not killing shed bucks?..... The state fines a guy who poaches a 170" or bigger (I think that's about right) something like $14,000-18,000! That BUCK has "VALUE" to the state and the state has therefore justified the $14,000-18,000 price tag (or whatever it is, close to that) for poaching those prize bucks with "VALUE". But- once that deer drops those horns- it's worth ZERO. Or if you poached it, maybe a few hundred bucks. So it has value with the horns but no value without them. Killing the buck with or without is going to have the exact same effect and you're removing an equally valuable animal from our state. Just boggles the mind how these decisions and logic are derived!

 

[Daver]

I have seen several pick ups go by with deer legs sticking in all directions, spike bucks or not, it is disheartening to see nonetheless.

I hate this late rifle season with a passion. it is just too tempting to have a rifle in your hands and not have all sorts of legal and illegal shooting of bucks going on.

Some could argue this has been going on forever with guys running coyote dogs and coyote hunting and poaching deer, but not at this magnitude.

Our deer herd numbers are down regardless of the sex being killed.

Just my opinion based upon my observations and people that I know, etc...

The "rifle temptation factor" is waaay down the list as to those things that are negatively impacting the deer herd in general and also the presence of mature bucks. From just this year alone I can think of about a dozen shed bucks that people that I know, neighbors, friends, co-workers, etc, not necessarily people that I hunt with, have killed...legally.

Might there be some poaching going on somewhere...sure, but I suspect those numbers are far below the numbers of shed bucks being killed.

 

[Sligh1]

My core group of buddies that do hunt- no way would they shoot a buck with horns. BUT... I ran into Hillbilly Jim Bob last year as I parked at my neighbor's gate- he was hunting across the street. "Gonna get me some deer!", I said "Cool". I actually was going out to blast some rabbits- he thought I was out for deer.... "And if you see one with a nice rack, you better blast em, I'm gonna". I think Daver is right, far worse with shed bucks being killed LEGALLY but I sure know that the crowd I don't hang with (which I think is pretty high in #) that's out to "blast some of them there deer and shoot a biggun if I see um" is larger than we think. Either way, season needs to go.

 

[Altiman94]

I think the rifle season is probably on it's way out. Hopefully for next year it's done away with. There's really no need for the extra 2-3 week season now. Our deer herd is near optimal level so let's not ruin our resource.

 

[Central Iowa]

I think the rifle season is probably on it's way out. Hopefully for next year it's done away with. There's really no need for the extra 2-3 week season now.

Based on?

Just received a text from an old buddy that's laid off (construction) goin to blast some for a few days and next weekend as well.

 

[risto2351]

I agree.. If someone can't find the opportunity to harvest enough meat from October 1st through January 10th, something is seriously wrong. Most hunters I know that travel south for the rifle season are just "joy" killing and giving all the meat away..

Some of these people me included have had the opportunity but for some reason or another still need to put meat in the freezer. We do not know what everybody's circumstances are but yes some still are at it for meat.


Yes some people are out just joy killing as you call it but some me included are still out shooting does trying to thin the herd a little and also enjoying just being out there. The weather has been fantastic and yes I am looking forward to it closing next week.

Guess the point I am trying to make is not everybody is out to shoot shed bucks and button bucks. There are many reasons why people are still hunting and I included just like to be outside and hunt.