hunter numbers

[keith meador]

how does the dept tally the total hunters and the means in which they hunt during the deer season. i know that the weapons harvest totals are posted, but how many are just bowhunters or gunhunters. is there a way to break those numbers down instead of an estimate. the total number of permits sold give a baseline, aside from landowner/tenant numbers. how do we account for the bowhunter that does not harvest an animal? or gun hunter who doesnt harvest an animal? i think i read somewhere that 270,000 permits were sold, and the total number of deer harvested were around 125,000. is there a way to track hunting weapons other than harvest data? i know of several people who harvested multiple animals, so that actually makes the hunter success ratio lower, by individual.

[Highbow]

Keith, I would hope that John Gassett can provide the total number of deer tags but how they define what part are achery hunters versus gun?

[CSS archer]

You also have to consider landowner permits. I thought it was said that the "free" licenses issued a few years ago cost the Dept. $60,000, at $.50 each going to County Clerks, that would mean 120,000 landowner hunters. Until there is a handle on landowner hunter numbers we will never know how many we have or real harvest rates. It is a SWAG.

[keith meador]

true joe, they only have to report the harvest, not the fact that they are hunting. if they are unsuccessful, they are not a statistic. its like it never happened.

you have to fill out a survey for dove hunting, why not one for deer hunting. make it part of the automated permit sales in which the vender cannot issue the permits until the info is gathered. the equipment is already there, and paid for, might as well use it.