GMMAT

I started out this season having gained access to new lands....and trying to get away from seeing so many does. So far....it seems to be working.

I sat my 48th sit, this morning. That matches last year's total (hunts)..and I thought I'd give a comparison to the change up in what I was looking for (new strategy).

'07 - Through 48 sits - I had seen, from stand -- 207 deer; 132 does; 17 bucks; 48 fawns (these numbers are based on total sightings....knowing that the same deer were sighted multiple times in many instances)

'08 - Through 48 sits - I have seen, from stand -- 111 deer; 46 does; 21 bucks; 43 fawns (same criteria as '07 for sightings)

Couple things this brings to mind....

Early season....I target does. If I choose to abandon this next year....I expect even these reduced doe/fawn sightings to go down, drastically. I also have to wonder if the dent we took out in doe harvests last year aided in these reduced sightings. It'll be interesting to see how this goes.

In '06 I averaged seeing abaout > 7 deer per sit. That lowered to < 4.5 in '08. So far, this year, it's about < 2.5. I'm fine with seeing less "deer".....but I'd still like for my buck sightings to go up. I think I can make that happen....."if" the state doesn't throw us NC bowhunters a BIG, HUGE curveball, nest year. The proposal on the table for '09 is to have only a FOUR WEEK "bow only" season...followed by ML for 2 weeks.....and then to open rifle season until the season is over. My initial shock and response is.....I may hunt WAYYYyyyy less next year. I just don't have it in me to hunt deer that have been pressured to no end basically from the get-go. It might be over for bowhunting as I have known it to be, here.

If you're from NC.....and you've heard the same rumblings from the NCWRC.....I'd like to hear your thoughts on the proposal and what you've "heard".

TreednNC

Ive heard the same thing. Hunting will get harder. I don't mind 2 weeks of ML. Lot's of people dont bother hunting ML. I can't really say I like it or don't like it. Id like to see what happens after a couple of years of it and harvest numbers vs sitings vs a deer census numbers. If anything I would like to see NC go to one buck only. I would like to hunt til Jan 1 here, but I dont want to see NC go to the wayside like SC has.

I will say I did get busted saturday and look forward to muzzleloading season so if a doe continues to blow at me for 10min I can 'shut her up'.

nctaxi

The proposal on the board won't go through, there are too many opositions. Even if it does, the majority of my properties are small enough and the surrounding props are small enough that they won't even consider rifle hunting. The only real way for the WC to increase revenue and control the deer population is for them to open Sunday hunting, if you may have noticed it has been coming up more frequently the past few years. I have talked to a few people that the consideration right now is for Sunday hunting after noon with bow on private land. The rumors, that I hear, have been coming from a few people that have "feelers" in the WC. So all we can do is see how much money the WC is willing to loose. When they look at it from a business standpoint, Sunday hunting is the only real logical decision.

NEW61375

How does that differ form what you had this season? That sounds similiar to what it normally isfor me except where I have hunted in NC there is only 1 week BP at the end of the 6 week bow season.

I have heard they were doing away with split seasons and just making one season which you can hunt with whatever you want, but that was just random gossip I heard I haven't looked into it much yet.

TreednNC

I just worry that it may work too well. Every Tom, Dick, and Harry with 30 acres shooting every deer they see. I know it's not possible and in some places it's good, but I know there are places in WNC that could use a little management TLC to boost their numbers.

GMMAT

IF this rifle thing goes through.....I'll be sharing my newly acquired land with 3 others instead of 1 other for the biggest majority of the season (and the best part of it). I simply won't go in there with that many slugs flying.....and the adjacent property (where they bed, for the most part) will see hunters from ML on.

It's just not worth it to me to sit in the line of fire to hunt pressured deer for the vast majority of the season. I'll either drop back and hunt the small parcels I've hunted int he past (bow only....and I'm the only one on it)....or I'll look to lease some land....if I can find some close by.

How do they think this is going to do anything other than result in more bucks being taken? We already kill more bucks than does in this state.....and we have a seemingly unrestricted doe harvest at our disposal, now. If they'd go to an EAB situation with ML and rifle (hell Bow, too!) where we had to take 2 does before we could take a buck.....and 1 more before we could take another buck.....I'd be all for the change. If it goes through with no real changes (other than the season for ML and rifle coming in sooner).....I think the harvest numbers on bucks is gonna be off the charts. Every horned deer will have an even bigger target on his back.....because it'll be there, longer.

It differs because I've been bowhunting since 9/13......and ML doesn't come in until 11/15. I've had two full months of bowhunting without having to worry about getting shot in the woods......or having to worry about the deer I'm hunting being pressured into the next county.

NEW61375

Is that the main change, rifles instead of shotgun only?

GMMAT

As far as I know....NC doesn't have a season for shotguns. They can be used only in the rifle season.

NEW61375

I see, the area I hunt in NCgun season started Oct. 18 that's why it didn't seem much different to me.

WV Hunter

That's exactly how it is in VA where I hunt. Oct is bow...m/l came in on Nov 1st....now guns will bang till early January.

In WV they don't have the early m/l season yet, I suspect it may come some day. We usually get about 5-6 weeks of bow there...archery comes in later there - mid Oct[&:]

You'll make do...and the deer will too, they adapt for sure....but I notice them being ALOT more on edge once the guns get crackin.