Shorten the NY Gun Season?

[WNYBuckHunter]

In the past 2 weeks I have seen more deer than I saw through the rest of gun season combined. In my area there is no shortage of deer. As for my opinion on the length of gun season, most of you guys already know how I feel about it, its just too long. I think it should be shortened to 2 consecutive weeks of regular firearms, then a week or two going back to bow, then bring a 2 week ML season on at the end, no scopes, iron sights only. Push bow season to extend from Oct 1 till hte end of ML, which would be around Christmas, put crossbows in place all season long and make it 1 buck total per year. Leave the DMPs the way they are and let your buck tag be an either sex. In total you would get your either sex tag, a doe tag for bow/ml and then your DMPs if you apply.

[bubba]

Those pics look like deer yarding up, plus deer populations vary over just a couple sq miles.  Lots of deer there, maybe nothing a mile away.

Bubba, I don't think I'm being selfish, I'm just saying what it is around here.  And I think you're right, in the N Zone the season is fine to be long.  Farms in the S Zone are a lot different than the big woods you hunt.  Its nothing for a 50 acre woods to be broken up 4 ways and have 8 or 10 or more hunters in it. How many hunters per sq mi do you see there?

The deer don't have the cover here they do up there.  When they get bumped out of the 50 acres, they can run .5 mi or more until they reach the next cover, where they get bumped again, and again, and again...or until they find a sanctuary and hole up.  But they won't move again until dark.

On these farms we don't have the luxury of miles and miles of public access.  If the deer are pressured here, we can't just go a couple miles down the road through heavy cover and try there.  We can't pick up a track and follow it for miles.  We can't drive deer over an entire hillside, then go do another hill, and another.

I'm not saying shorten it just for the bowhunter.  Until Wed last week (middle of MZ), when my season ended due to travel,  most deer here were totally nocturnal, except for the fawns.

I don't even like the whole gun hunter vs bow hunter argument anyway.  I hunt all weapon/seasons and think I'm looking at the big picture.  I don't think we need to brand ourselves"Gunhunters" or "Bowhunters" only.  If someone wants to hunt all fall, they can try the bow or ML.

Just consider the possibility that NY has one of the longest gun seasons (esp in the cold northern part of the US) and it might have some negative implications to the deer and other methods of hunting.

Umm just as an fyi, I hunt a 400 yard parcel that os part of a farm.  Not allof the nz is the dacks. I live in the middle of the dt lawrence valley and it is all agriculture.  I know what hunting farms is all about.  I dont have the luxury or tracking deer for hours or mile seither. Not allof the nz if public access.  Before you make judgements on how it is so different where I am come hunt where I am

[the blur]

I want opening day to revert back to MONDAY's !!!!

Less orange army pressure for the first 6 days.

[ny hunter]

+1

[nyantler]

I don't know where people get the idea that the deer herd is being depleted.   If some of the hunters think thats happening maybe they can help by not filling there tags each year.

[bubba]

I want opening day to revert back to MONDAY's !!!!

Less orange army pressure for the first 6 days.

another it is all about me plan.  Never mind the guys who work all week.

[the blur]

I work 6 days a week.

But I would certainly take that first Monday off to hunt.

[bubba]

so take saturday off.  I honestly do not see how going back to monday will get less deer killed and save the devastated herd, which was what the thread is about.

[letinmfly]

Not sure if shortening the season will have a big impact on the deer harvest.  Historically, when the season opened on a Monday, 80% of the deer harvest for the entire regular season occurs by the third day of the season.  By shortening the season it will only get guys out there inside of the shorter time span and will probably result in the same number of deer being killed. 

Personally I like the longer season because I just enjoy being out in the woods regardless of whether or not I kill a deer. 

[the blur]

no law that says you can not go in the woods 365 days a year.

Not sure if shortening the season will have a big impact on the deer harvest.  Historically, when the season opened on a Monday, 80% of the deer harvest for the entire regular season occurs by the third day of the season.  By shortening the season it will only get guys out there inside of the shorter time span and will probably result in the same number of deer being killed. 

Personally I like the longer season because I just enjoy being out in the woods regardless of whether or not I kill a deer.

[letinmfly]

Blur,

You're right...I wish I had the opportunity to do so. 

[SteveB]

My only reason is it seems the herd is being depleted

Not where I hunt.

Please don't try to change the season everywhere because of your perception from your back yard.

Shortening the season would most likely lower the kill because we will lose hunters - not a good thing. A huge percentage of the kill happens in the first week- the rest of the season has less impact and cutting it would probably just intesify the earlier part. To make a real change, you would have to cut it to 5 to 7 days killing participation in a few short years. Is that what you want?

[Localqdm]

Bubba, my bad, I assumed you hunted the Adirondacks.  Still, a season that fits there isn't necessarily right for the rest of us.    How many hunters you get on your 400 yd pc or your sq/mi?  I guess I got a little defensive when you suggested I was "selfish".  Do you bow hunt too? or are you strictly a "Gunhunter?"Want to know where you're coming from.

[wooly]

How 'bout we steal a page from the spring gobbler season..........12 o'clock cut-off. ???  Nobody complains about that. ;D

[erussell]

90% of the people I know hunt only the weekends for gun anyhow so I dont see how shortening gun season will help if most gun hunters are only hunting 6 days out of the season. What are we going to do shorten it to 4 days. But I am for lengthening the muzzloader season till at least the 24th in the southern zone, never made sense to me why it ended on a Tuesday.

