Supp Antlerless Tags Gonein Some 500 Series
I saw in the 2014 regs online today that the antlerless Supp WT tags are gone for a host of 500 zones.
Hopefully it will help rebuild some deer numbers here in the northeast. Tough winter here last year for sure, so hard to argue the reduction in harvest. |
An excellent decision in my opinion.
HT |
Hopefully get rid of all female tags in my opinion
|
300 also.
|
Quote:
|
I have hunted some of the 500 series areas affected in the past and they are a shell of what they used to be. Hit hard by weather, wolves and road hunters. Some zones you have a very hard time getting permission from land owners. They have had enough from the Fort Mcmurray croud.... and no iam not picking on just them I was born and raised their. But when meeting land owners last fall the first question was were are you from? Fort mac ? It makes a guy wonder. Good luck this fall have a safe summer.
|
Quote:
What is the theory here? If each doe can give birth to one or two fawns and a single buck can fertilize more than one doe, wouldn't it make sense to harvest less does and more 3 4 or 5 year old management bucks? |
Quote:
Maby it just comes down to common sense as well. You want to hunt a doe?well make sure she dosent have a fawn. You want a buck?well dont be shooting every fork horn. |
seems to be working with elk pops and the regs.
|
I wish they would get rid of cow moose and calf moose draw for sure and put a limit on whitetail buck say 125 minimum type thing maybe wed start seeing some big bucks but thats my opinion shooting a cow moose is defiantly no challenge to me
|
Quote:
|
Quote:
I'm not much a doe hunter and I don't care to shoot small bucks myself but some people just like to get out and bring home a deer for the freezer. Some youngsters and old timers probably don't have it in them to hunt as hard or as long for trophy size animals either. You should also keep in mind that the goal of hunting seasons isn't to end the season with the maximum amount of deer/moose (whatever) out there on the landscape. In some areas a reduction of herd size is the desired goal. Regardless, I do believe it's overdue to cut back on the antlerless deer tags in many areas of the province. |
Quote:
|
I've never tried to eat antlers but I've been told they are pretty tough!:thinking-006:
Cat |
125 is not very hard to figure out im not a professional by any means but honestly if your cant find a 140+ deer in ab your not hunting very hard
|
In the 500 zone(516) I have hunted in for years now, I have hunted pre supplemental times to now and imo, once supplemental tags came out, the numbers of deer have tanked. I used to see lots of does with 2 fawns and a wide range of young bucks up to some nice ones for that area. It was not uncommon for me to pass on a lot of 2 to 3 point meat bucks waiting for a chance at one of the bigger bucks, if that didn't happen i could always close a tag during the last week on a meat buck. That hasn't happened for a few years now. Now you go all season and only see a few bucks, even the trails, tracks and scrapes you used to see are minimal. Not a biologist but it was better when you could shoot either or on a general tag only. Dad went after either a meat buck or a doe without fawns and I chased bucks. At best 2 deer got harvested. Once the supplemental draw came out, lots of trucks had 2 or more does in them or hanging in camps and then a buck or two. The does took a big hit for a few years and now it shows in the herd numbers. The deer numbers were already going down before the last few bad winters up there. Add in some more wolves which didn't help either. I haven't checked the new regs yet but wouldn't be sad if this zone didn't have supplemental draws anymore.
|
Usually the folks I hear complaining about not seeing decent buck always end up with one that is 3-4 years old....I wonder where the big bucks are :)
You can't shoot a 160+ inch deer if you keep shooting the 130 inch bucks, nurture your areas and have some restraint. If you aren't happy with what you are shooting....don't shoot, a measure of hunting success is not always the kill, the antler, or the meat. To me it's the full package. My season would be extremely short if I took the first thing I saw. LC |
2014 hunting regs
Quote:
534-544. |
I wish they would have added a few more wmu's to that list.
|
Quote:
|
The people I know that are head hunters that hunt the same areas I do in the 500's normally don't have an issue putting big bucks on the ground.
