Deer Hunter Survey

Toad

Toad

Active member
Just wondering if anybody else did the online deer hunter survey and what you thought about some of the proposed changes.

For those who didn't get one, KDWP was looking for feedback on several ideas. Here are some of the highlights...

1. Should they start selling buck and doe tags together as a package? In other words, when you purchase your either-sex tag, it would include an antlerless tag also, and the price would be raised accordingly. I think this is aimed at a reduction in the deer herd. I said I was indifferent about it, since I already purchase both tags.

2. Should they have a special rifle season during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday. I think this was intended to sell more tags to folks who are home for the holidays and want to shoot a deer. And also to reduce deer numbers. I said I was personally opposed to this idea, but I guess for some people it could be a real benefit.

3. They wanted to know what people's thoughts are about crossbows, and if people in different age groups should be allowed to use them for archery hunting. I said I thought it should be all or nothing. Either crossbows are legal for everybody, or just keep the law as it is (handicapped only).

4. They wanted to get a feel for people's thoughts about different methods for recovering wounded game. One that I strongly supported was using a dog to track a wounded deer. Personally, I have never lost a deer, but I also haven't shot very many. If push came to shove, I would put my dog on a blood trail in a second if I thought it would make the difference between eating the deer I shot, or donating it to the coyotes. Luckily I have never had to make that decision. I feel morally obligated to do everything in my power to recover a deer I've shot, and I think the laws should allow me the opportunity to do that.

Anyway, just wondering if any of you had taken the survey, or if you have any strong opinions one way or the other about any of these proposed changes. Those are the ones I remember, anyway. There were other questions I forgot. Please feel free to post up some of the other changes if you remember what they were.
:thumbsup:
 
I filled mine out. I'm all for anything that makes the harvesting of more deer easier. They are getting way out of hand. I think selling the doe/buck combo is a good idea. I wouldn't mind if they made everyone harvest a doe before they are issued a buck tag.
 
Yes, to using a dog.

No to another Rifle season. The rifle season is long enough, and then you add in the anterless in the beginning of January? And then they want to ad more? No thanks.
 
I submitted mine a few days ago.
I pretty much said to keep it the same as it is now. The option for price reduction for a two-deer tag did not impress me. The tags are not expensive, I voted to leave it the same.
I did vote for allowing youth to hunt with a crossbow. I think that anything we can do to get more youngsters interested in hunting, the better our future will be. If they pass the archery hunters ed, I say let them use the crossbow. A lot of younger kids, boys and girls, are not strong enough to pull a bow weight that will ethically kill a deer.
 
That's a good point, Thrasher, I didn't think about kids not being strong enough to pull back a bow. The question on the survey was so focused on people in their 40's, 50's, and 60's, that I kind of forgot about the kids. I just kept thinking, " If a guy in his 50's can't fire a bow because of shoulder problems, etc., then he should be able to get a disabled permit to use a crossbow."

I totally forgot about kids and what poundage they would be able to pull back. I would totally support letting kids use crossbows in archery season when I look at it from that perspective.

But part of me is still in the "all or nothing" camp when it comes to crossbows. I would hate to drop the big dollars on a crossbow for my kids to use, and then have it become obsolete when they turn 16.
 
V-John said:
Yes, to using a dog.

No to another Rifle season. The rifle season is long enough, and then you add in the anterless in the beginning of January? And then they want to ad more? No thanks.
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I agree. That's pretty much where I was coming from. I have shot does before in the extended antlerless season, but I have to wonder how many actually get killed during the extended-extended antlerless seasons they have in some of the units. It's a doe... Don't people just shoot the first one they see? What is the point of a ridiculously long extended season?
 
No such thing as a cross bow. They are a cross gun. The have a scope on them. And they are loaded like a gun. If a youth can't pull 30-35 lbs then they probably should be gun hunting. 35 lbs out of todays bows will more than adequately harvest a deer. Its all about shot placement. Moving rifle season to thanksgiving will be the end of quality bucks in Kansas. Shooting a doe before a buck is good in certain areas but we should have management units. Deer numbers are greatly down in some areas.

There is no BOW HUNTERS ED anymore. Check the regs. I have been bowhunting for 29 years. I have taken well over 50 deer with a bow and at least 20 turkeys with my bow. I have never needed a dog to track a deer. Instead lets teach hunters about shot placement and taking shots that are ethical and lethal.

