TheHunter

Check out this article on the Hudson Valley QDMA about Biologic and Other reasons for Antler Restrictions in New York. http://www.hvqdma.com/biological-needs-for-antler-restriction/

How far is your typical bow shot? Mine tend to be 15-25 yards, I have do not think I have ever shot beyond 25 yards.

Sweet, how much use your get out of the old one?

Agreed.... Some of these folks act like if they don't bag that spike their fam will starve.

Maybe in your case, maybe where YOU hunt it is. Not where I am, in a WMU that SUPPORTS IT BY MAJORITY.

How can one compare greed to wanting to age the herd, and give the opportunity to those who want to shoot a bigger buck. I brought my cousin into the sport last year, we saw a lot sitting together last year. He shot and missed a 6 ptr, due to nervousness... This year I'll sit with him again and hunt, I hope he bags a buck or a doe for that matter. There are plenty of legal bucks running around in my WMU in and AR Zone to give the opportunity for a new comer or a seasoned hunter to shoot. He understands that a spike, a 4 ptr, a smaller younger deer is one that he can not shoot. He is 100% OK with that. He understands that ageing the deer will result in a larger more mature deer. If that means not getting a deer one year, he is OK with that and respects that. Greed? Is that is? No. Greed is those that want to shoot up the woods and kill the yearlings if you ask me. Greed is that of those that have to bag a buck every year. Think of the future hunters, think that our sons, cousins and youngones could get a buck that has more then 2 points. Why not protect the herd and give the opportunity to ones that have not got a more mature deer. Why not? Whats the harm? One can not go a year or two with out getting a buck? For those who say they hunt for meat, their family, that is a bunch of bull. With all the money spend on gear, guns, bullets, and hunting licensees you could go out and buy the meat for same costs it would be to support a year of hunting.

The crap you people spew is baloney, AR is here to stay in the WMU's where it is, soley based on the FACT that is allowing 1.5's to live AND majority want it. Fact is your not in this WMU. Nonsense in your terms to the minority, while the majority care. That's ALL it is in a nutshell!

How preventing a fawn or yearling from getting shot out a social issue. And the difference in maturity in a 2.5 verses a fawn or yearling is leaps and bounds, perhaps not in weight as much as in intelligence and awareness. Regardless, again, those with AR support it by majority. I see the improvement, those I hunt with see the improvement, and those who have posted here in these WMU for the majority see the improvement. Spin it any way you want, have fun, off to work.

Yeah, its just horrible trying to protect the yearlings from being shot. Expecially when 7 out of 10 male deer killed in the state were either fawns or yearlings ???

Majorities of hunters from both pairs of pilot WMUs believe antler restrictions should be continued for the 2008 season. Sixty percent of hunters from 3C-3J and 77% from 3H-3K believe the pilot program should be continued. Only 29% of hunters from 3C-3J and 14% from 3H-3K believe the pilot should not be continued. The remainder in both pairs of WMUs explicitly said they have no opinion about whether antler restrictions should be continued. This is from the paragraph right above where your quoting from.

Wow, maybe you having problems... Southeastern New York hunters: 63% support, 26% oppose, 11% no opinion - 52 is NORTHERN, NOT MY WMU, NOT WHERE I HUNT, NOT WHAT I EVER REFERECED NOR WHAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT. 77 % of those in WMU 3K and 3H Support the Continuation of the program. Stop skewing the TRUTH.

Science that if you allow a 1.5 to survive he will result in a 2.5, have racks, be a bigger deer, and be more mature and smarter the following year? AR allows 1.5's in our WMU's to survive. Thats fact and science, not opinion. The non-sense you spew is opionion.

Sweet... 2007 data, good job WMUs 3H and 3K: 77% of respondents said the program should continue, 14% said it should not continue, 9% had no opinion. WMUs 3C and 3J: 60% of respondents said the program should continue, 29% said it should not continue, 11% had no opinion. Stop skewing the truth, majority support it and AR works in MY WMU, based on FACT, end of story.

Nope this is from the DEC. Stop skewing the truth, majority support it and AR works in MY WMU, based on FACT, end of story.

Neither I or the 29 other Hunters in 3J and 3H that I know were polled either, however all 27 of them support it and 2 of them are on the fence. So it goes both ways, they did not poll every single person, and if they did, the %'s would be +/- 2-3%.

Christ, I've posted nothing but FACT. Majority support it. WMUs 3H and 3K: 77% of respondents said the program should continue, 14% said it should not continue, 9% had no opinion. WMUs 3C and 3J: 60% of respondents said the program should continue, 29% said it should not continue, 11% had no opinion. State Wide Support: Central and Western New York hunters: 57% support, 30% oppose, 13% no opinion Northern New York hunters: 52% support, 34% oppose, 14% no opinion Southeastern New York hunters: 63% support, 26% oppose, 11% no opinion [*]The 1.5 Harvest was reduced [*]59% of all NY deer hunters support a program that would protect yearling bucks, while only 18% were strongly opposed. (Cornell HDRU Survey 08-5) [*]Among hunters from the proposed 2009 AR program expansion areas, there was a level of support of 67%, yet NYSDEC opted to not implement the expansion. (NYSDEC survey March 2009) [*]Antler Restrictions are accomplishing the objective-Yearling buck harvest is down 70%

Again, I'm not imposing statewide AR. Some WMU's do not need AR, as their herd is doing just fine. Just as they do DMP management by WMU. Clearly for 3 its working, and there are more supporters then those opposing it. Your the one failing to see what everyone else is seeing.

