RE: DEC has it figured out!!
 

LMBO Doughboy-

Come on be honest here. I realize there are "some" farmers that really need them and are put to good use. I certainly don't wish anyones livliehood substantially hurt over some deer. But let's be realistic and stop dodging the fact that MOST of them are attained for the pure sake of people abusing them and attaining them so they can put on more deer drives and have a good ole slaughter house of a time. My number of 80% may be a little high, but I'll bet I'm not too far off!! let's face it every Tom, Dick, and Harry that owns a farm can get them if they choose. You don't think the vast majority are abusing that? Heck I can get one for my golf course if I wanted to. I have no deer problem out there. If I had that mindset, I'd make it appear as if I did, get the tags, and lay them on the table for my hunting buddies and say let's go have a blast!!!

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RE: DEC has it figured out!!
 

Not my job..........I do my job and if I don't do it well I will lose it. They however seem to get a free pass by all you guys even though they are not doing their job well.

It is my job to try and see to it that the people in positions to make these decisions are qualified and doing good work. Probably on the first.......definately not on the second.


You are happy with the DEC "estimating" your deer herd?? I am NOT........unless their is a respectably low error factor. When you let them "estimate" they can tell you anything because if they are wrong they have a safety net.

RE: DEC has it figured out!!
 

Management of the deer herd can not be left to the general mass of hunters........their would be no way to be sure of universal cooperation or even agreement on how to do so.

It is up to the DEC to put forth guidelines that if followed properly will lead to a healthy herd for many generations to come. It is up to John Q. Hunter to follow those guidelines. They have those jobs for a reason........because like alloutdoors has pointed out so many times they are the wildlife geniuses and us lowly treestand retards would be lost without their leadership and brainpower.

Just like it's not up to drivers to set the rules of the road.......but if they follow them they can expect smooth and safe travel.

The DEC isn't keeping our huting roads smooth or safe.

RE: DEC has it figured out!!
 

I don't like people being in charge of caring for the woods and animals I spend a great deal of time enjoying and doing a lousy job of it.

Start showing SOME signs of improvement and I will be the first to comend them.

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RE: DEC has it figured out!!
 

first off I never said it should be left up to the general hunting mass, there are ways that we as hunters can and should help the DEC, like reporting your harvest to get better statistics, you yourself even said you know plenty of people who don't report their kill's, well if 10,000 people dont report then how the heck is the DEC supposed to get a acurate count, the DEC can only do so much we're the ones in the woods 365 days a year. I am not here to judge what others do or how they feel about certain enviroumental issue's but is't time we got together and figure out what we can do to help,..

RE: DEC has it figured out!!
 

To those who this concerns:

Overall, I believe all too often people need to point
finger and place blame on an authoritative party. My
question to all of those who protest the DEC’s
methodology is this: Where is YOUR accountability?
When will you take actions into your own hands and
manage what you and the hunters who hunt the
properties surrounding yours? Many of you, continue
to be reactive to the DEC’s apparent over allocation
of tags but refuse to report illegal activity or
negate talking to other hunters about fostering a
proper management program. Basically, as I see it,
the DEC provides guidelines and mandates; when you can
hunt, how many deer you can possibly take, and with
what weapon, the rest should be a self-governing
process. Just because you have 5-7 tags in your
pocket does not mean that you have to fill each and
every one. Moreover, if you look at the most
successful and gratified hunters and property owners
in the state (or any state for that matter) those that
are working in QDM programs or cumulative co-ops are
having the best results with their deer management
programs and ascertaining their own goals on their
hunting land. These hunters also have the best
overall scope as to deer biology, their (deer's) effect
on habitat and knowing that we need to provide if we
require seeing more animals. Overall, I see a lot of
reactive behavior on these public forums and nothing
proactive to improve your own hunting scenarios.
Instead of confronting adjacent property owners and
working together to better understand what each other
are trying to accomplish and possibly sharing
knowledge regarding wildlife management, you choose to
place blame on the state agencies who are doing their
best to balance burgeoning herds, maintain hunter
satisfaction and promote an overall positive
recreational experience.

People are very quick to point fingers never realizing
that there are extenuating circumstances affecting our
deer herds. Maturing habitat, less biomass, shrinking
habitat, all play a major part in this. There is more
to sound wildlife management then hunter satisfaction.
IMO, it is no easy task to match animals and tag
allocations to the available habitat and biomass. For
the most part, hunters in general, even those with
many years of experience are not really cognoscente of
the environment, which they cherish so much. Do you definitively know how many deer your habitat can support? My guess, is no. I offer this challenge to anyone who currently thinks they can do a better job of managing the deer herds then the DEC: Two weeks from now, go into the woods and find 8 lbs of DESIRABLE buds, browse, mast and the like. Notice, how much biomass this is and then realize that a deer eats this at minimum each day. Consequently, each deer needs this much food 365 days a year and this is for only one animal. Believe me, this is no easy task and a very enlightening endeavor in deer herd actualization. Look at the surroundings in your habitat. How much desirable, nutritious, whitetail food is there at five feet and below in your particular patch of woods? My guess not enough to support the deer numbers you would really like to see. Please do not read this wrong- I am not saying that I would not like to see more deer too. I love to see whitetails but I do things to increase my sightings like habitat improvements, food plots, increasing cover and security, etc.
Unfortunately, this is what things have come to and
you have to create your own destiny. If you rely on
the DEC to do everything be ready for consistent disappointment. They are not there to hold your hand and as it seems no matter what they do some will
always make them the enemy. You want to see more
deer make it so they can live where you hunt. Even if
that is on public land you have a say. We have
agencies in this state that people in other states
would kill for. Let your voice be heard, speak up,
and let the task forces know that the habitat no
longer supports your desirable deer densities.
Habitat management is the key. Unlock the door and be accountable for your deer hunting experience. TGK

RE: DEC has it figured out!!
 

Osiris,
very well said, that is exactly what I am talking about, hunters taking the enisative and helping to support the DEC in any way we can..not just placing the blame cuse thats the easy thing to do...