Wow!!! You guys have been busy while I was away on Turkey day vacation.
Took me half an hour to read all the posts that have been made since I was last logged on.<img src=icon_smile_shock.gif border=0 align=middle>
I feel like I left Bowfanatic to hold down the fort!!! He had some help though and is doing a very good job.
One thing I havn't seen talked about in this whole (herd reduction, herd improving) part of this debate is the role the non-hunting public is having in the amount of deer tags being handed out.
Oh yes they are playing a big part in this as well, you see the hit deer with thier cars and this makes them very angry!!!<img src=icon_smile_angry.gif border=0 align=middle> Then insurance companies pay for the cars <img src=icon_smile_blackeye.gif border=0 align=middle> they then raise the price of insurance on all people.<img src=icon_smile_shock.gif border=0 align=middle> These people complain to thier senators or anyone who will listen and these people talk to the DNR about what can be done about it.
DNR people say we need to reduce the herd, but if we do this then we will not have as many deer to hunt then we lose money from all those deer tags<img src=icon_smile_dissapprove.gif border=0 align=middle>, How can we keep people hunting deer and yet keep people from having deer wreck thier cars?
If we have less deer, but more big bucks, then everyone would be happy right!!!
This is just a little senario about why a state would be interested in balancing out the deer herd.
In my grandpa's time they could hunt all day and not see a deer in SW Iowa, now you can't step out your back door without seeing one. People have been shooting deer anyway they want for a long time and this has not caused a deer crisis as of yet.
Can you truely say that there are less trophy deer now than 20 years ago in your area?
In Iowa I garantee there are more big deer now than then. Nature balances out the herd!!! Shoot more bucks, and does have more buck fawns, shoot more does, and does have more doe fawns!!!
I love the argument about shooting so called scrub bucks<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>, How do you know he wasn't just having a bad year? Maybe he was a late bloomer? Sounds like just an excuse you use when you want to shoot something that doesn't fit into your criteria. I have hunted the same area for 15 years now and with the exception of one or two bucks (which I can not be sure of) I have not been able to follow one buck for enough years to make the scrub buck determination.
I'm back so feel free to take your shots now!!!<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>
" Anyone can be a father, but it takes a real man to be a Dad"