So we don't get too far off track with the albino deer thread I figured I'd break this one off on its own, as I do feel it warrants its own discussion. Everyone's favorite member atlasman recently posted this. To which I would like to respond. As someone who lives in the suburbs, and has my entire life, I feel like I have a pretty good handle on this situation. While I certainly don't believe most of us live in suburbia simply to get away from nature and hunting I can kind of see where you're coming from. There are certainly an amount of "those people" in the suburbs however they don't represent the majority, or even a small part, of the folks I've known in my life. In fact a lot of those people want you to come kill a few deer so they don't eat their plants or run out in front of their cars. Like many things in life the extremely vocal, and often uneducated, minority interest group gets the attention and makes it appear like "everyone" is against hunting in the suburbs when that's not actually the case. I must have missed the part where anyone was forcing their way of life on anyone else? Unless we're taking photos of deer we've killed in the suburbs, printing them out, and stapling them to trees along the road in the neighborhood I don't see where this is happening at all. I'm in agreeance that hunting the suburbs does require a certain amount of tact and respect for those who don't agree with hunting. There are cases when people adopt the "If you don't agree with me I'm going to try to piss you off on purpose" mentality which IMO is doing nothing to help hunting, but that seems to be a very small amount of people. For many people hunting in the suburbs is the only option they have. And while it may look easy from the outside I can assure you that's not always the case. Many a "tame" deer has eluded suburban hunters year after year proving this point.
I couldn't agree more. I grew up hunting bucks and Montgomery counties in Pennsylvania. They are suburbs of Philadelphia. By far my favorite place to hunt that I have yet. I miss hunting there and trying to get permission currently. It requires a level of tac as Justin said. It also requires a whole new skill set. People think because these deer smell people all day that they don't need sent elimination. I have found they need it more. Those deer key in so much on where the smell is coming from. I have been winded many to es on my land in the country. But because deer are used to be going out there from time to time to mow or check cameras or whatever, they are used to a small amount of my scent in the woods. But those small patches of woods in the burbs often don't get people much, and those deer know people smell better then any. So when they catch you where you shouldn't be, they are gone. Also, you have a tom more variables that go into it. Dogs in yards, kids playing, traffic, joggers, people watering plants, the list goes on. All of those things will spook a deer that on its way to you at any given time. You might think you have a slam dunk spot and the neighbors decide to play Frisbee with the dog that afternoon. Its not easy. Just look at my wall, its not covered with racks I promise. And its nessessary for deer management. Bucks and Montgomery counties are so over ran they can't sell all the doe tags they have available for those areas. Way over ran with deer, which causes a lack of safe haven for them and a lack of food. Its bad. And if left alone, would be 10 times worse.
I live in a suburban area where i have seen the biggest bucks in my entire life and they are all protected because it is illegal to hunt in my town. Yes, I would love to hunt in my backyard but unfortunately it is nearly impossible to find somewhere to hunt that is far enough away from another building. The biggest issue we have is all the bucks keep tearing up our white pines during the rut making rubs I think its pretty cool but my parents don't want their trees dying because of the deer. Yes deer can be a problem in the suburbs so I think most citys should allow regulated hunts within the city limits. This guy started the white pine massacre a few years ago in our backyard. I'm 20 min from Detroit.
We in Minnesota have MBRB, Metro Bowhunters Resource Base to tackle this issue of urban deer. I feel it's a good thing and I believe every year the complaint pile is low. It's organized very well here and no one leaves gut piles laying out or they do their best to snow cover the blood trails from kids and dog walkers. On a bit of side note envy, I have seen HUGE racked up deer living in our metro woodsy areas, living in peoples back yards but you can't hunt them, shucks
This is my mother in law. She feeds the deer by the house all year and then can't understand why they come eat all her bushes in late winter when food is tough to find. They never used to do that until she made them comfortable in that area and they started looking for food there.
I used to hunt a farm next to a development we lived in when I was younger in Pennsylvania. No one ever complained. There is always going to be someone that your not going to make happy whether your hunting, mowing your lawn on a Sunday morning or having a bonfire. Like Justin said a bunch of people in housing developments want you to shoot deer so they dont eat their plants, flowers and gardens. As long as you are respectful and try not to intentionally upset a homeowner if you have permission I feel you have every right to hunt suburban deer. Another thing to consider is the people who have hunted a family farm their whole life and have the land next to them developed, should they have to quit hunting their own land because they might upset someone?
