Deer management draft proposal recently released by the DEC.

[wztirem]

Doc,

Times have changed. For a variety of reasons hunter numbers will continue to fall and will ultimately bottom out despite anyones best efforts.

Any and all new plans proposed by the DEC to recruit new hunters are a worthwhile endeavor to help offset the enevitible decline in hunter numbers.

The good old days are just that, good old days never to be recaptured.

The DEC's biggest problem is meeting the requirements of their mandate. You can be sure, that the DEC will make every effort to succeed  despite how unpopular such efforts seem to a vocal minority.

[sweet old bill]

Lets face it the days of Mom and Pa that would take the time to get the kids out hunting with them and other family members is almost over. Too many single family with kids. Or the needs require both work and also have 2nd job to get a better life style. I sure have to support anything we can do to get the kids into our hunting / fishing, the earlier the better. I know I started going deep seas fishing with my Dad and his buddies at about 8 years old, and those days of fishing for blue when my onlky job was I was the chum guy. At about 12 I started real fishing all over NJ and NY. My dad had a local farm in the catskills he went to hunt a week for deer and about 6 weekends for rabbits with our beagle dog. I could not hunt till 16, but they let me shoot a few rabbits with there guns as the dog was getting the rabbit to come around. Tjose day of being treated as a adult and learning fromn them the ways of the woods made me a fishing / hunting fool for life. nOw at 70 this will be the first year I have not got any young new guys into our sport of archery or hunting. I closed down my bow shop last year and this is were I could get new guys. On the average I in about 20 years got about 5 to 8 young people started each year. Some now stop by with there kids. Those little wood bows that I made and gave away sure helped to get them going. Lets not say that we can not allow a youth hunt in prime time of archery. I think that just the time to get them out there. At my age I let a lot of deer walk now unless they had some great set of horns. I hope there out there and help this old fool drag one in if I got it...

[growalot]

Like I said before...I really don't care with the exception that Mandatory Orange should be a requirement for ALL gun hunters...and at least some orange for bow hunters

[nyantler]

Lets face it the days of Mom and Pa that would take the time to get the kids out hunting with them and other family members is almost over. Too many single family with kids. Or the needs require both work and also have 2nd job to get a better life style. I sure have to support anything we can do to get the kids into our hunting / fishing, the earlier the better. I know I started going deep seas fishing with my Dad and his buddies at about 8 years old, and those days of fishing for blue when my onlky job was I was the chum guy. At about 12 I started real fishing all over NJ and NY. My dad had a local farm in the catskills he went to hunt a week for deer and about 6 weekends for rabbits with our beagle dog. I could not hunt till 16, but they let me shoot a few rabbits with there guns as the dog was getting the rabbit to come around. Tjose day of being treated as a adult and learning fromn them the ways of the woods made me a fishing / hunting fool for life. nOw at 70 this will be the first year I have not got any young new guys into our sport of archery or hunting. I closed down my bow shop last year and this is were I could get new guys. On the average I in about 20 years got about 5 to 8 young people started each year. Some now stop by with there kids. Those little wood bows that I made and gave away sure helped to get them going. Lets not say that we can not allow a youth hunt in prime time of archery. I think that just the time to get them out there. At my age I let a lot of deer walk now unless they had some great set of horns. I hope theyr'e out there and help this old fool drag one in if I got it...

I'm thinkin' Bill.. If more hunters were like some of you old timers... we wouldn't need mandates to get things done in the hunting world... my Dad sure never needed the DEC to tell him when to take me hunting

[wztirem]

Lets face it the days of Mom and Pa that would take the time to get the kids out hunting with them and other family members is almost over. Too many single family with kids. Or the needs require both work and also have 2nd job to get a better life style. I sure have to support anything we can do to get the kids into our hunting / fishing, the earlier the better. I know I started going deep seas fishing with my Dad and his buddies at about 8 years old, and those days of fishing for blue when my onlky job was I was the chum guy. At about 12 I started real fishing all over NJ and NY. My dad had a local farm in the catskills he went to hunt a week for deer and about 6 weekends for rabbits with our beagle dog. I could not hunt till 16, but they let me shoot a few rabbits with there guns as the dog was getting the rabbit to come around. Tjose day of being treated as a adult and learning fromn them the ways of the woods made me a fishing / hunting fool for life. nOw at 70 this will be the first year I have not got any young new guys into our sport of archery or hunting. I closed down my bow shop last year and this is were I could get new guys. On the average I in about 20 years got about 5 to 8 young people started each year. Some now stop by with there kids. Those little wood bows that I made and gave away sure helped to get them going. Lets not say that we can not allow a youth hunt in prime time of archery. I think that just the time to get them out there. At my age I let a lot of deer walk now unless they had some great set of horns. I hope theyr'e out there and help this old fool drag one in if I got it...

I'm thinkin' Bill.. If more hunters were like some of you old timers... we wouldn't need mandates to get things done in the hunting world... my Dad sure never needed the DEC to tell him when to take me hunting

You need to consider the latest DEC plan more thoroughly.

[nyantler]

I have considered it ... I was just making the point that it's a shame that it is even necessary... not that it's a bad plan.

[wztirem]

Nevertheless, the DEC needs to be proactive when it comes to managing the deer herd in NY. The writing is on the wall, hunter participation is on the decline and deer numbers are rising.

Imagine what would happen if the DEC sat idly by. ???

[ELMER J. FUDD]

Nevertheless, the DEC needs to be proactive when it comes to managing the deer herd in NY. The writing is on the wall, hunter participation is on the decline and deer numbers are rising.

Imagine what would happen if the DEC sat idly by. ???

Isn't that how we got where we are now?

