This has gotten a little off topic. This is intended as a follow up to the New and Seperate Handgun Season in Delaware and HOW it or any other season might affect the deer herd.


Duck,
Again - with all due resect - we heard the same thing from you last year about the deer herd.
We're not going to beat that drum here! Address it with F&W. Complaining here over and over and over about the same ole same ole will solve nothing - Nada - Zip!

I'm not pointing any fingers - but the problem with many hunters is they want the state or feds to fix every problem whether actual or perceived and never seem to be part of the solution just part of the problem in many cases.

You stated in a prior post some time ago you only had been to 1 F&W meeting. I have been to at least 3 in 3 years and just went to another public meeting on Wed to hear comments and suggestions from the "public" on ways to improve Prime Hook Wildlife Refuge. Refuge employees/managers along with 3-4 big wig feds from D.C. were there to listen to the "public". They even had an official federal Moderator - yipes!

Very informative meeting in general.Nothing EVER uttered with respect to deer seasons,limits etc.. or about the deer herd being devastated.

Matter of fact the bird hunters complained more than any deer hunters.

My point is YOU have no evidence as to any demise of the deer herd based on increased doe permits,increased seasons or anything else. That must be something unique with a handful of disgruntled hunters in New Castle county?? I have never heard anyone down here get there britches all twisted about over harvest as set forth by DNREC. I have heard guys from NC county stand up at meetings and raise hell about too many deer,along with many mouldy oldy bucks and not enough opportunity to hunt them due to restrictions around the burbs.

In Lewis and around my house in Milford the deer can be seen roaming thru streets,yards,
swimming across lakes during daylight hours in some cases. There are AMPLE deer in Delaware - particularly in New Castle county. The state parks up there have, or did have in very recent years a severe problem with deer density. I've heard park managers talk about it. I heard about it just yesterday about Cape Henlopen state park in Lewis. WAY too many deer vs habitat to support - and - not enough hunters to hunt them! Wanna see some scrawny Deer - go down there at dusk. 30-40 can be seen roaming everywhere,streets,sidewalks,around buildings etc...

Talk to the farmers up there and down here about Deer, if you dare. Lousy with Deer - Eating and tromping on profits!

The place to take your concerns are meetings,e-mail or do a face to face if the opportunity arises. State park managers or Naturalists are another good source of info.

The Delaware State Fair starts next week. F&W has a large set up with F&W folks on duty. Most of them are more than willing to talk about your concerns if you approach them correctly.

Be glad you live in Delaware where you can access these people with relative ease.

Have a Good One - and Hunt Hard

There are so many deer we refer to them as brown rats, eating corn and soybeans that we grow to try make a living. I cant go out enough days to change the picture of deer damage in this state. More of them need to be harvested, not only in cornfields , but in our parks as well, the damage is increasing yearly, if you want evidence ride around and look for deer, they are out there everywhere, Duck I am sure there are none running around where you are working, but where I work and you know the area as well as anyone on here, they are out here., 2 dsys ago standing in front of the Allee house driveway eating a wheat spill on the edge of the road where we unloaded a combine and spilled a couple bushels...broad daylight.... along a blacktop road....

Sorry AJ, but I'm not letting you take the last shot. You don't say 'we're not gonna talk about it here' then talk about it for 20 mins and not allow me to reply. I dont care if you are a moderator or not.

This is true, I dont have the facts on the herd. Thats not MY job. Its DNRECs. And I've said it at least 5 times that I would trust any estimate they would put on the table. I DONT believe they are out to destroy the herd. As for the NCco crack, thats just a personal attack. I dont even hunt in New Castle County.

Sounds like these are places that need as many seasons and days as possible and they should have them. Sounds like they would need MORE than is offered now. By all means, it should be done. But maybe zone X, Y and Z cant handle that those types of seasons.And you know what, no one knows what zone can handle what season.

I am glad and those guys are class acts all the way. And I do plan on contacting them and alot of others too.

All it would take to shut me up is 2 pieces of info: 1)Est Deer Density per Square Mile per zone and 2)Est Carrying Capcity ofland per zone. Thats all. I can draw my own conclusions from there and huntappropriately. I'd shuton the topic to, only to arise 4-5 years down the road tosay A) I told you so, or B) Damn, those DNREC boys were right all along.

