I was talking with a customs agent in Newport yesterday. Asked him how his hunt was going, he said terrible. That the kill is down 65% this year statewide. Is that true? What's going on?

Cheers,

VT put in antler restrictions this year, basically no shooting spikes.

Maybe it's QDM, they dont have to many deer in Vt. but the ones that they do have are big.
Take a look at these. http://www.benoitsbigbucks.com/2004season.htm

The no spike rule did drop the deer kill a lot. Who knows, maybe in 10 years or so, the new rules will pay off. I do wish they would change the youth weekend rules.

It won't take 10 years, especially if they decide to step up to the plate and harvest some timber on state land despite resistance from the tree hugging hippies.

We put self imposed antler restrictions on our property in PA 2 years before they became mandatory, and 3 years into it half the bucks we were seeing were at least 2.5 years old. We used to hunt all season and be lucky to see one that was 2.5 years or older. Now every other antlered buck we are seeing is 2.5 years or older, and I manage to see an antlered buck2 out of 3 times in the stand according to my hunting log book. I end up seeing a 2.5 year old animal every 3-5 times I stepina stand.

What does everyone think of youth hunters being able to take any deer on youth weekend? I'm fine with them having a youth weekend, but I think they should be limited to the same deer as everyone else. Apparently, a lot of the deer taken on the hunt were little more than fawns.

If it's like NH you are talking about a few hundred deer tops, not all of which will be doe. I say let the kids have their weekend of "brown its down", its a good way to get them interested and hooked on hunting. The joy I got out of watching my son take his first button buck was priceless!

I know the Benoits are from VT, but don't they hunt ME and Northern NH??

Maybe for their first few years hunting, but technically a kid can participate in youth day through age 16. If a kid starts hunting at 10, should he really be allowed "brown it's down" at 15 or 16?

I THINK THAT A YOUTH SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO SHOOT ANY DEER HE/SHE CHOOSES TO HARVEST.I KNOW PLENTY OF ADULTS THAT WOULD AND WILL SHOOT THE FIRST DEER THEY GET A CRACK DURING ARCHERY,SO YOU CAN'T EXPECT A KID TO HOLD OFF FOR A BIGGER ANIMAL.
AS FAR AS THE DEER KILL,I FEEL THAT THE ANTLER RESTRICTIONS MAY HAVE HURT THE NUMBERS A LITTLE,BUT UP HERE IN FRANKLIN COUNTY,THE PLACES I HUNT,THE DEER NUMBERS ARE ALREADY WAY DOWN.I FEEL THAT THE COYOTE PROBLEM UP THIS WAY IS BEING OVERLOOKED.I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO GET A 4 PT.DURING ARCHERY,AND THE ENTIRE GUT PILE WAS GONE IN LESS THAN 24 HOURS.ON 1 OF THE FARMS I HUNT,THE FARMER HAS LOST CALVES TO COYOTES.AND ONE OF HIS NEIGHBORS HAD A TRAIL CAMERA SET UP ON A COYOTE DEN,AND IT HAD PICTURES OF 11 DIFFERENT FAWNS BEING BROUGHT BACK TO THAT DEN(I DON'T KNOW IF HE DID SOMETHING ABOUT IT OR NOT).