THE BEGINNING OF THE END, ENJOY WHAT WE HAVE NOW!
- Thread starter Rod White
- Start date
-
- Tags
- None
sureshot
The Hunt Never Ends....
That was my exact worry/thought booner. I hope that doesnt' happen, but it is basically inevitable.....I'm not a fan for this new season at all, and I think that the DNR could've/should've thought this through in a more timely matter, with the opinions of others(us regular Iowans) instead of just themselves......
Hopefully, it will bring the population to a more "healthy" level, no poaching occurs, and everybody stays safe during this new season, however, this would be the perfect scenario.....
Hopefully, it will bring the population to a more "healthy" level, no poaching occurs, and everybody stays safe during this new season, however, this would be the perfect scenario.....
One thing that people aren't considering at all is the impact of outfitted hunting and the leasing of ground. I hunt within minutes of the area that the infamous Albia giant was killed and you cant believe the amount of out of stater's we are starting to see. This with the leasing of all the ground which is then saved for limited hunting then compounds the overpopulation problem by cutting the access of the average joe to come in and hunt. If the state continues to support this form of hunting it won't matter how many seasons or doe tags that they sell. Shame on the farmer who leases there ground out for trophy hunting and then complains about the amount of corn the deer eat on their place! You know what would be interesting? What if we change the CRP rules to disallow farmers who lease their land for hunting to not be allowed subsidies for not having the land in production? The land is generating revenue just not by the way of the combine. This makes as much sense as the goverment subsidising the tobacco famer and then attacking the cigarette and chew industry because their products are killing people!
T
The Hood
Guest
Vary good piont idehunter!
I think this off season I will do a study on just how much land is being least in the rifle counties, I been known to rise the hair on congressman when I start emailing them. I'm alittle mental YOU KNOW
and this CPR land and tax breaks for not farming has made the land worth thousand in hunting leases and only a few deer are taken off that land while hundred of deer live on them.
hood
I think this off season I will do a study on just how much land is being least in the rifle counties, I been known to rise the hair on congressman when I start emailing them. I'm alittle mental YOU KNOW
hood
I have been strongly against both the Thanksgiving season and the rifles in the January season. The only good thing I see is that people aren't flocking to buy the extra antlerless tags. In the counties surrounding me I think they raises the doe tags by about 4000 and the last time I looked they hadn't sold as many as they did last year, and I really hope it stays that way. The Thanksgiving season has a tremendous potential for poaching, as several have pointed out. Not enough officers to keep track of things and large bucks still in the final rut stages and people hunting the same does the bucks are after. Who could ever imagine that a hunter and a huge buck would cross paths and the guy with the gun would just say "Just wait till next weekend Mr Buck". I have read lots of comments about safty with bow hunters, deer hunters, and bird hunters all in the field on a very busy weekend. I also wonder what will happen to the first first shotgun season harvest numbers. I firmly believe that they will go down because of the early activity and pressure of the Thanksgiving season.
The rifle season in my opinioun is also a VERY VERY bad idea. If the State does manage to sell all the extra tags that means several hundred or thousands of extra hunters coming into southern Iowa with little or no place to hunt. That for the most part puts them on public land, and since there is so little of that they will become very concentrated and using rifles that are lethal for more than a thousand yards. I live next to such a public hunting area and am very concerned. There is lots of ground that is both flat enough and open enough to result in problems. A friend has a 300 Win mag sighted for 250 yards that drops less than 6 inches at 400 yards. That means that if he shot over a deer at say 300 yards that the bullet would be almost a half mile from him when it hits the dirt still with enough power to kill an elk.
The other thing I see happening is that if the sesaon goes off without accidents and deer numbers don't drop radically, then next year the rifle hunters say "See these rifles aren't dangerous and we want a buck season for rifles. We could have it right after the 2nd shotgun season along with the late muzzle loaders because we will be using almost the same guns and you can sell even more licenses."
I know that change is sometimes painful and that I can sound like the doomsday prophets but I can't see where these seasons will really help our surposed population problems. If, even with record kill numbers for several years, the polupation continues to grow both hunters and the DNR must realize that adding 2 ill advised season will do very little other than selling more tags at $11.00 that are valid for a very few days and there for with a low sucess ratio. If the DNR truly want to harvest does then make the tags valid for any and all seasons with the approate legal weapons at a reasonable cost. I am usually a big proponet of the DNR and think they do a good and necessary job, but they missed badly on this one and the way it was handled, and I hope they will come up with another plan that isn't so blatently slanted toward revenue rather than a real soultion.
