2016-17 Deer Hunting Wish List

[Plain Old Dave]

Well, we're well into the long slog to next year, or at least to spring. So, a topic I started last year; What would YOU like to see changed in the rules for next year? I'll start with a few thoughts I have been kicking around.

1) Unit L. IMO it's too large to properly manage, and should be split into Units C and D. And based on comments here it may well be overhunted.

2) The nonquota either sex hunts. These really should be multi-county, based on habitat instead of county by county with the principle being 1/week instead of 1/county; Morgan/Scott would be a 2 week nonquota hunt with the limit being 2 for example.

3) Traditional Equipment. I have FINALLY come up with a way to beta test the concept: Draw, nonquota hunts for the last day of the prior season; Traditional Archery would be the day before Archery opens, Traditional MUZ would be the last day of Archery, Traditional Firearm would be the last day of MUZ. Somewhere between 50 and 100 draws per unit, rules as follows:

Archery: No equipment with pulleys or sighting apparatus; longbows only.
MUZ: Iron sights, conical projectiles or round balls. Rifles to be sidehammer, ignition by musket cap or traditional primer.
Gun: Iron sights and a cartridge/gun combo available in regular commerce before 31 December 1899 otherwise meeting legal equipment rules, to include reproductions. For example, one of the Miroku Winchester 1895s in 30-40 Krag would be legal for Traditional Rifle, but the same rifle in 30-06 wouldn't.

 

[TheLBLman]

Interesting and well taken.

But why make things any more complicated?

 

[muddyboots]

My only wish would be for the season to be open a little longer. I don't care what weapon but they are really just now getting on a late season feeding pattern and hunting right now would be off the charts.

 

[Mike Belt]

I'd like to see us go into a hunting season without trying to change or tweak the rules we changed and tweaked last year.

 

[bigtex]

I'd like to see us go into a hunting season without trying to change or tweak the rules we changed and tweaked last year.

X2!!

 

[Plain Old Dave]

I don't think any of my suggestions would significantly impact hunters. In fact, 1) and 2) have real potential to rectify real-world issues; namely, overhunting in Unit L and our doe overpopulation problem and concurrent lack of larger bucks in Unit B.

I will admit, though, that 3) is more than a little pie-in-the-sky. But it's hard to see how 50-75 hunters using, say, 38-55 Marlin 1893s or 30-40 Winchester 1895s over an entire unit on the last day of MUZ season would make any appreciable impact on success rates overall.

 

[Pinwheeled]

I just want everything moved back 2-3 weeks. I hate ticks and snakes in September plus there is still plenty of rut activity in early January. Just my opinion


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Bone Collector]

I want bow season to open at the beginning of Sept about 2-3 weekends before it opens now.

 

[PickettSFHunter]

1) more poaching enforcement in the Northern Plateau 2) more "unique" WMA quota hunts- like the October Muzzleloader quota hunt now held at prentice cooper.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Wobblyshot1]

Well, we're well into the long slog to next year, or at least to spring. So, a topic I started last year; What would YOU like to see changed in the rules for next year? I'll start with a few thoughts I have been kicking around.

1) Unit L. IMO it's too large to properly manage, and should be split into Units C and D. And based on comments here it may well be overhunted.

2) The nonquota either sex hunts. These really should be multi-county, based on habitat instead of county by county with the principle being 1/week instead of 1/county; Morgan/Scott would be a 2 week nonquota hunt with the limit being 2 for example.

3) Traditional Equipment. I have FINALLY come up with a way to beta test the concept: Draw, nonquota hunts for the last day of the prior season; Traditional Archery would be the day before Archery opens, Traditional MUZ would be the last day of Archery, Traditional Firearm would be the last day of MUZ. Somewhere between 50 and 100 draws per unit, rules as follows:

Archery: No equipment with pulleys or sighting apparatus; longbows only.
MUZ: Iron sights, conical projectiles or round balls. Rifles to be sidehammer, ignition by musket cap or traditional primer.
Gun: Iron sights and a cartridge/gun combo available in regular commerce before 31 December 1899 otherwise meeting legal equipment rules, to include reproductions. For example, one of the Miroku Winchester 1895s in 30-40 Krag would be legal for Traditional Rifle, but the same rifle in 30-06 wouldn't.

I can dig it!