BH88,
Your comment about resourcefulness raises an ethics issue:
Is something that's illegal, also immoral?
What I mean is here I am right along an area I know I'm not
supposed to hunt, seeing more deer and better bucks than I do
all season long on land I can hunt! Why shouldn't I take a
wallhanger from this area rather than spend weeks trying to
take a legal spike from an area with a fraction of the deer
and 10 times more pressure? I have ALWAYS (for 30 yrs) obeyed
the game laws out of respect, fear of penalty and because I thought
they were for everyone's benefit. Now at 44 yrs old and seeing what NJF&G laws have resulted in, am questioning my ethical position.
In less than 1 week I've seen an 11ptr, 3 8ptrs, a 7ptr a 6ptr and a spike. If I see even a spike in zone 4 I feel blessed! I am curious how others feel about this? PLEASE chime in. I see evidence of
others hunting this area ( some carcasses just rotting away but missing their heads)I would not let any deer taken anywhere go to waste like that!!! While I am after a wallhanger I have too much respect for the game I seek to let anything rot away! This really has been a delema for me the last few seasons, and caused me to rethink
my position. Everyone please respond with your thoughts.
ThanX

well if you hunt a area your not allow to, then your poaching/jacking or whatever you want to call it. i agree with you as far as what NJ FISH & GAME has done to the herd, i too hunt zone 4, i have only saw 1 deer a very very small 4 pointer, but i wouldn't go so low as to tresspassing, if you have permission go for it. i know of places here in bergen county with huge racks, but i have no permission to hunt them so i'll watch them. if you hunt these deer and have no permission then your willing to face the penalty, dont bitch and complain if myself or any other officer place cuffs on your wrist, takes your bow, car away from you, let cout decide. i saw a nice 8 pointer monday morning on rt.80 west bound that was dead, i would of loved to get those antlers, but i kept going. you said you dont like that people cut the heads off the road kill deer and leave the body rotting, but you went to cut the antlers off the 6 pointer, what you should of done or do is: take the whole deer either call state police or local police have them issue you a tag, take the head or antlers, then get rid of the body in a proper way.

BHCOP You missunderstood me I have no problem with someone removing the antlers off a rotting bloated roadkill.
What I do have trouble with is people that jack deer just for the rack
Yes hunting where it's not customarly allowed (medians, fringe areas
of corprate complexes etc) is jacking, but it would seem like less of
an infraction if whoever poached/jacked that deer used a tag and claimed the entire deer. What upsets me is finding the rotting carcass of what must have been a nice buck lying in the brush along
a golf course or in a park with it's head missing!! This can only mean that the poacher was after antlers only and disrespected that animal by allowing the meat to go to waste! As far as the 6pt that I de-antlered: Why should I have taken a badly hit tainted/bloated road-kill for just 1 damaged antler? IF the deer was freshly hit and the meat was potable I would have done what you suggested (waste not want not)but to have to dispose of a carcass for just 1 antler is rediculous!!!! And I would have stopped and gotten that 8 point rack
just because that buck died as the result of a car is no reason
for his rack not to be displayed and admired!!! Don't get me wrong,
I would never claim to have shot a deer that was roadkill no matter how big the rack. I feel that at least that animal was given some
recognition of it's stature by having it's rack displayed rather than disposed of in a dump somewhere!

I got in my stand and saw a fresh scrape about 30 yds in front. The first deer came by at 3.30 and it was a 3 pt with his nose to the ground. Walked past the scrape and behind my stand but kept going even after I grunted. I passed him at 20 yds as I was holding out for something better. At 4pm 2 nervous does came by and then split until darkness fell at 5.10pm.

As far as hunting "fringe" areas, I would research the hell out of the place and try to judge for yourself the prospects of hunting there.

1. Is bowhunting allowed in the town?
2. Any safety considerations?
3. Is the land posted?

I live in Bergen Cty and the whole place is essentially off limits so I just deal with it and drive to Zone 2. I do know some guys that hunt the area but they are always hiding/nervous/etc but take some monster bucks. I dont want to deal with that and the fact that I may get arrested.

Habvfun.

Hunting the wilds of Jersey

Jerseyboy you asked for input well heres mine. If you're hunting an area without permission your an OUTLAW and deserve to be treated as one. Plain and simple. Doesn't matter how you try to justify it, your breaking the law. There would be no difference between you and the guy that shoots deer in the spotlight.

As a sportsmen the ethical issue is that you either play be the rules or you don't.

Got to go with the others on this one, Jerseyboy. If you are not allowed to hunt there, then you are not allowed...PERIOD, no matter what your intentions, beliefs, or feelings are. I can understand the desire, that is only natural. But there is a fine line between honest, lawful hunter and poacher. Don't cross that line.

I have to agree, however tempting it may be. If the area is off limits to hunters then dont make a bad name for all of us. People (especially the anti's) dont pay much attention to the thousands of law abiding hunters but REALLY focus on the few that break the laws. Dont give them any more amunition. Please...

Well,
In spite of the temptation I remain "lawful" and passed on hunting that area this weekend and went to continue scouting zone 4!
I busted out and 8ptr and a 6ptr as well as 4 doe. IF I did want to hunt this area I'm not sure who I'd ask as it's highway meadian.
I also saw someone there Sat AM on my way to zone 4 sawing the antlers off yet ANOTHER BIG buck roadkilled!!!! Seems like such a waste watching these wall hangers get flattened without anything going
in the freezer! I've been hunting 30 yrs without poaching I don't plan
on starting now!!! I was raising an "ethics" question. I also know someone that regularly takes wallhangers somewhere in Bergen Co.
and invited me to join him this year (passed on that too)

most of bergen county is off limits, but there are a few towns that allow hunting, its just a matter of finding the towns, and the permission to hunt the private grounds.