Rem1100

I don't... I know too many that don't care about laws,period.
I also know that 90% of the hunters would shoot 1st.. ask later, I've seen more than my share of dead does in rifle season.
As for those 4 counties.. time to open 'er up... let THEM get a fill of what the rest of the counties face. They have the monster bucks, open the gates... shoulda been opened years ago.

hillbillyhunter1

Dam, Rem1100,

how long you think there would be good bucks down in the bow only counties if the opened up rifle season. About 3 days?

I've never been down there to hunt and yet I think that it's nice that anybody in WV could go there and have a chance at a good buck. Who knows, maybe the coal companies (or whoever) that allow all the bowhunters on there might have second thoughts about gun hunters and prohibit them (just a thought)

It sounded like in most of your posts that you were for more restrictions to develop/maintain a healthy deer herd and now you say
sounds like you are a litte sour

I hope the DNR doesn't cave in. It's one of the few things they've got right in WV.


Another probelm:
All deer (animals) are trophies. it's just too bad that many in WV are more concerned with "getting their buck" no matter if it's a scrag 3 pt instead of trying to realize the potential that could happen with a little patience and temporary self denial and the dnr doesn't have cojones to develop policy to enrich hunting opportunity for everyone. The DNR has to start thinking "outside the box" when it comes to the hunting resources throughout the state and learn how to develop them to enrich the lives of it citizens and provide some opportunity for visiting hunters.

ex. Why is it necessary to be able to kill so many bucks? 2 with a bow, 2 with a gun, 1 with a M/L. I myself would rather have opportunities at bigger deer, but not be able to kill as many. If you don't have the "fortitude" to "pass" on the smaller bucks (which I don't always), that's fine, but you should have to stop killing after 1 or 2. And if you want to keep hunting, then "DON'T SHOOT".

sorry if I'm rambling. I'll stop now

huntinwv

rem1100, why do u want gun season opened sooo bad? like hillbilly said, it is the only good thing we have going now. don't be amazed (if gun season did open) if the coal companys don't allow hunters on their land. its already happening right now.

Rem1100

1st off... those counties have enough deer to sustain a rifle season, according the DNR. Now if that bothers you, due to the fact that means MORE hunterscoming into your huntingarea,oh well...deal with it. Deer are NOT trophies, they are animals put here to eat. The newer generations are TOO LAZY to put forth the effort it takes to harvest a buck. It's NOT supposed to be "super Easy"..."super Quick"..Guarantee Kill... what crap... Wait years to harvest a buck? why not.. they"re no better than out forfathers who DIDN'T kill within 10 min of daylight !! I remember when you could hunt ALL WEEK and see maybe 2-3 deer. THOSE days made me a better hunter..and a more appreciate hunter,too.
Sorry, I'm not sour about anything, other than the folks whose names shoulda been Ford.. they always have a better idea. (rarely is tho)
open up those counties... they are NOT special anymore. and BTW, I'll take a young forkhorn HONESTLY, over taking a "trophy" buck thru less honorable means. hunters are the sports worst enemy, saying that others should "pass up" any legal buck.. You wanna brag about a buck you killed? you want your name all over the Deer hunting mags ? you want other hunters to think of you as the best hunter since Finn Aagardd?..... go for it.. those things don't excite the REAL hunter.. the one who realizes WHY he's there... to be a part OF RURAL HERITEGE... NOT TO INFLATE HIS EGO......

huntinwv

Its obvious you never hunted these counties before!!! You say that the DNR says there is enough deer for gun season, wellthats a funny statement. We have two DNR officers covering just one county. I have hunted this county for about 18yrs and there is no way they can say how many deer are there. Hell, you can't get the DNR to check on a poaching call.

I have been weeks in a row before seeing a deer. "super quick" & "super easy"? not down here, bub! Maybe were you live...

