In 2015 Non-resident hunters accounted for 11% of the deer permitsissued, 8% of the total harvest (15,468 deer) Crossbows were 50,734 & vertical bows came in at 32,991 Archery has surpassed gun in harvest numbers I believe that happened in 2012. In 2010 the heard was at an unhealthy number, so we had liberal bag limits. Now we are at a healthy number & people are not seeing deer numbers like they did & think its a problem. So the ODNR has to balance between having an unhealthy number of deer & having happy hunters - thankless job!! Next year I believe the ODNR is going to start having smaller units to manage deer limits. Currently it is by county and next year it will be broken up into smaller units. Also read that non-resident fees will be increased, no insight onto how much the increase will be. The ODNR has sent out surveys asking what people would be willing to do in order to increase deer numbers, guess what, NOBODY FAVORS DOING ANYTHING!! So people complain that numbers are down, but don't want to change what they are doing to help increase the numbers. IMO the ODNR just needs to say we are doing x, whatever x is, evaluate the numbers/complaints at the end of the season and adjust accordingly. People do not like change & will not self-regulate, so the ODNR will have to step-in & do it. OP, public hunting is tough, probably be even tougher next couple years. Do people shoot huge bucks on public? Absolutely, they do but it is not easy & they put in some serious time scouting & being in the woods - good luck!! If you want some good reading on the deer #'s in Ohio here is a good read http://wildlife.ohiodnr.gov/Portals...ations/hunting/Pub 5304_DeerSummary_R0916.pdf
What's wrong with Ohio and Ohio's public land? These are in no order... -The self entitled, party hunting, poaching Amish. They drain our natural resources and game all the while exempting themselves from any sort of public service; police or military duties do to the religion. They have no issue raping the land that our brave men and women, friends and family members have served this country to protect. They will take what they can and not give back. -The ODNR's money grab with out of state hunters. This does not affect the majority of Ohio's hunters who hunt private land, only those who rely on public land to have a place to hunt. You cannot even find an empty parking lot in NorthEast, EastCentral or SouthEast Ohio. -Crossbows. I could not care less if people have a problem with me having a problem with the average crossbow "hunter" in Ohio. Find a crossbow hunter here in Ohio and you will find a corn pile 20 yards away. I am not saying all crossbow hunters in Ohio are hacks, but I haven't met very many who aren't. Crossbows have been legal in Ohio for bow season since the mid 1970's. -Baiting. Though I do not have scientific numbers for this but I would bet damn near anything that 75% of hunters here in Ohio hunt over corn. Telecheck. Only an idiot cannot understand that telecheck enables poachers and in some cases probably pushes the deer tagging ethics fence rider to poach. If they get their deer home without being caught they do not call it in. Out the next day looking for another.
Sorry I wasn't clear. What could stop them, that's the 2nd post in this thread about them destroying hunting one area at a time. Are they not regulated or they just don't care? Too many for the CO to handle? Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
One game warden per county policing 100k Amish hunters plus the rest of us. They do not care. They destroy everything they touch. They are a disguising bunch the way they treat animals, logging, fishing and hunting.
So I guess that is damn near impossible. I honestly had no clue they were that ruthless. Do they pay taxes, dumb question maybe. Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
They pay state and federal taxes. They do not pay social security or medicare taxes. They also do not have to have health insurance, or any other type of insurance.
Speaking strictly from experience here in WI, the issue is two fold. First, as "meat hunters" there tend to be a number of single rifle shots at last light in the middle of summer. It is hard to not make an assumption in that situation. Secondly, a single family can easily produce 6+ licensed hunters (the most I have known of was 13). In WI this year that would result in 6 tags per hunter with just the base archery and gun licenses (additional doe tags were available). Put 36+ tags in the hands of those that don't value conservation in a relatively small geographical area and you have problems. Obviously, the potential poaching is an enforceable control. Though in a close knit community i assume information would be difficult to collect during an investigation. However, the cultural mindset is a whole different issue. I will say that there are a few that get it, but they are the minority in the Amish community (here in WI). Sent from my XT1254 using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
What is it, a sense of entitlement with the Amish? Because I've heard this about them on numerous occasions.
