Texas Bowhunters.. beware...
 

I found this on another site but think it's important.

RE: Texas Bowhunters.. beware...
 

that dont sound good.

RE: Texas Bowhunters.. beware...
 

So what is it, you don't want to allowyouth hunters any more time in the woods or you don't want to give up any more of your time in the woods?

RE: Texas Bowhunters.. beware...
 

texas is probably 99% private land anyways. I dont see what the harm is?

RE: Texas Bowhunters.. beware...
 

:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:DI'm in Oregon.

RE: Texas Bowhunters.. beware...
 

It's not the fact of land ownership in the first place, it's the idea of allowing encroaching gun hunters into the archery only season of which bowhunters MUST BUY A PERMIT (archery tag) and youth hunters don't.
Archery hunters worked long and hard and lobbied for an archery only season and now they want to take it away because the TWPD thinks it will interest more younger people to the outdoors when in fact there are other ways, other programs to get them interested without taking away our archery only season.
If it was your state we in Texas wouldn't be saying''what's the big deal''.

RE: Texas Bowhunters.. beware...
 

It's not going to affect you unless you hunt on public land.

RE: Texas Bowhunters.. beware...
 

Yea it will


You watch a nice buck all summer. You are hunting that specific one. You put in the time and the effort. He gets shot before you get your chance to get him by a kid with a rifle on opening day of bow/youth rifle season. I'm all for kids getting into the outdoors. I have gotten my younger cousins into hunting.

Youth season is a week long. Bow season is a month. Rifle season is almost three months.

Call me selfish, but I like my month without gunfire

RE: Texas Bowhunters.. beware...
 

Not true. I hunt on private land and it will affect me seriously. I am a member of a hunt club with 20 members. During youth weekend the place is overrun with nieces, nephews, sons, daughters, grandkids, step daughters nieces next door neighbors kids, etc. etc.
Here in Texas we pay an additional $7 for our archery tags. This tax gives us October. I'm in no way against taking kids hunting. I take my 4 year old daughter. What I am against is guns in archery season. I don't care who pulls the trigger. There is ample opportunity to take kids hunting in Texas. General season runs from the first Saturday in November to the first Sunday in January. Thats 2 months to take a kid hunting. Not to mention special youth weekend in October and a week of late antlerless and spike season for youths in late January.
If someone wants more time to hunt with the kids in October why not teach them to bowhunt? Or heres an idea parents. Take your kids with you during the general season instead of going alone for fear of kids messing up your hunt!
Again I'm all for youth hunting, hell, I gave a kid a recurve this fall to help get her started, I've invited a member of these forums and his son to join me on a hunt next month in the hopes of the young man getting his first deer. I'm all for youth hunts. I just don't think kids with guns and archery season should mix.

RE: Texas Bowhunters.. beware...
 

Well, by "private land" I was thinking more along the lines of land that you, and maybe 2 or 3 other guys hunt, not a hunting club. I guess this is more of a reason to secure some land that may not get hunted by many people during the season.

RE: Texas Bowhunters.. beware...
 

If you truely love the sport, you should want more kids involved.............at any cost.

RE: Texas Bowhunters.. beware...
 

My private land is land that my family owns and that I only let 3 other guys hunt on. It's 460 acres.This proposition would be detrimental to the Texas deer herd more specifically the west and central Texas deer. I can't make the deer that I watch all summer stay on my property. That is why I bow hunt every weekend in October to get the advantage to the average Texas rifle hunter. I have been managing my property very hard for the last four years and opening up archery only season to youths would put a huge hit in my efforts. Every 1 yr old deer that stepped out would be shot. For the first time in my life, I have a P&Y deer on my property and a few prospects for next year. The reason is because I don't shoot anything under 4 yr old. With youths being able to hunt in October all around me, more young deer would be taken and the deer would be scared the whole season. I am all for taking kids hunting. I can't wait to have a son of my own to pass on my most sacred passion to. But, making an entire month of youth only season will do more harm than good. Take the kids hunting in the regular deer season. Don't encroach on the much needed archery only season.

RE: Texas Bowhunters.. beware...
 

4pt, I love the sport. I want kids to get involved. They have over two months to get involved without archery season. You really think they need more time?

Another reason NOT to open archery season for youth rifle:

I know the reason I originally picked up a bow was so that I could hunt more. Now I bow hunt almost exclusively. But I know if I would have been able to rifle hunt the ENTIRE season, I would have never picked up a bow and found my true passion. JMO

RE: Texas Bowhunters.. beware...
 

Easier said than done. The price of leases is through the roof in Texas. I can't afford to buy land or lease a reasonable chunk on my own.

RE: Texas Bowhunters.. beware...
 

I disagree. At any cost? No.

RE: Texas Bowhunters.. beware...
 

How about public land? As big as Texas is you must have an abundance of public land, right?

RE: Texas Bowhunters.. beware...
 

Nope, less than 3% of Texas is public land. Of that 3%, less than 1% is open to hunting. Whats 1% of 3%? Not very much at all! I think I'd be better off hunting out of state public land as a NR.

RE: Texas Bowhunters.. beware...
 

