Ithink Steves got some sound and rational ideas and I believe that the
DEC is trying to match deer density to carrying capacity.That said,I think
they (the dec)are understaffed and misinformed about the herds numbers in many areas.At times they give out too many doe permits in areas ,
andtoo many nusiance permits . I would like to see someomefrom the DEC go to each farm that applies for nusiance permits and determine how many deer need removed, and charge the farmer some fee that would offset their costs.If the farmer is having thousands of dollars in damage
each year paying $100 or so forthe permit shouldn't be a problem. Plus it would stop people who just want to shoot deer. Also ,these farmers shouldbe askedto allow hunters ontheir land, but not forced to.
There are way too many people who do nothing but complain about the DEC and the job they do and won't even take five minutes to report their deer kills .Make sure you and all your buddies call in your kills.The DEC needs that info to get accurate counts. Volunteer to do be a gamespotter
for the DEC. They use bowhunters and alsohave a spotlighting program to
get counts of deer statewide.The more info they get the better for all of us and it won't take much of your time. I've been in the bowhunter program for ten years and my numbers show that in my area of western ny the deer population is down slightly but the number of bucks has been up for me three years in a row.
AR is not the answer to all things or for all people and I hope it never becomes law statewide. From the pictures I've seen of big bucks killed inNY this year we have quality now , maybe not everywhere but it is there.
We are not Illinois and I hope we never become like that. I like to shoot big bucks as much as anyone but dread the thought of all the private lands leased up and nowhere for the common man to hunt. Not everybody can layout $1000 for a lease yearly , and that would buy alot beef anyhow. I have five bucks scoring over 130 in the last ten years ,all on small patches of private land smaller than 60 acres.There has been3 bucks over 155 b&c taken in the same area,but they are rare, as they should be. If shooting "big" bucks was easy and a yearlyevent it wouldn't
bethe same rush as it is now.My hunting partners and I do pass on small bucks most of the time and yes we do worry that the next guy over will shoot them anyhow, but more and more guys see what results we get ,then they follow suit. Lead by example,not by pushing AR's on others who don't want or need it.
WOW ,I got long winded here but to sum it up ,I think if welet the DEC do it's job and we cooperate and help when we can, we will all be better
off for it. Hunt harder,hunt smarter,the deer are there and the good old days is NOW!