salty

I recently moved from southern Ulster Co to northern Ulster co, Area 3c and 3J with AR's. I have YET to even see a deer with a horn let alone 3 pts on one side. So far I have seen the rear end of 1 deer and another 4 does running. I believe this may possibly be the worst hunting season for me in 16 years. Since opening day I have yet to see anyone else hunting around my area

stretchhunts

saw a buck opening day haven`t seen one since.[&o]

RWK

Come on guys the DEC. tells us theres tons of deer.

nyhunter863

This is one reason I think the antler restriction rules in several units is a farce! There aren't many deer to begin with in these units, with few doe permits issued. Finding a buck with 3 points to a side won't be easy and will keep many from hunting at all(can't really blame them, either!). I am glad there was no such rule in Delaware county where I took a spike buck on opening morning. Wasn't about to wait for anything bigger since there are no doe permits available here either. My hunting partner took a 3 pointer the day after Thanksgiving. At least we got some meat in the freezer, while it looks like many others aren't having much luck at all. I can't see the deer population in the Catskills increasing any time soon. Just not enough agriculture anymore to keep the numbers high.

I myself never really listen to what the DEC has to say. Their numbers rarely make sense to me. With the fewer hunters in the woods these days, I can't believe that as many bucks as they reported last year were actually shot. It will be interesting to see what they report this year, with so many hunters reporting few sightings, never mind kills! And lastly the DEC and NY state want LESS deer, not MORE. They are way more interested in appealing to the auto insurance companies(who want less deer), than they are to hunters(who want more).

salty

nyhunter,

even if there was enough argiculture to support larger deer herds, The NY DEC would only issue slaughter permits to farmers crying the blues about damaged crops so it's a catch 22 situation. I like the AR but I need to start seeing the darn deer to keep me liking the rule

ABarOfSoap

when does the dec issue all the deer info for this year?

nyhunter863

Last year they put out some figures in February. Check out the DEC press releases at this site. http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/press/nwrel3.html

stretchhunts

I`m glad a few more guys are seeing the light this year. Last year I complained on here about the deer population down to almost nothing and got my butt chewed out. I know how to hunt. I also put in a crap load of time before, during and after the season and I still am not seeing deer this year. I`ll sit for 11 hours and see only 3 deer. My uncle , myself and my wiffe hunt his 58 acres and we`ve only seen 2 buck this year and maybe 6 does. real bad. Have no clue how I`m going to get my 2 sons into this sport. [&o]

salty

I am not the usual weekend warrior hunter. I have a 12 hr rotating schedule that lets me hunt 4 days per week and I am in the woods either in the morning or the afternoon each day. I am too busy to sit in the woods for a 10 hour day but usually by now I can honestly say that I at least SEE something. so far I have to admit that I have not even seen a doe to get a clean shot at. This is just depressing because I feel like I spend the time to find the spots to hunt. I put alot of my time and money into this and lately I am asking myself why? I can stare at trees inside my house (log cabin) and keep warm.. Why do I need to sit in the woods and pay NY $80 for a license every year when I am almost confident there is a serious lack of deer in my area. Packing my car and going to another area for a couple of days is not in the cards now for me. I hunt 3 areas. 3M, 3J and 3a all differnet hunting lands... 1 being apple orchards where the population has been decimated by the DEC and local farmers with their slaughter permits... 1 area being corn fields where the locals have poached so many deer in the fields that what is left of the heard only comes out about 4am for a split second and the last being rugged mountainous terrain (Phoenicia) where if you actually are lucky enough to see a deer you better run to the local store and play the lotto.. I hate complaining because I know there are sucessful hunters in NY that are lucky enough to hunt areas where thriving whitetail populations are high in numbers but the DEC really needs to come up with a plan because their numbers in license sales will most likely show a sharp decline very soon

nyhunter863

I think having more deer would keep hunters interested in the sport, although it is almost a certainty that hunter numbers will continue to go down in the future. Heck, the older ones are getting too old or dying and there surely isn't enough youngsters interested these days to keep our numbers at the same level. In my opinion the biggest problem with hunting for most people is land access. I think more hunters have quit hunting because of this, than because of the lack of deer. It just isn't easy to find a place to hunt anymore. I consider myself EXTREMELY lucky to have a friend who owns 180 acres in Delaware county. If he ever decides to sell it or lease it to a club or something, I think my hunting days would be over. It is highly unlikely that I will ever find a parcel of land like this again eventhough it has never been overun with deer. I personally don't think I would hunt public land, or join a club with all the arguing, rivalries and complaining that is so typical when you put a bunch of hunters together. You are correct to wonder WHY you even hunt. I think many hunters have in recent years, and many have decided that it just isn't worth the effort. When one adds it all up and realizes that there are more negatives than positives, you really can't blame them. I honestly don't know if I want to expose my kids to hunting when they are old enough, even if I still have a place to hunt. I HAVE loved hunting for a LONG time, but have seen way too many shananigans in the sport also to put many blemishes on it . I think the typical youngster would be much better off getting interested in the outdoors in other ways, such as hiking, biking, etc. They will have way more FREE land available, with a fraction of the headaches one gets when involved with hunting. My .02 cents for the day.