The rifle season in my opinioun is also a VERY VERY bad idea. If the State does manage to sell all the extra tags that means several hundred or thousands of extra hunters coming into southern Iowa with little or no place to hunt. That for the most part puts them on public land, and since there is so little of that they will become very concentrated and using rifles that are lethal for more than a thousand yards. I live next to such a public hunting area and am very concerned. There is lots of ground that is both flat enough and open enough to result in problems. A friend has a 300 Win mag sighted for 250 yards that drops less than 6 inches at 400 yards. That means that if he shot over a deer at say 300 yards that the bullet would be almost a half mile from him when it hits the dirt still with enough power to kill an elk.
The other thing I see happening is that if the sesaon goes off without accidents and deer numbers don't drop radically, then next year the rifle hunters say "See these rifles aren't dangerous and we want a buck season for rifles. We could have it right after the 2nd shotgun season along with the late muzzle loaders because we will be using almost the same guns and you can sell even more licenses."
I know that change is sometimes painful and that I can sound like the doomsday prophets but I can't see where these seasons will really help our surposed population problems. If, even with record kill numbers for several years, the polupation continues to grow both hunters and the DNR must realize that adding 2 ill advised season will do very little other than selling more tags at $11.00 that are valid for a very few days and there for with a low sucess ratio. If the DNR truly want to harvest does then make the tags valid for any and all seasons with the approate legal weapons at a reasonable cost. I am usually a big proponet of the DNR and think they do a good and necessary job, but they missed badly on this one and the way it was handled, and I hope they will come up with another plan that isn't so blatently slanted toward revenue rather than a real soultion.
HawkeyeHerps
New Member
Re: THE BEGINNING OF THE END, ENJOY WHAT WE HAVE N
I agree with Bowmaker. I think that the doe tags should be Oct. 1- Jan. 10 with the appropriate weapon per season. I'd love to use any bow-doe tag I have left to hunt does with my muzzleloader instead of having to buy another tag if I want to muzzleload does. Keep buck tags seasonal, let the doe tags be for any season!
I agree with Bowmaker. I think that the doe tags should be Oct. 1- Jan. 10 with the appropriate weapon per season. I'd love to use any bow-doe tag I have left to hunt does with my muzzleloader instead of having to buy another tag if I want to muzzleload does. Keep buck tags seasonal, let the doe tags be for any season!
Shovelbuck
Active Member
Re: THE BEGINNING OF THE END, ENJOY WHAT WE HAVE N
Thats what we have here in Ne.
Season of choice tags. They are doe only and you use the weapon that is in season at the time. Basically a doe season that runs from Sept 15 to Jan 15
In my area the tag is good for 2 does at the price of 1 tag. $26.00
That may be a great deal for us but then we don't have the numbers of huge bucks like you Iowan's have.
As for the safety issue of rifles, our rural population is no different than Iowa's and in all the years I can remember, this is the first year that I recall a report of a stray bullet hitting a property owners house.
There will allways be those that will abuse the system. Be it shotgun or rifle.
Don't blame the weapon, blame the jerk at the trigger.
Thats what we have here in Ne.
Season of choice tags. They are doe only and you use the weapon that is in season at the time. Basically a doe season that runs from Sept 15 to Jan 15
That may be a great deal for us but then we don't have the numbers of huge bucks like you Iowan's have.
As for the safety issue of rifles, our rural population is no different than Iowa's and in all the years I can remember, this is the first year that I recall a report of a stray bullet hitting a property owners house.
There will allways be those that will abuse the system. Be it shotgun or rifle.
Don't blame the weapon, blame the jerk at the trigger.
Re: THE BEGINNING OF THE END, ENJOY WHAT WE HAVE N
Shovelbuck
Normally I would agree with you but what worries me is the concentration of hunters in these few counties and the fact that many will be first timers. I don't know about you but I would rather take my chances with a couple people shooting toward my house 500 yards away with shotgun slugs than with 25 people using 30/06s shooting toward me and my house. I know many people are very careful and a lot of folks hunt coyotes arround here with rifles with out incident, but that is a completely different style of hunting.