It's not easy hunting! Thats why people like you aren't down there now taking advantage of a great situation. To be honest, I hope it stays that way...

hillbillyhunter1

you seem like you really have some hard feelings Rem1100 and I hope I haven't caused any of them by what I've written. I'm sure that it is tiresome to be in areas (eastern Panhandle) where there is such of influx of orange coats during rifle season and I'm sure there are a lot of "goobers" out there. I hope you have some place where you can get away from the maddening crowds and enjoy some of the good lords treasures.
I don't recall anybody in this thread talking about "quick hunts", "easy hunts", "guarantee kills". I find it kind of ironic that you seem to be complaining about these things and yet are for opening gun season in the bow counties. If you feel that this would alleviate some of the "pressure" you see during the season, it might, but only temporarily. Then when it became known that most of the nicer bucks in thoses bow-only counties were gone, most hunters would go back to their former spots probably. I think your area suffers because I believe that most non res hunters that come into the state are from The East or North, which makes it easier for them to stop near you then go any further into the state maybe. I've never been one that was a proponent of quick or easy hunts. I started deer hunting when I was 10 and did not pull the trigger until I was 14. I did get to cover a lot of country though as one of the principal "deer dogs" on drives (as was customary for young hunters when I grew up as a type of "paying their dues") I'm 35 now and have had hundreds and hundreds of days in the field and not too many easy ones...thank god.

Most of the things you are referring to disparaging new hunters might be accurate for some but definately not all. Although I don't have any of kids of my own (yet) I enjoy watching the children of some my friends with their hunting exploits and they seem to portray the good natured, ol'fashioned, country boy, workmanlike, hunting attitudes. They want to have fun but are also responsible enough to respect their quarry and be safe.They are still headstrong and sometimes need a little kick but we probably all didat their age ( I think the older a person gets, the harder it is for them to remember how it was to be young). Basically though, it's how they're raised.

I am still a little confused about how the things you were talking about related to what I thought was being discussed here. I thought we were talkin' about WV DNR policies and what they need to do to improve their performance (in part anyway), which we should demand be at it's optimum level. After all, we pay for it. If you think they are doing good then I would welcome examples, but you can't just say "well the hunters today, what do ya expect" as a valid point.

good luck and good hunting
hb

Rem1100

Well, I see you're in Montana.. things may be diff there, but the truth is, the DNR is doing a FINE job, and I'm bettin' not a one here could do better. As for the Bow only counties. the DNR..not game wardens...BIOLOGISTS....say there's enough game to open it up, that's what this debate is about. I understand not wanting to ruin a good thing, however, that would stop a lot of things..not "wanting" to. It isn't about what we WANT as hunters, its' about what's best for the game animals. Blame nature for increasing the deer herd in those counties...don't blame the DNR. Just because you WANT to keep those 4 co. closed, doesn't mean it should be... that decision is up to the DNR... you know... the ones you "hunters" rag on, instead of standing shoulder to shoulder with them.( what have WE done as hunters to improve OUR part of the equasion...besides moan?)
For the record, I have PLENTY of hunting ground away from the hords, but that's not the issue...the issue was open up ALL counties that can handle a rifle season, that's what I thought the issue was. As for the youth... I can't/won't speak of the youth in the more rural areas, as this place was yrs ago... but I see more and more "rural" areas of this state being developed at record paces. Along with that developement comes urban mindset... and THAT don't include hunting/fishing/trapping. Check the stats: more young LEAVING the state for better jobs... more mid-aged moving in from THE CITY!! take a drive and see if I'm not right on the $$...the 4 county area closed to hunting, happens to be 4 of the POOREST counties in the state...nothing to draw business to that part of the world.. NOTHING. coal... that's about it, and from a coal miner/ex-army buddy who happens to work out of Colstrip,MT... and he says that the Eastern coal is too dirty, too much sulfur in it... that the newest regs are gonna hurt the Appalachian miners, due to that fact.. clean air or something. Anyway, those 4 counties ahve been protected way longer than they should, and yes, the DNR knows EXACTLY what will happen to the quality of bucks when that happens.. that may be why they're not pushing real hard to open 'em.... but the facts say they SHOULD be opened. And don't worry.. I won't be coming down there if it is opened, but lotsa hunters will !!!
sounds to me like the folks of those counties are selfish, and don't WANT other hunters, even fellow WVA'ians to hunt there.... THAT'S crap.
What's good for the goose.....

huntinwv

Rem1100, you say "the facts say they SHOULD be opened". Where did you get your FACTS? I'm here to tell you the reality, there is not that many deer there in them 4 counties. Yea, maybe in twin falls state park.

