Should archery season be lengthened?

[Pinefarm]

Should MDNR change the archery season dates so that it also would run from Jan. 1-Jan 31? The January archery season would be for only antlerless deer or antlered bucks having a total of 8pt's or more. This would be to protect half racks and the vast majority of yearling bucks with less than 8pt's during January only.
This would also allow hunters more time in the field to address MDNR's antlerless goals. And since many hunters cannot hunt much in December due to holiday commitments such as parties, work parties, family gatherings and religious services, it would also allow hunters more time afield in January, when really nothing much else is going on, expect perhaps ice fishing, steelhead fishing and rabbit hunting, depending on the weather.

[Erik]

I am for anything that lengthens hunting seasons. Especially bow season.

[Thunderhead]

lol I voted no. We have enough time to Bowhunt as it is.
December holiday commitments isn't a good enough reason to extend.
If you want to hunt, find the time.

I've also seen bucks that have lost thier antlers during January........

[halfczech]

I vote no. Starting with the youth hunt all the way to dec 31st is enough.

[farmlegend]

FWIW, we do not have a long archery season.

We have a shorter archery season than Wisonsin, Illinois, or Ohio. By a lot. I'll publish the numbers tomorrow.

In DMU's above objective, I'd have a 9/1 - 9/30 antlerless only archery hunt.

[Thunderhead]

I say 3 full months is enough for anybody, including the deer. :) If they survive that onslaught, they've earned the right to be left in peace till next Fall.

[GVDocHoliday]

I would vote against having it in January because by that time most antlered deer are no longer antlered and for some would make it difficult to identify sex of the animal.

NOW...

If the month of September were to be opened to lengthen archery season then I'd be aaaalllll over it. For the same restrictions as you mentioned above of course.

[Luv2hunteup]

I voted no but an all weapon antlerless season in September would get my vote. That would only be for DMUs that excede their management goals on deer per square mile, crop damage areas or low buck to doe ratio DMUs.

If you can't shoot a deer with an arrow in 92 days you're really not trying. ;)

[Pinefarm]

Farm, here's some area season dates...

Kentucky
Sept. 3– Jan. 16

Ohio
Oct 1- Jan 31

Illinois
October 1 - January 12

Wisconsin
Most of the state appears to be Sept 17-Jan 3

Iowa
Oct 1-Jan. 10 Late Antlerless Jan. 11 - 22

Kansas
January Whitetail antlerless season will be Jan. 1-8, 2006, and permits will be valid in units 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 19. No January season is authorized for units 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 17, & 18.

[One Eye]

I have a novel idea. How about just returning the archery season back its original length? Now we have a month of firearm hunting (in many areas of the state). A January archery extension may work in the SLP, but I would not support it in the UP or the NLP. Not enough deer in those areas already.

Dan

[Liv4Huntin']

Yes....... add a week of crossbow season the last week of Sept. ;) (shame on me, eh?)

NO----->> too much chance to take 'shed' bucks in Jan. The breeders need this time to recoup. It's generally tougher conditions of survival this month (excluding THIS year's weather) and they deserve a rest. They NEED this time to conserve energy. MANY does have been taken thus far, and the little ones, without their 'guides' may be having tough-enough times as it is avoiding coyotes and finding winter feed.

No, NO, NO. I definitely do NOT see this as in any way best for the herd.

~ m ~

[Nick Adams]

... allow hunters more time in the field to address MDNR's antlerless goals...

If the goal is simply to kill more deer it would appear to me that extending the firearms season (in the areas where populations need to be reduced) would be a more efficient means of achieving it.

If the goal is to expand recreational opportunities during the deer season, I'd rather see a "Primitive Weapons" season (recurve bows, flintlock/patched roundball/no optics) than an extended bow season.

-na

[farmlegend]

If the goal is simply to kill more deer it would appear to me that extending the firearms season (in the areas where populations need to be reduced) would be a more efficient means of achieving it.

Including the youth hunt, the late antlerless hunt, muzzleloader season, and general firearms season, there were 49 days of gun hunting in my area last year.

Archery-only deer hunting days numbered a grand total of 46. No other deer hunting state, to my knowledge, has its seasons skewed in favor of gun hunters as dramatically as does Michigan.

As to what's happened to our late archery season, I don't think anyone can reasonably argue with the following proposition: the presence of firearms deer hunters in the woods concurrent with archery deer hunters, detracts from the hunting experience of bowhunters in a way which the presence of bowhunters does not detract from the hunting experience of gun hunters.