I know of two public land places within 100 miles that I can deer hunt on.It'sType 2 land which means another $60 permit. There isn't a whole lot of land either (maybe 500 acres), but there are a lot of hunters

RE: Texas Bowhunters.. beware...
 

It just makes me wonder if this gets passed how many 3,4,5 and 6 yr olds are gonna be out in the woodswith a 7mm mag with daddy doing the shooting for them.


As far as public land goes you already have every man and his dog hunting those during gun season, it's like WW3 no way are you going to get me out on public land with the gun nutswith "if it moves shoot it" attitude.

To buy land here you have to be atleast a millionare with land prices well over $1500 an acre, I have been looking for land for the last few years and what I can afford is not worth hunting.

RE: Texas Bowhunters.. beware...
 

I can see both sides of the coin. But what is the advantage of a man with a rifle, over a kid with a rifle????

RE: Texas Bowhunters.. beware...
 

I didnt think they had the type 1, type 2 and type 3 lands open anymore. I use to hunt type 3 lands in Caprock Canyon back in the 80s. I had to drive 3 hours to get there, and when I got there, it was like Disney World. Everyone and their dog was hunting it.

RE: Texas Bowhunters.. beware...
 

They did the same thing here in PA, not for a whole month though. Let me tell you, it's awesome. (dripping with sarcasm)

RE: Texas Bowhunters.. beware...
 

I understand the point you are attempting to make but the way that statement reads....its kinda silly.

So what should I do? Place an advertisement that all kids are welcome to hunt my private propertry for free anytime they want?Donate rifles and bows to all that come by?Provide air conditioned and heated blinds so that we ensure they enjoy it and want to stay involved? At any cost, right?

Things that I am sure you do all the time in Arkansas.

That being said, I am against it, for the reasons already mentioned, some legimitate (like daddy really pulling the trigger and using the kids tag who may not even be in the field to begin with) and some are selfish (like the buck leaving my property and getting shot by someone else or the deer becoming cautious and nocturnal quicker).

But in the end, we are lucky in Texas in that we have plentiful deer and a long 95 day season in which we can bowhunt. I'll will voice my opinion to the state as being against it, but I am not going to lose a lot of sleep over it either.

RE: Texas Bowhunters.. beware...
 

Points well made. However, the tpwd is wrong, I do not belive this will increase hunters. I have paid for the right to be in the woods eariler than the others. I do not wish to have a child with a rifle shooting anywhere near me. I do not know their dad and am not sure about his traning. I choose to bow hunt and paid to do so.

RE: Texas Bowhunters.. beware...
 

Dead on..... what he said......

RE: Texas Bowhunters.. beware...
 

This shouldnt even be an issue. With plummetting youth numbers, all hunters, regardless of your weapon of choice, should embrace any attempts to get more kids involved in the sport.

RE: Texas Bowhunters.. beware...
 

Then why not get them involved in bowhunting? Texas has already done away with the 40lb minimum draw weight. If you want your kid to hunt in October teach your kid how to bowhunt. My 4 YO daughter already has a bow and she already spends time in a stand with me. If more parents took thier kids out during the general season and not just for the "youth specials' , then this wouldn't be an issue.

RE: Texas Bowhunters.. beware...
 

I guess that's they way I should have put it. And to be fair to the other side, I do not hunt public land so maybe my point of view is skewed.

But I do know this; the number of hunters continue to decrease each year. That means in the near future we will have fewer and fewer people fighting for our rights. If any of you have never seen the joy on a kids face when he kills his first deer, squirrell, rabbit or duck then you are truely missing out on one of the best blessings our sport has to offer.

RE: Texas Bowhunters.. beware...
 

If you are going to teach a child to hunt, is it going to depend on a special season? I learned in the general season, as did most all of us. Will a special season actually promote those who would not regularly take a kid out, to do so?

I can see where this is going to be abused. There will be tuns of people taking a kid along, just so they can shoot a deer and tag it with their kids tag.

RE: Texas Bowhunters.. beware...
 

Why not make the Youthgun season anterless, then you will soon see that not manykids will be going out with their father because dear old Dad only wants to shoot a big buck;)

RE: Texas Bowhunters.. beware...
 

Gospel!

RE: Texas Bowhunters.. beware...
 

[quote]This shouldnt even be an issue. With plummetting youth numbers, all hunters, regardless of your weapon of choice, should embrace any attempts to get more kids involved in the sport. [quote]

Give me a break. As already mentioned, I am not going to lose sleep over this proposal even though I am against it and it is not necessary.It will likely be abused a lot more than benefitting a child who otherwise might not get to hunt.

There is ample time to take kids hunting in Texas already. If you really want to make sure they enjoy it and it should be all about the kids, then lets make the "rut period" Youth Only nation wide. After all most will agree that this period is the most enjoyable and would result in a higher retention of youths if they had this period all to themselves.

And as far as plumetting youth hunters and all hunters, go apply for a Western State tag of any kind and see if you still agree with that statement.

Statistically, I am sure that there is a reduced % of the population that are hunters but is the raw number decreasing as well?

I don't know, but I do know that they are not making any more land and each year thisLESS huntable land as well. Basic economics shows that the price of hunts and leasesis an indicator that the DEMAND is at least equal if not greater than the finite SUPPLY.