Youth vrs archery seasons

[Kody94]

Goatguy,

Your comments are about success rates, and rifle hunters in the bow season being a scapegoat for low success. I am not sure that is the crux of the issue here.

In my experience the issue has primarily been about direct disruptions of hunts, reduced quality of hunts and safety....not as much about actual realized success rates. Maybe I am off base, or the guys I know aren't representative of the mean, but the alleged 'increased wariness' of rifle hunted animals has typically been a secondary or even tertiary argument.

JMHO,
4Ster

[GoatGuy]

Goatguy,

Your comments are about success rates, and rifle hunters in the bow season being a scapegoat for low success. I am not sure that is the crux of the issue here.

In my experience the issue has primarily been about direct disruptions of hunts, reduced quality of hunts and safety....not as much about actual realized success rates. Maybe I am off base, or the guys I know aren't representative of the mean, but the alleged 'increased wariness' of rifle hunted animals has typically been a secondary or even tertiary argument.

JMHO,
4Ster

I suppose this all gets back to establishing what the real problem is before establishing a solution:

Quality of hunt?
Safety?
Success?
Wariness?

From what I've heard lately a couple of bowhunters feel they cannot hunt in the GOS because animals are too hard to find????

Before we go establishing a solution we need a real problem.

[Kody94]

I suppose this all gets back to establishing what the real problem is before establishing a solution:

Agree. Again, maybe its just me thats off base here though.

Before we go establishing a solution we need a real problem.

Just for clarity, are you implying that the 4 bullets you listed aren't a real problem? Or just that it has not been defined clearly?

I like Andy's proposal mainly for the reason that I think it does the best job at providing the most opportunity and value for the most people (while being sound from a conservation perspective). Its closest thing to satisfying everyone that I have seen so far anyway.

Cheers,
4Ster

[6616]

The original post had nothing to do with problems or solutions nor the impact (real or percieved) of the youth hunt on bowhunting. It was only a comment on the very nice youth hunting oppotunities available in Region 7a, and a question regarding why these long any deer youth seasons cannot be applied in more areas of the province.

These hunts could allow removal of the youth hunt from the bow season if that's what we want. That may be a real or merely a percieved asset, but who cares, in some bowhunters minds the youth hunt is controversial, thus it would at least serve to remove a source of controversy. Who needs controvery?

[GoatGuy]

Agree. Again, maybe its just me thats off base here though.




Just for clarity, are you implying that the 4 bullets you listed aren't a real problem? Or just that it has not been defined clearly?

I like Andy's proposal mainly for the reason that I think it does the best job at providing the most opportunity and value for the most people (while being sound from a conservation perspective). Its closest thing to satisfying everyone that I have seen so far anyway.

Cheers,
4Ster

The problem has not been clearly defined. No problem, no solution.

There are hundreds of issues across the province with solutions implemented that never worked because no one took the time to correctly identify the problem. It's a bit of a nightmare really.

[J_T]

The original post had nothing to do with problems or solutions nor the impact (real or percieved) of the youth hunt on bowhunting. It was only a comment on the very nice youth hunting oppotunities available in Region 7a, and a question regarding why these long any deer youth seasons cannot be applied in more areas of the province.

These hunts could allow removal of the youth hunt from the bow season if that's what we want. That may be a real or merely a percieved asset, but who cares, in some bowhunters minds the youth hunt is controversial, thus it would at least serve to remove a source of controversy. Who needs controvery?

Agree Andy, I perceived this post as an opportunity to build on the successful decisions made in one area. Removing the youth from the bow only seasons is not what is important here. It could be viewed as a secondary benefit of your original post and shows respect for future decisions and bow only. But I didn't see that coming up here in this discussion.

This was about building on what apparently works and working towards simplifying/refining regulations, providing increased youth opportunity. Seems little need to bring a bunch of other controversial stuff into this.

It's great that you identified an opportunity that will provide increased participation and I support moving this discussion forward.

Thread seemed to have gotten hijacked back about 6 posts.

[6616]

Thread seemed to have gotten hijacked back about 6 posts.

Well, depends how one looks at it. It does appear that a couple posts did see the biggest asset as being able to remove youth hunts from the bow season. Removing the overlap with the bow season (as you say) was merely a secondary point in my original post as I was thinking it would probably reduce some unwanted divisive controversy. My original intent was only to point out the great youth opportunity in 7a that could probably be applied over more regions of the province.

As far as the early archery season is concerned in Region 4 it's already for any deer while it's for bucks only in 7a, thus there's an increased opportunity in a youth archery only season for any deer in 7a that would present no additional opportunity for youths here in Region 4, in fact it would be a restriction because it would limit them to bows from Sept 1st to 9th --- a detraction that would be probably be significantly compensated for by the much longer overall youth season.

[Kody94]

That may be a real or merely a percieved asset, but who cares, in some bowhunters minds the youth hunt is controversial, thus it would at least serve to remove a source of controversy. Who needs controvery?

I agree wholeheartedly.

Perception is reality to the people affected (on both sides). Finding solutions that on balance improve harmony amongst hunters is good for all.

[6616]

I agree wholeheartedly.

Perception is reality to the people affected (on both sides). Finding solutions that on balance improve harmony amongst hunters is good for all.

Agreed, perception is obviously not very good criteria to base hunting regulations on, but it still needs some addressing (right or wrong) since in this era of the over-use of public consultation, it eventually effects science based decisions.

[sparkymacker]

The youth season is one of the most progressive solutions to declining hunter numbers that has ever been enacted. It drives my crazy to hear bow hunter's crying about the youth ruining their party...give me a ****ing break. I have taken my son's out for the past (4) years and have never run into a bow hunter. If this whining is representitive of the bow hunter community they need to get their heads out of their collective asses.