The game wardens around central Ohio have been good.. Washington county... Not... They are bad... Must be too far away for tonk to care.. Maybe Mike can answer it for me. Does Tonk go to the U.S. sportsman alliance banquets? I know some higher ups from odnr go, I guess I need to pay attention to who I am introduced to this year.
Mike, Sorry to hear about your Mom. I have been through it with both Parents...... I'd like to say I know how you feel, but the truth is, I don't know exactly how you feel. I wish you and yours the Very Best!
Flatlander
Junior Member
It won't take long for the herd to recover if we reduce tag numbers and take out the extended shotgun. Population would bounce back faster than you think.
huntn2
Senior Member
The key word there being "if"...
I am not jumping to a conclusion assuming nothing will be changed but hearing people say their local WO is telling them they don't anticipate changes is troubling.
All the data and stats I have seen point to a steep reduction in population. The question becomes how low does the ODNR want it? More important than the state estimate is how can we reevaluate on a county by county basis? Athens may be "ok" but Washington may be in trouble...each should have its own management plan.
It would be real nice to hear/read a publication indicating the ODNR is going to seriously reassess the situation.
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But they aren't even close to reassessing the situation for the better. They're sending out surveys trying to add an early zone C muzzleloader season in October. It's nothing more than a continuation of their strategy to reduce the herd through increased opportunity. The same management practice that has got us into this mess.
The are happy with current conditions:
Less deer makes the lobbyists happy
Hunters are still "at bay"
I see nothing changing in the near future unless change is forced.
Less deer makes the lobbyists happy
Hunters are still "at bay"
I see nothing changing in the near future unless change is forced.
What if the majority of the hunters ban together and just buy 1 or 2 deer tags and manage the situation ourselves. Fugg em! We resident hunters can do our best and hope the NS's are more like Paul and just hunt for the mature bucks and let does and young bucks walk. It appears that the DOW ain't changing their minds but we as a whole have some bearing on the situation! Just saying!
Huckleberry Finn
Senior Member
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As huntn2 will say...do you ever drive 5 over the speed limit? 10? Self-policing doesn't work...ideally it would, but then again, we're not in a communist utopia either. It'd be nice, but the only thing that will work is something from the top. Grassroots complaints work, but a grassroots self-induced limitation would have little to no impact, IMO.
Milo's comment a few pages back was spot on...
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How would a change be forced? On these forums you see two people from the same area thinking two totally different things. By that I mean one says they are gone, the other says they are everywhere. Both terms are relative as there is no concrete-sturdy definition for either term. Example; George Tinkham sees two deer in a week of hunting the WN...he thinks they are plentiful, EVERWHERE. I see two deer in a week and can't help but wonder what happened to the deer I used to see, they are GONE. Personal perspectives on this situation are the wild card. Kinda hard to band folks together when they typically see the very same thing differently.
That's what I've been trying to say all along. I can't understand why the people wanna kill a doe in the first place. Kroger has better meat...
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I disagree JD. I like venison better than any other! Having said that, I don't need a pile of 'em to get by.
Speaking of ole George, he keeps saying and preaching to every swinging dick who will will listen to "come down to the Wayne, we've got plenty of deer! Plus you can kill em under NORMAL hunting conditions!" Wouldn't it be funny if that did happen and his "plenty of deer schtick" would be nothing but a dream! Seeing George looking for a place to hang a stand without others being 50 yards away........ Lmao!
huntn2
Senior Member
People can't go get 60lbs of meat for $29 at the store....there are far more hunters out there putting meat in the freezer than there are putting horns on the wall.
If you can control large tracs of land by yourself than you are good in theory passing on does. If you are only hunting 20-40 acres chunks and the neighbors don't practice a similar approach...well, best of luck. If you are hunting 100+ acre parcels but don't have exclusive rights and the others on the property don't practice the same restraint...well, best of luck.
I am fortunate that a landowner lets me hunt his land. Last season (2010-2011) he took a yearling and a mature doe. Two others with permission also took a mature doe each. With the reproduction rate Rex posted earlier, we lost 4 doe and 5-6 BB/Fawns for this past season...that is 9-10 deer less on just one property. Fewer tags via self policing or from the ODNR will not change the possibilities of this happening.
Flatlander
Junior Member
Now there's an idea, if we all bought only 1 or 2 tags it would also make the ODNR take notice because they would lose a ton of money. I say if they don't make any changes, that would sure be a way to get their attention.
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I am seriously considering toting my gear to Athens next year for a week or two. I'll have a decent buck lined up around here to entertain me, but I'm lacking does. I'm still bloodthirsty at times, and may decide I need to help with the over population issues Athens is facing. I'll hunt horns around home, and head east to bloody arrows.
I like this plan....
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There are 500,000 hunters in this state. I don't have to get all 500,000 to agree. I don't have to get 50,000 to agree. Hell man, I don't even have to get 25,000... I can get 10,000 and the other 490,000 can stay unorganized and meek. The dnr tool the advice of 1,200 surveyed farmers... I think 10,000 organized pissed off hunters or even 10,000 surveys with 1,000 pissed off hunters can change a bunch. It's all in how loud you scream and how big a pain in the ass you are...
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Maybe we should start another Deer Camp (wn).
Now your talkin...Call it Doe camp