[wztirem]

That statement bears merit.

Give the DEC some credit for publishing a plan. It is better than nothing! Hopefully the DEC can find the funding to implement the plan and adjust it as best as they see fit.

[Dave]

I know that NY is not the first to propose or implement youth seasons. There seems to be a lot of stock placed in that activity, and unfortunately it seems to be the sum total of the everyone's plan to bolster hunter numbers. however I also note the continuing reports of hunting numbers still plummeting, so I can't help but not have a lot of faith in these schemes.

However, for the sake of the sport I really do hope you and the rest of the believers in these programs are right. Something has to work or hunting will continue to fade from our heritage. I would feel a whole lot more reassured if there was some tangible evidence that these things actually were having some effect on improving the hunter replacement numbers. Even more reassuring would be any sign that there were other activities aimed more at turning social attitudes toward hunting and other outdoor activities around. I'm afraid that the DEC is feeling quite satisfied with their efforts and are calling the job complete. I honestly believe they have hung their hopes on something that won't even show up as a blip on the hunter population stats.

Doc, I hate to put down any program that would increase the youth hunting numbers. But I agree with you I don't feel it will do much to replace the dwindling numbers of hunters. The kids today are more interested in killing thing on video games than getting out in the fresh air and actually seeing nature. I think the thought of killing something is so foreign to them they will never join the ranks of hunters. This is a big problem they think that food just appears from places like Mc Donalds and Burger King, and no animals were injured in making these happy meals.

Dave

[sweet old bill]

Now when will the DEC have a special for seniors. or you young guys take a old fart hunting....

[wztirem]

Now thats an idea when you consider the average age of a NY deer hunter. Many of us are nearly to the age when such assistance may be necessary.

[steve863]

Now when will the DEC have a special for seniors. or you young guys take a old fart hunting....

Well, it WAS considered, but the DEC figured the cost of the nursing care, along with the special medical supplies needed like depends undergarments, hearing aids, wheelchairs, etc. and having paramedics on stand by during this entire special "old fart" season would be too much for their already strapped budget.  At least with the young hunters the likelyhood of them needing to be carried out on a stretcher is considerably less.

[Dave]

Now when will the DEC have a special for seniors. or you young guys take a old fart hunting....

Well, it WAS considered, but the DEC figured the cost of the nursing care, along with the special medical supplies needed like depends undergarments, hearing aids, wheelchairs, etc. and having paramedics on stand by during this entire special "old fart" season would be too much for their already strapped budget.  At least with the young hunters the likelyhood of them needing to be carried out on a stretcher is considerably less.

Don't totally agree, have you looked at the shape the younger kids are in lately? I bet our senior hunters are in better shape, remember this isn't our first rodeo. The kids today are mostly obese and at best overweight. Maybe hunting is too strenious for them to handle. That's why they sit in the house and play video games. Just my humble opinion.

Dave

[steve863]

I think obesity is a problem in this country across ALL age groups.  Many people in their 60's or 70's probably drank too much, smoked too much, and didn't exercise nearly enough, so those that are still around aren't exactly Jack LaLane's neither. 

[WNYBuckHunter]

Now when will the DEC have a special for seniors. or you young guys take a old fart hunting....

PA tried that but there was a rash of broken hips, so they scrapped it. 

[steve863]

Maybe if the old geezers didn't "fart" so much and scare off all the deer we would take them out more often??

[WNYBuckHunter]

Maybe if the old geezers didn't "fart" so much and scare off all the deer we would take them out more often??

Right! Damn them and their flatulation!

[ELMER J. FUDD]

http://huntingny.com/forums/index.php/topic,4986.0.html

[wztirem]

Maybe if the old geezers didn't "fart" so much and scare off all the deer we would take them out more often??

Thats a scientific fact pertaining to males over the age of 55.  ???

[steve863]

wz, be careful posting that as a "fact".  Some here might want some more proof.  Well anyway, maybe we could use this video for the nonbelievers.  Actually, I think this fella is a forum member.

[Dave]

I think obesity is a problem in this country across ALL age groups.  Many people in their 60's or 70's probably drank too much, smoked too much, and didn't exercise nearly enough, so those that are still around aren't exactly Jack LaLane's neither.

Again Steve you missed the point and respond with a lecture. My point was that this generation is in worse shape than our's and the one before us. This is not my opinion but medical reports on the state of our children. Most hunters are in their 50's, 60's and 70's. You don't have to be Jack LaLane to go hunting if you have some level of fitness. My comment was about the younger generation.

Dave

[wztirem]

wz, be careful posting that as a "fact".  Some here might want some more proof.  Well anyway, maybe we could use this video for the nonbelievers.  Actually, I think this fella is a forum member.

Finally figured out what this site lacks, levity! ;D

[fasteddie]

I told my sons that if I don't show up back at camp , come looking for me with my "blaze orange" walker !

[steve863]

I think obesity is a problem in this country across ALL age groups.  Many people in their 60's or 70's probably drank too much, smoked too much, and didn't exercise nearly enough, so those that are still around aren't exactly Jack LaLane's neither.

Again Steve you missed the point and respond with a lecture. My point was that this generation is in worse shape than our's and the one before us. This is not my opinion but medical reports on the state of our children. Most hunters are in their 50's, 60's and 70's. You don't have to be Jack LaLane to go hunting if you have some level of fitness. My comment was about the younger generation.

Dave

Now whose starting the argument here?  I know exactly what you were trying to say and don't disagree that many kids are overweight.  Although, any way you try to slice it, in general the higher probability of a hunter needing to be carried out feet first out of the woods, would be with the old timers and not the youngsters even though they might be overweight.