Selfishness

[shawnhu]

As a relatively new hunter, and one that has limited choices on where to hunt, I don't see what some of the older, more veteran hunters see in terms of selfishness and the point of the bickering that goes back and forth.

I suppose as I get more "seasoned" as time passes, I too may see and perhaps be involved in developing strong opinions on certain seasons and such.

As of now, I'd be very happy if things remained just the way they are and I only hope to gain more experience and access as time goes on.

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[Nomad]

In Washington state , where my buddy lives and has held most offices in the state bow assc. One can either bow or gun hunt not both !

Don't get a shot in bow? Well you're done for the year tag filled or not, how'd you like that choice !!'

[Culvercreek hunt club]

The way it is now is fine ,hunting season followed up by pray and spray season.

And it didn't take long for "that attitude" to pop out.

[dbHunterNY]

not selfish.  we should remain to have an archery season before any kind of gun season and that includes muzzleloaders.  forget arguing that deer are less spooked or more easily patterned during archery season.  using archery gear is a huge handicap even to the shortest ranged legal firearms. so mixing them up in a season is ridiculous, unless it's a hunters choice to use archery gear during gun season.  shorter seasons are more by design to prevent over harvest.  hunters are way more successful with a gun than with any kind of bow.  right now the first week of southern zone gun season is at peak stages of the rut where any mature buck is the most vulnerable.  early bow season he's got his daily routine if you're lucky.  if you screw up though there's nothing to prevent him from flying off the radar.  he'll just feed more and be more active at night.  no hot doe to cloud his judgment.  no where in the country that I know of does a state wildlife agency allow gun hunters in the woods first, combine them into one season, or have seasons for less primitive weapons longer or even the same as less primitive (gun vs bows).  that's not without reasons or coincidental.

[Jeremy K]

In Washington state , where my buddy lives and has held most offices in the state bow assc. One can either bow or gun hunt not both !

Don't get a shot in bow? Well you're done for the year tag filled or not, how'd you like that choice !!'

Any idea what a hunting license cost there? I spending almost 100 bucks a year for all my tags .

[Nomad]

Any idea what a hunting license cost there? I spending almost 100 bucks a year for all my tags .

My buddy is hunting in Montana right now ( took a buck) so I googled it . Man it's quite a list.

https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov/wdfw/licenses_fees.html

[brownclown]

I'm selfish. Love the bow and anti cross bow during bow season simply bc I hate people. The more people in the woods the higher the potential for "slobs". Really don't have issues in woods until gun season and that when problems start. Stolen cams, trespassers, gun shots super early and dark. I don't blame the chosen instrument but simply the more people in the woods the higher chance that they are slobs. So I fine being selfish and a big hypocrite. I despise the flip side when fishing and banned from fly fishing only zones. But I make it work. I would however support full choice of weapons vs season requirements for private land.

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[dbHunterNY]

Oh I know. Ive been out all bow season, and the main part of the rut this year will have gone by before gun season starts. Im not saying the hunting wont be good. Ive killed the vast majority of my deer after the rut.

 

I'm sure both our deer can't be too far apart but we're just not seeing that being the case out here.  there definitely have to be some doe ready right now but majority aren't there yet.  from what we've seen this year these next two weeks will be ending chasing and into peak breeding. locations with less age structure and really no mature bucks weren't reported much different in long standing QDM areas that most certain have bucks of all age class, better ratio, etc. not sure what you meant by main part of the rut.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

 not sure what you meant by main part of the rut.

the population comes in to heat like a bell curve. "Main" being the largest percentage.

 

I also notice that when I hear different hunters speaking about the "rut" they attribute what they like about it to what is really pre-rut activities. Personally I do not like the main rut as much at the seeking and chasing portions of the pre-rut. too many mature buck locked down with a hot doe. if she is content sleeping then he ain't budging..lol

[ApexerER]

In my opinion, NO......I hunted the rifle season only for years and years. I am 42 and started bow hunting 3 or 4 seasons ago. I thought about bow hunting  a lot along the way but I just didn't have the time or want to make the commitment to become proficient with a bow at the time. Had they included crossbows I would probably have jumped on that bandwagon. Not once in the 20+ years of rifle hunting only did I think boy those greedy selfish bowhunters get a whole month and a half in the woods that I don't. I never gave it a second thought. I do wish I started bow hunting earlier. It is great being in the woods without hearing shots ring out all over the place and seeing deer that aren't so jumpy....Those are things I never thought about when I only hunted with a rifle. Also, my father, who got me into hunting never bow hunted. He kind of felt it was....the only word I can think of is unethical but that's not really what it was. He was just always very worried about wounding a deer and not retrieving it.....