I honestly didn't touch into the Amish problem as I haven't experienced it first hand in Ohio. However I have heard the same sediments that where expressed here expressed by other reliable hunters I know. And knowing first hand how they ( the Amish) treat resources in NY I don't doubt for a minute that what these guys posted on here is accurate. As to the reference that people that aren't residents aren't qualified to comment, well you just have to take that for what's it's worth from where it came from and that isn't worth much. I probably have had about close to a dozen Ohio archery licenses over the years. I was fortunate to lease a very good farm for most of that time, I also spent some time on public land as well as private ground that I was graciously given permission to hunt. I also know that I have been and continue to be extremely fortunate for the amount I am able to bowhunt each year in Ohio and as well as many other places. So with that preface I have seen Ohio bow hunting through more then a decade. To to say it has changed for the worse is an understatement. For my part I attributed it to mostly crossbow use bringing non bowhunters into the bow season. I am sorry but the attitudes and behavior I witnessed soured me on the weapon. With that use I seen more and more nonresidents influx into certain areas and I could fully understand and agree with some of the local resentment that I seen. Even 15 years ago Ohio had more pressure then other states that had similar reputations as big buck states and it always amazed me that it could produce the quality of bucks yearly that it did. I have sat out the last three Ohio seasons and opted to hunt other states for many of the reasons expressed in this tread. However I can see myself hunting it again when the right opportunity presented itself ( mostly a very good lease or exclusive access).
I HATE baiting. But i do it like crazy. Why? Without it...id sit all season and watch my neighbors kill deer. Its really that simple, if you cant beat em, join em. Okay with that aside, heres my issue with Ohio: We are a "Everybody should hunt, get young hunters to hunt, lets all just hunt hunt hunt", kind of state. We will never be Iowa, Kansas or any of the trophy midwestern states. yes we have GIANT bucks, but they are cornpile fed urban deer. And the amish. The amish are a cancer for hunting.
Haha keep trolling little man... Remember one thing... you can type all you want and you can be a keyboard warrior all you want. You have spent a fraction of time hunting ohio compared to what any avid bowhunting resident ever will. I forgot though, you know everything about anything. You just lack the credentials to back it up. Just remember, I don't pay people to take me hunting. And I can gurantee you, any resident will gladly take a crossbow hunter who knows his limitations enough to use a crossbow because he doesn't have the time to be proficient with a compound, than an out of stater who comes here and shoots young deer with potential....
There are slob hunters of all kinds. Choice of weapon doesn't dictate a person's hunting ethics. I know plenty of people shooting compounds thay have zero business hunting with them and would be more ethical foe them to use a crossbow. Just like the gun hunters who walk out the door opening day without shooting their gun since the previous year. They sling lead like it's free... driving every wood lot they can come across. Until the state puts some sort of regulations on the amish, you will never stop them from killing deer in mass quantities. They operate much like the plague, they wipe out one area and move on to the next. Spreading death and destruction to everything they touch
To add to my previous list. -Deer drives. I have heard rumblings of the dnr looking at outlawing them. I will believe it when I see it. The Amish would go off the deep end if deer drives were put to a stop. However, I am sure they would keep doing them considering they poach and ignore land boundaries already. -Pay to play deer hunting on private land is why public has become so crowded (other than out of state hunters). 10 years ago you could knock on a door and get bow hunting permission. Just doesn't happen anymore.
Exactly. I knocked on 3 doors and made one phone call last week... rejected each time (politely, at least). It's all about the almighty dollar now. My skin crawls every time hear a "deer drive" story. I think crossbows should be banned from archery season, with the exception of youths, seniors and injured or disabled folks. I'll never apologize for that stance. It's not the same as bow hunting. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Our problem in VA is people using hounds to hunt. Drives me absolutely crazy! You set up a hour before daylight on the opening morning of bow season and as soon as the sun peaks out they will "let em run" which is illegal during bow season to train or run deer during that time but they say they are hunting fox. Sounds like no matter where you are someone with other hunting styles always causes conflicts. Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
I agree about the crossbows. It's been legal where I live for about 8 years and now season has went down hill tremendously. Every gun hunter just walks the woods with his xbow and sits under a tree. Stinking the woods all up. Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
