Deer Stocking?????
 

Do you think that your states game commission should think about stocking deer ( sorta like they do for trout ). If you do, how many do you think they should put in?

RE: Deer Stocking?????
 

Interesting question. But how about trapping/transferringdeer? Similar concept. Because that's what they should be doing in Valley Forge National Park, not far from where I live. Instead of having "sharp shooters" come in and kill them because of GROSS overpopulation/overbrowsing problems, why not rocket net them or whatever they call that netting procedure, and relocate them to area's that are lacking in deer numbers as a result of overallocation of antlerless tags?OK, my rant is over.:D

RE: Deer Stocking?????
 

Its revenue. There simply isnt any money in a states budget to do relocation... Muchcheaper to shoot them in overpopulated areas and limit hunting in low pop areas to achieve the same goals. WCL

RE: Deer Stocking?????
 

Also with CWD these days it would NEVER happen. WCL

RE: Deer Stocking?????
 

That's the big problem in Pa, they're not limiting the number of antlerless tags in area's where they need to be doing this! Also, the concurrentbuck/doe season has to be stopped as well, because that's mainly what brought on this problem to begin with.Not being from Pa you might not know too much about this?

RE: Deer Stocking?????
 

Yeah I know but we are WI and have had our fair share of issues the last couple years and are in a very similar situation toPA I'm betting. I agree those kinds of things need to change but in no way will they do it in the manner of relocating. I'm a wildlife management and ecology student so I'm exposed to my fair share of the issues and the politics of it. It sucks and beleive me many people in WI share your pain (I'm lucky enough to hunt big farms where pop. are good) and eventually things will be resolved but it will take time. Money is a huge issue and not only theDNR is to blame for low numbers in areas. The DNR doesnt forcehuntersto shoot deer. I'm not saying they haven't made bad management choices because they have in cases but it goes both ways and alot of hunters make bad management choices as well. WCL

RE: Deer Stocking?????
 

I can tell by your mounts! But didn't you forget tosay private farms?;):D

RE: Deer Stocking?????
 

Haha yeah I guess I figured it was implyed with"farms"and I'm very thankful for it. I'd love to get into my ideas of how tags and regulations should be differentfor private and public lands but thats a topic for another day.I really thinkthe ideaswould solve alot of problems like what we both are seeing. WCL

RE: Deer Stocking?????
 

No, not for my area. We have 15-30 deer per square mile (obviously that varies, by terrain and cover). But I can understand why some places might do that. Like already stated, it would be all about revenue for that state's game agancy. Sometimes thats good, often times thats bad

RE: Deer Stocking?????
 

Yes, you guys are right, it would be a money issue like everything else! What gets me is if you go on the Regional Forum/Northeast Section and listen to some of the guys from Pabitching about huntinglicense fee increases, it makes you wonder. It seems like they want their cake and eat it too. They claim nothing is getting done to improve the hunting quality in Pa, so why should they be expected to paymore for a license. It's kind of like both ends against the middle, a "catch 22" if you will.
Many of these hunters are in area's where the deer hunting sucks! I do feel bad for them, as I live in a WMU where there are unlimited antlerless tags available. It's feast or famine in many area's of Pa. Time will tellI guess.

RE: Deer Stocking?????
 

Will never happen ,,
But if they did I would like to order a few Boone and crocket 200 plus class bucks ..[8D]

RE: Deer Stocking?????
 

I voted no. Bad idea in my opinion.

RE: Deer Stocking?????
 

There's a bill in front of the Indiana Legislature right now seeking todouble the bag limit in high deer population areas.

RE: Deer Stocking?????
 

Heck no! There are so many problems with relocating deer it's impossible. First, the cost relocate a deer in insane after catching, putting the deer under and then transportation. You are easily talking about $1000 a deer after all is said and done.Second, the stress put on the animal gives it a higher chance of Mortality. Third, with all the diseases deer have in different parts of the country, no one is going to want a foreign deer infecting their herd. Blue Tongue and CWD are popping up everywhere. No way I'd want a deer from Wisconsin, Northern Illinois or Michigan infecting where I hunt to have a few more deer.

They tried to relocate deer when I was growing up by my parents house. It was a disaster. They tried box trapping them and transporting them, it was an utter disaster. Then they tried to give them birth contol as well, yes, birth control. Let's just say now, they keep it under the table and use a sharpshooter.

RE: Deer Stocking?????
 

First of all,Valley forge is a federal park and it would take an act of congress to initiate any type of hunting.Second,trapping and relocating deer is completely impractical.It's extremely expensive and there's a very high mortality rate.besides,the herd has been reduced in pa for a reason.We used to have way too mnay deer.I live in the WMU that has the most overbrowsed habitat in the state and the lowest deer densities.There's no reason to feel sorry for me because the hunting is still excellent on public land if you hunt where the deer should be and not where you want them to be.Stocking a species that re3produces like mink is a huge waste of resources and a very bad idea.

RE: Deer Stocking?????
 

I think deer stocking is a waste of resources. Most places I have been have a overabundance of deer and would be better served by more practical harvest quatos to reduce the heard back to the proper carrying capacity for the habitat. I believe it would be more benificial for the resources to be put into habitat improvement to help improve the quility of the herd. I have been places where the size of their deer are the size of dogs because of overpopulation and the lack of food.

RE: Deer Stocking?????
 

Like many states, Illinois is now dealing with overabundance of deer, so its not needed. Would be great if they had a way to cheaply and effectively relocate deer from overpopulated areas, but it cant be done. I remember years back they forced the state of Florida to try to capture deer and relocate them from somewhere in the Everglades. They spent days and hundreds of thousands of dollars and the last I heard, I think they caught one deer.

RE: Deer Stocking?????
 

no, that would take the fun out of hunting.

Give me some good Jeans in Florida Masterrrrrr.

Many locals raise pheasants and turkeys and let them go free of charge. Dont cost the state a dime. We as individuals could do the same with deer. A freebie from the Government aint the answer. We the citizens should control are own destiny.

Stocking has worked very well in Missouri. Back in the 60's deer had been hunted commercially to near extinction and my first ten or so years here it was extremely rare to see or even hear of a deer in these parts. I in fact participated in the first full MO season for deer, tagging along with my dad who hunted the weekend bucks only seasons before that. I was 13, in the 7th grade and had my dad go looking for a deer rifle with money made coon hunting. He took my $100. and picked me up after school to go and sight in my first deer gun,a Marlin 30-30. I hunted 5 years before my first success. Deer were just so few and far between and you had to shoot a buck so it was hard. My senior year, in 1984, I got an 8 point and haven't had a dry year since. In fact, with the explosion of the deer population, the 80's were when multiple antlerless tags could be applied for and I started filling 2-3 per year, and now it's unlimitted antlerless tags so I'm well over 100 deer killed. I stopped really counting in the 90's.
Deer season here is next Sat., Nov.14th and I am using my favorite deer gun, my first 30-30 to fill at least some of my tags. Crap! I need to go buy 5or6 tags to get started!

Considering that the herd is overpopulated in my state, I think they'd be completely stupid to stock more.

States may make the tags available, but its the hunters filling them even when they see the populations dropping.