Edited November 11, 2015 by ApexerER

[landtracdeerhunter]

Any firearms hunter can take a bow coarse, and join in on the fun. I welcome them afield to see and experience what I have witnessed through my bow hunting career. I had a 3x5 come in this morning, 7ish and stare up at me for minutes doing his thing. My blood got darker, this morning! Those kinds of experiences with live with me till I die.

Edited November 11, 2015 by landtracdeerhunter

[WNYBuckHunter]

Any idea what a hunting license cost there? I spending almost 100 bucks a year for all my tags .

 

Our licenses are fairly inexpensive

[Jeremy K]

I just can't wrap my mind around why anything would need to change. Way more gun hunters move the deer around and give gun hunters a way better chance at getting a deer .

[WNYBuckHunter]

I'm sure both our deer can't be too far apart but we're just not seeing that being the case out here.  there definitely have to be some doe ready right now but majority aren't there yet.  from what we've seen this year these next two weeks will be ending chasing and into peak breeding. locations with less age structure and really no mature bucks weren't reported much different in long standing QDM areas that most certain have bucks of all age class, better ratio, etc. not sure what you meant by main part of the rut.

 

Ive been seeing chasing for quite some time now. Mature bucks in broad daylight in the middle of fields locked onto does. This past week we saw multiple mature bucks on their feet seeking and chasing pretty heavily. I think this week and weekend is going to be all out peak followed by the breeding phase going into gun season. The point when seek/chase move into breeding is what I refer to as the peak. I could be wrong, but Im just speaking about what I have seen personally.

[dbHunterNY]

the population comes in to heat like a bell curve. "Main" being the largest percentage.

 

I also notice that when I hear different hunters speaking about the "rut" they attribute what they like about it to what is really pre-rut activities. Personally I do not like the main rut as much at the seeking and chasing portions of the pre-rut. too many mature buck locked down with a hot doe. if she is content sleeping then he ain't budging..lol

 

i agree with the bell curve concept.  also agree with the rest of it.  going with the "main" being the peak of the bell and from what we've seen, it seems like that'd fall somewhere within a week from now.  so first week of rifle we'll be still into peak breeding or the "main" portion.  right now I'd imagine if you're not seeing chasing going on you're in the wrong area and not seeing any doe.

[dbHunterNY]

Ive been seeing chasing for quite some time now. Mature bucks in broad daylight in the middle of fields locked onto does. This past week we saw multiple mature bucks on their feet seeking and chasing pretty heavily. I think this week and weekend is going to be all out peak followed by the breeding phase going into gun season. The point when seek/chase move into breeding is what I refer to as the peak. I could be wrong, but Im just speaking about what I have seen personally.

 

referencing culvers bell curve you're talking about the rising slope and I'm talking about the top of the bell.  with the idea that bell curve representing breeding spans a couple weeks.  puts us about a week apart with our references.  sounds like we're on the same page then.

[dbHunterNY]

Doc sorry btw..... back to Selfishness!

[orion]

Having a special season isn't selfish. Selfishness comes into play play when certain bowhunters start with the " Make archery season start Sept 1 and cut gun season down to only one week and after thanksgiving "  Thats selfish, wanting to take from others.

 

Elitists-  the ones that think bowhunters don't do any wrong! I think there have been enough threads already. That gun hunter shooting early did it with his bow also. Those slob orange army gun hunters they wear came in the early season. Don't kid yourself. The people buying guns in the next few weeks, yeah they sell plenty of bows the month before also.

[Huntscreek]

Having Used all weapons in this thread. I'd have to say the Crossbow has the least chance of follow up shots. As far as distance, I hunt Like I have a Recurve no matter what I'm using. The closer in they are the better. As long as none powder burning weapons are used at the same time no problem here. Enjoy the Hunt, Practice hard no matter what your shooting.

[Doc]

As of now, I'd be very happy if things remained just the way they are and I only hope to gain more experience and access as time goes on.

