Shorten the NY Gun Season?

[fasteddie]

I prefer to bow hunt rather than gun hunt but I don't think it would be fair to cheat the gun hunters out of their time !

[Doc]

Yeah, actually there are enough people and groups interested in hacking on season lengths and for that matter, even any seasons at all. I think I will not join that crowd. I think hunters get wacked on enough already without us turning on our own. We don't need to be driving more hunters out of our ranks by taking more and giving less. That really doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

It seems like we want to shorten hunting seasons, reduce buck harvest limits, set further restrictions of what animals can be harvested and just about anything we can think of to frustrate and aggravate hunters right out of the sport. That is already happening without all these all these fad management ideas. How about we leave well enough alone and just worry about our own hunting and a little less about how to screw up everyone else's hunting.

[nyantler]

I don't think that any management plans are screwing up other guys hunting... more that guys are screwing up solid management plans. I do agree that we should be more concerned with our own hunting experience though.

[16. ga hunter]

i doubt a break in deer season would make any differance grouse hunters would use it to get thier dogs on birds before deep snow

[Doc]

I don't think that any management plans are screwing up other guys hunting... more that guys are screwing up solid management plans. I do agree that we should be more concerned with our own hunting experience though.

I think that the only reason that nobody is being screwed with by new fad management plans and off-the-top-of-the-head ideas such as shortening the gun season is simply because the DEC is not having anything to do with any of them. And frankly, I am not bothered by that fact at all.

I can bust on the DEC right along with the best of them, but in our area at least, I really have to admit that the deer herd condition in recent years has been pretty acceptable. 

[Culvercreek hunt club]

the herds in my ares seem to be fairing very well too Doc

[nyantler]

I don't think that any management plans are screwing up other guys hunting... more that guys are screwing up solid management plans. I do agree that we should be more concerned with our own hunting experience though.

I think that the only reason that nobody is being screwed with by new fad management plans and off-the-top-of-the-head ideas such as shortening the gun season is simply because the DEC is not having anything to do with any of them. And frankly, I am not bothered by that fact at all.

I can bust on the DEC right along with the best of them, but in our area at least, I really have to admit that the deer herd condition in recent years has been pretty acceptable.

I agree that is has been acceptable in the areas I hunt as well.. and for the record I don't see shortening the gun season as anything to do with sound deer management either... and many hunters are implementing their own "fad" management plans and seem to be doing quite well with them... the only people I see pissing and moaning about hunting are the guys that are against them..

[RangerClay]

why?

What the heck would be the purpose of shortening the Northern Zone ? It's hard enough to hunt there as it is ..........

Sorry for the delay in explanation.  I forgot about this thread.

First off I hunt deer with bow, ML, and gun.  I grew up in the southern tier but now I live in the northern tier.  I have hunted the northern tier for 19 years.

I personally would like to see the northern zone opener moved to November.

The first reason is such a short bow season.  We get only two weekends to hunt deer with a bow.  I usually hunt from a ground blind because there are still leaves on the trees those 2 weekends. 

Then you have early ML season.  On my property after the opening day of ML season the deer go into gun season mode and leave their normal routines.  Most of the mature deer go nocturnal. 

Next is rifle season. To me the first 2 weeks of gun season are pointless.  There weather is usually too warm.  There is little deer movement during the day.  The deer are not rutting yet.  You hear so few shots on opening day.  This past year I counted till 10 am and I counted 6 shots.  In our camp and some of the camps around us 75% of our deer are killed around Veterans Day. 

Eddie, how is deer season harder up north?  I hunt both north and south.  Its not any harder for me?  Yes there are more deer in the south but other than that it's not physically harder.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Eddie, how is deer season harder up north?  I hunt both north and south.  Its not any harder for me?  Yes there are more deer in the south but other than that it's not physically harder.

If you are hunting where you live as posted in your profile it really isn't all that different than the southern teir......slide you homestead about 50-70 miles east and I bet you would have a different take on it. Deer density is lower than where you are and I guarantee the terain is more physically demanding. I personally like it as it is up north because a lot of the pressure does drop off by the time the rut does start to warm up where I hunt.

