That is exactly what will happen. I have heard word on that as well. Nothing official. Just chatter. I think it will happen though. I still will take it in exchange for the late gun weekend, as long as it remains muzzy only.
Guess the harvest number
- Thread starter Lundy
- Start date
That is exactly what will happen. I have heard word on that as well. Nothing official. Just chatter. I think it will happen though. I still will take it in exchange for the late gun weekend, as long as it remains muzzy only.
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Not that I put a ton of faith in the mans words on the topic of not reducing deer but he seemed very strongly opposed to this notion. And we're seeing a giant shift in hunting methods. The gun hunter was once the bread and butter. That has staggeringly shifted with the growing popularity of bowhunting and crossbows. The DNR is also very concerned with the decline of buck genetics in ohio. I highly highly doubt they will allow a gun buck season before the rut. There is a reason this season was doe only and not either sex like the bonus gun season it replaced. They still hate does. But really want to slow the buck harvest rate.
Joe,
I hope you are right. I'll take 5,000 deer killed in October over 15,000 in December. Time will tell. I really think sometime will change though.
I hope you are right. I'll take 5,000 deer killed in October over 15,000 in December. Time will tell. I really think sometime will change though.
Schu72
Well-Known Member
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Send a quick email to the DNR through their contact up page. Say pursuant to the open records act you want to know how many bucks were checked in. Method of harvest. And county of harvest. But the only thing throwing that egg on their face might accomplish is make them seriously consider allowing bucks next year. Which is a horrible mistake.
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I don't see them ever doing anything that will further increase the buck harvest or a season for bucks prior to the gun season.
They are on a doe reduction, herd ratio 1:1 quest. They want more does killed and less buttons to assist in achieving that goal.
They might not mind 600K + deer if only 300,000 were does and they had a mechanism to consistently and effectively control doe harvest annually.
If anything they will probably continue to try and find ways to push the doe harvest and further restrict the antlered harvest. maybe someday we will see the first couple of weeks or maybe even the first month of bow season be doe only. That would seem much more likely that ever including bucks in an early MZ season.
They want does dead and they are going to find a way to make it happen. If the early MZ doesn't serve that need they will explore other options.
They are on a doe reduction, herd ratio 1:1 quest. They want more does killed and less buttons to assist in achieving that goal.
They might not mind 600K + deer if only 300,000 were does and they had a mechanism to consistently and effectively control doe harvest annually.
If anything they will probably continue to try and find ways to push the doe harvest and further restrict the antlered harvest. maybe someday we will see the first couple of weeks or maybe even the first month of bow season be doe only. That would seem much more likely that ever including bucks in an early MZ season.
They want does dead and they are going to find a way to make it happen. If the early MZ doesn't serve that need they will explore other options.
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Agreed. But there is a devil in the details. For every doe they kill they also wiped out all of her future offspring. 50% of which would have been bucks. Your future buck population will naturally decline at a rate if 50%. For round numbers sake forgoing predation, disease etc. Say you kill 100,000 does. You actually killed that 100k. Plus 50k next years does and 50k next years bucks. If you increase your doe kill you have to do something to reduce your buck kill. I foresee antler restrictions in Ohio's future.
Buckmaster
Senior Member
"Earn a Buck" by shooting a doe first, then implement the 4 point on one side rule for your buck.
That should help efforts and make for a trophy State. Big money would follow with all the out of staters flocking to Ohio in search for their doe, then buck.
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Now. Tonk did say something that we both agreed on in our discussion. Many of you have seen me say many times. "We still have our bucks". It baffled me how i could see such a decline in doe numbers but it seemed like we had more and even better bucks. The DNR has been very concerned over the past 5 to 10 years by the ever declining buck quality. Bucks on average were going downhill. Its taking them longer to grow more mature antlers. They believe this is due to the competitiveness over food sources. In short the bucks aren't getting all they need to reach full potential. Mainly because does and smaller bucks are gobbling it up. A natural effect of reducing deer numbers will make nutritional food sources more abundant to these bucks thus allowing them to reach antler maturity earlier.
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I'm calling BS on that statement Joe. Mrex will tell you there are more, and bigger deer being entered now than there ever was in the glory days of the 1970's. Knowing how the DOW uses no control in their studies, i.e.; surprised that a county could decline 50% in harvest of Tonk's 20 years in office, how can you trust a measurement difference of an 1/8" in 1 1/2 yr old bucks? In other words, they may well have been measuring with a rigid 12" ruler in the 1970's and now use a flexible tape...such a small difference that could well be caused by methods used and the DOW decides it's due to malnutrition. It's a stupid statement for them to make...Cripes, Mrex huge buck was a couple of inches bigger the year before he killed it!
Look, it makes no dang difference what any of think. The DOW has a plan and it was spelled out to us Saturday evening; we are gonna try to kill 'em all by adding seasons where needed, opening days, new things to try to see what will work, and we are gonna continue to try manipulating hunters to get out and shoot deer until we run so low that people refuse to shoot the few we have left...then we'll have another population boom and people will start hunting again. Fine, now I understand, at least the BS stopped for a little bit Saturday and I fully understand the DOW's position. I don't agree with it, but no one cares that I'm not happy. I've always said the DOW plan is basically throw the crap on the wall and see what sticks...I'd say I was right.
