Bowhunter Sighting Log

[fasteddie]

Received the Bowhunter Sighting Log in the mail today . This makes  20  years of doing it . Anyone else get the survey yet ? 

[Team Hoyt]

I just got mine. I've never done it b4. Think I'll try it this year

[Fletch]

Got mine yesterday. I think the first one I did was 1999 so yea 20 here to Eddie!

[Robhuntandfish]

Got mine today too. I actually got two?  Been doing them a few years. Thought about not doing it this year but prob still will.  It bugs me a little the way they do it and then base #s of it.  I often hunt two different wmu's in a day and can't log it there.  And how often when you see 5 deer one day and 5 again the next they are probably the same ones. 

I actually keep a separate log to see how many deer I spot in a season since this one you can't always log them all in.

Oh and I always tell my hunting buddy that they only send these to the elite bow hunters cause he has never got one. Lol.

Edited September 14, 2019 by Robhuntandfish

[Team Hoyt]

Is it true if you fill it out and return it, they send something back to you? Thought I heard that before but cant remember 

[Robhuntandfish]

5 minutes ago, Team Hoyt said:

Is it true if you fill it out and return it, they send something back to you? Thought I heard that before but cant remember 

I've never gotten anything back. 

[rachunter]

Received the Bowhunter Sighting Log in the mail today . This makes  20  years of doing it . Anyone else get the survey yet ? 

Did they give you a 20 year patch ? I used to like getting them.


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[rachunter]

Is it true if you fill it out and return it, they send something back to you? Thought I heard that before but cant remember 

They used to send the results with the new sighting form. I don’t know if they still do it. I haven’t participated in a few years.


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[Nomad]

Got mine along with some of last years results .

[fasteddie]

1 hour ago, rachunter said:

Did they give you a 20 year patch ? I used to like getting them.


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Not yet . I think this season makes 20 years . I have the 5 , 10 and 15 year patches .

[Lawdwaz]

Got mine today also. 

[Nomad]

My only complaint is  I have to add columns for big foot and mountain lions , oh ufo’s too .

 

[Core]

I got it last year for first time and completely forgot to fill any of it out, weirdly for me.

[BowmanMike]

I tried twice and didn't manage to keep track,so i think i am giving up on it.

[nyslowhand]

13 hours ago, Robhuntandfish said:

.......  It bugs me a little the way they do it and then base #s of it.  I often hunt two different wmu's in a day and can't log it there.  And how often when you see 5 deer one day and 5 again the next they are probably the same ones. 

I actually keep a separate log to see how many deer I spot in a season since this one you can't always log them all in.

^^^ Exactly!!!! I did the BH's log for a few years, until I realized I was supplying fictitious deer population #s. IE; Same 6-8 deer sighted regularly over ~25 hunts... does NOT mean there are 100s of deer in my specified location!

I then began keeping a personal hunting journal with all the info I needed to keep track of deer sightings, movements, time of day, weather, etc. I have a pretty good grasp of how many deer are in my hunting area and I'm not going to inflate that with the DEC's estimates from the BH's log.

If you want to do it.. great! Just be aware of what you're reporting & how it's used.

[Fletch]

Stock up on your tinfoil


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[Steve D]

20 hours ago, Robhuntandfish said:

It bugs me a little the way they do it and then base #s of it.  I often hunt two different wmu's in a day and can't log it there.  And how often when you see 5 deer one day and 5 again the next they are probably the same ones.  

I actually keep a separate log to see how many deer I spot in a season since this one you can't always log them all in.

I have to agree with you. If you hunt in one WMU for three hrs., see two deer; then hunt a different WMU for two hrs. and see six deer they want the three hr. hunt recorded and not the two hour. It sure doesn't seem like a accurate method of tracking population trends which is what they claim the survey is for.

 It seems more like a survey to track how often someone hunts, how long they hunt, and where they hunt.

 I also keep a personal log to compare year to year.

[Robhuntandfish]

3 minutes ago, Steve D said:

I have to agree with you. If you hunt in one WMU for three hrs., see two deer; then hunt a different WMU for two hrs. and see six deer they want the three hr. hunt recorded and not the two hour. It sure doesn't seem like a accurate method of tracking population trends which is what they claim the survey is for.

 It seems more like a survey to track how often someone hunts, how long they hunt, and where they hunt.

 I also keep a personal log to compare year to year.

  One year the log I had for DEC had 75 deer sightings, my personal one was 104.  I actually like doing them but it def needs to be upgraded. 

[dbHunterNY]

On 9/15/2019 at 2:22 AM, nyslowhand said:

^^^ Exactly!!!! I did the BH's log for a few years, until I realized I was supplying fictitious deer population #s. IE; Same 6-8 deer sighted regularly over ~25 hunts... does NOT mean there are 100s of deer in my specified location!

I then began keeping a personal hunting journal with all the info I needed to keep track of deer sightings, movements, time of day, weather, etc. I have a pretty good grasp of how many deer are in my hunting area and I'm not going to inflate that with the DEC's estimates from the BH's log.

If you want to do it.. great! Just be aware of what you're reporting & how it's used.

they understand this situation and account for it to a degree the big game unit has told me.  if you do that multiple years in a row, likely hunting in same locations as you described year after year, it still will show trending whether or not the numbers are true to exact population.  they don't put so much weight on your little honey hole that it matters but as they pool your data with others it works itself out. example, someone else sits in a poor spot with deer just over the knoll or ridge. they see and report nothing but there was really something there. i believe that's kind of the idea based on what they've told me.

[dbHunterNY]

On 9/15/2019 at 9:20 AM, Steve D said:

I have to agree with you. If you hunt in one WMU for three hrs., see two deer; then hunt a different WMU for two hrs. and see six deer they want the three hr. hunt recorded and not the two hour. It sure doesn't seem like a accurate method of tracking population trends which is what they claim the survey is for.

 It seems more like a survey to track how often someone hunts, how long they hunt, and where they hunt.

 I also keep a personal log to compare year to year.

they also keep track of that stuff. it helps with other decisions or whether or not to implement any changes.

[nyslowhand]

7 hours ago, dbHunterNY said:

they understand this situation and account for it to a degree the big game unit has told me.  if you do that multiple years in a row, likely hunting in same locations as you described year after year, it still will show trending whether or not the numbers are true to exact population.  they don't put so much weight on your little honey hole that it matters but as they pool your data with others it works itself out. example, someone else sits in a poor spot with deer just over the knoll or ridge. they see and report nothing but there was really something there. i believe that's kind of the idea based on what they've told me.

Granted, the DEC is our only ally in NYS for outdoor recreation, hunting, fishing, etc. At least for me, it's a love-hate relationship. They do some things that make me wonder what they're thinking....

[G-Man]

Did it for 10 years 10 years ago.. haven't done it since.  Really seemed to become kind of a pain no regrets

[ApexerER]

I got one in the mail this year....Never did it before. I am going to try and complete it. Hopefully I will have more than a bunch of saw nothings to fill in....