Quabbin Deer Hunt
12-03-2005, 05:51 AM
#11
Spike
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 93
RE: Quabbin Deer Hunt
I think we have to realize that they are not trying to put on a "quality deer hunt". They want the deer numbers very, very low for the health of the water system. I don't think they want to see a high kill, because that would mean there are a lot of deer. The fewer killed, the better in their eyes. DL
12-03-2005, 01:35 PM
#12
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Ludlow MA.
Posts: 1,478
RE: Quabbin Deer Hunt
sorry to hear djgj, that you did nt get your buck,mybe next year how does the traffic flow when your checking in the morning,hoppfully its quick,i know deer arent what they use to be there but might have a good chance at a monster buck, congrats dluck on your partys hunt ill let you know how i do guys, [8D]
12-03-2005, 01:36 PM
#13
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Central MA
Posts: 207
RE: Quabbin Deer Hunt
DL, what you say is true to a degree.
The hunt started not so much just because of the high deer numbers. As they say at the hunt orientations that the Quabbin hunt started because there were so many deer that there was no regeneration in the forests. The DCR is happy now that there is regeneration happening but deer are still needed to keep a balance in the forests too. We are being used as the state's management tool and they don't deny it.
So yes, that hunt isn't in existence to provide us with a quality deer hunt as far as success rate. With low deer numbers will mean bigger deer because there will be a larger share of food to go around so quality will rely in size not numbers. You can tell they want as many deer out of there as they can get out of there because as long as you have $5 they will give you an anterless tag even if you had already shot 10 anterless deer already with tags.
I noticed the spot that I hunted in Hardwick the moose are starting to take that over and a/the bull(s) were hooking that place up. They were eating the buds off the saplings 6+ feet up from the ground. My dad always says that were you see a lot of moose, you will little to no deer because the moose are tall enough to eat at the level the deer to and up above their reach. So if that happens, the deer will move out of the area and the Quabbin Deer Hunt will become a Quabbin Moose Hunt.
Jamie, About the Check-in. Thursday I was on 3 hours of sleep in bed at 10 and up at 1 and got there at 4 am and was the 7th or 8th car in line. They had a guy check your access permit and FID/LTC. Then they had a guy that tears the perforation of the permit and gives back the other portion to put on your dash. Yesterday I was there 4:30 and was only three cars further back.Friday they just wanted to see the access permit since I was there the day before so it was a quicker check-in. Fairly quick check-in but when you have a lot of guys in front of you, that quick check-in process quickly turns into a long one.So try to be there as early as you can. There was a guy there on Thursday that saw the line on one side of the road and saw he could fit on the other and tried to cut the line, luckily MSP (Mass. State Police) was there to put him in his place. Surprisingly I saw more of a MSP presence than the EPO's, after all hunting and fishing regulations are why the EPO's exist.
Best of luck to you next week!!!! Bag 'em and tag 'em.
The hunt started not so much just because of the high deer numbers. As they say at the hunt orientations that the Quabbin hunt started because there were so many deer that there was no regeneration in the forests. The DCR is happy now that there is regeneration happening but deer are still needed to keep a balance in the forests too. We are being used as the state's management tool and they don't deny it.
So yes, that hunt isn't in existence to provide us with a quality deer hunt as far as success rate. With low deer numbers will mean bigger deer because there will be a larger share of food to go around so quality will rely in size not numbers. You can tell they want as many deer out of there as they can get out of there because as long as you have $5 they will give you an anterless tag even if you had already shot 10 anterless deer already with tags.
I noticed the spot that I hunted in Hardwick the moose are starting to take that over and a/the bull(s) were hooking that place up. They were eating the buds off the saplings 6+ feet up from the ground. My dad always says that were you see a lot of moose, you will little to no deer because the moose are tall enough to eat at the level the deer to and up above their reach. So if that happens, the deer will move out of the area and the Quabbin Deer Hunt will become a Quabbin Moose Hunt.
Jamie, About the Check-in. Thursday I was on 3 hours of sleep in bed at 10 and up at 1 and got there at 4 am and was the 7th or 8th car in line. They had a guy check your access permit and FID/LTC. Then they had a guy that tears the perforation of the permit and gives back the other portion to put on your dash. Yesterday I was there 4:30 and was only three cars further back.Friday they just wanted to see the access permit since I was there the day before so it was a quicker check-in. Fairly quick check-in but when you have a lot of guys in front of you, that quick check-in process quickly turns into a long one.So try to be there as early as you can. There was a guy there on Thursday that saw the line on one side of the road and saw he could fit on the other and tried to cut the line, luckily MSP (Mass. State Police) was there to put him in his place. Surprisingly I saw more of a MSP presence than the EPO's, after all hunting and fishing regulations are why the EPO's exist.
Best of luck to you next week!!!! Bag 'em and tag 'em.