[fasteddie]

Sorry ..... I made an assumption thinking of the vastness up North and much less farmland than here in Western NY . I have camped at places like Old Forge and have seen deer feeding in yards ( years ago ) so yes I know there are deer there but I don't think there are as many deer as there are in my area .

[RangerClay]

Eddie, how is deer season harder up north?  I hunt both north and south.  Its not any harder for me?  Yes there are more deer in the south but other than that it's not physically harder.

If you are hunting where you live as posted in your profile it really isn't all that different than the southern teir......slide you homestead about 50-70 miles east and I bet you would have a different take on it. Deer density is lower than where you are and I guarantee the terain is more physically demanding. I personally like it as it is up north because a lot of the pressure does drop off by the time the rut does start to warm up where I hunt.

Creek,

My take is just fine.  Yes I do hunt some where I live, that is where I bow hunt.  But all of my rifle hunting is in the Dacks near Harrisville.  I walk into the woods just like I do down south.  Its a little more rocky but if you have ever walked up one of the rolling hills in southern Madison and northern Chenango County you will see the difference.

[RangerClay]

Sorry ..... I made an assumption thinking of the vastness up North and much less farmland than here in Western NY . I have camped at places like Old Forge and have seen deer feeding in yards ( years ago ) so yes I know there are deer there but I don't think there are as many deer as there are in my area .

No apology necessary.  You are absoulety correct and it is more of a challenge to bag a deer.  I concider myself lucky to see a deer or two over the course of 3 weekends.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Creek,

My take is just fine.  Yes I do hunt some where I live, that is where I bow hunt.  But all of my rifle hunting is in the Dacks near Harrisville.  I walk into the woods just like I do down south.  Its a little more rocky but if you have ever walked up one of the rolling hills in southern Madison and northern Chenango County you will see the difference.

I have hunted all 3 of those areas. I was talking more or what is truely Daks. I was kind of referencing your comment as to up North not being any more challenging physically. I guess it really doesn't have as much to do with North or south as it does to the terrain. The flat lands around Ontario is nothing compared tot he hils of Madison....just like Madison is nothing compared to the Catskills. Same can be said for Sacketts to Harrison and then on to the true Daks.

[WhitetailCrazed11]

Get rid of early muzzle loader, stretch out the archery season, problem solved..

[bubba]

well of course more archery is always solving the problem.

[nyantler]

:D :D

[Doc]

It's funny nobody has suggested getting rid of all gun seasons completely ..... lol. I suppose that reply coming.

[CNYScott]

I haven't seen a problem identified that would justify shortening the hunting season.  I'm all in favor of increasing hunting opportunities, which seems to me would be best helped by increasing, not decreasing, the time available for hunting.

[ny hunter]

I love to hunt with a rifle,I in no way would like to see gun season made shorter.

[WNYBuckHunter]

I haven't seen a problem identified that would justify shortening the hunting season.  I'm all in favor of increasing hunting opportunities, which seems to me would be best helped by increasing, not decreasing, the time available for hunting.

Nobody is talking about shortening the hunting season, just the gun season. Archery season would be expanded and ML season would be as well.

[fasteddie]

I don't know for a fact but ...... I would wager that there are more gun hunters than bow hunters . You shorten their season and a lot would probably drop out causing the DEC to lose money .

[WNYBuckHunter]

Not once the crossbow is included in archery. Wont take as much practice for the gun only guys to be able to hunt with a crossbow. They will have to change some of their tactics a bit though.

[fasteddie]

Not once the crossbow is included in archery." Wont take as much practice for the gun only guys to be able to hunt with a crossbow". They will have to change some of their tactics a bit though.

Exactly ! But how many will be willing to plop down $1500 for a quality crossbow !

[bubba]

how many drop a grand or more on a quality firearm or 800 on a quality muzzleloader? You dont need a 1500 dollar crossbow to get the job done.

[Doc]

I don't know for a fact but ...... I would wager that there are more gun hunters than bow hunters . You shorten their season and a lot would probably drop out causing the DEC to lose money .

Who knows just what it takes to drive hunter numbers further down. My impression is that it doesn't take a whole lot anymore. And I am talking about the average, casual hunter and not the more dedicated ones like you might find on this forum. I would have to believe that anything that hunters perceive as being negative (shortening the season falls into that category) would probably be reflected in additional declines.