fishon
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LAST EDITED ON Aug-14-08 AT 09:53PM (MST)[p]It appears to me that once a deer unit is shut down for a period of time and then re opened on a limited basis for hunting, the quailty of bucks as well as the numbers of deer drastically increase. (This of course makes sense since there is no hunting)
Now Units that this is done on and elk are not aloud to thrive on seem to be deer factory's. The Henry Mountains being the model. Now the Paunsaugunt is another story. Closed down, limited tags but it is also a limited entry elk unit. San Juan is another deer unit that has a limited enrty elk unit on it as well as the Book cliffs.
The Bookcliffs has lots of deer but few true monsters, also the bookcliffs might have the best deer habitat in the state. So that unit should be managed seperatley then any other deer unit. Imagine how our deer would be on the Books if they didn't get pushed around by the elk.
The pauns struggles because of a couple reasons.
1. all the damn landowner tags that get turned into muzzle loader permits and 2. the limited entry elk status of the unit. (why don't we treat elk on this unit the same way we do the Henry MTNS"? Shoot em all.
San Juan is an average deer unit at best when at one time it was the states best. The only variable there is the increase in elk population.
So my question is this.
Are we prepared to shut down deer hunting in this state for 5 years, double the amount of elk hunting to satisfy the hunters that want to hunt, make all deer hunters continue to buy their license every year for 5 years (thus securing their permit in 5 years when the hunt re-opens) because the DWR needs their money. And then regulate hunting on a much smaller geographical area? Meaning smaller hunt units, more primitive weapon hunts, shorter seasons, etc.
Are we also prepared to participate in the most intense predator managment program known to mankind, and are we willing to fund it?
The current ideas going around are simply bandaid approaches to fixing our deer herds. Having a managment hunt for deer is not the brightest thing I have herd, meaning three points or less on one side and not more then 4 points on the other as a managment hunt.
We need to fix this now so we have deer hunting in 10 years. We need to get our elk plan fixed and start hunting thess bulls that go undisturbed and we need to kill every coyote that thinks about eating a deer.
What do you say? Would you buy a license for 5 years knowing you were not gonna hunt deer for 5 years but then get to hunt again? Would you donate to kill the coyotes? Would you support killing more elk? All of this to save our deer herds.
How important is deer hunting to you? What are you willing to give up and still keep opportunity once the deer are fixed?
How bout some ideas.
Tony Abbott
Now Units that this is done on and elk are not aloud to thrive on seem to be deer factory's. The Henry Mountains being the model. Now the Paunsaugunt is another story. Closed down, limited tags but it is also a limited entry elk unit. San Juan is another deer unit that has a limited enrty elk unit on it as well as the Book cliffs.
The Bookcliffs has lots of deer but few true monsters, also the bookcliffs might have the best deer habitat in the state. So that unit should be managed seperatley then any other deer unit. Imagine how our deer would be on the Books if they didn't get pushed around by the elk.
The pauns struggles because of a couple reasons.
1. all the damn landowner tags that get turned into muzzle loader permits and 2. the limited entry elk status of the unit. (why don't we treat elk on this unit the same way we do the Henry MTNS"? Shoot em all.
San Juan is an average deer unit at best when at one time it was the states best. The only variable there is the increase in elk population.
So my question is this.
Are we prepared to shut down deer hunting in this state for 5 years, double the amount of elk hunting to satisfy the hunters that want to hunt, make all deer hunters continue to buy their license every year for 5 years (thus securing their permit in 5 years when the hunt re-opens) because the DWR needs their money. And then regulate hunting on a much smaller geographical area? Meaning smaller hunt units, more primitive weapon hunts, shorter seasons, etc.
Are we also prepared to participate in the most intense predator managment program known to mankind, and are we willing to fund it?
The current ideas going around are simply bandaid approaches to fixing our deer herds. Having a managment hunt for deer is not the brightest thing I have herd, meaning three points or less on one side and not more then 4 points on the other as a managment hunt.
We need to fix this now so we have deer hunting in 10 years. We need to get our elk plan fixed and start hunting thess bulls that go undisturbed and we need to kill every coyote that thinks about eating a deer.
What do you say? Would you buy a license for 5 years knowing you were not gonna hunt deer for 5 years but then get to hunt again? Would you donate to kill the coyotes? Would you support killing more elk? All of this to save our deer herds.
How important is deer hunting to you? What are you willing to give up and still keep opportunity once the deer are fixed?
How bout some ideas.
Tony Abbott