We have become way to liberal with our laws governing our deer herd. We have taken the "conservation" out of hunting. Its about selling tags and money and not about family value and tradition these days.
 
westksbowhunter said:
No such thing as a cross bow. They are a cross gun. The have a scope on them. And they are loaded like a gun. If a youth can't pull 30-35 lbs then they probably should be gun hunting. 35 lbs out of todays bows will more than adequately harvest a deer. Its all about shot placement. Moving rifle season to thanksgiving will be the end of quality bucks in Kansas. Shooting a doe before a buck is good in certain areas but we should have management units. Deer numbers are greatly down in some areas.

There is no BOW HUNTERS ED anymore. Check the regs. I have been bowhunting for 29 years. I have taken well over 50 deer with a bow and at least 20 turkeys with my bow. I have never needed a dog to track a deer. Instead lets teach hunters about shot placement and taking shots that are ethical and lethal.

We have become way to liberal with our laws governing our deer herd. We have taken the "conservation" out of hunting. Its about selling tags and money and not about family value and tradition these days.
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With that kind of success rate you probably have very keen eyesight, cool nerves, and excellent hand-eye coordination. I bet you practice shooting often, and only take ethical shots.

I practice shooting at targets for months before the season starts, from every conceivable angle and position. I also set my stand strategically so I will get shots at 20-30 yards, my most effective range. I even pace off the distances from my tree to all the nearby objects so I know exactly where to aim...

On the flip side, my vision sucks. If a brown deer is laying in brown grass, I could walk right past it easily. I have a heck of a time seeing blood spots on bare dirt or dark brown branches and wet leaves. I also get buck fever like nobody's business! Even at 20 yards I could flinch when my heart is pounding out my ears and I'm hyperventilating (quietly). When the deer is slowly walking into the shot zone I almost come unglued!

Anyway, my point is that even the most ethical and well-intentioned hunter could make a bad shot. Heck, maybe the mech broadhead doesn't open, or the deer jumps the string, or any number of other things...

Once the shot is made, why not use every trick in the book to find the deer? To me it seems unethical NOT to.
 
I didn't like the idea of opening rifle season any earlier. It will lead to way more trophy bucks getting shot from the road by road hunters. In my area where I live in east central Kansas they do need to do something about the deer population. I shoot several does every year, and let the neighbors and others shoot all the does they want in doe season and we still have terrible crop damage from deer. The corn yields on our outside 24 rows or so will sometimes be half of what the field averages because of the deer. KDWP will issue me damage tags free if I wanted them and I can shoot the deer and leave them lay. Some of the neighbors have taken this route. One guy received and used a dozen of them this year. KDWP might as well be generating some revenue and somebody that wants to use the deer might as well have them as them just laying on the ground rotting.
 
fsentkilr said:
I didn't like the idea of opening rifle season any earlier. It will lead to way more trophy bucks getting shot from the road by road hunters. In my area where I live in east central Kansas they do need to do something about the deer population. I shoot several does every year, and let the neighbors and others shoot all the does they want in doe season and we still have terrible crop damage from deer. The corn yields on our outside 24 rows or so will sometimes be half of what the field averages because of the deer. KDWP will issue me damage tags free if I wanted them and I can shoot the deer and leave them lay. Some of the neighbors have taken this route. One guy received and used a dozen of them this year. KDWP might as well be generating some revenue and somebody that wants to use the deer might as well have them as them just laying on the ground rotting.
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Aren't there programs to donate deer to the hungry as well?
I don't deer hunt, never have.

But I've had a couple given to me by friends and I promise they get used. :)

Seems a lot better then just leaving them lay.
 
we have had the same problem in sek,I think they used to call them shoot and leave tags.?
I would think that with all the welfare cases that we have in this state,they would gladly take the meat,but then,they might have to work for it.
 
Toad said:
With that kind of success rate you probably have very keen eyesight, cool nerves, and excellent hand-eye coordination. I bet you practice shooting often, and only take ethical shots.

I practice shooting at targets for months before the season starts, from every conceivable angle and position. I also set my stand strategically so I will get shots at 20-30 yards, my most effective range. I even pace off the distances from my tree to all the nearby objects so I know exactly where to aim...

On the flip side, my vision sucks. If a brown deer is laying in brown grass, I could walk right past it easily. I have a heck of a time seeing blood spots on bare dirt or dark brown branches and wet leaves. I also get buck fever like nobody's business! Even at 20 yards I could flinch when my heart is pounding out my ears and I'm hyperventilating (quietly). When the deer is slowly walking into the shot zone I almost come unglued!

