Mule Deer Restrictions

[JG75]

I'd really like to see province wide LEH on mule deer.
Sept.1-Dec.20 You can shoot any buck you want.
It would bring in added revenue for Mule deer habitat restoration and it would spread out the hunting pressure and harvest pressure across all age groups.

Finally, someone talking some sense in this thread! I would be all for this. How do we propose this to the govt?

[Fisher-Dude]

And some are because there unwilling to give there tag for a junior hunter, because they have to kill it them selves.

If you have information on someone illegally using another's tag, report it instead of bitching on HBC.

We raised with the CO Service the issue of youth seasons and the jealous "hunters" who accuse the kids' dads of shooting the deer. At all levels, the CO Service has responded that this is not a problem and that their patrols, stings, and data shows that it isn't happening as the jealous are portraying it.

So, although we have grumpy geezers crying about a 12 year old kid shooting "his" deer, in the end it is just bitching by grumpy geezers that need something to bitch about. And here we thought youth were the "entitled generation."

[Fisher-Dude]

So don't ever listen to them.
How would they know what's happening, by being in the field all year and talking to hunters and checking what is being taken.
Better to read one of FD's studies instead.

They might know what's happening.

They aren't trained in the solution to what's happening. That's the purview of professional wildlife biologists.

[Salty]

Finally, someone talking some sense in this thread! I would be all for this. How do we propose this to the govt?

You can comment to this effect to the ministry right now, they're accepting and welcoming comment. But seriously, what is this going to accomplish other than making a small group of unqualified uneducated hunters have a warm and fuzzy moment? Mule deer are growing in numbers in many places in the province right now and you want an LEH? Is it because you want to hopefully get a draw and have little competition? The best of biologists certainly don't recommend anything like this in the proposed changes (which you can still comment on). Why do people continue to ignore the science and the experts? Million dollar question....

[Fisher-Dude]

Why do people continue to ignore the science and the experts? Million dollar question....

Million dollar answer: because those people confuse "conservation" with their own personal wants.

[JG75]

Let’s try to increase numbers? Leave a month wide open for any buck, then kill the archery season that kills very few bucks. Geniuses

Exactly! I am praying they dont take away late archery season. Ive been bowhunting for 3 years and Ive never gotten anything but it is still my favorite hunt of the year! Its the best time to get out there. Its quiet you dont ever run into "Truck Hunters" and stalking deer while they are rutting is by far the funnest time Ive ever had out in the woods.

[kootenaihunter]

Its the best time to get out there. Its quiet you dont ever run into "Truck Hunters" and stalking deer while they are rutting is by far the funnest time Ive ever had out in the woods.

Amen to that!

[Bugle M In]

Exactly! I am praying they dont take away late archery season. Ive been bowhunting for 3 years and Ive never gotten anything but it is still my favorite hunt of the year! Its the best time to get out there. Its quiet you dont ever run into "Truck Hunters" and stalking deer while they are rutting is by far the funnest time Ive ever had out in the woods.

OK, now I get you....
You might end up losing the Archery season, so, hey, if that is going to happen, everyone else should also lose that
right to hunt deer!!??
Why not just say all along what your issue is, which is just what you stated now...
"that you don't want to see the late season archery taken away".
Your right, it shouldn't be taken away.
If we are all going to hunt for just one mule deer annually per person, then just leave the seasons alone!.
Reducing to 1 mule deer tag should be justification enough to say we are trying to let mule deer come back.
I see that scenario enough just at home and being apart of a Strata.
"If I can't have this, then they can't have that" mentality.....honestly, that is BS attitude.

[Salty]

Exactly! I am praying they dont take away late archery season. Ive been bowhunting for 3 years and Ive never gotten anything but it is still my favorite hunt of the year! Its the best time to get out there. Its quiet you dont ever run into "Truck Hunters" and stalking deer while they are rutting is by far the funnest time Ive ever had out in the woods.

If 'truck hunters' are interfering with your bow hunting you really need to rethink your tactics

[Bugle M In]

Well said....and imo, those that want the government to have a knee-jerk reaction and just shut the season down completely for 5 years are being idiotic.....there are a lot more factors out there contributing to a mule deer decline than hunting....in my observations I'm not seeing terrible mule deer numbers, I'm seeing them in parts of region 4 in the last couple of years where I never used to see them 6 or 7 years ago..I am a little concerned about the buck:doe ratio in some areas but that's just what I'm seeing, because to counter that I'm seeing good juvenile recruitment lately...I think the provincial bag limit of one will be fine and will help, and one of the biggest positive impacts toward sustainable mule deer hunting for the future that we can make I believe is more spur road FSR deactivation..

So true what you say.
I have no idea why the bag limit has to be lowered to be honest.
I go in R3, and everything seems to be consistent, meaning I see the same amount of deer as always...no change.
And in R4, I have started to se more mule deer as well, which is a good thing, and yes, their #'s had gone down for sure over the years.
The biggest thing I saw there to help them was the logging, but, I would rather have seen fires, which is now starting to happen, and if it keeps happening, I expect those #'s to keep climbing.
Back to R3....the biggest/change impact I saw over the years, was when R5 closed down for 10 days...suddenly I was seeing 3 Times the amount of hunters in the area suddenly.
And also in R3, the other big change, is the wolves into the area....never seen those in all my hunting years up there.
Same goes for R4....wolves.
So, if R8 has issues, then we need to address that somehow...IMO.
But again, limiting bag limit is still not addressing the "wolf Issue"....so, just another government "bungling of wildlife management".