List the State in which you live and hunt, predominantly...... List 5 or less Pros and 5 or less Cons regarding the Whitetail hunting within...
Kentucky Pros 5 months straight bow season One Buck Only 2 week firearm season Sound gameplan by DNR Cons Rifle season in PEAK rut Mid November One Buck Only :D KY has it good from my standpoint...As a selfish outlook, I wish they would back up the rifle season out of the peak rut a few weeks, and in turn make it 3 weeks long to compensate. That is the only piece of the puzzle missing between KY and states like IA and IL. The structure of the gun seasons IMO.
Ohio Pros Great Edge, Water, Cover, and Food Varied terrain Good, well fed Large deer Excellent Antler Development Good Snow cover in the winter Cons NO Mail in deer checking (yet) One Buck Limit, no Antler Restriction Limited Urban hunting Not enough cheap butchers :D
New Jersey Pros: Some of the best whitetail genetics in the Country. Extremely well fed deer(outside the Pine Barrens) Heavy deer- a NJ trait. A Plethera of whitetail habitat Long bow season In the early season- I can get out of the woods and still make the beach bars at night, without driving more than 30mins Cons: 65 days of gun season !!!!! Huntable land decreasing at a rapid rate. Way too many cars...My car is a better hunter than I !!! Too many trespassers and poachers. -With land at a minimum, for most, they seem to just hunt where-ever the hell they want. Most of the true MONSTERS live in areas that are closed to hunting. -They freakin' walk the streets and yards, mid day !!
Illinois Pros: Enough food for plenty of deer Only 7 days of gun hunting for a buck (3 days the weekend before Thanksgiving and 4 the weekend after). You can hunt it all here----river bottoms, steep hilly terrain, rolling farmland, or flat land with nothing but drain ditches. Sitting in a stand knowing that the buck of 1000 lifetimes could walk by you at any minute. Cons: DNR SUCKS!!! A late winter antlerless only season. We have found plenty of shed in December way before this season even starts. These bucks though are fair game since they are not carrying any antlers once this season comes in. Shrinking access to public land for the average joes. An alarming growth in outfitters moving in throughout the state. A large farm bordering ours is getting ready to sell. 960 acres should bring a pretty penny. Call in check station. To easy for a deer to just be called in with a wrong tag and then skinned out before anyone knew any different.
PA Pros- We do have a TON of public land, much of it isn't the greatest habitat, but we do have a lot. Cons- Too many hunters Too many hunters obsessed with shooting any buck (aka "I got MY buck!") Too many hunters who still shoot bucks, then check legality later Socially acceptable poaching Underfunded & short staffed wildlife LEO's