I used to help run an archery "city" hunt in a town of 15,000 people. Hunter's needed to apply to this hunt and then participate in a proficiency test shooting at 3-D targets. Best 50 scores got permits to hunt. Being a top 50 scorer didn't mean you were a good hunter or knew the best shot selection, but at least you could shoot and it did help eliminate wounded deer etc. We did get complaints every year from people that enjoyed the deer and didn't understand why they were being shot or were afraid for there own lives or their pets lives, but majority of the comments received were requesting more deer to be shot because people couldn't grow gardens or shrubs or trees etc. This hunt is in small town Minnesota, where people probably grew up around hunting and understood it so complaints were limited. I can imagine this would change if it were a larger city where majority of people did not grow up around hunting. I have no issues with suburban hunts, but the hunter needs to understand that they can, with one poor shot selection or action, single handedly destroy that hunt (dragging deer through yards, gutting in a yard, taking poor shots and generally being an idiot.) In our hunt, if you needed to trail a deer and do a follow up shot or if a deer died in a yard etc, you were required to contact a cop or the like to make the whole ordeal a little more official looking, so it wasn't some guy in camo bloodying up someone's yard. Like it or not you're going to be held to a higher standard.
My property buts up to what is essentially a suburb a gated community. I had the suburbanites complain about the 100 Cornish cross roosters I was raising and the crowing was driving them crazy. They were going to complain to the township about zoning. My property line is the township line and I live in an unincorporated township, so that complaint didn't go far. The thing about the suburbs that makes it difficult to hunt is people, when people live close together they kinda lose their collective minds, not as bad as the people that live by tall buildings, but a degree of common sense is gone. My youngest sister lives in the city, she eats meat and is pretty normal except when the topic of deer hunting comes up. I sent her the pic of my buck and she went on a tirade how I am a serial killer and how I stalked it with cameras and planned the murder. Then again she had a guy come and trap in her house when they had an issue and she went with a company that told her that they were a trap and release company. I explained to her that no licensed exterminator can trap and release animals, they were killing every thing that they trap.
Justin you forgot this great quote: I know a handful of people(Some on here and some not) that would find this remark hilarious.
The deer where there before the houses. People moved in and took habitat away, and some want to protect them and others want them all gone. They just opened up hunting in some towns here in Wisconsin to help curb some of the deer. Heck my wife's boss just shot a 160 class buck and there is two more that hang out there that are bigger. I feel if the town, village or city says its okay then the media has nothing to say. If not there will always be flamers that want to stir the pot. Just my 2 cents worth. Beefie
I have no problem with people hunting suburban deer. Heck, I do it 5-7 times a year, and do it correctly. Even if I kill a deer early, I wait until the coast is clear to drag out the deer. Atlasman just runs his mouth.
I don't know anyone in the suburbs that moved there to get away from hunters or country life. Around here the burbs are full of people who left the city to get away from all the city life problems, but want to be close enough to commute. We all need to realize that atlas has worked hard to put himself in a position to have HIS OWN hunting property and that the only way to be a real hunter is to do it just like him. Don't bother asking for hunting permission, don't hunt the suburbs and don't ever call him fortunate.
Shhh.....I was experimenting lol and I realize that, But what I didn't realize was how strong the herd was by my house until cams went up.
The "suburbs" are sub-URBAN regions, not sub-COUNTRY regoins. People went there to escape the city, not escape the country. Where I am we have a duty to hunt suburban deer b/c their population is bonkers.
Long Island boys and girls! Some of us dont have a choice, this is where we live. I love hunting here just as much as when we run upstate! Hunting whitetails with a bow is tough anywhere we hunt them! They are not stupid, trust me, still hard to kill deer. Just my opinion!!
You're kidding right? Of course suburban deer should be huntable. Have you seen the buck pics Sharpeyesam posts pics of...those deer need managed as much and maybe more than any.
I work just outside of a pretty good sized town with a D-1 school sitting on the outskirts. As I pull into work, the deer walking around out number the hot chicks in yoga pants 2:1. No hunting is allowed and they are freaking everywhere.
