Tradtional bow only season.

[Tedd]

Are any groups promoting traditional bow only seasons in your state?
I was listening to Jason Samkoviack's podcast where he mentioned that a group in Oregon was. Mostly he was referring to crossbows. But also the effectiveness of compounds. Usually I just don't even care or bother to think about the hi tech hunters. But he is right to bring up  the subject..

[Zwickey-Fever]

Not that I know of here in Iowa. I wish there was though. I haven't even came across another trad shooter here since moving here close to two years ago.

[TMRtrad]

Our bow season in ND goes from Sept 1 to the end of December. It already goes the full season. Where would we put an additional season? Unless we shortened the regular bow season. I don't think that would ever happen. We could give an additional tag for trad only and not change the seasons, but that wouldn't pass either because nearly all of the non trad hunters would be opposed to it unless they planned to use it to shoot two deer with the compound and put a trad tag on one of them. Nearly all of the bow hunting here is done with compounds over a baitpile, sometimes while sitting in heated shacks and shooting out the window. I hate to sound so cynical, but I don't think there would be much interest in methods that are traditional or challenging in this state.

[Red Beastmaster]

Tedd,

You know how things are here in PA. Every special interest group except archers gets inclusion or special treatment. The "bow season" is hardly recognizable anymore. We have in-lines, jr's and sr's using rifles, crossbows, youth this and youth that. My gosh you better shoot the first deer you see before they all go nocturnal.

The real laughable part is that it was all done in the name of "science"!

If PA did have a traditional only season every current compounder or x-gun user would run out the week before to buy a cheap recurve so they could join in. A trad only season will never happen and I would not support it. Unfortunately, the traditional mindset is foreign to the masses.

[dagwood64]

I think that could possibly cause a rift in the bow hunting community, between Traditional and wheelies/x-bows. The antis would love to see that.
We are all in this together.

[Roy from Pa]

What would be gained with a trad only season? We have a lot of time to bow hunt in Pa now. Pretty close to 3 months we can hunt deer with our bows. I've fought the crossbow wars with the UBP and we lost. To be honest I just don't care anymore about the seasons. I just hunt and I hardly ever see another bow hunter in the woods!

[myshootinstinks]

I'd just like to see a longer general archery hunting season here in Wyoming. We get the month of September for deer/elk, antelope will usually open in August sometime depending on the area. Nice country to hunt in and uncrowded, I seldom see another hunter and have never, that's right never seen another trad hunter outside of the two pals I hunt with.

[Zwickey-Fever]

After thinking about this subject, I would like just a section of "public hunting land" to be set aside for traditional archers. But that chances of that are "zero" because of the backlash of the wheelie bow tax payers.

[creekwood]

Originally posted by Zwickey-Fever:
After thinking about this subject, I would like just a section of "public hunting land" to be set aside for traditional archers. But that chances of that are "zero" because of the backlash of the wheelie bow tax payers.

I would think that you would then be OK with a section of public hunting land being set aside for just compound archers and so on...
You can see where that would be headed.

[Jon Stewart]

That would be a very bad thing to happen.  Because you understand what would happen next? Trad only season, then xbow only season then gun only season then black powder only season and now with the re-introduction of the dreaded air gun, an air gun only season. Once you have one selected season for one group others will fall in line for their season.

Very very bad idea.

[BAK]

Yup, it would just shorten when we can hunt.    It never will change as we humans seem bound and determined to proceed with the philosophy the the easiest kill is the best kill.

[stagetek]

In WI. not that I'm aware of. And, I hope it stays that way. We have more than our share of "special seasons" already.

I would just be happy if they could keep all the non archery stuff from squeezing into the current archery season. Currently in Texas we have MLD (special permits) folks that can rifle hunt in "Archery Only" season, Youth rifle hunts that are held during the "Archery Only" season, and x-bows allowed all the time during the "Archery Only" season. If much more creeps in, "Archery Only" won't mean much around here!!!

