If you could comprehend the article on archery hunting numbers and success,,,you would understand that archers every year are accounting for a larger percentage of the Deer kill.....Which obviously escapes you...Be that as it may, when does one make adjustments to your management plan...
As far as eliminating the special season....again you are making up as you go along....Bad habit, but we know how you work....Never said to eliminate it..did say that perhaps we could switch opportunities some time so that the rifle guys get the peak rut and nice weather..But then again you would have to take your bow out and sit on your stump in the cold perhaps...Poor boy....And many of those Deer that you get your "preferential" first chance at would be gone....Oh my, can't have that now can we.....
Yes the game does belong to everyone....Which seems it would imply making sure all get an equal crack at it during the best hunting times......
And until now I have ignored one of your comments on doing it myself and seeing how easy it is....Already did that....two years in a row, and was successful both years...Wasn't that hard....In fact, sat in the tree, hardly expending any energy climbing hills and still hunting...Just sat there and when one eventually walked by shot it....Exciting for a moment, but not all that hard....
Naturally archery harvests will go up as more people participate because of the nice weather, the opportunity to hunt during the rut, and this one is big for me- the long season, which means you don’t have to shoehorn your hunting into a small time slot that can be disrupted by bad weather or other circumstances. Having long, early archery seasons before the rifle season is standard management practice in every state I know of; must be a professional game management reason for it, possibly to let breeding take place before the massive impact on deer movement by large numbers of hunters in the woods at once. Given the wailing and gnashing of teeth that occurred when PA implemented the antler restrictions and changing to a Saturday opening, the uproar caused by a major shift to the rifle opener would likely be earth-shaking.
You brought up ending the special season, mine, not yours, as a dig at me, not a serious suggestion, but my reply about the financial impact of eliminating bowhunting is still valid if the season was shifted or shortened and thus made less attractive. Many hunters would just skip it or take their license dollars elsewhere. As it stands, everyone DOES have an equal crack at the game during the best hunting times, without throwing a monkey wrench into the management plan, if they’re willing to bowhunt. You have that choice, or you can try to get the seasons changed; which do you think is your best option?
So, did you use a crossbow, or vertical? Private or Public? Don’t know where you hunt, but I can tell you that on the public land I hunt, it’s no cakewalk, there’s more foot traffic from dog walkers and other pedestrians than hunting pressure most days, and in what should be some of the best spots. This is my third season, and I’ve shot 5; three does and two bucks; two from a treestand, one from a ground seat, and two while sneaking in and out of my spots. The shooting part is pretty easy, not rifle easy, but at 35 yards it’s not tough. Getting the shots, with only scattered natural food sources and travel routes to cover, is tough. I’ve put in more time this year than previously, and only had two opportunities, one I decided to pass because a stick was in the way. Killed a buck while sneaking into my stand in Nov. Saw deer, but had no shots in rifle season, passed on my only shot in ML because of brush. Based on the gunshots heard, and lack of evidence of deer dragging, it’s been a pretty lousy season on this WMA. Still have some days left, mixed crossbow, Senior antlerless, late antlerless, and Mountaineer Heritage if I can get my musket dialed in.
You would probably like the way VA handles their seasons. Your license lets you take 5 or 6 deer, depending on location. The weapon choice is up to you; generally you buy stamps to hunt with bow and ML. Bow season runs through Oct. ML begins about the beginning of Nov, runs for two weeks, then Rifle begins, with the rut still well under way. After that, a lot depends again on where you hunt. West of the Blue Ridge and on private land in some counties there are Earn-a-Buck rules and other restrictions, but if you manage to use all your tags, you get 5 or 6 more antlerless tags at minimal cost. FWIW, deer are like rats almost everywhere, except maybe in some of the Western counties, so it’s safe to say their plan works pretty well. They even allow airguns and silencers, and have some liberal, IMO, Urban hunting and damage rules.
