Is it time to expand deer hunting

[hammer4reel]

1 minute ago, Tarhunt said:

Ever heard of a crossbow? 

How many big bucks you shoot with one ?

[Tarhunt]

6 minutes ago, hammer4reel said:

How many big bucks you shoot with one ?

Several. 

[3Blade]

55 minutes ago, Bucksnbows said:

Let me calm some nerves here. State senator Smith has been pushing this off and on for at least the last 15 years. He has the liberal tree hugger Preservationists who don’t hunt or understand hunting or the access issues we have as hunters where deer herds are not in check, but they have his ear and they push for things like market hunting. I have been approached several times to sit on these task forces, and there was a time I actually did and thought I could make a difference, but it gets to be a hot mess because politicians listen to the wrong voices.  
 

As with all his past attempts, nothing new will happen here and that’s largely a good thing. I will never understand why liberals think they are smarter than everyone else especially in areas where they have zero expertise in. This is just one of those examples yet again.  

Thank you Brian! You just talked me off the ledge

[hammer4reel]

50 minutes ago, Tarhunt said:

Several. 

Betting you shot a lot more with your gun . 
 

[nmc02]

1 hour ago, Russ 11 said:

Why do a lot of guys hate EAB ?  Just curious , why do away with it ?  

I hate it very 3 reasons....too hot, Easier to kill a buck that is in summer pattern, and depletes the herd (as intended). We are our own worst enemy....kill all the deer and wonder why there are not many deer. 

[Russ 11]

5 minutes ago, nmc02 said:

I hate it very 3 reasons....too hot, Easier to kill a buck that is in summer pattern, and depletes the herd (as intended). We are our own worst enemy....kill all the deer and wonder why there are not many deer. 

1 . If it’s too hot then don’t hunt early . No one is forcing you .

2.  If it was easy even you would hunt in September .  Lol 

3. Depletes the herd ?  So it’s bad to shoot a doe in September but it’s ok for guys to slaughter them in January and February ?  
Sorry Nick not buying it . Agree to disagree   🍻

[archer36]

Seasons are already long  enough. Deer are not a problem in expansive public lands. Only on private lands where access is limited or too small to properly/legally hunt. Drive through some suburban neighborhoods and you will see deer on people's lawns. You go into a piece of land, 100's of acres and see no deer. I see deer all the time on my way and returning from a hunt in places that can't be hunted for various reasons. 

Edited February 23, 2023 by archer36

[nmc02]

1 hour ago, Russ 11 said:

1 . If it’s too hot then don’t hunt early . No one is forcing you .

2.  If it was easy even you would hunt in September .  Lol 

3. Depletes the herd ?  So it’s bad to shoot a doe in September but it’s ok for guys to slaughter them in January and February ?  
Sorry Nick not buying it . Agree to disagree   🍻

I don't think slaughtering deer anytime is good. I learned from my mistakes as a young hunter. I will NEVER hunt EAB...even if there is a monster (REALLY). You asked why some guys don't like EAB and I told you. I think our season should start Oct. 1. My opinion. It drives me nuts when guys rush out and shoot a doe in the early season and don't even want to eat it....but that is simply none of my business. I do not feel like hunting in Summer weather is not MY kind of hunting. 

I can go out almost anytime and kill a deer....and I like it that way. I would hate it if one day there are no deer left. 

Lastly, no reason to shoot young bucks (unless your a jr./sr. hunter)...does taste better. Once again, none of business but my opinion. 

 

Edited February 24, 2023 by nmc02

[Pathman]

9 hours ago, JHbowhunter said:

Just need to open up bow hunting in restricted areas. We do not need longer or more seasons or more liberal bag limits. 

I would agree, however, that’s easier said then done, and wishful thinking at best. 
Think for a minute what you’re asking, think of much of the private property areas that have an over abundance of deer (and big bucks, which I mention because if we didn’t have so many “buck hunters” we’d have less of a problem, but that’s for another discussion), the majority of which are areas with homes that have some acreage attached. Maybe it’s one, two, three+ acre lots with fairly large to McMansion size homes right? 
Do you honestly believe for a minute that the majority of these homeowners are going to simply say “sure, you can bow hunt (firearms is as much a non starter as introducing mountain lions!) my backyard where my kids and their friends play and my pets roam, oh and it’s no problem if you shoot a deer and it runs 40-50 yards and sprays a blood trail across my manicured lawn and my petunias, and death runs past the kids swing set and dies in front of my big picture window while we’re eating dinner.” 
C’mon guys, if you think that will happen in enough instances to actually make an impact you’re delusional! 
That’s why we have this dilemma in NJ. The pockets of habitat created by the type of development we have, given the general affluence of our state, is the reason we have an out of balance deer density. 
As much as we all have our own solutions, or suggestions, on how to try and fix the problem, and still have a plentiful enough deer herd in areas that are accessible to hunters, has proven to be unattainable to date. 