Bisch

[Tedd]

Bisch, I hear ya. we have an inline doe/senior center fire doe season  right in the middle of our "archery season"

[jsweka]

If we did have a traditional bow only season here in PA, I'm not sure when it would occur so that you still aren't sharing the woods with other hunters.  Regular archery season runs from the first of October to mid-November. Then we have the bear archery season for a week, so we'd be out there with compounds and xbows.  Then we have the rifle bear season.  Then the week after Thanksgiving starts the rifle deer season. Then flintlock and archery come back in the day after Christmas.  The only time slot that isn't already consumed by other big game seasons would be the two weeks between the end of rifle deer season and Christmas.  Or it would need to be in September - prior to regular archery season.

Even on public land, I rarely encounter any other "archery" hunters, so I don't think it would benefit me any.  I probably still couldn't kill a deer - LOL.

[Zwickey-Fever]

Originally posted by creekwood:
 

Originally posted by Zwickey-Fever:
After thinking about this subject, I would like just a section of "public hunting land" to be set aside for traditional archers. But that chances of that are "zero" because of the backlash of the wheelie bow tax payers.

I would think that you would then be OK with a section of public hunting land being set aside for just compound archers and so on...
You can see where that would be headed. [/b]

My point there was that there is noway to make everyone happy that hunts. Land set aside for traditional archery would draw complaints from the compound community, land set aside for archery only would draw complaints from the firearm community. I seen it back east to where they had a archery only zone, which lasted for about three years under heavy scrutiny.

[KSdan]

Though there can always be other motives, my understanding of the OR discussion is about the harvest #s.  Long season + tech equip =  high animal harvest.  

The discussion involves shortening the season for management #s.  However- the trad discussion enters as there are far fewer trad folks and success rates are much lower.  Summary:  Shorten bow seasons for tech- while allowing trad to remain.

Hardly a discussion in eastern whitetail states. Plenty of deer in most places as it is.

Interesting discussion

Dan in KS

[Red Beastmaster]

In spite of all the other weapons in the woods my hunts are "trad only". We can choose who we hunt with and I choose to hunt with other stickbow archers. All my buddies and hunting partners are trad only. The bow is what drew us together in the first place.

It's not that I won't hunt with a compounder, I just don't.

[ChuckC]

Unfortunately, sharing is the future.  But what I really want, is for a separation of statistics.  Wisconsin has done that, to a point, regarding crossbows and "other bows".  

I would like them to split off traditional gear as well.  With computerized tracking etc it should be no big deal.  

Right now it won't change a thing, but with the change in "preferred gear" and the uptick of crossbow, and maybe (likely ?) that airbow thingie in the future, things will change.  

Already we have seen a drop in numbers in the far north, winter kill for sure, but numbers are changing, here and other places.  

Why the statistics ?  Because then, when the dynamics of the herd change, and eventually it will, we have hard data showing that traditional archers have the least impact on the herd and maybe we can keep our normally generous seasons while they adjust the portions that have more impact.
CHuckC

[Sam McMichael]

I don't see any real benefit from it, but I do see potential problems. Compounds, and even crossbows, are repugnant to many of us, but they really don't impact us much. Essentially, we are restricted to about 20 yards, while they shoot out to 40 or so. No big deal at all to me. But pushing for a trad only season might create enmity between wheel shooters and stick shooters that would create a political battle. Anti-hunters would benefit from such infighting.

As far as the actual hunt goes, they sit in their stand, and I sit in mine. I don't give a rip what weapon they use. I have shared the woods with compounders and gun hunters and have not been hampered at all.

When harvest estimates are predicted, I think the numbers are primarily based on the expected kill rate of the wheel guys. After all, trad is hardly a blip on the radar in most areas. Archery only is a good thing for us, but trad only simply is not needed. Just my own personal opinion, and not trying to start a fuss.