Looks like the Columbus Day Youth season is on!

[bubba]

because it treads on the precious elitist bow hunters

[bubba]

The reason it was put in bow season was to attract the hunters who do not bow hunt to take their kids out. We all know a person who bow hunts is not going to give up bow time to hunt with their kid that weekend. They will get the ones who will be waiting for gun season to start. If they waited until gun season, very few would go.

[First-light]

The reason it was put in bow season was to attract the hunters who do not bow hunt to take their kids out. We all know a person who bow hunts is not going to give up bow time to hunt with their kid that weekend. They will get the ones who will be waiting for gun season to start. If they waited until gun season, very few would go.

I bow hunt and would give up that weekend if I had a kid who wanted to hunt during the youth season. I've been there and done that with the bow mentoring kids. No better feeling seeing them put the hammer down on their first deer. It is a great experience. So your wrong on that one Bubba, I bow hunt and would give up the weekend.

[Doc]

I bow hunt and would give up that weekend if I had a kid who wanted to hunt during the youth season. I've been there and done that with the bow mentoring kids. No better feeling seeing them put the hammer down on their first deer. It is a great experience. So your wrong on that one Bubba, I bow hunt and would give up the weekend.

Ok, That's one.....lol.

The fact is that in their infinite wisdom, they have forced the bowhunter portion of the available mentors to choose. And you know that there has to be some portion (probably a large portion) of bowhunters who will opt to hunt instead of volunteering for mentor-duty. Brilliant move! With an event that depends on a large amount of mentors, they just intentionally hacked out a bunch of potential volunteers by sticking it in bow season. Must have slipped their minds .... eh?

[Doc]

If they waited until gun season, very few would go.

What the hell is the point of this hunt if the only kids you can get to hunt are the ones that will never use the actual season. I thought the intent of this youth season is to recruit permanent hunters, not just provide some event to amuse the kids for 3 days so they can go back to their video games when the weather gets cold.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Well ok then!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Back to what Doc stated earlier, why did they stick the youth gun hunt in the begining of bow season????

First of all, I have said the reasons why multiple times. Those reasons are what the DEC said when they explained it for the last year or so, not stuff I made up. Second, until this year, that weekend was not during open bow season anyway. They could have left bow season alone, and the weekend would have been open on its own. Instead, they gave us 2 weeks of additional time to bow hunt.

[Doewhacker]

Ok, That's one.....lol.

The fact is that in their infinite wisdom, they have forced the bowhunter portion of the available mentors to choose. And you know that there has to be some portion (probably a large portion) of bowhunters who will opt to hunt instead of volunteering for mentor-duty. Brilliant move! With an event that depends on a large amount of mentors, they just intentionally hacked out a bunch of potential volunteers by sticking it in bow season. Must have slipped their minds .... eh?

I thought the projected 8000 youth hunters was a tiny amount to you? so 8000 mentors is a massive number and 8000 youths is small..got it. As far as bowhunters for mentors, they are a small percentage of the total hunters, what about all of the gun hunters? lol

[Doc]

First of all, I have said the reasons why multiple times. Those reasons are what the DEC said when they explained it for the last year or so, not stuff I made up. Second, until this year, that weekend was not during open bow season anyway. They could have left bow season alone, and the weekend would have been open on its own. Instead, they gave us 2 weeks of additional time to bow hunt.

Yes they have reasons. Not necessarily good ones, but there were reasons. And there are plenty of reasons not to have stuffed it into bow season which they chose to ignore.

Second, no one cares what the situation was prior to this event. The fact is that the hunt is this year and the Oct 1 bow opener has been established long enough so that they obviously intended it to coincide with bow season.

[Doc]

I thought the projected 8000 youth hunters was a tiny amount to you? so 8000 mentors is a massive number and 8000 youths is small..got it. As far as bowhunters for mentors, they are a small percentage of the total hunters, what about all of the gun hunters? lol

Who knows how many mentors there are out there .... do you? How smart is it to automatically exclude a bunch of them. Does that really make a lot of sense to you? Does it really matter what percentage of available mentors would come from the bowhunter ranks why would anybody in their right mind exclude any of them?

[jjb4900]

How was it stuffed into bow season? weren't the Oct. 1st bow opener and the youth hunt established / proposed at the same time? DEC could have just said if there's no compromise to allow the youth season in the bow season, we'll just put bow back to the old opening day and have the youth hunt so it's not in bow season, problem solved.

[d-bone20917]

First of all, I have said the reasons why multiple times. Those reasons are what the DEC said when they explained it for the last year or so, not stuff I made up. Second, until this year, that weekend was not during open bow season anyway. They could have left bow season alone, and the weekend would have been open on its own. Instead, they gave us 2 weeks of additional time to bow hunt.

Not true for northern zone. We only get two weekends and we now have rifle hunting youths the first weekend and muzzleloaders the second. But I guess wanting to bow hunt without sharing the woods with gun hunters makes me precious and elitist.

[Doc]

How was it stuffed into bow season? weren't the Oct. 1st bow opener and the youth hunt established / proposed at the same time? DEC could have just said if there's no compromise to allow the youth season in the bow season, we'll just put bow back to the old opening day and have the youth hunt so it's not in bow season, problem solved.