Anyway, my point is that even the most ethical and well-intentioned hunter could make a bad shot. Heck, maybe the mech broadhead doesn't open, or the deer jumps the string, or any number of other things...

Once the shot is made, why not use every trick in the book to find the deer? To me it seems unethical NOT to.
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I don't practice for months before the season starts. I practice year round. Used to shoot a lot of competitive archery. I never set my stands up for 20-30 yards shots either. Always try and set up for the 10-15 yd shot. In 29 years of bowhunting, I have never shot a deer outside of 25 yds. No reason to. I live and breathe archery year round. Right now I am going through 200 lbs of corn per week supplementing feed. Got 1800 trail cam pics in 7 days last week. Hopefully, they all drop and I can pick up sheds this weekend.

If I have a 160 class deer walk by at 5 yds and don't have a good shot angle, I pass. That is just how we do it. As far as mechanicals, I will never shoot them. The best broadheads on the market are made right here in Kansas, Magnus.

Good luck with your "Buck Fever". If you need help tracking and trailing, let me know. Here is a pic I got this weekend. Pay no attention to the date, I changed the batteries in the field but did reset the date and time. Got it on Saturday.
 
I'm all for any changes that allow more deer to be killed. I can't stand them. At least as many as we have.
 
westksbowhunter said:
Poor attitude. Obviously not a conservationist. And selfish to those that enjoy hunting quality deer.
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No not at all. I'm a huge conservationist. But, put yourself in my shoes for a minute. I love to ride motorcycles. My biggest fear is one of those critters running out in front of me. I happen to enjoy riding bikes just like you enjoy hunting deer. I can deal with hitting one in my truck but not on my bike. I'm not saying kill them off just thin the herd.
 
I'm as big as conservationist as you will meet, and I have hunted deer since I was 14 and I agree more definitely need to be killed. Its not safe to drive at night, and they are costing me at least 100 an acre on at least 150 acres of end rows on corn. They will get thinned out one way or another, either me allowing people to hunt and shoot does as well as the does I kill, or I will get the maximum number of damage tags I can get for 7000 acres, and I will fill all of them. If I can find somebody that wants them, they can have them if not they are coyote bait. There are many landowners in my area that feel the same way that I do. The hunters that hunted on us and my family killed around 3 dozen does last season so hopefully if we do this every year we will get the numbers down some.
 
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I agree that we need to do all we can to get more kids hunting. That being said they should open up deer for kids 18 and under during the holiday breaks. This gives them more time in the field with family an more over a better chance to harvest a deer. I know my 11 yr old son hunted hard all 3 rifle seasons for a youth and got one shot on a spike. I think if more kids harvest deer it will help out the kids and the herd issue.

They should also allow you to harvest a rifle and a archery buck like MO.
The "Earn a buck" program has worked in other states and would help with herd control as well.

btw...the boy shoots a bear apprentice bow at 32 lbs now and will be in the stand next to me this fall. :thumbsup:
 
fsentkilr said:
I'm as big as conservationist as you will meet, and I have hunted deer since I was 14 and I agree more definitely need to be killed. Its not safe to drive at night, and they are costing me at least 100 an acre on at least 150 acres of end rows on corn. They will get thinned out one way or another, either me allowing people to hunt and shoot does as well as the does I kill, or I will get the maximum number of damage tags I can get for 7000 acres, and I will fill all of them. If I can find somebody that wants them, they can have them if not they are coyote bait. There are many landowners in my area that feel the same way that I do. The hunters that hunted on us and my family killed around 3 dozen does last season so hopefully if we do this every year we will get the numbers down some.
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I think venison is delicious. My family and I always run out of it by Spring. Assuming it is legal, i would gladly take one of your corn-fed does next season.:D leaving such delicious and healthy food for the coyotes seems like a real shame.
 
Toad said:
I think venison is delicious. My family and I always run out of it by Spring. Assuming it is legal, i would gladly take one of your corn-fed does next season.:D leaving such delicious and healthy food for the coyotes seems like a real shame.
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I love it too. Just wish the rest of my family did. So therefore I don't hunt them anymore. More meat than one person can eat.
 
one word 'JERKY"

It takes a lot of deer to make alot of Jerky:thumbsup:

Usually jerky 5-6 deer a year for me and my buddies. Started with a little dehydrator but now have a commercail 1600 sq in monster. :eek:
 
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