And BTW, we still have bucks because in areas even though the birth rate is 1:1, the suggested harvest rate by hunters was 6:1 for years. I've said for the last 6 or 7 years that we had MORE bucks than does in my area of Fayette. When I first said it, people told me I was nuts....well, I wasn't, the pics and in field sighting proved it. Our numbers do too! What did Tonk say, "If you shoot over 35%, you wind up with a declining herd" and I replied "Oh, like a county where you killed 600 20 yrs ago and now kill 300"? Point being, the numbers are right there, in Fayette Co, or any number of other counties/. Fact is, you, me and most others are still dumb enough to hunt....so they don't give a fug!
Look, it makes no dang difference what any of think. The DOW has a plan and it was spelled out to us Saturday evening; we are gonna try to kill 'em all by adding seasons where needed, opening days, new things to try to see what will work, and we are gonna continue to try manipulating hunters to get out and shoot deer until we run so low that people refuse to shoot the few we have left...then we'll have another population boom and people will start hunting again. Fine, now I understand, at least the BS stopped for a little bit Saturday and I fully understand the DOW's position. I don't agree with it, but no one cares that I'm not happy. I've always said the DOW plan is basically throw the crap on the wall and see what sticks...I'd say I was right.
And BTW, we still have bucks because in areas even though the birth rate is 1:1, the suggested harvest rate by hunters was 6:1 for years. I've said for the last 6 or 7 years that we had MORE bucks than does in my area of Fayette. When I first said it, people told me I was nuts....well, I wasn't, the pics and in field sighting proved it. Our numbers do too! What did Tonk say, "If you shoot over 35%, you wind up with a declining herd" and I replied "Oh, like a county where you killed 600 20 yrs ago and now kill 300"? Point being, the numbers are right there, in Fayette Co, or any number of other counties/. Fact is, you, me and most others are still dumb enough to hunt....so they don't give a fug!
I see the "earn a buck system" coming to Ohio as a way to reduce doe numbers. Many other states have went to it and all claim success.
I in no way wish the system in Ohio. But I'm sure it's in the back of their minds since it appears the early doe only ML season didn't work. I heard very little shooting in my neck of the woods.
I in no way wish the system in Ohio. But I'm sure it's in the back of their minds since it appears the early doe only ML season didn't work. I heard very little shooting in my neck of the woods.
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If earn a buck would become a reality, I'd hope to God above they would only implement it in areas that need doe reductions. As I told Mike T Saturday, I don't believe my area needs it...and we didn't need a doe only muzzy season here either! I wish they would put that broad brush away and MANAGE vs throwing it all on the wall!
Ohiosam
*Supporting Member*
Mike Rex has often said that Ohio has a deer distribution problem. It seems all these changes the last few years has exasperated that problem.
COLUMBUS, OH – Ohio muzzleloader hunters enjoyed warm weather as they harvested 5,608 antlerless white-tailed deer during the new antlerless-only muzzleloader hunting weekend Oct. 12-13, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).
“Ohio’s first antlerless-only muzzleloader deer season was a success, and we are pleased so many hunters participated,” said ODNR Director James Zehringer. “We remain committed to providing Ohio’s sportsmen and women with some of the best hunting opportunities in the nation.”
The new antlerless muzzleloader weekend was the first opportunity to take advantage of Ohio’s new extended hunting hours. A half hour of golden opportunity hunting time after sunset was added to all of this year’s upcoming deer-gun hunting seasons.
The Ohio counties that reported the most checked deer during the 2013 antlerless-only muzzleloader season: Ashtabula (200), Licking (164), Guernsey (144), Muskingum (143), Knox (141), Coshocton (138), Adams (135), Columbiana (128), Carroll (120), Athens (117) and Trumbull (117).
“Ohio’s first antlerless-only muzzleloader deer season was a success, and we are pleased so many hunters participated,” said ODNR Director James Zehringer. “We remain committed to providing Ohio’s sportsmen and women with some of the best hunting opportunities in the nation.”
The new antlerless muzzleloader weekend was the first opportunity to take advantage of Ohio’s new extended hunting hours. A half hour of golden opportunity hunting time after sunset was added to all of this year’s upcoming deer-gun hunting seasons.
The Ohio counties that reported the most checked deer during the 2013 antlerless-only muzzleloader season: Ashtabula (200), Licking (164), Guernsey (144), Muskingum (143), Knox (141), Coshocton (138), Adams (135), Columbiana (128), Carroll (120), Athens (117) and Trumbull (117).
bigten05
*Supporting Member*
Earn a buck would suck. But you could always call in a doe even if you didn't shoot one. Use land owners tag and you wouldn't be out any money. I mean the numbers they give us are not right so why do we care if we give them the right numbers.
Schu72
Well-Known Member
