ccondid1

The argument for a shorter gun season lies not in the bow hunter versus gun hunter debate as many who have read this thread have been mislead to believe. The arguement is for improving the health of the whitetail deer herd. This is well supported by scientific research. Despite the science this is a complex issue and hunters need to be informed on this in order to make the best decisions to support the longevity of our sport. The DEC's decision making process is to balance the two sides of the trophy hunter vs meat hunter disparity. So lets all take an unbiased look at the statistics and sciendce before taking this any further. Lets look at the year 2016 for an example of numbers: - In NYS 78% of deer harvested in the calendar year are killed by firearms - 27,199 bucks were killed with archery equipment/ 107,006 bucks with firearms (79% of all bucks are taken by firearms) Based on these numbers we can be certain that the firearms season has a much greater impact on the buck (and doe) population that the archery season. If we were to shorten the season we would have more bucks surviving to maturity thus improving the age structure of the herd. Age structure is a summary of the number of individuals in the herd of each age group i.e. fawns, 1.5 year old bucks, 2.5 year old bucks, and so on. Research shows that herds with an imbalance of young bucks leads to does not being bred until their 2nd or 3rd estrous cycle. This leaves their fawns born 1-2 months later making them less likely to survive the subsequent winter. Additionally when young bucks are allowed to do the bulk of the breding, due to the lack of mature bucks, their body weights drop low enough to compromise their ability to survive the winter. The evidence was also presented earlier in the thread that the "Big Buck" states of the Mid West have short gun seasons. This leads to better herd dynamics and improved trophy quality, despite high numbers of deer taken. So here we have information that tells us shorted firearms seasons could improve herd health and increase number of mature bucks in the woods. I dont know any hunters who would say that more mature bucks in the woods is a bad thing. This drives up hunter interest and allows for hunter retention. One of the most critical threats to the future of hunting is diminishing hunter interst and the lack of a voice of the hunter masses in politics. It is currently our privilage as US citizens to go out and hunt, however we need to make an effort to be informed on how hunting is conservation to convince the non-hunters of our value. Are there other ways we could achieve improved age structure.. yes! These include changing to a 1 buck per hunter regardless of weapon system, earn a buck programs, antler restrictions, move the firearms season further back from the rut ect. None of which are all that appealing to most because they are more restrictive regulations and force certain behaviors that not all value. To reitierate the reason for this type of change is not to support bow hunters more than gun hunters. It is to reduce the harvest of bucks to improve age structure of the herd for overall health and opportunity for more mature bucks. I realize this is long winded and complex to a certain extent. I do feel that this is critical information to know when thinking about these issues and not pitting this as a this groupp versus that group arguement. The dividing of hunters as a whole is a tactic that anti hunters will use in the future to try and remove our privalge to hunt. It is our job as hunters to be educated, vocal, and aware of the issues that effect the beautiful pastime we all share.

Below is a fantastic article on the topic of planting apples for deer and how to maintain your orchard. I have just started my own 18 tree orchard and there is a lot of different information out there. A lot of it is conflicting. This seems to be everything you need to know on the topic in one place. Hope this helps. Chad http://www.midwestwhitetail.com/publish/posts/4328/creating-fruit-plots.html

Thanks for the info. I hunt with a lone wolf hang on and sticks so that's good to know. I don't have super high hopes for the trip other than just getting out of state to rest my NY spots for a week and learn a new area. We will be going the 1st week of November, because we couldn't get there to scout this summer so we wanted to get there when deer would be moving pretty good. We are going to hang cameras and scout for 1-2 days and then hunt for 3-4 days depending on our luck. We are young and fit so the hills should make things fun. Have you hunted much down there? If so what areas? Any other advice you have would be awesome. Chad

Any of you guys ever head out to Ohio for an archery hunt? I am planning on going this fall to hunt public land (AEP Land in south eastern part of the state). If anyone has ever been out that way I would appreciate any intel. Thanks, Chad

This is an interesting topic because you see the responses go a few different ways.. 1) I have never cared about scent control and I shoot plenty of deer or 2) I am a scent freak and down the layer spray my self with spray and wouldn't go to a gas station with a gun to my head before getting into the stand.. I find my self in category 2 for several reasons. The first is I find that the pressure on deer is high enough during the season so I want to minimize my impact on the woods with each sit because I want to see lots of deer each day I hunt. The second is because I want to shoot big bucks and big bucks no what people smell like and will avoid areas they have smelled people for long periods of time (especially repeat encounters with human scent and this is backed by research). So to say that you can still shoot deer and smell like the a Pizza Hut sure I believe you.. but if you told me you have regular close encounters with 3yr old + bucks then I would get suspicious.. So to each his own methods and how deep you delve into scent control depends on your goals and what you consider a successful season in the woods. I have found since adopting scent control strategies I see more deer and put less deer on edge than before, therefore to me its worth the hassle and money spent. Do I still play the wind on almost every occasion.. heck yes because no matter how good you are that burrito you ate last Tuesday still does get to a deer sometimes. So here is my method.. 1) All Clothes are washed in scent free detergent inclusive of the street clothes I will wear in the vehicle. 2) Shower with scent free soap/shampoo, scent free deodorant 3) Dress in street clothes washed in scent free detergent and stored in a scent free bag. 4) Drive to woods drinking coffee because come on who can sit in a stand for 12 hrs without it. 5) Baking soda mouth rinse out to eliminate coffee breath 6) standing outside of vehicle on a mat take off street clothes and change into hunting clothes, including a change of socks 7) spray down all clothes that are put on leaving off the outer layer so as not to sweat walking to the stand. Spray all gear going into the woods with the exception of my bow because I have heard that can corrode the bow? 8 Respray all gear and clothes at base of tree 9) climb the tree and put on outerwear then respray down 10) respray every few hours in the stand