Emergency Deer Committee Meeting

[Myreezoning]

First off let me start by saying, I hope no one thought we dropped the ball on the deer survey or having these discussions on managing our deer herd. However my Mom has been sick and finally passed away on Thursday, so I have been busy with taking care of her affairs. Thank you to all who have expressed their condolences and sent well-wishes they were very comforting to both myself and my family.

 

Last night the Federation of NJ Sportsmen called a meeting of their deer committee with the Division of Fish and Wildlife, UBNJ, Fish & Game Council members, several gun clubs and Federation Chapters throughout the state present. The meeting was skillfully managed by Ray Spzond who kept it orderly and moving. Many things were discussed, the Division showed us their up to date deer harvest numbers, UBNJ presented to the Division the results of our Deer Survey and then it was opened up for questions and comments.

 

I believe every conceivable angle was looked at not only to effectively manage whitetails in NJ, but to provide you the customer with a quality hunt. Ray has arraigned another meeting with the deer committee, the Division and UBNJ in the near future to discuss our game code proposals to the Fish and Game Council. I can honestly say that I came away with the feeling that every man and woman in that room is committed  to solving this problem. To me it's always been an honor to work with such dedicated people, such as Ray and many others who want what is best for the sportsmen.

 

There will be proposals and compromises made but in the end all I want to come out of this is FAIRNESS for all NJ Sportsmen.

[JHbowhunter]

Thank you... Condolences regarding your Mother.

 

I will re-post my "rant" regarding game council meetings from the other thread...

 

I would love to start attending them, I have a lot of views both personal and collected from dozens of very active deer hunters regarding the overall state of the deer herd. It's just unfortunate that there are held 10am on a Tuesday - I have to work!

 

Things that need to be discussed:

Shorter seasons (especially gun seasons)

Elimination of unlimited antlerless.

Re-zoning public land and WMAs and the immediate areas surrounding them.

 

Deer are a "cash cow" for this state. It doesn't cost a penny to make them, and the sportsmen spend millions in license and permit fees, not to mention added state tax revenue obtained by sporting equipment and clothing sales. Imagine a business where you don't have to pay to produce a product and charge substantial license and permit fees to consume it??? That is what we have here in NJ. However - once the product dips below acceptable, quality levels - the Purchase and Sales departments will be the first to suffer, and revenue will drop all around. NJ Fish and Game - wake up because it's right on your doorstep. You didn't factor in the brutal winters and heavy coyote predation as well as spring bear fawn consumption in time to set your 2015 Deer regulations. You missed the opportunity to do the right thing, don't make it worse going forward by ignoring the real-life, real-time intelligence provided by the best field study team you have - WE HUNTERS.

 

We want "2 flexible buck tags per calendar year to be used at the hunters discretion of season and weapon (and you can charge a premium for those to be sure no loss in revenue)", and we want the all out unlimited slaughter of antlerless deer to stop in the zones that clearly have been overharvested, like zone 5 for example. There are ways to better balance the deer herd, keep the product quality high enough to keep us engaged, and STILL get your revenue. One example that would achieve those goals is to triple the cost of Non-resident licensing and permits, to put us on more of a par what other states charge us.

 

Another item to address is constant human pressure on public lands. By really adding the extended shotgun days, these lands are being "driven" multiple times a week, if not daily in many cases. The deer will only return to these areas to be hunted, if the pressure subsides. Unfortunately most hunters, and particularly those with the "gang" mentality won't show their own restraint, if you provide the days, they paid for a license, they won't stop. You have effectively created situations that have pushed the deer out of huntable areas into the areas they can't be hunted. Stop deer drives on public land and stop all shotgun hunting after 6-day firearm.

 

I could go on, would love to attend a meeting, but can't in these time slots...

 

Sincerely,

Jack Harris

Edited January 21, 2016 by JHbowhunter

[Bucksnbows]

Sorry to hear about your mother.  And thank you for taking time to let us know about the meeting.  Many hunters (and anglers) falsely believe that the Division works in a bubble when it comes to management, but the truth is that hunter/angler/trapper traditions and desires do find a place in the mix.  We just need to make our feelings known which is what a meeting like that did, so kudos to everyone involved with that and who took the time to fill in the questionnaires.  To be clear, we won't always get what we want.  Such as, if hunters want a 200,000+ size deer herd in NJ, the Division will overrule and for good reasons.  But if we work together, compromise can and does happen.  I have seen it many times, especially with trout regulations where I have been highly active over the years.  

[Rusty]

Sorry about the loss of your Mother.

 

Thank you for the time and effort that you are putting into our deer situation and for keeping us informed. 

[Axiom]

 " But to provide you the customer with a quality hunt. "

 

Oh that's just great.. Now the government considers us "customers"...

 

The government and all its branches belong to us, the people. Act like it..

[rebelboy]

Sorry about the loss of your mother.

[BowhunterNJ]

Sorry for your loss Jack, and thank you for the update as well as yours and everyone's continued help in bringing these issues to the table with the NJDFW and other hunting organizations throughout the state.

[outdoorslife]

Sorry for your loss, Jack. My condolences. 

 

Im glad to hear that things went well and seems like everyone was on board with trying to figure things out in a little more depth as time goes on. Great job as usual!

[not on the rug]

Sorry about the loss of your Mother.

 

Thank you for the time and effort that you are putting into our deer situation and for keeping us informed. 

This.  Exactly this.  Sincerest Condolences...

[3Blade]

My condolences.

Thanks for your effort and time! I am very interested to see who comes up on the short end of the "compromise".

[Myreezoning]

Appreciate the support, hopefully the compromises will have little effect on how each of us hunt and a bigger impact on our deer management.

 

Support your organizations, the Division is not the enemy, we can do this together!

 

More to follow

[jerseywhitetails]

Here's the bottom line let's cut back on the deer seasons and stop with the unlimited antler less deer harvest the end and let's revisit this topic in 5 to 10 years

[TheGreek]

Sorry for your loss. Hopefully some good creative solutions come from these meetings. Also ignore the Loon

[Bucksnbows]

! I am very interested to see who comes up on the short end of the "compromise".

That's so subjective depending on what weapon type or types one hunts with, when (rut or non rut), etc. You could argue just about anything. But if the majority of all deer hunters were happy with changes made, it would be all good. Trouble is, there are too many variables when it comes to deer hunting seasons and bag limits.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[3Blade]

^ I agree with you about it being subjective and I too would like to see changes be fair to all hunters. My point is that when there is compromise between the people and government, the people usually come up on the short end. I feel like I have compromised  long enough with what I consider a mismanagement of the deer herd and having to pay for that privilege. I truly applaud the time and effort guys like Jack are investing into this, but I sure as hell hope something is done quickly and doesn't take a few more seasons.