Deer stand, spot and stalk, or deer drives

[can't miss]

I'm sure this post will raise some discussion, but here it goes. I have been hunting deer in the 90's WMU for probably 35yrs or more. I've seen the tag allocation go from a lottery draw, where you didn't always get your tag every year, to being allowed up to 6 tag's per yr, ( 1 applied for, and 5 extra's), then to being able to buy 1 extra, and to where we are this yr, 1 tag per hunter.
That said, either the deer population varies greatly yr to yr, and yes I understand it does change somewhat do to hunting pressure, weather and predication, but from 1 tag, then up to 6 tags, then back to 1 tag per hunter??? Makes one wonder how precise the MNR deer counts and survey's are??
As hunter's, this also beg's the question, who need's more than 1 deer, or maybe 2 top's in any given yr???
We hunt black powder, not by choice, but to be legal. As a group of 4 or 5, we've always put some venison in the freezer, and most yrs, more than not, have tagged out. We stand hunt, tree stands, ground blinds, and have always shot bucks. None of us are biologist, but have always figured you shoot a buck, pretty good chance there will be another buck you didn't get to service the does, and the herd population stay's relatively stable.
Now I have never been a part of a deer drive, never will, it just doesn't seem like sportsman like hunting. But I've seen alot take place. Not saying its not hard work, and requires marksmanship, but to have a dozen guys line up, and a few others drive the deer past them, that's just a meat harvest. Doe's and yearling's are the first to break out of the bush, down they go, and more often then not, many are wounded only to die later and go to waste. A coyote may take a fawn, and don't get me wrong, I despise yotes, but dropping healthy doe's to fill extra tags, Do you not maybe think that knocks down the yr to yr population more so than any bush dog?? A healthy doe can throw twins for 10+ yrs, over time that's 20 or more deer taken out of the population, for what, that extra bag of pepperettes?
One hunter, one tag, that's more than enough. Please don't snotagram me back, no I wouldn't rather them taking out someones vehicle, or worse, but I also don't want deer populations so low that we're back to a lottery were you don't always get a tag either.
Good Luck next week, hunt safe

 

[Jwalsh]

Lots of good points in your post, bu I would prefer there be two tags available, one for the bow season and one for the shotgun. One deer really isn't that much meat for a whole year.

 

[paddle maker]

I'm relatively new to the sport, and perhaps it is due to warm weather, but I have yet to even see a deer this year. Last year by this time I had seen a few. I didn't harvest any but I did find a doe some one else had shot and lost, So I did have some in freezer.

 

[trky chsr]

You make some good points but also prove that modern deer management works. We were only allowed one tag and when the deer population climbed to a point where it was encroaching the carrying capacity of the habitat the MNR increased the tag allotment. Now that did the trick and dropped the population so now we are back to one tag again. When the population increases again the MNR will no doubt increase the tag quota. It's not an exact science with weather and to a lesser extent habitat loss (in this area) but obviously it works. The tricky part is keeping all the hunters happy and we all know how that is working. TC

 

[berkly]

(SOUTHERN BRUCE COUNTY, ON) - Between October 1, 2014 and October 28, 2014, the South Bruce Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) investigated 26 motor vehicle crashes with deer. There were no injuries reported at any of these scenes.
Still lots of dear out there, I agree one tag for the bow and one for the controlled hunt...

 

[Gunner_1]

I agree as well 1 bow tag 1 for the controlled in my area not seeing a lot of deer yet.But as the rut starts i think i will see more
but i only hunt bow i don't like the idea that shot gun hunt starts right at rut time i think the bow hunter should get the right to hunt the
first part of the rut we get the end as the rut don't last to long correct me if i'm wrong but it don't matter anyway after the controlled
hunt the deer are to scittish and move after dark more than they do before the shot gun hunt

 

[Paul Hodges]

man o man , can,t miss, I thought that I was the only to think, like you do, why does there have to be so many tags out there for one person, I will never figure that out and to just surround them with ten hunters and kill everything in site is definitely not hunting, definitely a slaughter only, no sport in that, especially when you only hunt on the still and not pushing and while sitting there people walk thru and drive and kill everything in your area and leave with nothing left for you, especially when you are hunting legal like and only one with permission in that area to do so, I almost hate going out anymore

 

[tailfeathers]

From my point of view shooting only bucks is a very flawed approach to management of a population.I don't hunt antlers nor eat them.Truthfully i would i would rather harvest a nice doe or even a fawn.Far more tasty for eating than some in rut buck that tastes strongly of testesterone.There is a reason that we farmers casterate the males of all animals that are raised for meat.To make better meat and control aggretion. To harvest some does and fawns helps control the upward growth of the herd.The extra tag flaw was when they gave so many out in the first 2 hunts that the deer population was trimmed deeply for the 3rd hunt.I know my choice to hunt then as i like to bow hunt and do some mentoring of new hunters again my choice. Pennsylvainia has in place a system to slow and check the herd in that you must harvest an antlerless deer to shoot a buck,the buck then must have 5 or more points or you have to let him walk.And it's working great the population is now down to what the habitat can handle.

