How do all of you feel about the possibility of antler restrictions in the future? like in PA
From what I've read it sounds fantastic, especially because most of the guys at our camp follow these rules already. If you shoot a 4pt you'll never get an 8 or 10.

Rememeber that antler restrictions will decrease the buck harvest even more,so more hunters will go home without a deer.

In Mich. ,DNR is recommennding that antler restrictions be repealed this year due to insufficient support by hunters . Only 57% of the hunters supported the restrictions after 5 years. Buck harvests declined by 20% after 5 years of AR.

Antler restrictions???...........with the overwhelming numbers of hunters saying they are having problems just SEEING a single deer sometimes.......you wanna handcuff them even more?? LOL You have got to be joking.

You think the average hunter gives a frog's fat one about head gear when they are having problems seeing even a few doe during the season? You are in serious need of a reality check if you think racks are the primary concern of the casual hunter......They want to see deer, period. If they have a nice set on their head then it's a nice bonus. They want meat on the pole at camp and they want to feel like they are hunting when they use their hard earned vacation time.........not like they are watching moss grow on a stump.

Casual hunter's make up the vast majority of total numbers so it is the average Joe that gets out a couple times a year that will make or break the back of the DEC eventually. If they start going year after year without even seeing a deer let alone taking one they are gonna start using vacation time elsewhere and take their sportsman tag fees as spending money.

You may not realize it but not everyone out there pounds the bush year round and eats, sleeps and craps deer hunting like so many of us here do

Thousands of guys get fired up and grab their gear come fall and head out for opening day and a few weekends after that..........then their lives call them back and they put away the bow/gun till next year.

If people like us are having a tough time.......how do you think they are doing??.....pretty soon they are gonna start saying "SCREW THIS!!!" Then the DEC will publically cry that hunter numbers are down.....well duh?

You want to make hunting more popular in NY???.......you are much better off by giving the average hunter a reason to get out of bed at 4 am then trying to cater to a much smaller crowd of bone chasers.


I feel really bad for you if that's the only way you can enjoy hunting.

#1 It's not true. I know plenty of people that have taken plenty of smaller bucks and have the occasional big boy looking out their living room wall. I myself took a 13 pointer last year and while it was a really neat experience........I really think what made it so cool was the feeling of him being a once in a blue moon shot and I bagged him. Plus if I want an 8 I can just shoot two 4's and lay them next to each other

#2 You are again assuming the your desires are what everyone wants. Hate to tell you but bone chasers are just a small part of the crowd. Sure everyone wants to tag a nice buck some day but it's hardly a driving force for most. They want to see deer, they want to enjoy hunting, and they want to feel like their is even a reason to screw on a broadhead or put slugs in the gun. Give the average hunter some meat in the freezer, maybe a rack or two to decorate a plaque and a year's worth of stories to share with his buddies and family about the one that got away.........and the one that didn't.

Do that and hunting numbers will never fall.



Being on these boards sometimes gives you the illusion that this is how all hunters are...........we forget how small of a drop in the bucket we are.

I guess I'm not looking at the big picture. I've taken so many small bucks in the past that the thoughts of taking the "deer of a lifetime" is on mind a lot more now a days. I beleive that this is because of the "brown its down" mentality that surrounds our camp. I am not a rack hunter. For me, the time spent in the woods and the meat are enough. I just wish me and my hunting partners would be rewarded a little more often for all our hard work. I don't know anyone who hunts outside of my area, so my knowledge is limited to my immediate area.

In long run, what effect will decling #s have on the rest of us?
What do you propose that the DEC do to increase #"s?

I BELIEVE THE COUNCIL HAS BEEN URGED NOT TO GO FOR THE ANTLER RESTICTIONS

Personally - I'd like to see antler restrictions - and double, maybe triple the doe harvest.

I know guys like atlasman will scream foul, but all's I can tell you is you are not hunting the right places. The public lands that were farmlands 30-50 years ago are now young, open hardwoods, that support very little deer per acre. These areas - however large- are the "has been" deer hunting hotspots of old (Chenengo County). Look around, so many areas are now HOT secondary growth areas with large deer populations - often too large.

I will agree with the decrease in deer sightings for 2003 - and for the most part I'll attribute it to nearly 200" of snow in 2002-2003. I expect the same for next year in Madison county - and I feel it is good overall to have the lower deer populations here - if hunters cannot do the job - Mother nature will (in the short run).

Look - If you've never managed 40+ deer/ square mile (35+ being does or fawns) then you will not be able to relate. The DEC is on the right track with concern for deer populations in the state as a whole. We are lucky in NY that the management areas are small, and that qualified DEC personel are making qualified decisions for each area - Not all states are so lucky. (PA).

I don't hunt anywhere near Chenengo county.

[quote]ORIGINAL: atlasman

"I feel really bad for you if that's the only way you can enjoy hunting."

If that is the case, why are you b*tching so much about not getting a deer. Not everyone gets a deer every year and still have an excellent time hunting. I will admit I enjoy hunting more whne I do see deer and even more when I get one, but regardless, I have a great time in the woods trying.

welll said farm hunter

atlas- just some friendly advice

You may want to take some wildlife management, population dynamics, wildlife biology courses. They may give you some better insights on the hows and whys the DEC and other state agencies manage deer (other wildlife) herds the way they do.

again, just a thought

and just another note on the "there's no deer around" statements - I can drive route 81 north from Binghamton to Cortland on certain days and count more that 100 deer. I can take a 1/2 hour ride to my camp on rural routes and see 30 or more deer. I can make the same drive at night and see 10 or more deer. Etc, etc. The deer are there. Maybe not everywhere, but they are there. I can also go through a deer season and not see more than 5 deer. Sh*t happens. Weather, pressure, nocturnal patterns, etc. that can hinder deer seasons.