Beentown, I think you mistook my point. I don't think he does, which is my point. I'm talking about the guy who doesn't vote, doesn't support any hunting organizations or conservation efforts, and will bail out on hunting as soon as he gets bored because he has to work at it, and probably doesn't pay his child support, either. the guy who doesn't realize the importance of giving back and getting involved (or just doesn't give a shit). that is who I'm referring to. you can call those people whatever you want, but you know they are out there in unsettling numbers. apathy is a most serious problem among sportsmen of all genre. ignorance is a very close second. we can't make people care, but we can sure try to help them understand why they should.
ODNR Deer Harvest comparison
- Thread starter LonewolfNopack
- Start date
Beentown, I think you mistook my point. I don't think he does, which is my point. I'm talking about the guy who doesn't vote, doesn't support any hunting organizations or conservation efforts, and will bail out on hunting as soon as he gets bored because he has to work at it, and probably doesn't pay his child support, either. the guy who doesn't realize the importance of giving back and getting involved (or just doesn't give a shit). that is who I'm referring to. you can call those people whatever you want, but you know they are out there in unsettling numbers. apathy is a most serious problem among sportsmen of all genre. ignorance is a very close second. we can't make people care, but we can sure try to help them understand why they should.
matthewusmc8791
Junior Member
Sitting around pondering what can be done and it seems like we have a very long road to go before things get better... (1) they cancelled the extended gun, which is good.. (2) They only allow one buck, which is good. (3) Bow season runs from Sept-February, which has been Ohio's things form any years which could be adjusted. (4) Gun season is typically less then 7 days long, which is good. (5) The youth gun season is typically during the rut, which is not good. (6) muzzleloader is only 3 days, which is ok.
Now lets think of what we could do.
You know they wont change the length of bow season, gun season is as short as it can be, they can't cancel youth season because people would bitch about the BS about kids hunting, and muzzleloader is so damn short its almost not worth going out.
So as I see it, the only thing left to do is stop letting these people shoot 9 deer plus a buck through out the state. Furthermore, I saw again this gun season the abundant of amish like rats jumping off a sinking ship running through the woods whacking and stacking deer. I had a younger hunter tell me what they do is pool all the community hunting permits and send down a small number of hunters and shoot every damn thing they see. Anybody else see this stuff going on???
Its a shame, Ohio is heading in the direction of PA real quick if you don't stop this crap...
JMTC
Lundy
Member
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Yes, I am seeing that except they aren't Amish
And the muzzleloader season is 4 days
I'm sure it's already been said somewhere in this thread... If not, I'm surprised... But anyway, the number of tags we are allowed to fill has very little impact on the deer population. Less than 6% of hunters in Ohio (roughly) ever shoot more than one deer in a season. It's probably fair to say that less than 0.2% of hunters shoot 9 deer.
We have a lot opportunities to shoot that one deer, or those two deer. The season is so long. I apologize if this offends someone, but if a guy can't kill ONE deer sometime between September and January, they're doing something very wrong... or they're the most unlucky person in the world. It's the opportunity that reduces the herd, IMO.
Me personally, I've got no issues with the amount of deer in Ohio... But I'm biased, for several reasons... one being that I cut my teeth hunting in NW Ohio and grew accustomed to seeing very few deer while hunting. But even so, just yesterday I watched close to 30 deer bound away through a refuge woods on public ground... public ground that gets hunted HARD, all through bow season and especially during gun. There are plenty of deer on this public land. They just know exactly where they're safe...
Grew up hunting in NW ohio and agree with everything you have said 100%!!!!! It seems like the herd is growing around here not shrinking. I'm hunting next to I-280 in wood county. Got a cousin that hunts williams and if he dosn't get one this year it will be his third straight without one. Yeah hes doing a LOT wrong.
I agree with some of Jagermeister's post. Access around here is still very difficult. Snagging a 5-10acre parcel and getting 4mo of opportunity is not always enough. Might be 20 similar parcels with hunting. Only takes one farmer with a few hundred acres of non hunting ground to limit opportunity severely on those 20 small parcels.
yotehunter
Member
Your right Phil I hate too say it but we better thank those farmers who are not letting people deer hunt Cruz those places are saving a lot of deer. I've hunted all week this week. The first two days sat in the tree I seen two yearlings . Then come wensday our group which hunts mostly landeck and venedocia area started pushing with that being said we decided bucks only this year, because of the minimal deer. The first day we seen 5 the second day 1 coyote 3 deer we killed the coyote. Yesterday we did get 13 jumped and killed 2 decent big bodied bucks. And a older gentleman that hunts with us killed a small buck that would have never been anything. We talked to the van wert gw and he admitted the deer was ant here. He also.said it was ant because of lack of hunters. Like I said I don't like it but those places that are off limits are saving a lot of deer and at this point we may want to be thankful for that.
