salukipv1

What's with all the special tags/opportunities for young hunters these days, I think they've gone overboard, if you apply out west I'm sure you're aware of the special hunts/opportunities that come to youngsters but not the rest of us.

I do understand the argument of encouraging kids to get involved with hunting etc.....but to give away super premium tags/hunts to a kid, and not just 1 sometimes but many many, in my opinion there shouldnt be special tags for say desert bighorn sheep etc....for kids.

These days its all about the kids, to the point of making me and others sick, course thats not PC to say, but really, have we gone overboard with all this? If anyone should get special tags/draws its the elderly who never drew a tag in 50years of applying, why some 15yo who has hunted for a few years draws a lifetime tag when grown men have applied for literally more than 20yrs with no luck is beyond me.

If it were up to me, I'm not even sure how I'd operate the youth draws/tags. Any ideas/suggestions? Just wipe them away and put kids in with adult draws? Also youth tags are generally cheaper or instate fees, also cheaper pref pts, maybe this will encourage parents to apply for their kids, but if your parent wont fork out the cash for the normal price for his kid, would he even take them hunting if the tag were cheaper?

Nowadays in this society all we do is talk about how special the kids are, my point is that not making everything easy for a kid might be a good thing, teaching themm that ya, you don't get a tag each year you apply, and sometiems when you have to work at something success is just that much sweeter. So then that kid turns 18 and gets tossed in with the rest of us? Then quits hunting cause tags are a pain to draw? or by then are they just so jazzed to hunt that they wont mind waiting years and years for tags?

Not only youth hunts, but these special tags are crazy too, for foundations etc...raffles.....1 tag through the state sounds ok, and if the state doesnt want to run the raffle/auction, i dont hav ea problem with them letting an organization run the tag, but to give 50 organizations premium tags for raffles/auctions only hurts the rest of us.

AmateurHunter44857

In Ohio we don't have any sort of lottery for anything so the Youth hunts are nice because it allows the kids to get their ears wet before all of the yahoos hit the woods with a gun. The thing i have a problem with is the length of deer season bowhunters have. This year i beleive bowseason started the end of october and ran until February 2nd, while gun season was 1 week and 2 days long. To me its just NOT fair to give bowhunters such a long season. They are able to hunt pre-rut, rut, and secondary rut. This year us gun hunters were lucky as the secondary rut was just starting or the first rut was just ending.

As far as outwest i can see your point and it's very valid. Why should a new hunter be able to hunt someplace for a big game animal before someone that has hunted for years and years and spent tons of money on points and such. Reward the experienced hunters. As far as a lottery system that doesn't involve the purchase of points, those that have entered the lottery and bought a hunting license the most should get the better overall odds. JMHO

salukipv1

Here in IL, we have a long bow season, and 2 short gun/shotgun slug seasons, I don't mind it, I think its fair, really bow is kinda over once gun season begins. So really its like a 1-1.5mo long.

Longer gun seasons I dont know if would be a good thing or bad, I like having the gun season not in the rut....its all management though, hard to say. I think Iowa has a good whitetail management program from what I hear.

AmateurHunter44857

A 3 month + bow season is a little ridiculous to me, especially when the ODNR is complaining about the number of deer. All i'm asking for is a 2 week gun season, thats all.

andy da animal

im almost positive that most places (at least for deer) in youth hunts only allow them to harvest does! i dont have much problem with giving them special seasons! there not out in the woods with all the other hunting pressure and are required to be with an adult/ experianced hunter to coach them! at least that way when they talk and get coached it wont run a risk of ruining someone elses day!

salukipv1

ya doe hunts, early season is ok, but in one state out west i was looking into, they have a special youth hunt, for bucks.....its the best mule deer unit in the state! its essentially a gurranteed Booner, im all for the doe/special hunts, its the premium tags I have a prob letting get, id rather all those premo tags goto the guys who have applied for years, sure let them have the doe tags. its like letting a kid draw a bull elk tag in the best unit out west, and while guys are bowhunting you let some kid bring a rifle, i agree kid hunts......doe/cow tags. /management hunts, no premium tags, or if anything just put them in with the rest of us for the draw.....but special pricing/bonus pts, why should a kid get a bonus pt for 10 bucks when we pay 100? and our non res license is 151 bucks but thye pay 10 bucks.....stuff like that

AmateurHunter44857

Well one other thing that needs to be looked at is why does it cost an in-state hunter $50 for a tag but an out of state $300+? Were already going to be staying in state, paying for gas and food and such, why is there such a big difference, it's ridiculous.

halfrack VIII

here in jersey there are special youth days for hunting deer turkey waterfowl and upland bird. our bow season runs from second week of september to the midle of feburuary, and the gun season runs first mondayin december to the second week of february

sachiko

Good reason to take up bowhunting.

sachiko

The youth hunt here is one weekend in September just before the archery season starts. (Oct. 1) You have to be with an adult, but can take any kind of deer that your permits allow. If you take a deer in the youth hunt, you have to use a permit for it. In other words, if you take a deer during the youth hunt, you can only take one more during the regular season.