Is the 6-Day tradition a thing of the past?

[TDietz]

Yeah, 6day is dead. Just another victim in the evolution of whitetail hunting. and nothing will bring it back, because you can't go back

 

I pretty much agree with JHb and his proposed plan. I've always been a proponent of ARs, but can undertand their negative impact, so maybe the regs should be 1 buck following AR guidelines and the other could be hunters choice. 

[DV1]

That is categorically false.    

LOL, that's a confident response. You're a data guy, so I assume you have data to back that up, I'd be open to seeing it. Or is this just one of those things that people say and it becomes gospel?

 

Tell what I did to support my statement. I found a NJ Division of Fish, Game and Shelfisheries, Whitetail Deer Report from 1972 that put the deer population at 100,000 animals. I also recalled a NJ Dvision of Fish and Wildlife deer population estimate in 2013 or 2014 of 105,000 animals. Considering the population estimate has been dropping every year for over a decade, I concluded it is about where it was in 1971, or a bit lower, according the the Division. So, if you have a better study of the deer population in NJ then and now for comparison, it would be helpful. I'm not really sure their methods are all that accurate but it's all we have to go on...unless you have something else.

[BHC]

SPEARFISH I had to borrow your link

 

If PA did it and proved it works, it will work in NJ:  http://www.pgc.pa.gov/Wildlife/WildlifeSpecies/White-tailedDeer/Pages/AntlerRestrictionsAreTheyWorking.aspx

[Haskell_Hunter]

SPEARFISH I had to borrow your link

 

If PA did it and proved it works, it will work in NJ:  http://www.pgc.pa.gov/Wildlife/WildlifeSpecies/White-tailedDeer/Pages/AntlerRestrictionsAreTheyWorking.aspx

 

Come and hunt with me in zone 3.  Then we'll talk about it working in NJ.  Maybe we can harvest 20 bucks during 6-day here, double the number from last year!

[BHC]

Come and hunt with me in zone 3.  Then we'll talk about it working in NJ.  Maybe we can harvest 20 bucks during 6-day here, double the number from last year!

I use to hunt zone 3 at times, and I hunt zone 4.....I don't need to KILL,KILL,KILL like most NJ hunters.....my area went from the average spike, forkhorn to now the average buck is a basket 6 or 8, and of course bigger.....What I see on my camera before season gets me hooked on certain bucks and I wait for them, I refuse to kill does in this area, and I did in 2012 and I'm still pissed off at myself for doing so

 

AR works, just that NJ hunters refuse to understand that, and refuse to accept it.....PA hunters had the same attitude towards AR years ago, now they are all smiles........NJ won't do AR statewide cause it will stop some hunters from hunting both residents and NON residents, therefore a lost of funds

[hammer4reel]

Come and hunt with me in zone 3.  Then we'll talk about it working in NJ.  Maybe we can harvest 20 bucks during 6-day here, double the number from last year!

 

are you 100 percent sure its genetics, and NOT lack of good habitat ??

​ Are the 5 year old 4 points 200# ?

or is the amount of nutrition there lacking ??

 

[JHbowhunter]

are you 100 percent sure its genetics, and NOT lack of good habitat ??

​ Are the 5 year old 4 points 200# ?

or is the amount of nutrition there lacking ??

 

I just said same thing on the APR thread... LOL

[Lunatic]

states like Illinois, Ohio, Iowa DO NOT have AR, it's the locals, and the outfitters that police themselves cause they rather have quality over quantity

 

AR works period, no matter what state it is, but it should be statewide......You can't have it for one zone versus not having it in another zone....We all know there are jerks out there who hunts a AR zone, but is desperate to kill, and kills a small buck and tags it in a zone without AR....

 

I don't know about that. If he kills a deer in zone with no AR why wouldn't he tag it in a zone with restrictions? Anyway cheaters will cheat but I don't think that's a main problem. I think managing individual zones is the way to go if done right, Why put restrictions on zones which are overrun by deer because some other zone 200 miles away has no deer?