Until then, I will not go quietly into that good night.... Im done with this post though. Once I start contacting people and having some discussions, I will post on the topic again. If you dont want to read it, dont click on the link!

not to be a smart a@# but how did the title change anyways.. at first it said "Delaware hunting season" now it says "handguns in Delaware"

PA GOBBLER,
Good question.Don't know how it got changed in the thread ?? Main Topic is unchanged. Duck brought up handgun season. I posted the Hand gun season and off we go.

Duck,
You are welcome to post your opinion here. If you feel DNREC is irresponsible - back it up with something other than unfounded attacks on DNREC based on what YOU want. None of your comments contain any pertinant info on why? Are the deer gone,depleted,deminshed,reduced well below any reasonable hunting density.

You've been posting the same thing for almost a year now. Now its the Handgun season under attack. What's next.

This MB is designed to share ideas,experiances,opinions along with debate. You have NO basis for any discussion on this subject other than you want numbers by zone?? What does that prove. Do you honestly think DNREC had a Brain Fart at a coffee/doghnut break one morning and decided in 04 they would irresponsibly create extended seasons for the purpose of a massive Doe slaughter. These people have done research - extensive. Good luck getting the numbers by zone. I'm sure the money to complete your precise study by zone was a priority in the 03-04-05 budget. Hell - maybe they should do it by zip code.

Read your prior posts to see how you come across on this subject.

5/12/05; Re your post on the Advisory Council on Wildlife and Freshwater Fish.
You posted comments made by members of the council and this is apparently all you got out of it - you said; I don't know but this sounds like herd reduction propoganda to me.

5/13/05; to para phrase your remarks; You refused to read a 323 page report that was available on this subject you hold so near and dear. What more could you ask for! You refused to read it?? If I was as hot as you are on this subject,I would of read every last page of that darn report.

You and I live and hunt in one of the best kept secrets on the east coast for quality Deer hunting. Try to learn to love it rather than trashing the folks in DNREC that do there best to protect it.

All this is very interesting to someone like me who is seriously loking to move to Del within the next 6-12months. AJ, you gonna clue me in on some of those best kept secreat places?

No, but I dont want that to become the case. Im looking at the future, not whats wandering outside in the fields this second.

Man, when I saw this I thought maybe your underlined statement was some sort of link to some actual research. What a disappointment. Three things here, 1) no I dont think they had a brain fart. I do believe that they forced to do something, anything to get the legislature off their backs. GeneMoore pretty much said so in last years NCco Antlerless Shotgun meeting. 2) I've always said "Estimated" numbers. If they need some extra $$ or a Volunteer to help,they can double my license fee and give me a call. 3) Im only asking for something they said they were going to provide.

Not so much a secret anymore. Here's a hint, do you read NAH? Also, I'm not trashing DNREC. Believe you me, I would if I wanted to.

The information I want isnt in the report. If it was, we wouldnt be debating this subject right now.

I'll agree with you on 1 point, this is getting tiresome. How many freeking times do I have to say I'm NOT against Handgun Seasons, Anterless Shotgun Seasons, Liberal Bag limitsor anything like that as long as the herd can withstain such pressure. I've never even said that there is a problem.... yet! Find one post where I've ever written that there are not enough deer around. You keep asking where my proof is. Sorry AJ, thats not my job. It's their job. As state employees paid by us and given the responsibilityof mgmt of our state resources,when we have questions about their polices, they need to provide answers the best they can. So if the following conversation goes something like this:

Q: Why are you increasing theFirearm hunting days on deer?
A: There are too many of them.
Q: How do you know that?
A: Gov. Minner, Congresspersons so and so, Farmer Brown and AJ say so.

Well, that just doesnt do it for me. Sorry.

mdbo,
you bet - if you move to DE let me know,be glad to steer you in the direction of some good deer hunting. Ron M also might be willing to give up some hot spots.

Thanks AJ. Me and Ron are doing another drive around this week maybe Tue if I don't have to return to work after a Dr visit Mon through Middletown, Syrma and maybe a little further south time permitting.