It would be a monumental and impossible task for F&W to try and divide up the state into such small parcels or zones, that it would allow hunters to have an impact, besides, without private property permission the entire endeavor would be useless.

I do agree though, continuing to lengthen the overall seasons and bag limits on state lands will not have the desired effect either. 

It’s a tough situation for sure. 
 

[vdep217]

36 minutes ago, Pathman said:

I would agree, however, that’s easier said then done, and wishful thinking at best. 
Think for a minute what you’re asking, think of much of the private property areas that have an over abundance of deer (and big bucks, which I mention because if we didn’t have so many “buck hunters” we’d have less of a problem, but that’s for another discussion), the majority of which are areas with homes that have some acreage attached. Maybe it’s one, two, three+ acre lots with fairly large to McMansion size homes right? 
Do you honestly believe for a minute that the majority of these homeowners are going to simply say “sure, you can bow hunt (firearms is as much a non starter as introducing mountain lions!) my backyard where my kids and their friends play and my pets roam, oh and it’s no problem if you shoot a deer and it runs 40-50 yards and sprays a blood trail across my manicured lawn and my petunias, and death runs past the kids swing set and dies in front of my big picture window while we’re eating dinner.” 
C’mon guys, if you think that will happen in enough instances to actually make an impact you’re delusional! 
That’s why we have this dilemma in NJ. The pockets of habitat created by the type of development we have, given the general affluence of our state, is the reason we have an out of balance deer density. 
As much as we all have our own solutions, or suggestions, on how to try and fix the problem, and still have a plentiful enough deer herd in areas that are accessible to hunters, has proven to be unattainable to date. 

It would be a monumental and impossible task for F&W to try and divide up the state into such small parcels or zones, that it would allow hunters to have an impact, besides, without private property permission the entire endeavor would be useless.

I do agree though, continuing to lengthen the overall seasons and bag limits on state lands will not have the desired effect either. 

It’s a tough situation for sure. 
 

I don't think Jack is talking about opening 2 or three acre lots.  I know a few sizeable pieces in Ocean county that once were huntable than tge County bought them and put up no hunting signs.  Ocean county doees not do control hunts.  County property is either huntable ir its not

[Batsto]

11 hours ago, mazzgolf said:

That's one of the first things I was thinking of. I'm like, I drive around Wharton all the time and I certainly don't see an abundant, overpopulation of deer!!! But I do know there are plenty of people out on the edges of the 'burbs that feed a herd of deer like its their pets. It ain't the state forests where the over-population of deer live.

My neighbor is a deer herd feeder and I have counted up to 32 different deer that are regulars. She walks among the deer like St. Francis. The young deer wag their tails like dogs as she brings them corn. 

[hunterbob1]

5 minutes ago, Batsto said:

My neighbor is a deer herd feeder and I have counted up to 32 different deer that are regulars. She walks among the deer like St. Francis. The young deer wag their tails like dogs as she brings them corn. 

Nice!

[Pathman]

16 minutes ago, vdep217 said:

I don't think Jack is talking about opening 2 or three acre lots.  I know a few sizeable pieces in Ocean county that once were huntable then tge County bought them and put up no hunting signs.  Ocean county doees not do control hunts.  County property is either huntable ir its not

Properties like that would certainly help, but without all the surrounding private land incorporated, which is impossible, you have a constant feed of new deer back into the areas that can be hunted, this makes the effort to reduce densities very difficult. 

[hunterbob1]

1 minute ago, Pathman said:

Properties like that would certainly help, but without all the surrounding private land incorporated, which is impossible, you have a constant feed of new deer back into the areas that can be hunted, this makes the effort to reduce densities very difficult. 

Division relocate's bear s is there a  program in the future to relocate deer into the Big woods

[Pathman]

15 minutes ago, hunterbob1 said:

Division relocate's bear s is there a  program in the future to relocate deer into the Big woods

No idea Bob, but I believe deer don’t do well physically with relocation efforts, and it would likely be cost prohibitive on the scale necessary to make an impact. That’s just my opinion of course.