Where have all the sportsmen gone?

[turkey nuts]

I don't think after last winter they were in a position to offer that many permits, but they did.  I don't understand why they do things the way they do sometimes.  Now I know why there are SO many anti-hunters... even I'm sick of other hunters at this point... I can say that much.  Share the woods, fine, I get it, but I keep running into others who think they own it.  Anticosti is almost worth the $4000 just to get away from some of the weekend warriors... let alone the great experience Ben and his parents had up there.

I scheduled and completed my bow hunter's safety course right after my hunter's safety course.  I'm getting into archery next year to extend the season and be able to spend more time hunting during the season with the least amount of pressure.  I thought that muzzleloader wouldn't be as big this year but even jiffyman pointed out that it seems like everyone and their brother got inlines over the summer.

There was a guy in Wildlife Taxidermy the night before muzzleloader opened.  He already had the muzzleloader but needed bullets and powder and all the accessories.  He made his intention of hunting the next morning without even sighting in or practicing with the muzzleloader clear and he was dead serious about it.  Maybe a muzzleloader safety course should be required like the bow hunter's safety course? 

          and i bet they were all over the sale too !!!!!!!!!!!!!! thats the kind of issue i have with wildlife. ticks me off when a kid is telling a customer a bunch of bologna just to make a sale !! if robert were still around i don't think it would be that way..he atleast tried to hire educated or seasoned sportsmen. not saying that they are all that way there but have witnessed it more than once........

 anyway knurren that guy should be slapped in the head and made aware of exactly what risks he was about to take.. how can you be sure of your target and beyond if your not shooting at your target ?? and not to mention what a mamed animal is going through due to that kind of ignorance !!!!!!!!!!

[knurren]

Right... exactly.  Muzzleloaders are a somewhat different animal to.  Even a regular firearm out of the box not sighted in is bad enough... but a muzzleloader with x variable for powder y variable for bullet type/weight and z variable for not having practiced with it is not only unethical, it is unsafe.  I hope someone set him straight; I wish now I did it myself.  I'm trying to pick my battles but I find myself sifting through more and more of them and having to let things go.

ehhh... maybe I just need to relax a bit too.

[huntr-]

Breathe in             breathe out              most times persistence will pay off, use you gut instincs, watch the wind and find the last does, Now go shoot a deer !!  good luck !

[turkey nuts]

Breathe in             breathe out              most times persistence will pay off, use you gut instincs, watch the wind and find the last does, Now go shoot a deer !!  good luck !

                 
                                      thets a sound peice of advise !!!!!

[huntr-]

Thanks, you know you can listen to the tall tales and backwoods advice all day long , but what it all comes down to is that you can't harvest a deer unless you get up and go out. It takes a little bit of skill with a little bit of luck but mostly it takes alot of ambition and drive. Some mornings it would feel good to get a little extra sleep time , or spend some time with the family. You must have a loving and understanding wife because for most of us this is more than a pastime or hobby, its a way of life ! The bootom line is this, you can't harvest what ever the game is that your after unless you are out there. So to all the hunters still in pursuit I wish you the best of luck and reach deep after an already long season and find some more ambition and hunt hard right to the end of the season because there is still lots of game out there just change your tactics to meet the changing cycles.

[turkey nuts]

its been tradition in my hunting party for as long as i've been hunting(sum 27 years now) that the last weekend of firearm season is when we do all drives. all the phone calls have been made and meeting time is 8 a.m. right after a breif morning stand.all six of us will be there every year .evan us who have scored with the gun to help move some deer and hopfully a couple with antlers . so the guys who havn't scored may have a chance too.. i do it just about every year toting my bow around knowing i'm not gonna be the shooter.. but i still get the self gratifacation in helping out a warn down fellow hunter score !!!!!!!!!!!!

[huntr-]

Thats what its all about.

[knurren]

That definitely makes for a good hunting buddy. 

[upstatehunter]

That's what this is all about. Good friends, good times in the great outdoors.
Hope all that are still plugin to fill a tag are successful!! Here's to those out helping them, cheers.

[TR19]

. i do it just about every year toting my bow around knowing i'm not gonna be the shooter.. but i still get the self gratifacation in helping out a warn down fellow hunter score !!!!!!!!!!!!

That's been my job for the past few weeks now, trying to move a buck past my dad, father in-law or son. i just can't seem to get one to run past them. I'm down to my doe tag so I can still carry my riflr and have had 2 bucks that would have been easy shots but they don't want to go by anybody else. I'm having a dream season. I've seen almost as many bucks in the woods this year as does.

[upstatehunter]

Seems like thats the way it goes TR. Next season may be theirs. And you might struggle to see deer. Have to laugh, two years ago my son had 13 shots at deer with his bow.(missed them all) Was great experience for him though.I saw two deer all season.
Go figure, this year total of 18 deer seen, 6 different bucks.

[turkey nuts]

every year here in new hampshire you hear stories from the hunters about the winter kill being the reason they are not seeing deer .. you can usually make your own annalisis of whether or not its the real case by the consistency of the stories .. this year i will say its more consistant than i have ever seen it.and in my opinion the almost record snow fall last year did in fact take a big toll on our herd numbers..in fact i don't know anyone who has claimed this to be a good year  sightings are way for myself and also everyone else in my hunting party.i have spoken to many other hunters that hunt the state park and surrounding area and noone is reporting a stellar year not evan average ..
                                                               i am happy to be one of the fortunate ones who filled my firarm tag but at the same time i'm wondering if it was the best thing to do because of dwindling numbers of deer..i seriously hope f&g is taking a close hard look at the herd. because i'd rather lose a season or two than lose the sport due to mismanagment......