CFHunter

This is why I like this forum. I forgot a blind I put out last year and the snow broke some poles. I thought is was done for, but now I will just look for pole replacements.

I read the rules book every year, just for this reason. Ignorance of a law is not an excuse, you need to make sure you are CYA!!!

This is done in a lot of places, the problem is the "Wilderness" designated areas. The regulations put in place for these places do not allow for this type of thing to be done, but they can make every effort to stop natural wildfires. There lies the problem.

Not just the DEC, the whole reason these fires are getting so big is due to the fire management principles this country follows. If they would have never taken up the extinguishment culture and let the fires burn naturally in wilderness areas, the fuel loads would be very low and fires would never get this hot or move this fast. Now, with the amount of fuel in the DAKs right now, if it did not get stopped quickly, it would be a huge conflagration.

Maybe a January Doe Hunt. A lot of states use this as an option when numbers get to high. In Michigan, there isn't a always January Doe Hunt, but they have that option when needed. Of course, they also have in their constitution that the Natural Resource Commission has all authority when determining on how to manage wildlife.

I am perfectly fine saying that this will increase poaching, it already happens. In areas where you only get one doe permit. I know there are guys out there that will apply for a DMU that has a high probably on the second tag. They then fill that tag in a low DMP area and just report is as being shot in the other DMU. A lot of the things the DEC does promotes poaching. The cutting up the deer and never tagging is happening all the time. Laws and rules only affect the honest!!!!! Goes for everything in life. And just to clarify, I am not agreeing with this decision at all. It would be smarter to do something like this during regular season, or earn a buck.

They ask for comments because they have to. They do not have to listen/take them into consideration though.

I agree, doe are not easy to shoot. Hell, I think a mature doe is way harder to shoot than even your most seasoned buck. I have been busted way more times by a nanny doe than by any buck. I also know of people who use as many tags as they can get to shoot deer, but there are still a lot of hunters out there that do not believe in shooting does. And until this mentality changes, no matter how ill advised, the state is going to try and force people to take does if there is a "perceived" population problem.

Yup, but it will never happen. The state does not have enough balls to mess with gun season. While there is an uproar now, the majority of bow hunter's will just accept it and have the belief that they still have 4 to 5 weeks of hunting afterwards that they can chase the bucks. As for muzzle loader, there are not enough of them to really make a difference. The possible loss of revenue from true muzzle loader hunters will be covered by crossbow users.

This is why this move is strictly for population control. If people would stop gobbling up the DMPs and not filling them, then they would not need to make the first two weeks doe only. I do believe though, that doing this during gun would have a greater affect on the population.

Yup, that is why I was wondering what was going on. I guess I really don't have a preference either way. I am fine with it staying the way it is, or ok if they allow rifles. Just another reason to buy more guns!!!!!

I doubt anything got done, the link states it went to assembly in April. They are in recess now, so it doesn't look like it will happen for this season.

Is this to allow rifles? Chenango and Tioga already allow rifles.

Great Pics. That would have cool to see.

Gun season for one week would not help the abundance of doe's some areas have. The reason places have a short gun season is to grow their buck numbers and quality, has nothing to do with population control.

I was out to feed the turkeys two hours before and they were all healthy. When I took the carcass to get rid of it, it was still warm. I cannot say for sure the eagle killed it, but when I saw it the next day ripping the wing off one of my other turkeys through the fencing around the coop they were in, I felt confident it was what killed it. That turkey ended up dying two weeks later, probably due to infection. Once I put a roof over their larger area, they were not bothered again. I think Eagles are smart enough to know when they have a easy opportunity for a meal. I just think it saw these tasty morsels just sitting there and not able to get away. On a side note, while living in Alaska, I saw Bald Eagles take out small mammals a few times. Was pretty cool to see. Of course, up there, they are just like seagulls, all over the place.

That night, I started putting the turkey's in an enclosure when we were not home. It was just a crate with chicken wire around it. Then next day, I came home from work, and caught Baldy back pulling the wing off one of the remaining turkeys thru the fencing. I could not believe an eagle would be that bold.

Not a chicken. We had a bald eagle kill one of our turkeys last year. My wife walked up on it feasting on it. At first, she was in awe and thinking how beautiful it was to see the thing so close, then she realized it was eating one of our turkeys. She didn't think it was so cute after that. I live in Chenango Forks. We have a few nesting pairs along the river. They land in our pastures quite a bit.

To extend on what you said, I have had more of my chickens and turkeys I raise on the farm taken from hawks and eagles than coyotes or fishers, and I have a large population of both in my area. The raptors are coming back in force and I feel play a major role in turkey numbers.

And last year, Michigan passed basically the same law that Maine is looking to do. Good thing too, as just after the new law was passed the HSUS pushed a voting resolution to ban wolf hunting. It was all for not, as the new law states the hunting and fishing regulations must be set based on science and done so by the DNR. Something needs to be done to stop these national groups from coming in taking away our hunting and fishing.

Done

I also have a pic of one at night, just hard to see, so I didn't post it.

Pulled my other two cameras. Can you find the Fisher?

No worries, I am here to learn, between what you and Doc said, I have actually learned a lot.

Went out and pulled one of my cameras today. Got a pic of the back end of a coyote and some pics of does. They don't look to bad off for the winter we have had.