As for "4 of the poorest counties in the state...nothing to draw business to that part of the world..NOTHING." You are right to a point. These counties are the some of the poorest, but there is plenty of jobs in the coal industry down there. Just most people are too lazy. Just like the hunters. It's not that I don't want other hunters there, these counties are open to everyone. SELFISH??? Not me...way too much hunting land that lazy people will nottouch.

And this is not crap, its the truth!!!

WVHunter129

Now we have something more urgent to worry about instead of the 4 counties opened to bow only! The first confirmed case of CWD was found in Hampshire Co. WV.
Here is the DNR website article:
Chronic Wasting Disease Found in Hampshire County Deer

The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources announced today it has received confirmation that a road-killed deer in Hampshire County tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). “This is the first known occurrence of CWD in West Virginia ,” said Director Frank Jezioro . “Upon receiving this confirmation, we initiated our CWD Response Plan which is designed to effectively address this important wildlife disease issue.”

The CWD Response Plan is specifically designed to accomplish the following goals:
[blockquote]
(1) determine the prevalence and the distribution of CWD through enhanced surveillance efforts;
(2) communicate and coordinate with the public and other appropriate agencies on issues relating to CWD and the steps being taken to respond to this disease;
(3) initiate appropriate management actions necessary to control the spread of this disease, prevent further introductions of the disease and possibly eliminate the disease from the state. [/blockquote]

The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, in cooperation with the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study located at the University of Georgia 's College of Veterinary Medicine , has tested 1,320 free-ranging deer from West Virginia for CWD since 2002, and the Hampshire County deer is the only animal found thus far to be infected with CWD. The positive CWD sample was collected from a 2½ year-old, male deer in Hampshire County as part of a long-term, statewide CWD surveillance effort. The Hampshire County deer tissue sample was first tested at the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study in Athens , Georgia , and then confirmed as positive for CWD by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames , Iowa .

CWD is a neurological disease found in deer and elk, and it belongs to a family of diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. The disease is thought to be caused by abnormal, proteinaceous particles called prions that slowly attack the brain of infected deer and elk, causing the animals to progressively become emaciated, display abnormal behavior and invariably results in the death of the infected animal. There is no known treatment for CWD, and it is always fatal for the infected deer or elk. It is important to note that currently there is no evidence to suggest CWD poses a risk for humans or domestic animals.


CWD was first recognized in 1967 in Colorado , and it subsequently had been found in captive herds in nine states and two Canadian provinces and in free-ranging deer or elk in nine states and one province. Earlier this year, the disease was found as far east as New York . The source of infection for wild and captive deer and elk in new geographical areas is unknown in many instances. While it is not known exactly how CWD is transmitted, lateral spread from animal to animal through shedding of the infectious agent from the digestive tract appears to be important, and indirect transmission through environmental contamination with infective material is likely.

“While the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources certainly considers this a serious wildlife disease situation with potential impacts to the state's important deer management program, I am confident that our well trained and professional staff of wildlife biologists, wildlife managers and conservation officers will meet this challenge and implement appropriate management strategies,” said Jezioro. “In addition, we are most fortunate to have scientists and veterinarians stationed at the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, including some of the foremost wildlife disease experts in the world, available to assist us in this effort.”

More information on CWD can be found at the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources' Web site: www.wvdnr.gov/hunting/chronicwaste.shtm and the CWD Alliance website: www.cwd-info.org .
**DNR**

bspencer

did I start a good thread or not for my first one.....lol

atleast i see we have active board members from WV