How did bowhunters lose a week of the Rut?

Maybe the weekend opener will get more school kids involved. Taking a kid out of school for a couple days of hunting gets tough with all their work. This Sat opener would let them have that opening day.

Bow 27 - should have been weekend - not week. And trade off would have been a better description than appease.

This part of the proposal is not the real issue. The closing os archery the 3rd weekend of Oct for a single shot rifle(modern inline) doe kill is. Shotgunners will jump on this(scoped up inlines can be had for $200) to get in the woods a month earlier. We are not talking primitive mz that may share bowhunting techniques. There will be drives, pushes, and pressure just like gun season for a week. It will take at least another week for deer movement to return to normal - the older, smarter deer will probably be nocturnal for the season. Bow season will have been effectvely reduced to the 1st 2 weeks of november.

That is what this is about - loss of most of our season to have an earlier rifle hunt.

Steve

Ps - I as well as NYB are in full and active support of any reasonable programs to get kids involved. On of NYB's summer functions is a series of weekend youth camps where kids are introduced to the fundementals of bowhunting and recieve their bowhunter certificate. Pleas feel free to offer your services to this program.

I have mixed emotions on the Sat opener, I guess I like the traditional Mon morning feeling, but wouldn't have a problem with Sat.

The muzzleloading I'm unsure about, I agree that in no way are the even close to being primitive or even a handicap. Surprisingly I hear more shots during bow season (turkey and small game I hope) then during regular gun season. Point being is there are plenty people in the woods shooting already I don't think muzzleloaders would be such a big problem. It is supposed to be antlerless only. If you have to give up part of the season to the muzzle's it's not such a bad time to give (it could be worse).

I actually would prefer if they just left it alone.

I just don't want to see bowhunters get nothing and maybe lose a week if the DEC is trying to shoot more does.

What are these law makers thinking, are they on drugs, smoking to much of the funny stuff. This really hurts bowhunters bad, do all of our scouting all summer long to get 14 days to kill a buck before the guns scare everything way off their patters and then wait another 2 weeks to let the woods calm down, hunting deer with a bow is hard enough now they want to make it even harder. This is crazy!!!!

is this county - oriented or state wide?

on a side note, you shoulda seen the gun hunters out here last monday. they thought it was opening day! musta heard 10 rifle shots, guys in orange marching around. these dopes couldnt (or chose not to) understand the regs!

moose - I belive this is for southern tier only.

Steve

I found an interesting piece on nydeer.com in their talk forums,open discussion, dec propasal, section. It tries to explain what the DEC wants to do and why.

Basically they want more hunting oppurtunities for all grps. of hunters. Bowhunters wanted Oct 1, they got the first Sat. Muzzles wanted more time, they got the week. Gun hunters wanted Sat they got it.

What I found interesting is that they said bowhunters were worried about safety issues with the muzzleloaders week, so they decided to close archery season. I guess that backfired on bowhunters!

Who are they?

bow27

I checked ot the site - here is my reply posted there:

Seems like there are 3 issues:

1 - Bowhunters would like an earlier opener.
Solution - Move to Oct 1st

2 - Gun hunters would like Sat before Thanksgiving opener instead of Mon.
Solution - Change to Sat - bowhunters would lose 1 weekend but gain 2 weeks at beginning.

3 - Muzzloaders would like a greater opportunity than 7 days at end to fill purchased mz tag.
Solution - let them use the either/or tag for a doe in gun season.

Compromise that nobody loses anything. Not the mz only days they may want, but the modern mz inline is at least as,if not more effective than a slug gun. Many sluggers (myself included) no longer use anything but an inline. I agree that primitive mz would share hunting styles with archery, but not the modern inline.

If areas need a greater doe harvest, then up the tags. I know many good hunters that tag out early and would fill more if available. 17% of 150 would be greater than 17% of 100.

Just some thoughts - I am totaly against the early mz season as proposed because of what it will do to the archery season. But there is a way to compromise.

Steve

i'd personally sacrifice the 1st 2 weeks of bow and have them added onto the the late bowseason at end of gun(late dec) i never see SQUAT early in the year, though i do enjoy the warm weather!