[bubba]

Bubba, my bad, I assumed you hunted the Adirondacks.  Still, a season that fits there isn't necessarily right for the rest of us.    How many hunters you get on your 400 yd pc or your sq/mi?  I guess I got a little defensive when you suggested I was "selfish".  Do you bow hunt too? or are you strictly a "Gunhunter?"Want to know where you're coming from.

the seasons here are different now.  Ours opens earlier closes earlier.  I bow hunt as well as ml and rifle, which I use a ml for anyway. It may not be selfish, but you want it better for you.  You can define it.  our 400 acre piece is hunted by 8 people. If you hunt public land, you have to expect there will be people there.  In other words make your hunting scenario better for you.  I hunted state land for years.  We hunted the places others did not go.  We went into the swamp and waited for the deer as well as make drives.  There were times I was in water above my ankles to be on watch.  But , if we wanted to see deer we did it and were quite successful.  You cant expect someone to wave a magic wand and make your hunting all better.  That is up to you to do.  Last season, I saw one deer all season.  I didnt expect the state to fix it for me, I went in and bought some good land,where there is less pressure and more deer. The choices are yours. And I will be 52 on Wednesday.  This year I shot a very nice 190 pound 8 point.  This was the first deer that was ever brought out of the woods by anything but man power. I drug the deer about 400 yards to get it to the 4wheeler trail.  The guys i hunt with thoought I was nuts. You want my personal opinion. Most hunters today are spoiled.  You see less deer, you want a legislative fix. Oh well it is part of hunting.  If the majority of guys on here saw one deer all season, they would whine and carry on, or threaten to not hunt anymore.  Suck it up mak eit better for you for next year yourself. 

[nycoyotehounds..BUB]

The season is fine here in the nz. The guys like me who work 60+ hours a week, need time.

As far as Monday opener, why would I have my son miss a day of school when he can be a part of the opener on  Saturday?

[noodle one]

I think we should have our season like New Mexico State. One tag ,one deer, buck or doe. Kill your deer and you are all done, no more tags. When you buy your license, you must pick your weapon that you are going to hunt with and that's the weapon that you hunt with all season. They don't have any individual season for any weapons. Bow hunters hunt along side gun hunters. One season, one deer.

[SteveB]

I think we should have our season like New Mexico State. One tag ,one deer, buck or doe. Kill your deer and you are all done, no more tags. When you buy your license, you must pick your weapon that you are going to hunt with and that's the weapon that you hunt with all season. They don't have any individual season for any weapons. Bow hunters hunt along side gun hunters. One season, one deer.

Great plan - 7j and 7h would be overrun with deer in a very short time. :

In NY the hunting seasons are for herd management - not so everyone can see 50 deer every hunt.

[ny hunter]

We are not gonna see deer everytime we go in the woods.Why change anything?Be thankful for the time we get in the woods and wait until next season.I saw so many animals this year.Fishers,porcupines,Coyotes.Eagles.And no deer but it was still a great season.

[Doc]

The season is fine here in the nz. The guys like me who work 60+ hours a week, need time.

As far as Monday opener, why would I have my son miss a day of school when he can be a part of the opener on  Saturday?

Well, I think the southern zone deer seasons are also fine the way they are. Season lengths and locations are probably right at the optimum right now. That's probably why no one who makes those kinds of decisions is seriously proposing any changes at this time. I know, we all think we have a better idea and for all kinds of different reasons. Somebody earlier had it right ..... the only way shorter seasons will have any significant impact on harvests is when more and more hunters quit in disgust over being charged more and getting less.

Doc

[Localqdm]

It is what it is and isn't going to change anytime soon.  I understand that and am thankful for what I have, but it doesn't mean that we can't consider improving it for hunting and the deer.

[Doc]

Guys, why can't someone propose a possible change on a website forum without being called ignorant, selfish, lazy, unthankful, etc.  These things get way too negative most of the time.  I've got to remember which topics I want to comment on because some people take things way too seriously.

Lol ..... Hunters are a passionate bunch of people. They also tend to be very opinionated too. Add those two things together, and you get some fire-breathing, flame driven, posts. Usually that happens when facts and knowledge get trumped by emotion. It's too bad, but I think we all get into that mode occasionally.

I know ...... That's an ignorant, selfish, lazy, unthankful, thing to say, but ........  

Doc

[Doewhacker]

I think they should extend the ml season all the way to Jan. 1st. The rest of the season is fine the way it is, as previously stated shortening the season will not stop the 80-85% of deer from being killed the first few days. This seems like another issue that isn't an issue as I highly doubt the DEC will make a move to loose money and make more hunters mad.

[screamon demon]

I think the seasons are fine the way they are. All hunters are given ample opportunity to harvest game throughout the entire season or just the regular season if you so choose not to archery hunt. We are afforded the opportunity to pursue game and when life throws us a curve (weather, birth, death, etc) there is still an opportunity to get out and hunt. I think a lot of folks who complain about not seeing game are not interested in trying new areas or new things. It's easier to blame the bureaucrat for giving out too many DMP's or too long a season then it is to actaully hunt. If the season was shortened this forum would be full of posts that said the season was too short. No body wins.