Is Gun season to long???

[Musky Buck]

Good points to all. I don't think a late late muzzy season would be a positive since in places we'd be tagging bucks with antlerless tags possibly. I don't think we can compare to other states moving rifle opener back with the resident population of rifle hunters we have I'm not sure that it would do much with our tagging systems we have, I'm game to try it though. The constant in all of this is how much pressure the deer are under and for the price of our tags who's giving it up? So coming up with a perfect plan for all 3 phases of hunting with winter being an equalizer isn't an easy task. I think pressure wise you tag your deer would be the fairest way to go, population booms then a buck and doe tag per hunter in that zone. The amount of time in the field ???

[Coach1310]

Quote:

I would be curious to see what the results of this question might be if it were posted in the Deer forum instead of the Bowhunting forum... I think it is easy to say "yeah the season is too long for gun hunters" when you are a bowhunter and that is your passion/weapon of choice...

I don't think one bowhunter has commented that that gun season was too long. Did you read any of the posts?

Yes stick... I read all the posts. I didn't say that Bowhunters only want whats best for them or they think gun hunters are the problem or any of that... I am one of you...... I was just throwing out the idea that it would be interesting to hear what those who DON'T bowhunt think.... I think by getting the opinon of more folks who just gun hunt you would have a better representation of what the hunting community as a whole thinks...

We all like to hunt... that part is obvious, but you could flip the coin and post a "Is the Archery season too long??" In a Rifle Hunting forum and it would be the same thing... by asking the question there you are focusing the discussion on one side of the issue... just my opinion

[benelli_dude2002]

I hunt in Ontario quite a bit ( only bout an hour from here ) and the rifle season up there runs from the early october to mid december. was up there last weekend and never seen another soul and thats what i like. was slim pickins for me that last couple seasons here close to home in MN and looks like I will be holding another used tag with muzzy season winding down. never did bother with bowhunting this year. i personally think there would be a lot less hunting accidents if the gun season was longer here in MN. we could go on for days on this topic. just my 2 cents. be safe out there.

[vister]

i know todays muzzleloaders are capable of shooting beyond 200 yards, but the shooter is a whole nother story. i pulled up on a nice buck two weeks ago with my smoker. looked good through the nockers, but my site covered the entire deer up, so i didn't shoot. he was at 200 yards. so, i believe we only have 9-16 days where you can harvest deer beyond 200 yards, and if one practiced more, 100 yard shots with a bow are possible, not that i think someone should do it!

[Musky Buck]

My answer is yes in farm country. A realistic look at it might be there are I'm guessing like 400,000 antlered bucks in MN before bow opens. If that number is correct that means over 100,000 people will not get one no matter what and that's saying we shoot all of them so really 250,000 or more hunters will not tag a buck in MN from year to year and that's juts the way it is. The volume of hunters is the issue and not tagging your own buck is part of the big issue. There's just a lot of issues, 9 months from now it will start all over again !

[lakevet]

Quote:

I would be curious to see what the results of this question might be if it were posted in the Deer forum instead of the Bowhunting forum... I think it is easy to say "yeah the season is too long for gun hunters" when you are a bowhunter and that is your passion/weapon of choice...

I don't think one bowhunter has commented that that gun season was too long. Did you read any of the posts?

Alot of archers are gun hunters. 95% of the archers I know gun hunt also.

[jigginjim]

i know todays muzzleloaders are capable of shooting beyond 200 yards, but the shooter is a whole nother story. i pulled up on a nice buck two weeks ago with my smoker. looked good through the nockers, but my site covered the entire deer up, so i didn't shoot. he was at 200 yards. so, i believe we only have 9-16 days where you can harvest deer beyond 200 yards, and if one practiced more, 100 yard shots with a bow are possible, not that i think someone should do it!

A 100yard shot with a bow is only done by them who have no ethics.

Muzzler loader season was designed for primative weapons, but now we have guys shooting deer at 200yards. That not much differnt then hunting with a single high powered rifle.

I also gun hunt as well as bow hunt. But the muzzle season has become longer than it needs.