[Haskell_Hunter]

I use to hunt zone 3 at times, and I hunt zone 4.....I don't need to KILL,KILL,KILL like most NJ hunters.....my area went from the average spike, forkhorn to now the average buck is a basket 6 or 8, and of course bigger.....What I see on my camera before season gets me hooked on certain bucks and I wait for them, I refuse to kill does in this area, and I did in 2012 and I'm still pissed off at myself for doing so

 

AR works, just that NJ hunters refuse to understand that, and refuse to accept it.....PA hunters had the same attitude towards AR years ago, now they are all smiles........NJ won't do AR statewide cause it will stop some hunters from hunting both residents and NON residents, therefore a lost of funds

 

Harvest #'s in zone 3 are continually declining.  You don't hunt zone 3 anymore.  That says a lot.  You're always welcome to come hunt zone 3 again.  Remember, we have APRs here, so you should be seeing slammers all over the place.  (I am kidding about the slammers, but you are welcome in zone 3).

 

are you 100 percent sure its genetics, and NOT lack of good habitat ??

​ Are the 5 year old 4 points 200# ?

or is the amount of nutrition there lacking ??

 

 

I am not sure.  The only data I have comes from the digest.  Declining harvest numbers in zone 3 year-over-year.  Yes, I am open to the suggestion that there are other environmental factors that are causing this.  If/when that data is available, you can bet that I'll be all over it.  As I mentioned in the other thread, I'd like NJ to produce a QDM/ARP report for those zones that have it.  I think that would be in the best interest of the hunters in those zones and of course it will start a discussion over whether the QDM/APR plans in NJ are actually working (and, of course, why where they put in place the first time?)  I'd be interested to understand if the state achieved their intended results.  If not, get rid of them and try something different.

[SPEARFISH]

I have not missed a 6 day opener since I started hunting 35 years ago.  I have killed some bucks and I have seen nothing, but I still go every year to be out there with my dad.  I always shot many more deer with the bow than I ever did with the gun.  

[hunterdan199]

I for antler restrictions state wide. , just not for junior or senior hunters .

[BHC]

Haskell I hunted zone 3 at times when I lived in Bergen County.....The harvest is down in that zone cause of less hunters. Many hunters have zero patience to wait on a good buck or they just want to KILL, period!!!! But I have seen some of the bucks coming out of zone 3 and they are impressive, like ZONE 4 you will earn the deer you harvest, and that is fine with me. Also hunting is expensive as we all know, so why should a hunter limit themselves to zone 3 or 4 where the chances of getting a deer is harder then in urban or farm areas, also in these two zones old school style of hunting comes more into play, one must need to know how to read deer sign

 

Zone 4 is one of a few zones that have less days then most other zones, the harvest allowed is less.....I know many hunters who abandoned zone 4 for the fact they want a deer and can spend the same amount of money and hunt a more liberal zone, that offers the taking of more deer and much longer seasons, and the drive for them is no different in terms of time and distance

 

If AR is statewide it will work, it will need 3 years maybe 4 years, but it will work. Can't have AR in say ZONE 3 and not in Zone 4, cause there are jerks who will kill a spike just for meat in zone 3 and then claim it as a zone 4 kill, we all know crap like that happens

Edited December 7, 2017 by BHC

[DV1]

  Declining harvest numbers in zone 3 year-over-year. Yeah, but that has been statewide as the population was cut in half.

 

 As I mentioned in the other thread, I'd like NJ to produce a QDM/ARP report for those zones that have it.  I think that would be in the best interest of the hunters in those zones and of course it will start a discussion over whether the QDM/APR plans in NJ are actually working (and, of course, why where they put in place the first time?)  They did do that. I thought I posted that for you somewhere else.

post # 45 from the link below for APR study in NJ for zones that have it.

 

https://www.njwoodsandwater.com/topic/18174-qdm-encouragement/page-3

Edited December 7, 2017 by DV1

[Rusty]

post # 45 from the link below for APR study in NJ for zones that have it.

 

https://www.njwoodsandwater.com/topic/18174-qdm-encouragement/page-3

 

The following is from that report DV1.  This is not a good thing if you ask me.   

 

"On average, each year we save 712 yearling bucks from harvest, and gain 30 2.5 year old bucks and 84 3.5+ year old bucks. In other words, we harvest 712 less yearling bucks but gain only 114 older age class bucks as a result of APR.  That means that 84% of the yearlings saved from harvest every year do not show up in the harvest as older age class bucks. Another way of putting it is that for every 6.25 yearlings saved from harvest, we get 1 older age class buck in the harvest. Therefore, 598 yearling bucks saved from harvest in the south APR zones do not show up in the harvest as older age class bucks every year."   

[smoking gun]

Zone 14 private tomorrow with bow let me see if I can get a crack at another buck.i will keep the tradition going and once my young ones are old enough they will be out 6day with me

Edited December 8, 2017 by smoking gun