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Don't worry. When those farmers get tired of saving the deer the county warden will write them a permit to shoot and throw them in a ditch. It's my theory that most don't even bother with a permit. We talk about poachers all the time but I bet there are plenty of farmers who gut shoot them with a 22 and don't bother with damage permits. I don't believe the DNRs numbers on damage permits and deer kills are accurate. I remember one year a farm down the road from out lease in Vinton county got a permit. They were bragging about having shot close to 40 deer. When the numbers came out from the DNR for Vinton county the total wasn't above 40. The problem is they just get a permit that allows them to kill X amount of deer. But I don't believe they only kill X amount of deer. They'll gut shoot 3-4 then drop one and and only the 1 gets counted. Once they have a permit they're legal. But like I said. I believe most don't even bother with a permit.
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Big_Holla
Senior Member
Along with the comments about managing ourselves and our land my dad and I had a long conversation last night that at times got very heated. Not only is how many deer we kill (or allow to be killed) a ODNR tag issue, it's also a social issue that we all need to get people to understand there is a problem in some places of Ohio. This is reality, exactly what I said to my dad.
We have ran trail cameras since March of last year and at no time could we figure that we had more than 4 does for the 180+ acres we own. Only one set of twins was spotted this year as well, some does only had 1 or none when it came to fawns. As bow season came our deer sightings confirmed this and early on we decided to not shoot any does off of the property....period.
My dad has a friend than came down to hunt during gun season for the first day and a half, with his boy and a friend. Of course the first afternoon out my dad's friend has a doe right there and he shoots it! It's not exactly clear what my dad had said to them before they began hunting but my dad's response when I got upset over it is what floored me. He said to me that he knew I would be pissed about it before he even told me. He said the doe came in perfect for him and he shot it....said it was OK with him! My dad went further and said, what's he supposed to do come down and not shoot anything?? He continued with if he hadn't shot it then it would have been shot by the neighbors anyways......
Our discussion turned heated at this point as this person has never had respect for what we have asked of hunters in the past. Not to mention he had a habit in the past of being a lead slinger, shooting in the direction of other hunters (my dad in particular one time) and shooting at deer and not checking to see if he even hit it (had our biggest buck disappear one year after he did this).
We talked about our deer numbers and what that really meant for our property. With his deer sightings at an all time low through gun season I think he understands now how important it is to set goals and stick to them, even if it means his buddy comes to hunt the property only for that big buck. As far as the neighbors shooting deer, I don't think we can ever solve that as we were told bluntly by the one guy that he fills his freezer when he get's his opportunity...period. And my response to my dad saying the neighbors would have shot it anyways....well I explained to him that we had 4 does....now down to 3 because of his buddy....if the neighbor does shoot another......2......
So, getting him to understand the BIG picture was a hard task but now I think he understands it isn't about making people (that come to hunt the property) happy by allowing them to shoot anything they want. It should be about the time spent together no matter what they are allowed to shoot. Wow, now I sounded like him years ago when he would say it's about the experience and not the killing. Sometimes we all have to be reminded what's most important and if the deer herd keeps plummeting then there won't be that quality time sitting in a blind talking...it will be in the living room.
We have ran trail cameras since March of last year and at no time could we figure that we had more than 4 does for the 180+ acres we own. Only one set of twins was spotted this year as well, some does only had 1 or none when it came to fawns. As bow season came our deer sightings confirmed this and early on we decided to not shoot any does off of the property....period.
My dad has a friend than came down to hunt during gun season for the first day and a half, with his boy and a friend. Of course the first afternoon out my dad's friend has a doe right there and he shoots it! It's not exactly clear what my dad had said to them before they began hunting but my dad's response when I got upset over it is what floored me. He said to me that he knew I would be pissed about it before he even told me. He said the doe came in perfect for him and he shot it....said it was OK with him! My dad went further and said, what's he supposed to do come down and not shoot anything?? He continued with if he hadn't shot it then it would have been shot by the neighbors anyways......
Our discussion turned heated at this point as this person has never had respect for what we have asked of hunters in the past. Not to mention he had a habit in the past of being a lead slinger, shooting in the direction of other hunters (my dad in particular one time) and shooting at deer and not checking to see if he even hit it (had our biggest buck disappear one year after he did this).