[BLACKJACK]

As a bowhunter I can't get with the idea of saying the gun season is too long, archers get 100+ days, I can't begrudge gun/muzzy hunters 25 days (9 gun + 16 muzzy). Lets be fair. Give gun hunters the solitude of getting out during the week with fewer hunters around.

One aspect of the long gun season that I don't like is that it takes the deer a long time to settle down after the gun seasons for that late season bowhunting - but thats why they call it hunting.

[mskyfshntchr]

But the muzzle season has become longer than it needs.

Ever since I have hunted muzzy season- which is 20+ years now it has been 16 days. How has it suddenly become longer than it needs?

[Musky Buck]

I hear ya, I don't think it's as much length of season as pressure has increased as land has been broken down into small parcels. If we would shoot and tag our own deer and call it a season that would help more than anything,but many want to continue on guarding their property, can't blame em, minute I'm gone I have those problems, looking for that buck that was bigger than the rifle buck, or for the chance to simply harvest more deer, with party hunting,cross tagging,wife tagging,bonus permits, with muzzy being a second chance for those that have not or have shot a deer, it only seems right that our deer numbers are down compared to a few years back. There are many variables and hopefully the DNR folks will adjust accordingly. I think when deer numbers are down there is nothing wrong with hunters taking a deer and having to tag it,then maybe people would be a bit more selective, sure many will skirt the tagging system. I certainly don't have the answer to help statewide deer hunters, all I know is my early deer yard numbers in my swamps is starting out at an all time low.

[N7709K]

If gun season was too long and they were shooting too many deer, how is it that i can hunt the first two weekends and not see a single deer?

[Musky Buck]

Because since the 9 day season began with bonus tags numbers plummeted and what's left for deer is searching out the best areas in your area leaving many areas void of deer because they don't need certain properties because there aren't as many deer around. That's why like you N7709K and me we saw squat this year because of the slaughter beginning in 2003-2007. We need old zone 4 back to split up the hunters and the slaughter, used to always see lots of deer in the 2 day season, since the 9 day I see half as many and you'd think with more days you'd see more but once the first weekend is done, your odds shrink dramatically.

[jkjkoda]

Do gun hunters really get the full affect of hunting like bowhunters do? Deer are being pushed hard during gun seasons as well as the hunters themselfs that they have to get a deer. Where they are more at ease during bow season.

Just my 2-cents

[LightningBG]

Do gun hunters really get the full affect of hunting like bowhunters do? Deer are being pushed hard during gun seasons as well as the hunters themselfs that they have to get a deer. Where they are more at ease during bow season.

Yes, they get the full effect of gun hunting. Do bowhunters get the full effect of hunting vs spear hunters or knife hunters? (I do gun and bow hunt) Its the full effect of something different. I would compare it to a musky fisherman saying a crappie fisherman isn't even really getting the full effect of fishing.

Personally I think the season lengths are just fine. The bowhunters (myself included) get a pretty good opportunity before gun hunting begins. If too many deer are being harvested in an area they should give out less tags to each hunter or less tags in general. Cramming everyone into a 2 day time period doesn't seem like a good idea.

[Code-Man]

Personally I would not mind the gun season being extended or having an early season doe state wide then strictly a buck with a point restriction. Yes it is nice to shoot a deer but I would like the gun season only to be extended if there is a point restriction. I fear without a point restriction and seasons being lengthened that every girlfriend/mother/aunt will be "hunting" or atleast tagging a deer from work if you know what I mean.

[Musky Buck]

Yes Code-Man that's a part of the issue. Like my neighbors, they shot more deer than they could possibly eat in a years time rifle hunting, but yet come muzzleloader every stand had 1 of them in it. I don't know how or who tagged them, how would I know if there were 1 or 2 people in each stand as they are completely boxed in or officially how many they actually got, I did see enough gutpiles to know rifle went pretty good for them. They all were able to save their own tag to continue on. But, it's just a piece of the whole puzzle, do I think deer numbers will rebound there it'll be tough. They were allowed 3 tags a piece yet this year. If the tag supply would be cut to 1, but then when they come back they'll up it again, it's so hard for the DNR because 2 miles away there's half the hunters/pressure, it's tough, but whatever our regs are I'll just go do my best to outfox the very few mature bucks that travel the neighborhood.