The Expanded Antler Restrictions - Who is excited?

[jjb4900]

Well, we have the restrictions now, so we'll see how it goes. Hopefully everyone who is now hunting these areas is aware of the changes as DEC doesn't mail out regulations with licenses bought online, not sure if they send em out to lifetime license holders or not. Guaranteed they will be uninformed hunters out there who have no clue....we hunt next to an antler restriction zone and last year there were bucks brought into the local butcher,from restriction zones, that didn't make the size restriction, and unfortunately, or fortunately, DEC stopped in while these deer were being processed and fined the hunters........and guaranteed, if the youth hunt doesn't get final approval, there will be guys out there hunting with their kid's because they think it passed, and I have already talked to guys who were under the impression it did.

[Meat Hunter]

That isn't true... they had support from 57% of hunters canvased from those areas... most not in any group at all. Plus, nothing was based on any individuals hunters personal situation... it was based on the amount of yearlings being harvest in those areas each year and a consensus by the hunters to give AR's a try..

Hi Joe, In the AR expansion area those who hunted there were asked if they supported ARs in those units and ...67.5% support the antler restriction in all the newly adopted units.

State Wide 57% to 59% of the hunters support mandatory ARs

[Meat Hunter]

Guaranteed they will be uninformed hunters out there who have no clue....we hunt next to an antler restriction zone and last year there were bucks brought into the local butcher,from restriction zones, that didn't make the size restriction, and unfortunately, or fortunately, DEC stopped in while these deer were being processed and fined the hunters........

Agreed we need to get the word out because the DEC is not. What would you like to say to the hunters out there who may not be aware?

Edited August 25, 2012 by Meat Hunter

[nyantler]

Hi Joe, In the AR expansion area those who hunted there were asked if they supported ARs in those units and ...67.5% support the antler restriction in all the newly adopted units.

State Wide 57% to 59% of the hunters support mandatory ARs

Thank you for the correction... I was working on memory.. which isn't what it use to be..lol... In fairness to those that don't like those numbers... not all of those supporters had necessarily totally bought in to the AR thing, but were at least willing to give it a try.

[Larry]

If I remember correctly on the state survey the majority of people wanted a choice and not be told what they can shoot and preferred to voluntarily do AR’s.

[nyantler]

If I remember correctly on the state survey the majority of people wanted a choice and not be told what they can shoot and preferred to voluntarily do AR’s.

Nope

[Larry]

I think you need to look at the deer hunting survey and one more thing on the state survey I can’t find anything on there about 67% in favor of AR’s the highest I can find 57.4%

hdrudeer1012.pdf

[nyantler]

I think you need to look at the deer hunting survey and one more thing on the state survey I can’t find anything on there about 67% in favor of AR’s the highest I can find 57.4%

Yes.. the statewide number is 57%... the number in the WMU's with the AR's 67%... another figure I thought was interesting is that the buck take in those WMU's is up 5% in recent years. Here is a beauty too... the DEC in 2010 found that although the majority of hunters support the protection of yearling bucks they also want to be able to take the buck of their choice... WHAT??

[Paula]

HA

[Meat Hunter]

57.4 % of all NY hunters think that adopting mandatory antler restrictions to protect yearling bucks is a good idea.

53.6% thought it was a good idea to promote voluntary restraint on shooting small racked bucks.

Those are 2 different questions and it is not one or the other; both are supported but Mandatory Antler Restrictions are more supported. I expect that many think a base line restriction is good and that above that there are tricks to help hunters pick adults that are in the older age classes that should be promoted.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

57.4 % of all NY hunters think that adopting mandatory antler restrictions to protect yearling bucks is a good idea.

53.6% thought it was a good idea to promote voluntary restraint on shooting small racked bucks.

Those are 2 different questions and it is not one or the other; both are supported but Mandatory Antler Restrictions are more supported. I expect that many think a base line restriction is good and that above that there are tricks to help hunters pick adults that are in the older age classes that should be promoted.

then how are you going to spin the results about the importance of being able to take the buck of their choice?

[Doewhacker]

Boy when in doubt go back to the percentage's huh? lol

[Culvercreek hunt club]

·Hunters’ willingness to take shots at harvest-vulnerable antlerless deer (important in the context of meeting deer population objectives) was lower in all parts of the state than their willingness to take shots at antlered bucks of any age.

·Hunters in all parts of the state passed-up shots in a substantial proportion of encounters with both YBs (>75% of opportunities) and OBs (>40% of opportunities).

·Promote voluntary restraint on the part of hunters to pass-up shots at yearling bucks (54% good idea, 30% bad idea).

·Set mandatory antler restrictions to reduce harvest of yearling bucks during all deer hunting seasons (youth would be exempt) (57% good idea, 34% bad idea).

·Set mandatory antler restrictions to reduce harvest of yearling bucks, but only for part of the hunting season (e.g., first half of regular firearms season; youth would be exempt) (41% good idea, 45% bad idea).

·Shorten the regular firearms season (18% good idea, 74% bad idea).

·In the context of regulations that affect harvest of antlered bucks, 50% of respondents indicated it was most important to have “the greatest freedom to choose which antlered buck I harvest,” 40% reported it was most important to have “the greatest prospect of taking an older buck with large antlers,” and 10% indicated it was most important to have “the greatest opportunity to harvest more than one buck per year.”

The last point I posted from the survey seems to indicate that The majority want the freedom to choose. If we are going to support a position on the basis of hunter wants and use % from a survey….This seems like a pretty important one.

Edited August 27, 2012 by Culvercreek hunt club