Is it time to make Xbow season the same ?

[riverboss]

I just about missed out on a good crossbow thread .. here’s my thoughts.

First ….. sometimes a person has to look back to move forward. Being a short 20 years ago in Ky ….crossbow was only legal when a gun season was in and there was a crossbow season of about a week in December. In 2005 it was expanded and just a few years ago it was expanded again to the current season.

Why was it expanded…… in a nut shell because bow hunters do a piss poor job of killing enough deer to control the population…. especially in zones 1 & 2. Same could be said for muzzle loader and conventional gun….. they both have seen increases in days and opportunity to control populations and ultimately why conventional archery is 4.5 months now. It saw the biggest expansion of all…. but still not enough to make a dent in controlling the numbers needed to be harvested.

Expansions of crossbow seasons is merely a band-aid and honestly the last resort before significant increases to muzzleloader & conventional gun seasons are needed to increase harvest numbers. Which as many states are doing by allowing for straight walled cartridge seasons now.

Which we can argue crossbow versus conventional archery bows all day long … but at the end of the day it’s all about harvesting enough deer to keep our populations in check.

Which a dyed in the wool anti crossbow bow hunter has to ask himself…. would I’d rather expand seasons on…crossbows or gun seasons….. which most have come to realize crossbows are the better alternative for now.

Again just a band aid.

I totally agree!
Muzzleloader season set at a bad time atleast the first season it should be the last weekend of October.
Youth season gets bad days also they are both set to allow the prime times for archery.
What needs to happen is the gun hunters in ky need to get organized so they can have a true say so in how and when the seasons get set instead of letting the archery crowd dictate to the state what they want.
I have nothing against archery hunters other than for the most part they act like spoiled democrats! Hunt with what you want but don't dictate to others how or when they can!

 

[3PointSlayer]

I think youth season should be before anything. Give them the first two days then let everybody else have at it.

 

[Bowmostofthetime86]

I totally agree!
Muzzleloader season set at a bad time atleast the first season it should be the last weekend of October.
Youth season gets bad days also they are both set to allow the prime times for archery.
What needs to happen is the gun hunters in ky need to get organized so they can have a true say so in how and when the seasons get set instead of letting the archery crowd dictate to the state what they want.
I have nothing against archery hunters other than for the most part they act like spoiled democrats! Hunt with what you want but don't dictate to others how or when they can!

In all honesty I don’t think any hunter or group of hunters has much say over what goes on with the hunting regs. I know personally I have never got to cast a vote on any hunting or fisheries related issues. It seems to me the amount of revenue generated dictates most of the decision making.

I personally think what is most important for most serious hunters, regardless of weapon is that future generations are offered the same if not better hunting opportunities than we have now.

And unfortunately due to many factors I think we are failing. Just getting and maintaining access to hunting property is more of a chore than most would be hunters are willing to tackle.

Then add to that the competition aspect between hunters ourselves. In the last ten years I would bet I have seen more drama and friendships destroyed Over deer hunting than I have seen it create.

Then you have those folks who like to resort to name calling and labeling other hunters as Democrats over differences of opinion. On weapons or baiting or public land vs private land hunting, fixed blade broadheads vs mechanical. And the list goes on and on.

It’s all pretty petty in the grand scheme of things. And the situation of our country should be proof enough, that the agree with me or your cancelled attitude is not very affective at doing anything more than creating further division.

 

[riverboss]

I Hate to be the one to tell you but the only ones that are causing the division are the ones just like you with your my way is better than you attitude!
Your really not very smart so don't try that I have never voted on any regulations when you know dang well the ky bow hunter association's get what they want they push the commissioner's threw that do what they want.
Gaining access has never been a problem for me and I've got your canceld culture hanging!

 

[Bowmostofthetime86]

I Hate to be the one to tell you but the only ones that are causing the division are the ones just like you with your my way is better than you attitude!
Your really not very smart so don't try that I have never voted on any regulations when you know dang well the ky bow hunter association's get what they want they push the commissioner's threw that do what they want.
Gaining access has never been a problem for me and I've got your canceld culture hanging!

I do not belong to the Kentucky bow hunters association. So I have no clue what they do. Easy to talk big online. Just resort to insults.

 

[riverboss]

I didn't mean to make you cry!

 

[Bowmostofthetime86]

Trust me your not capable of more than making me crack a smile.

 

[KYH5N1]

Let me assure all that view this thread that regardless of the regs, my son has always gotten the best legal opportunity to hunt in my spots. Deer or turkey. Still does and he's 23.

 

[DH13]

Let me assure all that view this thread that regardless of the regs, my son has always gotten the best legal opportunity to hunt in my spots. Deer or turkey. Still does and he's 23.

YEP my son is 40. Ill give him my best spot anytime he can hunt. He works 2 jobs has little time to hunt. Married 3 kids. So I give him the best spot to hunt when he can hunt. I can hunt anytime.

 

[Little FR]

YEP my son is 40. Ill give him my best spot anytime he can hunt. He works 2 jobs has little time to hunt. Married 3 kids. So I give him the best spot to hunt when he can hunt. I can hunt anytime.

