The 2013-2014 Ohio Deer Summary may answer some of your questions.
Brock, I mentioned about the state having a gun season that was first two days buck/doe followed by 4 days only of buck only in 1998. I don't think it was in all counties but I thought I read it was in more than half the counties. I might be able to find it again, but thought you might know. If that followed after the 2 week gun season, I would qualify that as pulling back on the reins. I will agree that there has not been any semblance of pulling back in recent years. However, even though a slight decrease in bag limits should not have much of an effect, I believe there is a small but possibly significant psychological effect. The DOW is starting to send the message out to hunters that the herd is shrinking. Not all will get it or act on it, but some will. There is no way to measure this effect but I believe it to be real.
Now for something to make you guys smile. Well hopefull anyway because seems like you all need to smile about something related to deer hunting. Your message is slowly getting through. To me at least. About 3ish years ago when the first grumblings were becoming well known, I was nowhere near on board with the deer herd being down. I thought it all a bunch of doo doo. But I've been listening and watching and really trying to learn. And while my own hunting grounds is just fine in the deer population aspect, I've come to realize that is not the case all over. I am ready to step up to the plate and help my fellow hunters by voicing my concerns to the DOW. I have also become much more conservative in how many deer come off my farm. I do have a constant struggle though. As a hunter, I would love to see 20 deer out munching in the field behind the house every evening. As a farmer (and we do actively farm), I would love to see exactly 2 deer and no more living in our field. LOL! But the past couple years I have told the other hunters that I give permission to hunt the farm, how many does are allowed to be taken. I can see the effect that taking too many does has on other places in the state and although my farm is really not big enough to totally control this, limiting doe harvest here can surely help stabilize the herd here as best as I can. We don't do damage permits because I loathe the idea of shooting does in the summer but if need be we can always take more during the season. YOUR MESSAGE IS STARTING TO GET THROUGH. Take that as a positive. PLEASE! Because it is.
Now, what I'm not onboard with is that DOW is the antiChrist. Do I agree with everything they have done? No. But they are the group that I want managing wildlife. Are they political? yes. But within the ranks are biologists that I have no doubt are standing up for what is right. Oh sure, they can't always do it publicly or jeopardize their own jobs, but I believe they are there in the background tempering the political machine. I cannot come up with one scenario where I would trust an outside group to be less political. Politics will be involved. Forever. And ever. Amen. Reality. (See Wisconsin)
Now on to some of the other issues at hand:
1. Where does complaining about something become synonymous with not liking something, at least something as a whole. I complain about my family on occasion and I love them. So I know some of you won't be happy, but I'm not going anywhere unless I get kicked out.
2. "Clint" is not my friend. I don't know him. Never met him. Someone made a comment about this forum being open to dissenting views and I made the counterpoint that while yes indeed people were free to comment how they wish, there was not a very welcoming atmosphere for new people that held those viewpoints. It's one thing to bash on someone that has been around for a bit (me) and another thing to ridicule someone who has just made their first post. A mature debate does not include name calling and ridicule. It just doesn't. You would have flunked debate class in high school.
3. Why do I stay here? Because someone needs to stick around and post the unpopular side of some issues.
4. And until the time I can post direct links to my hunting blog, yes you do censor so don't say that you don't. I'm sorry you have your panties all in a wad about OS. Sometimes you just need to understand that some of us like it here and we like it there also. Two different atmospheres and something to be gained from each place. I am not going to start a new blog. Everything is over there and it is going to stay over there. I can deal with the censorship, but just don't say that you don't do it. That is kind of like the DOW telling everyone that the deer herd is not down.
5. Like it or not, hard core deer hunters have a bad reputation with the average hunter that likes to do a little of this and a little of that and maybe a little bit or no deer hunting. Deer hunters are responsible for land being leased. Deer hunters are only trophy hunters and only care about shooting a big buck. Deer hunters won't let other hunters on their land because it is all about the deer. Deer hunters put out feeders that help boost the raccoon population that feed on ground nesting birds. I hear it over and over again. You guys need the waterfowlers and the small gamers and the upland bird hunters on your side if you are going to make headway against the DOW and right now that is a problem. Maybe you don't realize it, but it is. So yeah, this is a forum that can be run whichever way the owners of the forum wish to run it, but the vulgar language and locker room banter are not attractive and do not win you any points. You may not care and you may not listen or hear what I am saying, but you should.
Carry on.