I have killed some decent bucks myself , but don't look for them as I a a meat hunter. Cat |
Quote:
Often I think this progression is a factor in how hunters treat each other, if someone is in a conflicting stage of hunting with another they may treat them differently and be overly harsh....forgetting at some point they were in the exact same early stage at one point. FIVE STAGES OF A HUNTER Hunters change through the years. Factors used to determine "successful hunting" change as well for each hunter. A hunter's age, role models, and his years of hunting experience affect his ideas of "success." Many hunters may fit into one of the following five groups. In 1975-1980, groups of over 1,000 hunters in Wisconsin were studied, surveyed, and written about by Professors Robert Jackson and Robert Norton, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. The results of their studies form a widely accepted theory of hunter behavior and development. Where are you now? Where would you like to be? SHOOTER STAGE The hunter talks about satisfaction with hunting being closely tied to being able to "get shooting." Often the beginning duck hunter will relate he had an excellent day if he got in a lot of shooting. The beginning deer hunter will talk about the number of shooting opportunities. Missing game means little to hunters in this phase. A beginning hunter wants to pull the trigger and test the capability of his firearm. A hunter in this stage may be a dangerous hunting partner. LIMITING OUT STAGE A hunter still talks about satisfaction gained from shooting. But what seems more important is measuring success through the killing of game and the number of birds or animals shot. Limiting out, or filling a tag, is the absolute measure. Do not let your desire to limit out be stronger than the need for safe behavior at all times. TROPHY STAGE Satisfaction is described in terms of selectivity of game. A duck hunter might take only greenheads. A deer hunter looks for one special deer. A hunter might travel far to find a real trophy animal. Shooting opportunity and skills become less important. METHOD STAGE This hunter has all the special equipment. Hunting has become one of the most important things in his life. Satisfaction comes from the method that enables the hunter to take game. Taking game is important, but second to how it is taken. This hunter will study long and hard how best to pick a blind site, lay out decoys, and call in waterfowl. A deer hunter will go one on one with a white-tailed deer, studying sign, tracking, and the life habits of the deer. Often, the hunter will handicap himself by hunting only with black powder firearms or bow and arrow. Bagging game, or limiting, still is understood as being a necessary part of the hunt during this phase. SPORTSMAN STAGE As a hunter ages and after many years of hunting, he "mellows out." Satisfaction now can be found in the total hunting experience. Being in the field, enjoying the company of friends and family, and seeing nature outweigh the need for taking game. Not all hunters go through all the stages, or go through them in that particular order. It is also possible for hunters who pursue several species of game to be in different stages with regard to each species. Some hunters feel that role models of good sportsmen, training, or reading books or magazines helped them pass more quickly through some stages. --------------- California Department of Fish and Game. "California Hunter Education Manual". 1995 (revised edition). Sacramento, California. [p.8] LC |
Thats a pretty accurate article in my opinion LC.
|
Quote:
I'd also hate to see a 75 year old seasoned hunter or the 14 year old first timer who doesn't have the slightest care for inches of bone get nipped for the 117" whitetail they shot. Simply put, your idea sucks. |
Quote:
A 160+ class buck is a bit rare where i hunt but the outfitter guide i know says they are out there, never expect to see a booner out there, maybe i will be surprised on day. I had the chance to shoot a buck a couple times last season but chose not too as I had some moose meat left. Even my old shoot the first thing you see meat deer dad didn't take one out of the zone. It fast became a good time out kinda season and we made a choice to leave some behind for next year, hopefully it all went well over the winter. Disappointed in the deer numbers but not the time spent in the zone. Hopefully the next scout trip will show something better for numbers as I didn't get out with the sleds during the winter or spring. |
Quote:
|
Quote:
|
Quote:
|
Couldn't be any happier about this!! Had a group of guys on the land I hunt take out far too many does that last couple years..haven't taken a doe myself on that land for 3 years as numbers kept diminishing. Wouldn't mind if they even went to a draw system in a couple wmu's with only antlered whitetail being an option. Buck to doe ratio the last couple of weekends of scouting i
had easily been 3:1 and the total deer numbers are the worst they've been in a long time |
Quote:
I don't concern myself with bone measurement contests, but you go ahead and do what ya gotta do....:rolleye2: Yeah, there's a few zones where the does need a break, winters have been rough. You want more deer? Spend the gas and go shoot more predators. Lot of guys whine without taking an active part in management. |
All times are GMT -6. The time now is 05:16 PM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.5
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.