Now that we have 47 out of 48 consecutive days of gun hunting (11/15 -11/30, followed up by 12/2 - 1/1), the late archery season just ain't what it was.

[weatherby]

I say no. I hear of too many bucks that have dropped their antlers bein shot in da UP in December already. That would just screw up the buck 2 doe ratio even more

[jimmyboy]

I voted no but an all weapon antlerless season in September would get my vote. That would only be for DMUs that excede their management goals on deer per square mile, crop damage areas or low buck to doe ratio DMUs.

If you can't shoot a deer with an arrow in 92 days you're really not trying. ;)

I think this proposal worthy of serious consideration.

[Chasin]

I say no. I hear of too many bucks that have dropped their antlers bein shot in da UP in December already. That would just screw up the buck 2 doe ratio even more

The same here...

I have shot two bucks between Christmas and Newyears that had already droped thier horns. A January antlerless would do nothing to help the buck to doe ratio.
A September "Doe only" season with gun or bow, I would be all for..:woohoo1: :woohoo1:

[Nick Adams]

As to what's happened to our late archery season, I don't think anyone can reasonably argue with the following proposition: the presence of firearms deer hunters in the woods concurrent with archery deer hunters, detracts from the hunting experience of bowhunters in a way which the presence of bowhunters does not detract from the hunting experience of gun hunters.

The argument doesn't seem terribly relevant to me when applied to your part of the state given that private landowners/leaseholders have the option of restricting the entire season to "archery only" if they so desire. You don't have to share the woods with anyone of you don't want to.

-na

[Pauly3511]

FWIW, we do not have a long archery season.

We have a shorter archery season than Wisonsin, Illinois, or Ohio. By a lot. I'll publish the numbers tomorrow.

In DMU's above objective, I'd have a 9/1 - 9/30 antlerless only archery hunt.



I do know Wisconsins rifle season is also only one week long or 9 days weekend to weekend so there is 7 days we got on them. Im not sure if what was posted Sept 17- Jan third if you can bow hunt non stop there or what. As for january in the U.P. it would be fairly useless for bucks I have seen many many bucks with no horns or half racks every year as early as the 3rd week in December, but I cant get away from anything that lets me sit in the woods longer, maybe im greedy.

[Ibow]

No - my wife would kill me. :p

[farmlegend]

The argument doesn't seem terribly relevant to me when applied to your part of the state given that private landowners/leaseholders have the option of restricting the entire season to "archery only" if they so desire. You don't have to share the woods with anyone of you don't want to.

You may have a point, if we were hunting parcels of, say, 2500 acres or more. But we don't. To suggest that deer behavior is unaffected by lots of gun hunters stomping around and firing their weapons all across the landscape that surrounds us simply because we don't have gun hunting on our little parcels is unrealistic.

[November Sunrise]

First post I ever made on this site (under my original screen name:) ) was floating this idea. I'd definitely be in favor of this for the units in zone 3 that have the late antlerless firearms season. The late antlerless season combined with muzzleloader season basically eliminates anything resembling a normal bowhunting opportunity in December.

I love to hunt in January. When I lived in WI I was near an urban DMU that was open through January, one of the best months I ever had hunting was chasing a mature buck in January one year. I never got a shot at him, but I had a blast trying.

I was perched in a tree last Thursday afternoon in Ohio - had a great hunt including a procession of 11 deer that came through just before shooting hours ended, but still dark enough where I couldn't take an ethical shot. Hoping to take my nine year old down there tomorrow afternoon for our final hunt of the season.

If it were up to me, archery season in zone 3 would open at the same time as WI, which I believe is the Saturday closest to the 15th of September, and it would close the same time as Ohio, which is January 31st. And firearms season would be the same as Ohio, 7 days beginning the Monday after Thanksgiving. I guess you could say that I'm on the opposite end of the spectrum from my fellow MS members who want to shorten bow season:D .

[OSXer]

I voted no. By this late in the year some bucks are already starting to lose their head gear and could be mistaken or purposely taken with the use of an anterless permit. While I am far more for venison as opposed to big antlers, it'd be nice to at least see more than just a few bucks each year in my area.

[Gilbey]

I say 3 full months is enough for anybody, including the deer. :) If they survive that onslaught, they've earned the right to be left in peace till next Fall.

Yup, that pretty much sums me up too!

[NorthJeff]

Don't gun hunters (including myself) shoot more bucks during the first 2 days of rifle than bow hunters do the entire 2.5 months?!?!

