Why is deer season so long?

[Bypass]

If deer season were year round I might actually hunt one day a year. But gun season is only a few weeks and it is cold during that time so I'd rather eat a burger than freeze my ass off in the woods.

When Bugaloo starts hunting season will be year round.

 

[Bear44]

Thanks to everyone for their thoughts and suggestions. Some good points were made and well some bad ones too.
I will say this. There is issue that a very high percentage of small game hunters face every season. Not being able to obtain hunting permission until after deer season. Deer season overlaps well over half of waterfowl season, almost all of woodcock season, and roughly half or more of other small game seasons.
Deer season is now 4 moths long. How is closing the deer season two weeks earlier not a fair compromise? Now if all you care about is deer hunting and don’t want to budge an inch on the matter, because there more of you than small game hunters, then be up front about it.
I didnt bring this up because I’m merely looking to expand my hunting opportunities and mine alone. This is a prevalent concern among a large part of the small game hunting community.

Does this mean you would be open to opening the small game seasons later in the year? You're talking about closing the deer season early so deer hunters don't interfere with your small game hunting. How about the flip side of that coin?

I used to hunt on an area of public land that would erupt with gunfire opening day of waterfowl season. Sure would have been nice if they didn't disturb the woods while I was deer hunting.

I don't want the small game seasons delayed or the deer season shortened. Private land owners can decide what they do on their property, but I have never had a problem finding a place to small game hunt any time the season was open.

This feels like you are looking for a problem to your solution.

 

[bigearl68]

Our club tried your "let the little guy to the table idea" Master Disaster, was only supposed to be 4 guys, the little guy showed up with 15 hunters when we challenged, the greatly increased number several started screaming we paid our $200.00 to hunt and we intend to hunt. The so called "LITTLE GUY, was charging 15 of them to hunt my property which we had stated 4 people could come after signing a WAIVER OF LIABILITY form, none had or had been informed they had to sign. We called the DNR, local Sheriff, and had them all removed and were told if they ever returned would be arrested on sight.

So your "little guy" was going to use our property for his personal gain using our property. We will no longer let anyone use our property any more!!! So to "HECK WITH YOUR LITTLE GUYS".

The best part was how the hunters turned on the "LITTLE GUY" very quickly.

We see some rabbit dogs on our property from time to time, they will come up to us while we are hunting, tired, hot, and hungry, we give them water and load them up in our truck go to the main gate and await the owners, who are greatly enraged that we put their dogs in our truck awaiting their arrival. We knew they would be by soon when seeing the location of the dogs since they all have GPS collars on them. We don't hurt the dogs as they are just doing what beagles do run game. Their excuse was they knew we would not give them permission to hunt our property. We told them they were right, because of their attitudes of we will hunt where and when we want.

So your "little guy" won't fly with us... His attitude is a THIEF BY TAKING LOW LIFE...

Sorry you had such a bad experience, but remember bad hunters come in all forms. Turkey,waterfowl,rabbit,coins, and DEER as well. I truly hate you and yours were treated with such disrespect, but that point doesn’t really fit in this discussion. Thanks for the input though.

 

[bigearl68]

Does this mean you would be open to opening the small game seasons later in the year? You're talking about closing the deer season early so deer hunters don't interfere with your small game hunting. How about the flip side of that coin?

I used to hunt on an area of public land that would erupt with gunfire opening day of waterfowl season. Sure would have been nice if they didn't disturb the woods while I was deer hunting.

I don't want the small game seasons delayed or the deer season shortened. Private land owners can decide what they do on their property, but I have never had a problem finding a place to small game hunt any time the season was open.

This feels like you are looking for a problem to your solution.

Shifting small game seasons would be an pity for some things, and not others. Waterfowl, woodcock, and doves are there because of migration. They could be moved I suppose and pushing those back 10 days a piece would be a tremendous help to the plight at hand.

 

[Bear44]

Shifting small game seasons would be an pity for some things, and not others. Waterfowl, woodcock, and doves are there because of migration. They could be moved I suppose and pushing those back 10 days a piece would be a tremendous help to the plight at hand.

You're missing the point. There is no plight and hunters already share the woods.

Because of a few deer hunting clubs and land owners that restrict small game hunting on THEIR land, you want to make sweeping and unnecessary changes to the game laws.

That's ridiculous.

 

[bigearl68]

I would hardly call it sweeping Bear44. These types of changes happen every few years for different reasons. Only a short time ago our deer season in the northern zone ended Jan 1st. I never once complained about that. It just continues to get a bit longer and a bit longer and that’s what is ridiculous in my opinion.
I do find it odd of how much push back I’ve gotten on this topic. I have spoken to several different people in my community lately about this. All but one are deer hunters that only hunt deer and nothing else. Some typically hunt through about thanksgiving and hang it up for the year, while others hunt several times a week all season long. All of those individuals agreed with me and said they would be in favor of ending deer season just before Christmas.

 

[Bear44]

I would hardly call it sweeping Bear44. These types of changes happen every few years for different reasons. Only a short time ago our deer season in the northern zone ended Jan 1st. I never once complained about that. It just continues to get a bit longer and a bit longer and that’s what is ridiculous in my opinion.
I do find it odd of how much push back I’ve gotten on this topic. I have spoken to several different people in my community lately about this. All but one are deer hunters that only hunt deer and nothing else. Some typically hunt through about thanksgiving and hang it up for the year, while others hunt several times a week all season long. All of those individuals agreed with me and said they would be in favor of ending deer season just before Christmas.

That's nice of them, but the fact still remains there is no reason to shorten the season. If you're having trouble finding someplace to small game hunt it's only because you're not looking. That's your problem, not everyone else's.

As I have said, I'm also a small game hunter and have never had a problem finding a place to hunt at any time the season is open. There are hundreds of thousands of acres available scattered all across the State. And that's just the public land.

Why do you want to unnecessarily curtail other people's opportunity to hunt?

 

[bigearl68]

So you’re in favor of deer season ending Jan 1st? After all it was one of your so called “sweeping changes” that moved the season end date later into Jan.

 

[100 bullets]

Some people agree with someone they're talking to who feels strongly about a point to be accommodating. On a point that someone doesn't feel over strong about or don't want someone thinking bad about them they give the answer they think the other wants to hear. This is why Trump did poorly in polls and yet won. You got push back here because we don't know you and not trying to protect your feelings.
Look at good things, you have your own land. You can stop others from hunting deer there dec 1sr. You can hunt birds then. I've lived in state with short gun season, it sucked. I did more small game hunting because I enjoyed hunting. I wouldn't have small game hunted if I could have gone deer hunting. After deer season, I sometimes go for small game. I go less because I prefer to deer hunt

 

[BIKER13]

aint no money in small game hunting lease