Full crossbow inclusion

[Five Seasons]

[Five Seasons]

hey Wolc, I know you love statistics. Why are crossbow harvests down 8% from 2017?

[Just Lucky]

On 4/4/2019 at 8:58 AM, Belo said:

I disagree with you about full inclusion but this makes me laugh, thank you

[Nomad]

3 hours ago, Belo said:

hey Wolc, I know you love statistics. Why are crossbow harvests down 8% from 2017?

Because those who,thought they were an easy quick kill found out otherwise and went back to their compounds .

[wolc123]

5 hours ago, Belo said:

hey Wolc, I know you love statistics. Why are crossbow harvests down 8% from 2017?

Not sure, I only ended up with one (a big button buck) with mine last year.  I blew it on a 3.5 year old eight-pointer that probably would have field dressed close to 200 pounds.   A week later, when I killed him with my shotgun, he weighed 182 pounds field-dressed, as a busted-up 6 pointer.  Nomad might be on to something.  Another possibility is that the rut may have peaked a little later in 2018 than it did in 2017.  It is always easiest killing them at the peak of the rut.  

I have grown somewhat content with the current rules on crossbow hunting.   Turkey hunting with a shotgun in the fall is cool and is something I would never do if we had full inclusion.   Those wild hen turkey drumsticks were wonderful.  Ruffed grouse breast was always my favorite bird meat, but now it is a toss up between them and hen turkey legs.  

The only little tweak I would really like to the crossbow rules would be giving the folks up in the Northern Zone 14 days before the guns come in, rather than just the 3 they got now.  That does not seem fair and it costs lots of tourist dollars that a couple weekends of crossbow hunting would bring in.     

[nyslowhand]

7 hours ago, Stay at home Nomad said:

Because those who,thought they were an easy quick kill found out otherwise and went back to their compounds .

^^ Maybe, but JMO has partially to due with long gun hunters jumping onto the extra time in the woods with a Xbow. NO special training, bow hunting ed  or license required, simply buy a Xbow & hunt. Have personally heard some horror stories by those taking up Xbow hunting that have no clue what bow hunting is all about. Whether you're pro or con on this issue, have to admit bow & gun hunting are two completely different "beasts" or skill sets!!

I wouldn't call a one year's drop in Xbow harvest by 8% a trend, just yet!

Edited April 12, 2019 by nyslowhand

[Five Seasons]

11 hours ago, wolc123 said:

Another possibility is that the rut may have peaked a little later in 2018 than it did in 2017.  It is always easiest killing them at the peak of the rut.  

Those wild hen turkey drumsticks were wonderful.  Ruffed grouse breast was always my favorite bird meat, but now it is a toss up between them and hen turkey legs.  

 

why would archery numbers be up if the rut was late? crossbow is at the end of the season.

wouldn't you rather shoot a tom? more meat right?

[Nomad]

7 hours ago, nyslowhand said:

^^ Maybe, but JMO has partially to due with long gun hunters jumping onto the extra time in the woods with a Xbow. NO special training, bow hunting ed  or license required, simply buy a Xbow & hunt. Have personally heard some horror stories by those taking up Xbow hunting that have no clue what bow hunting is all about. Whether you're pro or con on this issue, have to admit bow & gun hunting are two completely different "beasts" or skill sets!!

I wouldn't call a one year's drop in Xbow harvest by 8% a trend, just yet!

I find it odd that Belo likes your post, which basically says ,xbow requires the same skills as any bow ,and gun guys jumping in fail because of the two different skill sets .

welcome aboard ,Belo .

[Five Seasons]

15 minutes ago, Stay at home Nomad said:

I find it odd that Belo likes your post, which basically says ,xbow requires the same skills as any bow ,and gun guys jumping in fail because of the two different skill sets .

welcome aboard ,Belo .

eh, i like the part that confirms what archers have long been worried about. idiot gun hunter joins peaceful archery woods. And before someone says it, for those of us that hunt pressured small chunks of wood or public land, yes they do affect our hunting.

not to mention nobody wants to see wounded deer because of said idiot.

Edited April 12, 2019 by Belo

[wolc123]

7 hours ago, Belo said:

why would archery numbers be up if the rut was late? crossbow is at the end of the season.

wouldn't you rather shoot a tom? more meat right?

In NY southern zone, the rut usually peaks (chase phase) right at the mid-point of the two week archery season.  Some years it peaks about a week earlier and others about a week later.   The activity that I saw last fall, indicates that the chase phase peaked just after opening day of gun season, while the year prior it peaked earlier, allowing easier hunting in those two crossbow weeks.   I certainly appreciate the two weeks that the crossbow has now however, because that almost always catches the best part of the rut, which is always my favorite time to hunt.    The crossbow is also my favorite weapon to hunt deer with, and the only one where my record is 100 % of shots fired and recovered kills within 40 yards.   The best two weeks with the best weapon, it just don't get much better than that, at least for us lucky folks who live and hunt in the southern zone.   I do feel sorry for the crossbow folks up north however, and their measly three days.  Apparently, that NYB tough-guy wields a lot more influence up there.   

Overall archery numbers were probably up because the weather was nicer early.  That skewed things in favor of the verticals.  It got pretty cold the last week of crossbow.   At least that cold got the chasing going good for gun season. That, coupled with the snow, no doubt contributed to the extra heavy opening weekend of gun take.   The bottom line is, that the 8% crossbow drop was most likely caused by weather conditions and rut dynamics.    

I have eaten wild tom turkey legs in the past, and they sucked compared to those from that fall hen.  I was also never a fan of any turkey white meat, so the answer to your second question is no, I would not rather shoot a tom.   What good is more meat if I find it barely edible ?  If I do manage to kill a spring tom (highly unlikely because I am too scared of ticks to spend much time in the woods then), I will just save he breast for my wife and kids.   

Edited April 12, 2019 by wolc123

[Nytracker]

I was looking at trail cam pics . I had my most buck picks day and night  from 3rd to 7th of November.  I have a dandy series of pics  of a hot doe coming through  followed by a lip curling buck on the 5th. This was in 8y.

[Nomad]

4th through 11th have been golden for me .

[nyslowhand]

^^^ Yeah, me too, some years slightly later though. Has always been the case forever (?), Xbow season or before it's intro.

BTW - Saw where there is some bill that was introduced for youths and 62+yo hunters allowing use of Xbows during Special Vertical Bow season. Whatever that season is!??! That'd make me a happy camper if it were for entire bow season. Of course the bill is stalled in the dreaded Enviro sub-committee.

Edited April 13, 2019 by nyslowhand