 

[Moose man]

Ni

From my point of view shooting only bucks is a very flawed approach to management of a population.I don't hunt antlers nor eat them.Truthfully i would i would rather harvest a nice doe or even a fawn.Far more tasty for eating than some in rut buck that tastes strongly of testesterone.There is a reason that we farmers casterate the males of all animals that are raised for meat.To make better meat and control aggretion. To harvest some does and fawns helps control the upward growth of the herd.The extra tag flaw was when they gave so many out in the first 2 hunts that the deer population was trimmed deeply for the 3rd hunt.I know my choice to hunt then as i like to bow hunt and do some mentoring of new hunters again my choice. Pennsylvainia has in place a system to slow and check the herd in that you must harvest an antlerless deer to shoot a buck,the buck then must have 5 or more points or you have to let him walk.And it's working great the population is now down to what the habitat can handle.

nice idea now if they would also stop the army's from driving deer we would have a good system

 

[ch312]

The MNRF offers extra tags for each individual WMU that has too many deer to bring the numbers down to a healthy population. They do surveys to get an idea of how many animals are in each area and determine how many deer need to be harvested each season.

There are too many deer in Ontario, hence the 17,500 additional tags being offered for plenty of WMU's cross the province.


Here's a link that shows how many additional are available for each WMU during each season.

 

[Moose man]

Just a question too many deer by whose standards insurance companies or actual field work by underfunded biologists just a thought

 

[ch312]

Just a question too many deer by whose standards insurance companies or actual field work by underfunded biologists just a thought

I'd assume the MNRF does population surveys to get a rough idea of how many deer are in each area and I know they do use hunter surveys to get an idea of how many deer there are out there which is why it's important for every hunter to complete the surveys in a truthful manner. This is why there is a different quota set for each WMU each season


That said, you don't need to be a biologist to see there are too many deer around here.

 

[Moose man]

I'd assume the MNRF does population surveys to get a rough idea of how many deer are in each area and I know they do use hunter surveys to get an idea of how many deer there are out there which is why it's important for every hunter to complete the surveys in a truthful manner. This is why there is a different quota set for each WMU each season


That said, you don't need to be a biologist to see there are too many deer around here.

Well I haven't herd of any disease because of over population and haven't seen any starving to death in the winter so what leads you to think there are too many deer here

 

[ch312]

Well I haven't herd of any disease because of over population and haven't seen any starving to death in the winter so what leads you to think there are too many deer here

The MNRF offering 17,500 additional tags is a good indicator that there are too many deer. Roughly 17,500 or so more than they think the province should have.

 

[WinSX3Tom]

We all hunt and we all hunt different ways, just because you do not like one way of hunting doesn't give you the right to look down upon the others that do. Deer drives are a quick and ethical way of hunting if the members practice, sight their guns in and have fun doing so. The controlled hunt in my opinion is a "Meat" hunt that is why you are given antlered or antlerless tags for the "Meat hunt". Why is it that as soon as some of you bow hunters pick up a bow and get your first deer with it you then look down upon the rest of us that still use guns? Quit trying to be holier than the rest of us.
We are all in this conservation and hunting thing together so instead of looking down upon people how about embracing the fact that we are all out there hunting and doing what we love.

I take it if you don't like deer drives you're against hunting with dogs??

We all enjoy what we enjoy. I do agree that there should be equal opportunity to get extra tags for everyone in the WMU not just the ones who happen to get to the service Ontario center before everyone else gets a chance. Extra tags should be put into a lottery and anyone who buys a deer tag should be able to apply for an extra tag lottery in a WMU of their choice.

 

[Moose man]

We all hunt and we all hunt different ways, just because you do not like one way of hunting doesn't give you the right to look down upon the others that do. Deer drives are a quick and ethical way of hunting if the members practice, sight their guns in and have fun doing so. The controlled hunt in my opinion is a "Meat" hunt that is why you are given antlered or antlerless tags for the "Meat hunt". Why is it that as soon as some of you bow hunters pick up a bow and get your first deer with it you then look down upon the rest of us that still use guns? Quit trying to be holier than the rest of us.
We are all in this conservation and hunting thing together so instead of looking down upon people how about embracing the fact that we are all out there hunting and doing what we love.

I take it if you don't like deer drives you're against hunting with dogs??

We all enjoy what we enjoy. I do agree that there should be equal opportunity to get extra tags for everyone in the WMU not just the ones who happen to get to the service Ontario center before everyone else gets a chance. Extra tags should be put into a lottery and anyone who buys a deer tag should be able to apply for an extra tag lottery in a WMU of their choice.

 

[Moose man]

Well when your gang numbers are more than 12 people you are breaking the law right out of the hunting regs but that doesn't seem to matter to some and that should be stoped and I'm not just a bow hunter I also go in the controlled hunt and when you are hunting anything that is public land the drivers don't have enough respect for others to give a guy a chance they drive the bushes while you are in there I have no respect for that so you have your opinion and I have mine