Shovelbuck
Normally I would agree with you but what worries me is the concentration of hunters in these few counties and the fact that many will be first timers. I don't know about you but I would rather take my chances with a couple people shooting toward my house 500 yards away with shotgun slugs than with 25 people using 30/06s shooting toward me and my house. I know many people are very careful and a lot of folks hunt coyotes arround here with rifles with out incident, but that is a completely different style of hunting.
loneranger
Well-Known Member
Re: THE BEGINNING OF THE END, ENJOY WHAT WE HAVE N
Back on the subject of too many deer in the southrn counties. I hunt my land in Wapello County. I just returned from hunting down there, and I still do not see the landscape over run with deer. They may be in some areas but not in mine. My property is right down there where everyone thinks Iowa is over populaed with whitetails, and where they will use rifles to fix the problem. Personally, I would like to see more deer in my area, but then I am not a farmer, or an Insurance agent. I know, from talking to my local neighbor farmers and retired farmers, they have little like for the deer. Some shoot them at every opportunity, with whatever weapon is by the back door, whatever time of year.
Back on the subject of too many deer in the southrn counties. I hunt my land in Wapello County. I just returned from hunting down there, and I still do not see the landscape over run with deer. They may be in some areas but not in mine. My property is right down there where everyone thinks Iowa is over populaed with whitetails, and where they will use rifles to fix the problem. Personally, I would like to see more deer in my area, but then I am not a farmer, or an Insurance agent. I know, from talking to my local neighbor farmers and retired farmers, they have little like for the deer. Some shoot them at every opportunity, with whatever weapon is by the back door, whatever time of year.
crash
New Member
Re: THE BEGINNING OF THE END, ENJOY WHAT WE HAVE N
why dont they just ask group like iowa whitetails too help them out in these counties im sure most of you would be glad to lend a hand, and get some special season doe tags, whole group of us can go down and do some real damage on them, sounds like alot of fun to me!
![893archer-thumb[1].gif](http://www.iowawhitetail.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/893archer-thumb[1].gif)
why dont they just ask group like iowa whitetails too help them out in these counties im sure most of you would be glad to lend a hand, and get some special season doe tags, whole group of us can go down and do some real damage on them, sounds like alot of fun to me!
Re: THE BEGINNING OF THE END, ENJOY WHAT WE HAVE N
I agree with you completely about the overpopulation of deer not seeming that bad around Wapello county. I hunt in the Mahaska/Wapello/Monroe County areas and I seem to think that we see less deer now then we used to. I have basically two theories as to why; 1. Continued increase in hunting pressure causing deer to be nocturnal and 2. that there just aren't as many deer. I remember the good old days when I was just starting to shotgun hunt with my dad in the late 80's we saw deer like you can't believe and now we are lucky to see half of that? (I now mostly bowhunt and it still seems there aren't as many) I think Hood brought up a good point in response to one of my previous post. Would the DNR be willing to collect information showing the direct correllation of leasing and outfitting in regards to the amount of "supposed" deer over population? Probably not. Also.. When it comes to car deer collisions, what percentage of these accidents take place in areas that used to be considered rural and are now sprawling suburbs? Like most problems in this world, and deer herd management included, there generally is a simple solution to even some of the most complex and confusing of situations. The problem is that the right decision and or action is often the most painful and uncomfortable for us to swallow. In this case the State with the influence of Insurance industries (one of iowa's largest sources of employment) can not fathem not trying to gain revenue from deer hunting. This is a no brainer. Let the people shoot a few more deer for free. Common sense goverment. We the people are not idiots.
I agree with you completely about the overpopulation of deer not seeming that bad around Wapello county. I hunt in the Mahaska/Wapello/Monroe County areas and I seem to think that we see less deer now then we used to. I have basically two theories as to why; 1. Continued increase in hunting pressure causing deer to be nocturnal and 2. that there just aren't as many deer. I remember the good old days when I was just starting to shotgun hunt with my dad in the late 80's we saw deer like you can't believe and now we are lucky to see half of that? (I now mostly bowhunt and it still seems there aren't as many) I think Hood brought up a good point in response to one of my previous post. Would the DNR be willing to collect information showing the direct correllation of leasing and outfitting in regards to the amount of "supposed" deer over population? Probably not. Also.. When it comes to car deer collisions, what percentage of these accidents take place in areas that used to be considered rural and are now sprawling suburbs? Like most problems in this world, and deer herd management included, there generally is a simple solution to even some of the most complex and confusing of situations. The problem is that the right decision and or action is often the most painful and uncomfortable for us to swallow. In this case the State with the influence of Insurance industries (one of iowa's largest sources of employment) can not fathem not trying to gain revenue from deer hunting. This is a no brainer. Let the people shoot a few more deer for free. Common sense goverment. We the people are not idiots.
