Thinking caps?

[Xtreme]

So, what will be your all's opinions on expanded modern firearms seasons?

Before you rush to post that it's all the same blah blah etc etc think about this.

How many of you small game hunt with dogs as well? Dogs in gun seasons here are usually dogs in jeopardy.[I've owned hounds for years]

How many of you honestly feel the deer herd can realistically sustain more pressure as a whole?

How many of you want to wear orange while hunting with a short range weapon?

Guys, all the insults and grudges aside to include multi's issues with folks on here and folks that have issues with multi.......these issues will need to be addressed in the VERY near future.

Stop, take a very deep breath and just THINK about these things......then post your thoughts.

[shogan]

I think the department is looking hard at what the majority of the hunting population is doing. Thats unfortunate for the few that hunt the other species with a reverance but thats life.

I think the department is trying to balance the demands of the majority of the population with the available critters.

Hunting has changed primarily due to the smaller bits of land available to us hunters. And the fact that any smuck can walk out into feild/woods and kill a turkey, squirrel, deer, or dove with out the use of a dog. Dogs are great but require time and large areas to hunt the small game you seek. Few of us have either

Yes I seek more modern gun time. Ecsp in December and late January when the weather is cold. .

[EC]

I think the department is looking hard at what the majority of the hunting population is doing. Thats unfortunate for the few that hunt the other species with a reverance but thats life.

I think the department is trying to balance the demands of the majority of the population with the available critters.

Hunting has changed primarily due to the smaller bits of land available to us hunters. And the fact that any smuck can walk out into feild/woods and kill a turkey, squirrel, deer, or dove with out the use of a dog. Dogs are great but require time and large areas to hunt the small game you seek. Few of us have either

Yes I seek more modern gun time. Ecsp in December and late January when the weather is cold. .

I'd rather bow hunt. Not because I don't like firearms, but I like to stalk...not sit in a tree stand. And there's too many rookies out there with rifles to stalk deer during gun season. So, I usually don't go. Only hunt deer during bow season.

[skin_dog1]

Did I miss something? Is this a new issue on the table? I've tried to avoid the crossbow threads for a while so I might've missedf a new issue. I hope gun season doesn't get lengthened for many reasons. I don't think the quality bucks that KY has obtained will be maintained if the gun season is maintained. I also don't want more pressure than what we already have, I like the solitude of bowhunting(main reason I'm against crossbows). Small game hunters already are limited to a very short time when they have the woods to themselves. I'm of the opinion that gun season shouldn't come in until after the rut, not so I can have the rut to myself, but to further increase the trophy potential of KY's bucks. Increasing the length of the season would be counter productive. Hopefully this isn't the next issue to be tabled, cause I'm sure it would pass even faster than the xbow's.

[turk2di]

"cause I'm sure it would pass even faster than the xbow's". I guarentee you, if it means more money, it's got a great chance to pass! Im against lengthening the season. But i was against an additional bird as well in the fall. I tend to err on the side of caution, something i'd like to see more of from our commission.

[keith meador]

my onion is this. there are still some small game hunters out there, but the majority in my area travel elsewhere to hunt. very small numbers of quail, no grouse, a recovering rabbit population...i cant see where the impact would be that big, in my area. i know that sounds narrowminded, and that the small game guy has been pushed out, but the lack of habitat, and access to hunting grounds has hurt the small game hunter.

a longer gun season will come. when is the only question, but it will come. the numbers the dept has tells them the deer herd can take a larger hit. that time in the field has to come from somewhere, and the season has been stretched as far as it can be, being sept to jan. that only leaves those few months to squeeze in more gun hunting. someone has to give, and someone has to take. im sure if there were a large population of rabbits the season would be adjusted, if in the public view it were a problem.

[joekat46]

Kentucky's gun season is already way too long and bow comes in way too early. I lived for nine years along the border of a WMA in Marshall County. We always witnessed in our neighborhood that several of the "local" doe were being followed around by spotted fawns, still nursing, when the SUMMER bow season opened. I doubt if anything p.o'd the non hunters more than thinking "Mrs. Doe" was going to get an arrow flung at her during this period.

I've said on here before that you KY bowhunters don't know what you're missing by not having a bow season, uninterrupted by gunfire, that takes place during the peak of the rut. We noticed more and more western KY guys were bowhunting LBL during the mid November period when the only gun hunting disturbance the LBL deer had experienced was a poorly participated in youth hunt. Unless I get drawn for a quota hunt my Kentucky hunting will now be limited to a week of spring turkey and an LBL mid November bow hunt when most of the rest of the deer hunters in the state are out throwing lead.

IT's "TRADITION" seems to be the argument most heard here. Think what a plus a later gun season would be. The bucks would breed relatively undisturbed and you would not hear of so many "dry" doe later in the year. KY's gun season would overlap both Ohio's and West Viginia's so all those dreaded out of staters would be hunting their own areas and not sneaking across the rivers hunting your land. Many more reasons for a later season than negatives. I'll add a IMHO although by this time you should have figured out I don't really mean it.

[grouseguy]

So, what will be your all's opinions on expanded modern firearms seasons?

Before you rush to post that it's all the same blah blah etc etc think about this.

How many of you small game hunt with dogs as well? Dogs in gun seasons here are usually dogs in jeopardy.[I've owned hounds for years]

How many of you honestly feel the deer herd can realistically sustain more pressure as a whole?

How many of you want to wear orange while hunting with a short range weapon?

