ORIGINAL: bowkill144
I am all for the 1buck rule so each hunter can pick his trophy (no AR).
I would love to see the Ohio system used here 1 buck, a very longarchery season from oct 1st to feb 2nd. a very short gun season I think it is just 6 or 7 days. If the short gun season means give peoplethe use of a crossbowI am all for itI hope I never need to use one due to age or phyiscal disability but the option might be nice. I also belive if they get there butts out of there heads and drop the age restriction we could get very young bow hunters out hunting with a cross bow until they develop into regular archers. I also would love to see an early firearm deer season for our youth if they change the age restriction. Buy the wayIknow many people who have hunted ohio and I have done research on the hunting there and this system works for them. This state puts a lot of trophys on the ground and gets the young hunter started early and keeps the older guys in the field longer. Why try andinvent the wheel again look west boys they are getting it done in Ohio. I know alot of you will hate the crossbow Idea but it works thereit could work here to. I have shot a crossbow and let me tell you the compound is a bigger advantage over a recurve than a crossbow is over a compound.
Gene
Interesting thoughts. You know, NYS has NEVER had a one buck rule, and, up until very recently (within the past couple years) this really wasn't even an issue. I think the adoption of the DECALS system and the myriad of changes that accompanied the new licensing system has caused the most woes. Prior to 2002 (launch of DECALS) NYS hunters, including bowhunters, were issued a buck tag (which was valid through all seasons, early archery and extended it was valid for deer of either sex), and if you were fortunate enough, you could get up to two DMPs. The DMP could be filled during the last week or so of early archery, in the DMP it was valid for, to use on an antlerless deer. You could not use a DMP in extended season - which is still true today.
Those who harvested a deer (buck or doe) during early archery, and filled their "buck tag" could go to a licensing agent and purchase a second, special buck tag, which was valid for REGULAR SEASON ONLY, at the cost of $10.00. The caveat was you had to buy this special tag BEFORE the start of Regular Season.
No one griped about that system at all, except a few bowhunters who didn't believe the Buck Tag should be used during early archery. When DECALS was launched, bowhunters won the deer of either sex AND an antlerless only tag. The trade off was a significant license fee increase.
So, the bowhunters got what they wanted, and now some bowhunters are griping about needing a one buck rule?
Also, reducing the regular firearms season will NEVER happen. County Federations and the NYSCC will never support a reduction of the firearms season, not to mention the numbers of firearms hunters make up the vast majority of NYS Hunters.
The issue is really effective deer management, not season lengths. If NYS had a million hunters, you may have a point, but we barely have 500,000, and this figure is way down from the 2001 level of @ 665,000 big game hunters in NYS. The DEC is changing their deer management approach, working towards balancing the population numbers, keeping them stable, vs the ups and downs we have all struggled with in the past. These efforts are not just limited to DMP structure. Both DDP and DMAP are also addressed, and the changes in these programs were implemented this year.
We sportsmen tend to knee-jerk over everything we perceive as being "negative". Everything becomes a crisis. We have to change stuff now. I remember the summer of 2004, and listening to the major griping Lake Erie Charter Captains did throughout that season when the walleye fishing was abysmal. I personally know just about every charter captain running out of Dunkirk Harbor, and, believe me, Bill Culligan, Paul McKeown and Jim Markham heard an earful all season long, and the common demand was more protection for the walleye.
Guess what happened in 2005? As Paul Soper, Jr said to me the first day he and I fished in 2005, "Richie, today's walleye fishing was better than ALL OF 2004 combined!" Then of course we had this past season, perhaps the best walleye fishing Eastern Basin of Lake Erie has seen in well over 20 years. Those cries of "protect the walleye" in 2004 turned into (and it passed and is in effect now) return the daily limit to 5 fish! Heck, these knee-jerks resulted in jerking around walleye anglers in the Lower Niagara River! Firts, the walleye season was closed in the LNR on December 31 (season statewide runs through March 15), for fear that overfishing in the LNR was hurting the Bay of Quinte fishing. Ooops... That wasn't the case. So now they've re-opened walleye season, but for one fish per day, minimum 18" from Jan 1 - March 15. Affects of VHS notwithstanding, I would bet the DEC will restore the walleye fishing in full in the LNR come 2008.
Sportsmen must work a little harder at keeping the emotions in check, and use science, fact and logic to make decisions. Your observations on stand in the woods is hardly scientific, and is NOT an indicator of the state of the deer herds. Too many other factors, such as natural succession for one, to base any actions on hunter observations, despite how upset you may or may not be.
Let's also not lose sight of the fact that reporting compliance has dropped like a stone since the 888-GAME-RPT phone in system was adopted. DEC officials assert that pre-DECALS, reporting compliance was near 95%. Last season they estimate 76% compliance, and dropping like a stone. If hunters are not stepping up and providing the information the DEC needs, and requires by law, what the heck makes anyone think any changes in the deer management plans will work? FUBAR