But you see, "just the way things are" is basically telling gun hunters that bow season is "our" season, and no deer-guns are welcome. That is the point of this thread. As long as we have any "special seasons", there will always be exclusion, and some very adamant exclusion. And that can be defined as the root of selfishness. We do become protective of our seasons. I am an avid bow and gun hunter ... both weapons. But as a bowhunter, I am essentially saying to gun deer hunters, "Get the hell out of the bowhunting woods with your rifles and shotguns. This is our time to hunt and you are not invited". To me that sounds like a selfish attitude, but I believe it is one that is shared by the overwhelming majority of bowhunters. So my question to you all here, "is that being selfish or not"? Is it normal and natural for participants of one of these special seasons to try to protect those seasons or is there automatically a selfish designation when you try to exclude other hunters from your season? 

 

Anyway, I was just kind of taking the temperature of the membership here to see if everytime there is a challenge to the contents of these special seasons (as I believe there will be in the future), will this "selfish" claim be coming up, and indeed is that claim a true assessment of bowhunter attitudes.

[DanielT]

It's all crazy....look anyone can go bowhunting if they want.....and shooting a deer at 10 yards is way more difficult than one at 300 yards....fight all ya want about it....or fix what's bugging you...bowhunt if you want to have that extra season...but don't blame others...we are all hunters...and we have equal rights

Edited November 11, 2015 by DanielT

[skully]

It's all crazy....look anyone can go bowhunting if they want.....and shooting a deer at 10 yards is way more difficult than one at 300 yards....fight all ya want about it....or fix what's bugging you...bowhunt if you want to have that extra season...but don't blame others...we are all hunters...and we have equal rights

 

Well said.  My father said when I was a kid, start shooting a bow if you want more time in the woods and that is what I did.  The season has been like that for a long time.  If you want to spend more time in the woods then pick up a bow and stop crying.......

 

[Jeremy K]

Using a gun during archery season is the same as using your bow before oct. 1st ,they have set seasons that fall between designated dates.

[shawnhu]

But you see, "just the way things are" is basically telling gun hunters that bow season is "our" season, and no deer-guns are welcome. That is the point of this thread. As long as we have any "special seasons", there will always be exclusion, and some very adamant exclusion. And that can be defined as the root of selfishness. We do become protective of our seasons. I am an avid bow and gun hunter ... both weapons. But as a bowhunter, I am essentially saying to gun deer hunters, "Get the hell out of the bowhunting woods with your rifles and shotguns. This is our time to hunt and you are not invited". To me that sounds like a selfish attitude, but I believe it is one that is shared by the overwhelming majority of bowhunters. So my question to you all here, "is that being selfish or not"? Is it normal and natural for participants of one of these special seasons to try to protect those seasons or is there automatically a selfish designation when you try to exclude other hunters from your season?

Anyway, I was just kind of taking the temperature of the membership here to see if everytime there is a challenge to the contents of these special seasons (as I believe there will be in the future), will this "selfish" claim be coming up, and indeed is that claim a true assessment of bowhunter attitudes.

Like I said, being new to the sport, I came into it as the seasons are already established. It wasn't like I made any push or movements to make any changes. I took what was offered, and made it work for me. I became a bowhunter. I have nothing to compare it to, hence no complaints. I can see why some of the folks that's been around would be selfish, or vice versa. It really comes down to the attitude of the individual, and not as a group. But my observations has been that the gun hunters that I've met complain far less than some bow hunters that I've run across, in regards to things that tick them off in relation to who's in the woods with them and who's not.

Regulations will change, and the change is a result of either politics or special interest group agendas.

In WMU areas where there are small game around, does it really matter if someone hunting with a gun is after deer, or that squirrel that's been hanging 30-40 yards from your bow stand? It's still a spoiled hunt for the bow hunter.

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[Culvercreek hunt club]

Well said.  My father said when I was a kid, start shooting a bow if you want more time in the woods and that is what I did.  The season has been like that for a long time.  If you want to spend more time in the woods then pick up a bow and stop crying.......

 

I actually liked how it was years ago. when you got a big game license and bought the bow hunting privilege you got ONE tag, you could take a buck or doe during archery or the tag was good for an antlered deer during regular season. If you did fill it in either, you were done unless you drew a doe permit.