We talked about our deer numbers and what that really meant for our property. With his deer sightings at an all time low through gun season I think he understands now how important it is to set goals and stick to them, even if it means his buddy comes to hunt the property only for that big buck. As far as the neighbors shooting deer, I don't think we can ever solve that as we were told bluntly by the one guy that he fills his freezer when he get's his opportunity...period. And my response to my dad saying the neighbors would have shot it anyways....well I explained to him that we had 4 does....now down to 3 because of his buddy....if the neighbor does shoot another......2......
So, getting him to understand the BIG picture was a hard task but now I think he understands it isn't about making people (that come to hunt the property) happy by allowing them to shoot anything they want. It should be about the time spent together no matter what they are allowed to shoot. Wow, now I sounded like him years ago when he would say it's about the experience and not the killing. Sometimes we all have to be reminded what's most important and if the deer herd keeps plummeting then there won't be that quality time sitting in a blind talking...it will be in the living room.
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Yep, I know of two farmers who shoot on sight. If anyone is around they use a permit. If not, it rots. Too lazy to walk back to them.
is it just me, or does the prevailing sentiment here seem to indicate a direct correlation between deer numbers and people's desire to spend "quality time" in their blinds, stands, or whatever? I'll never forget what deer hunting was like back in the 80's. not nearly as many deer then as today, but that never put a damper on my desire to hunt them. might even have trained me to try harder, I dunno. we've gotten a little spoiled with the glut of deer that we've had availible to hunt for the last 10 years. we live in a state with a high number of hunters, shrinking habitat, diminished access, and a herd in slow decline(the reasons for these things seem of little consequence to me as they are almost totally beyond our control). the glory days of deer hunting in Ohio may well be behind us for good. seems like plenty here still managing to kill plenty of deer in spite of it all. jus sayin'.
Big_Holla
Senior Member
I agree that there are still plenty of deer being killed. Problem is, many are not in tune with what is actually going on with the property/land they are hunting. Gun season brings out many that haven't stepped foot on the land all year long. To some of those filling the freezer is the first and foremost concern without regard to the consequences they may be putting on the land. They may shoot the first deer they see and be done with the season or hunt more and figure there was a lot of pressure for the reason they didn't see any more after that first deer. Some will go through the season blaming themselves or all the other hunting pressure for the reason they are not seeing deer at all. I will say one thing too, some are reluctant to actually admit they have a problem simply because they don't want to be the one 'running around saying the sky is falling'.
Another great post!!!! Seems like farmers are a big problem to wildlife period!!! I grew up hunting in the 70's and 80's and the pheasants in wood county were thick and deer were few. Then the blizzard of 78 hit and people think that was what wiped out the pheasants. 79 was great 80 was great 81 started to see a decline then with in a few years it was over. Blizzard? Nope. Change in farming practices F-yeah!!!! Granular fertilizer and cutting hay in the spring and cutting down treelines and mowing ditches did it. For all the welfare they get instead of getting 300$ a acre to put in CRP they should be forced to do it. Got off course here but damn!!!! With the deer being destroyd like the pheasants were and by the DNR this time pisses me off. I feel sorry for you guys seeing the big decline in your counties. DNR dont care about deer like they did but if your two perch over your limit they will f--k you till it hurts!!!
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I guess the only thing I can really say to that is it's not the 80s anymore. Hunting today in Ohio is a one billion dollar industry. We're ruining that to give a couple companies a few extra million on their balance sheet or a couple more bushels at the grain bin. They spill more grain missing the grain wagon and running old combines than deer ever eat. I don't know about you but I sure haven't seen a rate decrees on my insurance or pops cereal. Coons do far more damage than deer and I don't see the government subsidizing fur prices. But they sure do corn and beans and then decimate the deer population. It's lunacy.
I was asking my buddy on how much they get. Is it 50%. If i drove my truck through the field with a couple guys on each side i bet we could fill that sumbitch up in no time with whole ears that didn't make it.
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This is about 1,900 pounds. Shoveled from two spots where the combine missed the wagon.
wonder how much deer damage it would take to equal that.
Big_Holla
Senior Member
One thing is for sure the quality of the equipment has a lot to do with what they get. Up here the farmer that does the fields we hunt, you won't find much left in the fields and full cobs no-way. Our field down there this year you couldn't go one to two rows without picking up a full cob of corn and for that matter everywhere you looked you would see kernels.
Spot on from what I have seen Big Holla. How much is left depends on the farmer. Some are rag tag farmers and you see the deer in their "picked" corn fields in the winter. Farmers with nice equipment who run a tight ship I don't see as many deer in their fields in the winter.