12-03-2005, 01:54 PM
#14
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Central MA
Posts: 207
RE: Quabbin Deer Hunt
Forgot to tell you that my dad gave up on deer this morning for the rest of the year. Never got a deer in NY this year andno deer in the Quabbin.
When he went into work this morning he heard that 3:30 this morning a deer was hit. He went down and found the deer laying there and he got out of his cruiser and found out the deer was still alive because she picked her head up. People were stopping yelling something at him, what do you expect. So my dad called for the ACO (Animal Control Officer). As soon as the ACO pulled up in their yellow truck, the deer got so excited it picked itself up with a broken leg all twisted around and went over a stone wall into someone's back yard. My dad shot it twice with his .40 cal handgun and the deer still took off.
Three strikes your out he said. He is going to take the day off tomorrow and we are going out to see if we can track her down, hopefully the coyotes won't get her. My dad was mad because noone from the shift before him had the heart to shoot her and that deer was laying there suffering for most of their shift. So my dad went back roaring about how the .40 cal is doing what they say it does, it goes so fast that is just basically punches holes in them and similar results would result if a situation occurred where a person needed to be shot.
When he went into work this morning he heard that 3:30 this morning a deer was hit. He went down and found the deer laying there and he got out of his cruiser and found out the deer was still alive because she picked her head up. People were stopping yelling something at him, what do you expect. So my dad called for the ACO (Animal Control Officer). As soon as the ACO pulled up in their yellow truck, the deer got so excited it picked itself up with a broken leg all twisted around and went over a stone wall into someone's back yard. My dad shot it twice with his .40 cal handgun and the deer still took off.
Three strikes your out he said. He is going to take the day off tomorrow and we are going out to see if we can track her down, hopefully the coyotes won't get her. My dad was mad because noone from the shift before him had the heart to shoot her and that deer was laying there suffering for most of their shift. So my dad went back roaring about how the .40 cal is doing what they say it does, it goes so fast that is just basically punches holes in them and similar results would result if a situation occurred where a person needed to be shot.
12-04-2005, 07:10 AM
#15
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Central MA
Posts: 207
RE: Quabbin Deer Hunt
Well, my dad is really happy this morning. We went back in searching for the deer with our bloodhound and we got her. We found the four bullet holes in her from yesterday's encounter. This morning there was no playing around, so you can guess where he shot her.
12-08-2005, 04:02 PM
#17
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Ludlow MA.
Posts: 1,478
RE: Quabbin Deer Hunt
glad to see your dad put that deer down theres some meat for the frezzer,lets see first day of the quabbin hunt,very cold,the check in line wasnt bad at all we got there around 430,got to are spot didnt here a first shot till after 715, i seen nothing till around 1100 when this doe sneaked up on me,but i missed her, i think i had doe feaver, so just to make sure i check for blood, my buddy heard me shoot so he came by where i was, followed the tracks for a bit but no bloodwhen all of a sudden he heard somthing and thi s big buck comes running by use he tried taking a few shots but no luck , were supposed to get some snow tonight so i can so will be back tommrow, only for half the day due to work,ill let you no how tommrow goes i heard they check in around 20somthing deer, its been a bad year this year, but thats hunting
12-09-2005, 05:19 AM
#18
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Central MA
Posts: 207
RE: Quabbin Deer Hunt
I didn't here first shot last thursday until 6:55. Friday was a little after 7 like you said. We saw a buck and a doe between everyone in my party, the only exception is my dad waited for the doe to come out from some pine trees and never did, she took off in another direction. Overall similar hunts, and I don't think Hardwick checked in as much as 20 deer total. Maybe next year you or your friend might get another shot at that buck.
I don't think I will ever again get a shot at that buck I missed. Hardwick is closed next year and I doubt I will get pulled for that zone in two years.
Good luck. You have snow to work with. I didn't. If I had snow on the ground when I missed my buck I would have tried to follow the tracks and see if I could jump him again to get another shot but things aren't always that easy.
I don't think I will ever again get a shot at that buck I missed. Hardwick is closed next year and I doubt I will get pulled for that zone in two years.
Good luck. You have snow to work with. I didn't. If I had snow on the ground when I missed my buck I would have tried to follow the tracks and see if I could jump him again to get another shot but things aren't always that easy.
12-10-2005, 12:13 AM
#19
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Ludlow MA.
Posts: 1,478
RE: Quabbin Deer Hunt
well we were back yesterday in the snow storm it was hard finding tracks do to the amount of snow falling it was a white nout at some times all the deer were hiding nothing was moving we heard a few shots, and my buddy seen a older gentlemen on the road with his first buck a 10pointer at first he thought it was a doe, boy iam sure he was surprised, we tryed still hunting but no luck,iam last day of ma. shotgun this morning and iam at work now ,dont think ill be out tommrow iam only on 2 hour sleep from yesterday and have to be into work today at 200 pm so it might have to wait for blackpowder on monday,