Yeah umm, Im not in Delaware county nor every spoke for them. I was posting FACTS for my County, thanks again. (fail)

Within WMU 3H hunter support is 77% for continuing the antler restriction program. Hunter support for antler restrictions has increased more than 22% since the start of the program. After three years, opposition to continuation of the program has decreased from 26% to 14%. Some more facts to read here: http://www.nyswmc.com/conservation-facts/ THERE IS STRONG SUPPORT AMONG NY DEER HUNTERS TO PROTECT YEARLING BUCKS: * 59% of all NY deer hunters support a program that would protect yearling bucks, while only 18% were strongly opposed. (Cornell HDRU Survey 08-5) * Among hunters from the proposed 2009 AR program expansion areas, there was a level of support of 67%, yet NYSDEC opted to not implement the expansion. (NYSDEC survey March 2009) * Overall, 56% of the deer hunters in southeastern New York are dissatisfied with their buck hunting opportunities. (Cornell HDRU Survey 08-5)

It's not working and not wanted so much that there are groups of land owners in Sullivan trying to push it through for the entire WMU 3. http://www.nyscc.com/resolutions2010/sullivantompkins.html Whereas deer populations in New York State, especially buck numbers, are currently substantially down from previous numbers in many areas and the herd must be restored; Whereas New York’s basic deer management strategies regimes are almost 100 years old and do not reflect recently emerging advances and techniques provided for by scientific deer management; Whereas the deer herd should be restored in a balanced and biologically sound way by increasing the buck to doe ratio by increasing the numbers and age of the buck population; Whereas implementation of new deer management techniques and harvest regimes could substantially increase deer hunter participation and satisfaction, and ultimately provide a better and more efficient tool to achieve the levels of annual deer harvest needed for better herd management; Whereas there is growing interest among New York hunters to refine their role as deer herd managers and expand their hunting opportunities and satisfactions, including the opportunity to pursue and take more mature bucks and create adult sex ratios that are in balance with deer herd health; Whereas certain areas, such as Sullivan County have overwhelming support for improving buck hunting in their local area; Whereas the DEC implemented antler harvest restrictions in 2006 in Sullivan County in two units and the sportsmen of Sullivan Federation are happy with the program and would like to expand the program to include the remainder of the county contained in Unit 3A; Whereas the expansion to include Unit 3A is also supported by Ulster County Federation of Sportsmen, Greene County Federation of Sportsmen, Schoharie County Conservation Association, Duchess County Federation of Sportsmen, Suffolk Alliance of Sportsmen, Nassau County Fish and Game and QDMA; Whereas improved buck hunting could establish a statewide precedent and have far reaching implications; Whereas improved buck hunting will benefit all New York hunters who wish to hunt in this region; Whereas sportsmen with the support of their communities requested the DEC improve buck hunting by implementing yearling buck protection for unit 3A in 2005, 2006 and 2009, and the DEC did not adopt the proposal and other remedies have not been successful in accomplishing this requested change; BE IT RESOLVED that the NYSCC position be that an alternative deer harvest strategy that includes antler harvest restrictions needed to achieve greater levels of maturity among the buck segment of the deer population be implemented in wildlife management units that have the support of local hunters, such as unit 3A, on a unit by unit basis and that NYSCC advocate for and support regulation and legislative change to implement said position including conveying said support in writing to the DEC.

Right, I said everyone, clearly you don't READ. I said everyone I'VE TALKED TO IN PERSON WITH FIRST HAND EXPERIANCE. And clearly by there just being a few posters on there all you haters are not talking from first hand experiance otherwise they would be on there complaining about it.

Check out this thread: http://huntingny.com/forums/index.php/topic,916.0.html Seems that people that are in the AR area like it, everyone in my area does as well that I talk to. Most of you guys are not talking from first hand experiance and or are talking about area's that already support nice bucks there this is not an issue.

The bigger bucks are here, 8 and 8 + ptrs running around now thanks to AR. Spin it any way you want. Yeah, and the DEC is always right, so make sure you keep quoting them. LOL

Its not identical. There are advantages of a crossbow, its ready to fire, point, aim pull trigger. Consistency is 200+ % more with a xbow then a compound or recurve. You have a stock, put it on the shoulder, lean on a tree, use a tri / bi / mono pod... Have a scoped sight, umm lets see I'm sure I missed a lot more. Calling it identical is laughable at best. I guess you already have your crossbow, or work for a crossbow manu if your so pro-xbow that you want your archery season to go to up in smoke. Laugh at me now, but you'll realize if it happens.

Excellent points Solon + Burmjohn, you both could not have said it better. Change will happen if they decide to allow the crossbow in to the archery season. And, it won't be a positive thing for us bow hunters, I'll leave it at that.