Are you playing word games with me? Are you trying to say that you really don't know what I am talking about? C'mon, your smarter than that. Excuse me I've got to get into the dictionary and see if there is some hidden meaning to "stuffed into"..... lol.

[ELMER J. FUDD]

Are the same people that complain about losing hunters now complaining about the youth hunt?

[Doc]

Are the same people that complain about losing hunters now complaining about the youth hunt?

Are the same people who complain about losing hunters now thinking that the youth hunt is the only salvation of hunting?

[ELMER J. FUDD]

No, but it sure is better than the non idea's those opposed to it came up with. (well plus or minus a few tweaks) Like it or not it's happening. So are you going to answer my question? I don't have time right now to see who said what.

[ELMER J. FUDD]

Congrats on your shortest post ever. I gave you a +1. Keep up the good work.

[Doewhacker]

Who knows how many mentors there are out there .... do you? How smart is it to automatically exclude a bunch of them. Does that really make a lot of sense to you? Does it really matter what percentage of available mentors would come from the bowhunter ranks why would anybody in their right mind exclude any of them?

Are you trying to create a problem that doesn't exist yet? Nice....

It doesn't exclude any one from being a mentor, that is up to the individual to decide to be one or not. There are 12 year olds bowhunting now too, they also need an adult with them.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Are the same people who complain about losing hunters now thinking that the youth hunt is the only salvation of hunting?

There you go again, assume assume assume. I have never heard one single person say that this youth season is going to be the end all be all salvation to our recruitment problems, including the DEC. That is something that YOU are making up in an attempt to come up with something to complain about.

[G-Man]

So here it is a youth can hunt at 14 and 15 in nice weather, gets a nice buck or doe , fawn whatever. Turns 16 an now faces reg season rules... thinks back on how great hunting in warm weather was but thats bow season now, so he/ she decides they would rather learn to bow hunt than gun... A new bow hunter is born!!! this will happen beyond a doubt. Quit whining about safety, sm game hunters shooting at squirrels in trees with bird shot and .22's is more dangerous than a hunter shooting at game on the ground and we as bow hunter have put up with that for years!!! let alone grouse/duck hunters raining pellets down on me onnthe edge of a swamp. This is a start, ...yes it may need tweeking, (say close bow for the weekend of youth hunt to placate the "sky is falling crowd" also gets around that pesky legislation that forbids gun in the wood during bow...which would also eliminate all small game, duck and goose hunting as written i believe ... .For those of you that have youngsters young enough to partcipate good luck i say!! teach them well!! for those that want to whine and complain ...deal with it its happening...

[WNYBuckHunter]

Yes they have reasons. Not necessarily good ones, but there were reasons. And there are plenty of reasons not to have stuffed it into bow season which they chose to ignore.

Second, no one cares what the situation was prior to this event. The fact is that the hunt is this year and the Oct 1 bow opener has been established long enough so that they obviously intended it to coincide with bow season.

Thats YOUR opinion that they arent good reasons. The youth hunt and the Oct 1 opener were established at the same time, go back and read the 5 year plan, which includes both of them. You cannot say that it was stuffed into bow season.

[ELMER J. FUDD]

Damn, Gman beat me too it. I was actually posting this:

"What we have are 2 issues with getting young people into hunting. The first being the big buzz kill when a kid that never tagged along goes on their first hunt and realizes that it sucks waking up early just to freeze your but off. (put the commas where you want) The second being ..."

Then I had a brain fart and forget what the 2nd issue was LOL!

Edited September 21, 2012 by ELMER J. FUDD

[New York Hillbilly]

Hey Bubba,

If you have some time on your hands please go back and read my post on "page 6". I'm not sure why you interpreted my post as my personal stand on blaze orange or started with the name calling. I have read what I posted several times over and cannot see the reason for the confusion. My point was simply that DEC has placed a great deal of emphasis on the importance of for the sake of safety, wearing blaze orange, and then seem to contradict that same school of thought by sending kids with firearms out into the thick of a bunch of camouflaged hunters.

Additionally, my next point was that in the event someone does get shot, I think it will be used by those who would choose to prevent hunting all together, those we frequently refer to as the "antis". I never stated or tried to imply that I was on one side or the other of the blaze orange debate in that post.

I thought that under the circumstances, as you had seen fit to use my quote to launch into your issue with "blaze orange", I might better set things straight about that (my) post. I have no hard feelings towards you, and am not sure why you take such an ugly tone. Referring to me as a "hypocrite" after you had misinterpreted my post I believe I am owed an apology. As a "nurse", "nurse practitioner", "instructor" as you state you are, I would hope to think you are also a gentleman.

For the record, out of my curiosity, are you an active, practicing, nurse practitioner? It's an interesting coincidence because, I am.

[growalot]

Ohhhh Nooooo.!!!!!...

[nyantler]

How many hunters here have taken their kids hunting and their kids still hunt?

[Buckstopshere]

My two boys still hunt. One will be here for the rut.(First week of November.)