This weekend, Oct. 16-19, there is an antlerless only season here in parts of Wisconsin. I'm interested in hearing your thoughts on any aspect regarding this hunting practice. Personally, I'm anti-state and pro-private property and feel it should be up to the property owner to decide how to best take care of his or her property including any deer (as long as he or she doesn't harm anyone else's property). I know it's a topic of debate here in Wisconsin and it would be interesting to hear some different perspective.
i will be hunting cazenovia in two week, from IL... i would agree with you 100% if its your land or the land owner has given you permission then harvest what you please... these rules should only apply to public land.
Well if your on private land who says it has to apply? Sure it is a doe season but that does not mean you have to go gun hunt it. Just leave it be and let the surrounding areas get hunted and all it can do is give the deer your spot as a safe haven. I will be leaving my private area's alone and hunting public and as a bonus the farmer said he did not want any rifles being used on the property so bring on next week. Good Luck, T
Personally, I am in favor of the state regulating the deer herd. IMO it is impossible to leave this task up to landowners as they are so many varying types of thought on the matter, some from people who honestly don't belong having an opinion. Not to mention the deer on their land aren't only on their land and thus dont belong to them. It is a state-wide resource and thus regulation should be left to the state. As for whether or not they do an effective job, that is a whole other story. In regards to the antlerless season this weekend, I'm all in favor of it, for certain areas of the state that have too many deer (does in particular). Yes, I realize that some bowhunters may think it's interferring with their hunting, but they have plenty of time to pursue a buck with their bow and arrow, and the best time is yet to come. Plus this affords the rifle hunters a chance to earn their buck tag before Opening Day, which has been a major complaint of a LOT of gun hunters for years now. Remember, we as bowhunters aren't the only people in the woods who like to hunt deer. I think a lot of times we forget that and adopt a very selfish "me" attitude.
EDITED did not see the following: As for whether or not they do an effective job, that is a whole other story. Especially when it comes to CWD.
Until you own enough land that a deer can't reach your property limits, you should have to follow the rules. Owning land doesn't give you the right to act like God.
Great input guys! I have been on the fence with the antlerless seasons (and earn a buck season for that matter) since I began hunting quite a few years ago here in Wisconsin. There are questions I don't think can be answered in this situation such as: Can states or a Department of Natural Resources manage property and game better than private landowners? Who knows individual pieces of property better: the state or the property owners? Sure there would be some cases of mismanagement by landowners, but the need for antlerless imposed seasons by the state implies that there's a problem with herd management right now under state management. I've always been a believer in trying to maintain a proper buck to doe ratio so the antlerless idea makes sense, but the question is who should be determining the proper ratio. Can we even know what's proper or does nature find a way to determine for itself? I have to say that I feel the opposite of Justin and believe it's impossible for the state to handle this task. But there is also the issue of property concerning the deer. Deer can travel long ranges during the season so it's difficult to determine property rights over the game. If management were up to the property owner I think it would have to be up to the state system to enforce individual property rights. Either way I can live with the antlerless season. I can give up a few weekends now knowing I have a 4-5 great weekends of the rut coming up to bow hunt before rifle season starts. I'm also a rifle hunter so even though I enjoy bow hunting much more I have nothing against using a gun to harvest game.
good pts! we arent the only hunters in the areas and i'll bet it is nice to have that buck tag day 1. rybo ur right even though the land has our name on the title, we cant act like God. i WOULD be a little upset though if it was my ONLY weekend to hunt and i had to take a flat-head with buckwinkle standing broadside at 20.....
Isaiah, that actually happened to me about five years ago. I was sitting in my stand bow hunting with the required blaze orange on (you can bow or gun hunt) during the antlerless weekend and had a nice 9 point buck walk within 15 yards of me. Nothing I could do. Frustrating, but not the end of the world. I did take a doe later that weekend so there was still some venison in the freezer, which is always a plus.
Yea we had to deal with a doe only ML season during archery season, but the kicker was that even if you were hunting with a bow, you couldn't shoot a buck. MANY guys skipped that week or broke the law when faced with a shot at a buck with thier bows. Fortunately bowhutners can once again shoot bucks during that time. Now people just break the laws and shoot bucks with thier ML. So...it's a no win. I may not understand or agree all the laws the state puts up, but I feel its better than every joe schmoe landowner having at it.
Most Game management people are doing a super job with what they have to work with. I know in Oklahoma they have done an outstanding job because I'm seeing bigger and more nice bucks every year or part of that could be me improving as a hunter I guess. Anyway a friend of mine that is a captain in wildlife enforcement here told me that the auto insurance lobbys play the biggest role in setting seasons and limits, at least in Oklahoma. I imagine they play a big role in your area also. The only problem I have with shooting a doe is I always get the nagging feeling that when she comes into heat she may lead a monster to me! so I hold off usually. Of course we don't have any doe only days here except for the first two weeks of January that I've yet to hunt anyway. Oh yeah, a couple of extra doe rifle weekends in December. I hunted one of them a couple of years ago because my new rifle came in late. A little doe came in followed by a monster 8 pt buck that never got within 100 yds. of me so I couldn't have arrowed him anyway. I let both of them walk and along came momma doe, guess she thought daughter needed a chaperone! I went ahead and took her, killed 3 deer with one shot!, she was pregnant with twins. They were about 6" tall and you could already see their little cloven hooves. BTW, my crosshairs were on the big boy while I mouthed the words bang! LOL lp
Another prob I have it gives the poachers a chance to wack one and let it lay and come back for it later. Plus the ACCIDENTAL killings of bucks so they say.
