I think the divorce rate is going to increase if the deer pop doesn't come up, hahaha. My wife is ready to boot me in the butt if this season doesn't end soon. I'm in the woods every chance I get this year. At least 4-5 days every wk. I'm still deerless, and she's glad the Northern Tier just ended Sun., and knows I got 1 wknd left in the south. If I don't get a deer this wknd, I don't know how I'm going to tell her there's a late B.P. season yet!!! Its Christmas time of the year to her, and I'm still in the gotta get a deer mode.
Someone mentioned we got used to hunting being easier. Well I'm not so sure there. Huntings always been difficult, but under different circumstances. In the 80's when we would see 20-30 doe in a day. You'd have to hunt hard to find a buck. Alot more areas then were w/o doe permits, and even then you could shoot a buck on your doe permit. Its was just nice to see all those deer. Now as the yrs have passed we have to hunt hard just to see a deer.
I do fully agree hunters willl become less selective in their harvests with less deer being seen. I haven't shot a fawn deer in 18yrs. I shot two in my first 3yrs of hunting, as a young hunter looking to shoot any deer. Now I like to let them walk. To me thats next yrs fun. But for the first time in 18yrs going into the last wknd deerless. If a fawn comes upon me in those final mins. I'm not sure I won't pull that trigger. I won't be happy about it, and probably cuss the DEC for forcing me into such a decision to begin with. Yes it'll be my decision. But not 1 hunter out there can tell me they plan to hunt all season long, and go deerless. But its what were being forced into.
Ok so hunters do make the choices on what deer to harvest. But the DEC leads us to believe the population is good enough to fill that doe permit they issued us. I let two doe walk in 6k, during early bow w/last seasons tag!! Becasue I figured the pop was too low in my area. But not everyone has the time or availability to spend hrs.,and money on game cams to figure out exactly what your deer pop is like. Plus alot of hunters are forced on public land, or well hunted private sections. Less, and less hunters have access to their own little paradise. We has hunters have come to rely on the DEC for keeping a balanced, and healthy herd. Its what they do.
Worst winter in 100yrs. Stop, I don't buy that for a minute. What exactly classify's this so called worst winter? We've had a couple doosies the past 2 yrs in accumulations, and a wk of minus temps. But we've had higher populations after alot worse conditions.Besides I was always taught in college the worst part of the winter for deer is March, when the temps begin to warm, and the food sources are depleted. No new growth yet. Deer are still wearing heavy winter coats, and burn more energy in the higher temps searching for any left over food.
All in all the deer pop is lower, and if the DEC continues to issue less permits for 2006, and beyondit should rebound in most areas ok. But the question remains how far are they willing to let it rebound. I'm worried 7m will see too many permits for 2006 again. To me even a med 1st chance would be too high. Least from what I've seen. 6K should be w/o any permits for 2006, why they issued any this year is beyond me.
Next I wonder if the DEC's whole mgmt system should be upgraded to the times. If the times, and environment as changed so much. Shouldn't their system of mgmt. Figuring so many bucks should be taken per square mile in each wmu, to manage numbersdoesn't seem to be working. But I'm probably just placing my foot in my mouth on that one! [8D]