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

[Rusty]

Yesterday there was 1 truck parked in the parking lot at Hamburg Mountain WMA.  This morning there were none. 

 

Is the craziness of 6-Day a thing of the past?  Now that bow season is 5 months long, we can use crossbows, modern muzzle loaders are basically single-shot rifles, muzzle loader season opens a week before 6-Day, etc. etc.   It seems that very few people hunt 6-day anymore.  

[tcook8296]

Gun season no one longer sits. Its push push push. Trespassing, thieves brown and down.

Its sickens me to watch what hunters will do to the herd for the next 2 and a half months.

Id say its over

[Haskell_Hunter]

The herd is largely improperly managed.  I used to go out and hunt zones 3 and 6 during 6-day.  Now I avoid it like the plague.  Drives and dicks happen in the woods during 6-day, no real hunting to speak of.  Why bother with all that crap?

[buckhound]

not in this part of the state lol i seen so many trucks parked at beginning of dirt roads a man could put a kid through college taking them in to where they hunt and picking them up at dark.......

[Farmshine]

Yesterday there was 1 truck parked in the parking lot at Hamburg Mountain WMA. This morning there were none.

 

Is the craziness of 6-Day a thing of the past? Now that bow season is 5 months long, we can use crossbows, modern muzzle loaders are basically single-shot rifles, muzzle loader season opens a week before 6-Day, etc. etc. It seems that very few people hunt 6-day anymore.

I’d say as we “knew it” it’s over. Where it’s going time will tell.

 

 

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[bill43]

Still a lot drivers in area I hunt. But what I don't see many of anymore on 6day is stand hunters.

 

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[hammer4reel]

It has not been 6 day for years . Its now 2 1/2 months in most zones.

No urgency anymore for this week

[SPEARFISH]

I was out.  Saw a bunch of guys, heard some shots, saw some deer and my dad got one.  I'll post a report later.

We had fun.

[TroutandBucks]

Yesterday i barely heard any shots all day so who knows but with 6 months to hunt I dont think the need for people to get out during 6 day is there

[JHbowhunter]

Gun season no one longer sits. Its push push push. Trespassing, thieves brown and down.

Its sickens me to watch what hunters will do to the herd for the next 2 and a half months.

Id say its over

 

But that part of it has ALWAYS been there. Actually in reality  -  the big traditional deer gangs of Sussex County are nearly gone... I grew up into that.  I didn't like it much, when I picked up the bow at age 20 it was quite liberating and I learned how to read deer sign, patterns, food sources, wind direction, stand location, and shot selection.  I lost interest in shotgun hunting over 20 years ago. So much has changed though, the "traditional 6-day" season really needs to change, starting with TWO buck tags...  Ending with "no gun hunting after 6-day, sans a few doe-days".

 

I sat 6am to 8:30 yesterday with bow, and 2:45pm till dark.  All I saw were several fawns in morning and one lone doe, and just two fawns in afternoon.  I sat in what is arguably the best stand location I have ever known.  However - I already knew that with the full moon and post-rut, the odds of seeing a decent buck to shoot at were as slim as slim can be, combined with all the "pre 6day" activities of all the last minute scouters and bait-dumpers leading up to it.  I heard 3 shots in z5/Fredon in morning, and 2 in afternoon.  Nothing within a mile either.

 

I know this much - where I used to dream of taking off the entire week (but never was able to), I now refuse to even waste a day on 6-day.  The amount of hunting pressure from archery and the popularity of baiting has these deer completely nocturnal and educated, and the only thing that kept them moving during the day leading up to 6-day was the rut.    If the deer were moving on their own - there would possibly be less inclination for the trespassing deer drivers.  I say give the deer a break - they earned it.

 

The way deer hunting has evolved into 5 months of crossbow hunting - I think it's time to separate bag limits/tags from seasons and permits...

1) tags should be about quality and management

2) Seasons and Permits should be about revenue

 

There is a way to "de-couple" them, as I keep harping 2 flexible buck tags a calendar year, NOT to be affixed to any specific season, permit, or weapon.      Antlerless tags must be better managed per DMZ.   Also time to decouple WMA's and Public land from general DMZs, they need much tighter antlerless restrictions.

 

I swear with just a little bit more thought put into it, there is a way to offer a better quality product that keeps the majority happy, while still taking in the almighty dollar...

[buckfever1974]

I think it started with the introduction of the early muzzleloader season for sure.  But even so, the early muzzy season isn't as crowded as it has been either.

[Bucndoe]

I'm in Stokes. There were 10 trucks in here yesterday. Not one except mine now

[jerseybowhunter]

It's crazy I was just thinking the same thing, I've only been hunting 11 years but I remember sitting my uncles stand in a huge swamp and having clubs driving the highlands around it all week long, hearing a dozen or so gunshots a day, yesterday was ideal hunting weather and I heard 1 club way off and 2 shots from the same guy. I didn't see a deer all day yesterday, I'm sitting my bow stand today in the oaks and saw 4 so far. The past few years my trusty swamp stand really died out because it relied on clubs and other hunters pushing the deer to it. I guess it's a good thing, I just need to adjust to it and start sitting my bow stands this week

[buckfever1974]

 

There is a way to "de-couple" them, as I keep harping 2 flexible buck tags a calendar year, NOT to be affixed to any specific season, permit, or weapon.      

 

I know it's a complete money grab but if I bought the buck tag for extended bow and I want to hunt the doe days I have to buy a second buck tag and then muzzy would be a third.

[dlist777]

It's kind of a good thing though...no?  Not necessarily good that a tradition is dying, but that we have so much more opportunity to hunt.  It's just so much more spread out and I think (all in all) that's a good thing.