Guys, all the insults and grudges aside to include multi's issues with folks on here and folks that have issues with multi.......these issues will need to be addressed in the VERY near future.

Stop, take a very deep breath and just THINK about these things......then post your thoughts.

Rick,

Have you heard something that the rest of us haven't?

I'm sorry, but you are losing perspective and credibility FAST!!! You may be spending way too much time around Multi because the only reason I can see for this post is to cause controversy where none exists at this time.

My thoughts on the matter is that its way past the time for you and the rest of the anti-xbow folks to "take a very deep breath and just THINK" (your words). Seriously, you guys are your own worst enemies right now.

The ONLY issue that we need to be considering at present is who will be named to replace TB, and what we can do to have our voices heard in the process. Once that individual is named, then we can get a feel for just "what" may be around the corner issue-wise. At this point, anything else regarding potential issues is just pure speculation and VERY counterproductive to the best interests of the sportsmen as a whole.

[SixPack07]

Ours in Wisconsin is only 9 days long, so I wish it was a week longer, just because it would give a few extra days to get out there. Not everyone can hunt everyday of the season. Also, they want our herd thinned down more, so give us more time to do it. I really don't think more then 9 days are needed to fill your tag. If you are hunting for meat, you can get your doe or buck for that matter any where you hunt around here if you put your time in. If you are a trophy hunter, then you might want more time. I simply love being out there and lengthening any season sounds good to me, although I know it might not necessarily be the best thing for everyone.

[Al]

Grouseguy, Right on brotherman!! As a xbow supporter Im getting some of the medicine you got during the elections.
Im thinking if I go into an archery shop to inquire on a xbow Id better go in there with a group so I dont get attacked.

[KY_Fried]

This is just my two cents on the topic but I honestly think the gun season should be even longer. Deer/vehicle collisions are REALLY getting out of hand (at least in the northern part of the state) I drive the AA Highway and US 27 often and it's really insane the number of deer that are on the side of the road every day.
I hate to see the folks who hunt other game and use dogs be inconvienced by extending the deer gun season but really what else can be done? Hopefully the herd will be thinned out enough with another year or two of extended seasons that we can go back to the way things used to be.
Again this is just my two cents on the topic and I'm actually very suprised that that issue hasn't been discussed more on here.

[Multidigits]

This isn't what Rick wants to hear, but any new or longer gun seasons won't be later in the year, but earlier. There's two Commissioners that told me they voted for the crossbow in hopes it will help keep things in check a little longer, but they know that sooner or later, some new harvest has to come, and that it likely won't be in Dec. That leaves Oct. and the first week of Nov. Now who's for it???

[Grant]

How many really think extending the season is going to help bring down the #'s?

I don't know the best method of reducing the herd, but I highly doubt extending the season is going to have much of an impact. Hunters like killing bucks, plain and simple. The extended season is just going to give the guys who haven't harvested a buck yet that many more days to get after one. And who can blame them?

[SixPack07]

There are only so many hunters too. Some don't want 6 deer in the freezer because they can't eat all of it. There are programs where you can donate the deer, but up here, the money is running out for them, and to start paying the cost of meat you are giving away isn't that feasible. They tried the earn-a-buck up here, and by their numbers, looked like it worked somewhat, but who knows how accurate those numbers are. Still doesn't mean it would work in the long run either. Funny how far we've come. From so many deer, to almost no deer, to "too many" deer. I don't think there are too many deer around, I think there are too many people around.

[JP]

I dunno......this topic is one I'm thankful that I don't have to decide the outcome (if it comes to that at all)....but I can honestly say this. In zone 1s (where I hunt) there is "unlimited doe tags" that you can obtain. Unlimited. but as someone else already posted....who the hell wants 5 or 6 deer stored away in the deep freeze after a 2 week season? :eek: Just from my own experience and really nothing else, I can honestly say that I am MUCH more likely to shoot 2 or even 3 does if I could split them up. Bow season of course would allow me to do that if one would jump on my arrow for me. :rolleyes: But I admit and totally agree........if too much gun season was allowed, I would miss seeing deer act like deer in bow season and not being frantic like they are sometimes in gun season. So, I suppose my opinion is that I have no opinion. Always a good stance and I ain't even in politics. :D

[plowboy]

I kinda new to this whole experience but IMO a later gun season as opposed to bow season might be nice. When I'm in a tree and see a nice buck at 200 yards and all I have is a bow its kinda frustrating. Maybe some trading up might be in order. Come on back Multi and slam me.

[raktrakr]

I dont like the idea of a longer modern gun season so I'm going to throw a compromise in the air. A seven day youth instead of a youth weekend, or a seven day early ML. Personally I see nothing wrong with what we've got except for too many being killed where they dont need to be and not enough being killed where they do need to be.
Longer seasons wont cure that,sure it might show an increase in harvest #s, but we'll still be stuck with the "too many here" and "not enough there"
As for small game, I dont hunt them like I want to, and I dont think its fair to keep chipping away or overlapping the deer season into the small game seasons. now there's where the real compromise needs to be.
Now for GG's statement,yes we need to keep tabs on what going on about the new commish. as far as whats around the corner, I think there will be big changes. I've yet to see "high position" new hire come in and not make big changes. The first thing that comes to my mind is that 32 mill surplus is going to get spent. hopefully the common man can be heard and its gets spent where it needs to be.
So what will this new commissioner work on first, his"relationship with the gov, or his relationship with the sportsman"?