Yep. I haven’t even hunted two of my best spots this year… just checking cams. Saving them for less fortunate folk. I can literally hunt twice a day everyday on a different property within 15miles for a month without running out.

 

[predator1]

Let me assure all that view this thread that regardless of the regs, my son has always gotten the best legal opportunity to hunt in my spots. Deer or turkey. Still does and he's 23.

Yep. Me too. My kids always got the first stab. My youngest has now passed a 5 year old and 4 year old buck that I’d have gladly taken. He offered to let me take the crossbow yesterday and shoot the buck because it’s not the one he wants. But I couldn’t do it because I didn’t want to booger the spot I’d set for him.

 

[KYH5N1]

Paid off tonight for my "boy"! He double lunged a nice buck on his first sit of the season. 1 year to the day from when he killed his buck last season. Stand in a hot oak flat with a few scattered persimmons.

 

[Rob]

This is what I'm referring to.

One of the most overlooked facets when it comes to judging the quality of a buck’s rack is the role of the doe. Not only does the mother influence her offspring’s antlers environmentally, but she contributes to them genetically as well. Believe it or not, a doe can have an even greater genetic impact on her son’s antlers than the sire.

According to Ditchkoff, antlers are genetically determined, but environmentally influenced. While genetic distribution is a combined input from both parents, when it comes to environmental persuasions, the doe bears most, if not all, the responsibility. There are several key environmental pressures that can compromise a buck’s antler growth. Some begin in fetal development.

Proper nutrition for all deer is by far the most basic, yet crucial environmental additive. With it, a buck’s antler potential can soar. Without it, antler quality will suffer. The importance of a doe receiving and providing, adequate nutrition for herself and her fawns is critical. Great genetics mean nothing if wellbeing is compromised.

There are a number of events that can prevent a doe from acquiring sufficient sustenance during pregnancy and beyond. A brutal winter or late spring, especially in the northern regions, can wreak havoc on a pregnant doe’s physical condition. During the last few months of pregnancy, fetal growth increases rapidly, requiring a higher caloric intake from a nutritionally sound diet. When a doe’s nutritional requirements aren’t met, neither are her fawns. Disease, age, and other anomalies can also leave a harmful impression on a doe’s physical condition that can transfer to, and are equally harmful to, her unborn fawns. Low birth weight and other health problems can result.

After fawns are born, it’s possible that deficiencies endured while in the womb, won’t end there. At the very least, it sets them up for a rough start to life. Improper nutrition can cause a lactating doe’s milk production to be low, as well as nutritionally deficient. For a buck fawn, regardless how impressive his genetics are, when his nutritional needs aren’t being met, this paints a discouraging outlook for future antler development.

With that said, nature has a way of righting itself. When inopportune environmental circumstances inflict shortcomings early in the antler development, with optimal conditions, extraordinary genetics may shine once again in all their brilliance. Of course, this is if he isn’t culled as a 1.5-year-old spike because someone mistakenly forgot to consider outside probabilities. In the name of “buck management,” the buck of a lifetime, and his genetics may have unknowingly been eliminated.

The reverse is also true. When you consider the growth cycle of antlers, it’s nothing short of amazing the amount of development that occurs in a matter of only 4 months. To achieve optimal antler development, a buck requires a generous supply of nutrient rich sustenance. During the spring and summer, when food plots are lush and agricultural crops are in full swing, bucks typically have no problem attaining adequate nutrition. A young buck may have lived in a prime environment, but an extreme circumstance like the drought of 2012, which plagued most of the country, can have a damaging impact on a buck’s antler development.

When something catastrophic results in distress to overall health, nature compensates by putting survival at the epicenter of importance, thus forcing antler development into the back seat. As a 3-year-old, due to a negative outside influence, what began as great potential suddenly takes a sharp turn towards inferior. However, when a buck produces antlers well below his potential because of environmental blows, the buck is often eradicated from the herd because he was believed to be inferior. And with it goes his contribution to the gene pool. His antlers might have appeared mediocre because of outside factors, but genetics that were unobservable dictated otherwise.

I don't know why it should be so hard to believe that the genetics influencing a buck's antler come primarily from his mom. It is well known & accepted that, in humans, the genetics for baldness come primarily from the mom's side. I'm living proof. My dad, his brother, & his dad all had a full head of hair their entire life. My mom's dad was bald as a ping pong ball. I have a big bald spot that is progressively getting bigger. Thanks a lot, Papa!

 

[Onthedge]

I don't know why it should be so hard to believe that the genetics influencing a buck's antler come primarily from his mom. It is well known & accepted that, in humans, the genetics for baldness come primarily from the mom's side. I'm living proof. My dad, his brother, & his dad all had a full head of hair their entire life. My mom's dad was bald as a ping pong ball. I have a big bald spot that is progressively getting bigger. Thanks a lot, Papa!

God only made a few perfect heads, the rest he put hair on, lol.

 

[xbokilla]

So 24 pages later…
Yes, just make it all crossbow season.