On one hand I'd like a longer bow season...but it wouldn't apply to me, and where I hunt, be necessary, or maybe even appropriate for where I hunt. However, even though I gun hunt, I think we should shorten gun season to a week or less, and keep bow the way it is. Also, gun hunters should always be restrictred to just 1 tag....when you only have 2 weeks to hunt anyways, why have two tags?

[Gilbey]

No - my wife would kill me. :p

lol, I'd have to 2nd that statement, she already doesn't see me from September scouting through Dec muzzle.

What's another 30 days ? An extensive ers beating.:bash: (That's one I won't even come close to winning):cool:

[UP Ed]

This discussion really only makes sense if we talk about the specific areas and there associated deer numbers and habitat. What is appropiate in the warm southern Michigan farm areas is big time different than the northern reaches of the U.P. Regardless of the area alot of bucks are baldes in January.

I think we should shorten gun season to a week or less, and keep bow the way it is. Jeff- I don't bow hunt (yet) but I sure would like more than "a week or less" to hunt whitetails with a rifle.

Like I said, I don't archery hunt yet but I have spent enough time in my tree blind in october to feel confident that if all I want is a doe I could do that in a "week or less".

-Ed

[NorthJeff]

I know what you mean Ed...just trying to offer perspective. I actually don't have a problem with either season...rifle or bow, but if one needs to be shorter based on number of bucks killed, # of bucks killed per # of days afield, it certainly wouldn't be bow. Again though, I don't see why not to leave it the way it is.

I also see that with going to a 1 buck license. There a lot of gun hunters that only hunt a few days a year that would love a 1 buck license even if it does nothing good, because it doesn't effect them in anyway....but there are more bucks killed by gun hunters probably in the first hour of the season, than the 2nd license accounts for the entire year. All about perspective though.

[fairfax1]

First, archery only in January is a big positive for me. I'd have to support it.


However,

It should only be for DMU's that are above goal.
For females only..no bucks, regardless of antler points.....no male deer whatsoever. Archers are better suited to determine if it is a buck with dropped antlers or a button buck.
It needn't be for the entire month of January. I'd be grinnin' if it was just for the first two weeks.
Make it a stand alone lisence with a separate fee from the other deer lisences.
If the MDNR wants to play a really conservative toe-in-the-water scheme they could do it on an 'restricted area experimental basis'........meaning, pick 3 or 4 counties in Dave Dominic's South Central District and give it a test drive.


OK, that's my suggestions on BBT's suggestion.

Now, for those who advocate extending the archery season into September........I cannot support that at all in the two DMU's that I hunt.

It is my belief that the vast majority of animals that are hit ...and lost....by archers occurs in just the first 3 weeks of October when foliage is the thickest. September would be as thick...if not more so. In fact, if this suggestion of BBT's ever came down to horse-trading I'd vote to give up the first two weeks of October for a 2-week extension into January.

[Trophy Specialist]

I'd like to see them lengthen it, but during Sept.

[Nick Adams]

You don't have to share the woods with anyone of you don't want to.
You may have a point, if we were hunting parcels of, say, 2500 acres or more. But we don't. To suggest that deer behavior is unaffected by lots of gun hunters stomping around and firing their weapons all across the landscape that surrounds us simply because we don't have gun hunting on our little parcels is unrealistic.
The desire to not have to share the neighbor's woods with the neighbor.

We have that up here too.

-na

[Adam Waszak]

The same here...

I have shot two bucks between Christmas and Newyears that had already droped thier horns. A January antlerless would do nothing to help the buck to doe ratio.
A September "Doe only" season with gun or bow, I would be all for..:woohoo1: :woohoo1:


You couldn't see the big circles on their head? That is not the season but the hunter

AW

[GVDocHoliday]

You couldn't see the big circles on their head? That is not the season but the hunter

AW


Have to agree with ya there...

[Razorhed]

I'm really surprised the vote is so much against an extended season. I really don't think very many more deer would be killed, but you, me, all of us could enjoy a wonderful time to be in the woods hunting - not necessarily - killing deer. I hunt the whole month of January in Ohio and not many guys actually head out to sit in freezing temps and 2 foot of snow. As far as killing too many bucks - HA! maybe we ought to look at the late antlerless gun seasons we have now - where a good majority of button bucks are getting wiped out. I never would have thought so many people - HUNTERS- would be against hunting more. If we would limit our harvest, limit our advantages and not rush to fill every tag the DNR passes out in the name of revenue we could have .... Stop! I just had a terrible thought. I just realized most guys would just throw some bait on top of that 2 feet of snow and ruin the whole thing. Forget it.

[Liv4Huntin']

And therein lies the rub.
~ m ~