Re: THE BEGINNING OF THE END, ENJOY WHAT WE HAVE N
I am pretty much fed up with the Iowa DNR....We as a group have spent a ton of time patrolling our area of the world this fall and have stopped the poaching problems we were seeing in our area by about 80% over last year. We also as a group instituted our own herd management plans (while staying within the rules of the law) to increase our herd in our area as much as we can and increase the trophy potential of the deer we are seeing. We can sit back and complain…….or do something about it...Its amazing what you can accomplish when a few neighbors / land owners can get together on something.
A few of the simple things we have done this year to help attain our goals…
1.) Stop Shooting Does on our managed areas except on rare occasions, (Kids hunts, last day eaters, etc)
2.) No Rifle Hunting even though we are in the effected southern counties.
3.) No Thanksgiving Gun Hunts
4.) No Small Bucks are shot in our area
5.) Patrol our areas during the rut and when there is any free time (mostly evenings, poachers are normally to lazy to get up early)and make sure we spook all deer back into heavy cover. (means missing a few hunts but overall worth it)
6.) Post no trespassing / no hunting on our areas heavily.
7.) Planted an additional 40 + acres of food plots this year
8.) Planted 7000 tress in the last 5 years.
9.) Have Fun.
While working on increasing the trophy potential of our herd the last four years or so this is the first year for us to try and grow the deer herd in our area. This last year alone I have seen mature bucks just about every time we hunt and we end up passing on deer we would have gladly shot three years ago. While I recognize the argument not everyone has and can own there own ground, there is still many things you can do. The number one thing you can do is get together with the other hunters in you area (even public ground) and set your own management plans (within the law). Such things as numbers of hunters in any area, numbers of deer taken, ratios of Buck versus Does taken. Just because the law says you can shoot as many does as you can afford to buy tags for doesn’t mean that you have to that. If you don’t like what the DNR and BIG INSURANCE is doing to our deer herd and hunting opportunities get together set up your own plans. You can only make a difference if you do something.
I am pretty much fed up with the Iowa DNR....We as a group have spent a ton of time patrolling our area of the world this fall and have stopped the poaching problems we were seeing in our area by about 80% over last year. We also as a group instituted our own herd management plans (while staying within the rules of the law) to increase our herd in our area as much as we can and increase the trophy potential of the deer we are seeing. We can sit back and complain…….or do something about it...Its amazing what you can accomplish when a few neighbors / land owners can get together on something.
A few of the simple things we have done this year to help attain our goals…
1.) Stop Shooting Does on our managed areas except on rare occasions, (Kids hunts, last day eaters, etc)
2.) No Rifle Hunting even though we are in the effected southern counties.
3.) No Thanksgiving Gun Hunts
4.) No Small Bucks are shot in our area
5.) Patrol our areas during the rut and when there is any free time (mostly evenings, poachers are normally to lazy to get up early)and make sure we spook all deer back into heavy cover. (means missing a few hunts but overall worth it)
6.) Post no trespassing / no hunting on our areas heavily.
7.) Planted an additional 40 + acres of food plots this year
8.) Planted 7000 tress in the last 5 years.
9.) Have Fun.
While working on increasing the trophy potential of our herd the last four years or so this is the first year for us to try and grow the deer herd in our area. This last year alone I have seen mature bucks just about every time we hunt and we end up passing on deer we would have gladly shot three years ago. While I recognize the argument not everyone has and can own there own ground, there is still many things you can do. The number one thing you can do is get together with the other hunters in you area (even public ground) and set your own management plans (within the law). Such things as numbers of hunters in any area, numbers of deer taken, ratios of Buck versus Does taken. Just because the law says you can shoot as many does as you can afford to buy tags for doesn’t mean that you have to that. If you don’t like what the DNR and BIG INSURANCE is doing to our deer herd and hunting opportunities get together set up your own plans. You can only make a difference if you do something.