MLD and bow hunting? Give me your thoughts

[Horitexan]

If a ranch goes onto the MLD program in order to control the doe population (to improve the herd and the overall hunting) can it still be considered a "bowhunting only" ranch?

The ranch I work for has a very large doe population and I'm beginning to wonder whether I should recommend going MLD. I think it would improve the health and quality of the deer and improve the hunting significantly; but the owner prides the ranch because it has always been restricted to bowhunting only- he will not want to lose the title of "bowhunting ranch." So, I'm wondering what YOUR feelings are about this - would a ranch still be a "bowhunting only" ranch if it was in the MLD program?

My feeling is that MLD could be used following the general season to begin getting the doe/buck ratio down without interfering with the ranch's "bowhunting only" title. Since during the regular whitetail hunting season the ranch would be ONLY bow hunted, and the culling would take place AFTER it was all over, I (personally) would still think of the property as a bow-only property. I would consider a move like this to simply be something to improve my bowhunting for the following year.

It would NOT be practical/possible to meet the doe harvest quota (for MLD) that we would be required to take using bows - for a variety of reasons. The ONLY way to go to MLD would be culling with rifles. So, please take this into consideration.

What are your thoughts on this? I'm wondering what the general perception of something like this is before I put any serious thought/inquiry into it.

I've created a poll - please go here and vote: http://poll.pollcode.com/L8Py

[Sparkles]

I'll go to the poll in a minute, but my feeling is if you are only offering/selling bowhunting packages than it is still a bow hunting ranch. What you do to keep your herd numbers in check really shouldn't matter as long as it is legal and doesn't interfere with the package hunts.

[Grayson]

Why doesnt he just keep it bowhunting only? There's nothing in the MLD regs that requires rifle hunting.

[Codie]

MLD does not require you to hunt with any particular weapon, so YES you can consider it whatever you want to consider it. If all you allow is bowhunting then it is a bowhunting ranch whether you can hunt for 3 days or 5 months

[systemnt]

MLD doesnt have anything to do with what weapons are used to kill the animals.

[Horitexan]

I'll go to the poll in a minute, but my feeling is if you are only offering/selling bowhunting packages than it is still a bow hunting ranch. What you do to keep your herd numbers in check really shouldn't matter as long as it is legal and doesn't interfere with the package hunts.

That's how I feel. I'm wanting to improve the hunting for my/our clients- something I think MOST hunters would want. However, until I know that people would support a change like this I don't want to waste the time looking into it. And I would need evidence that our hunters would support an improvement like this before approaching the ranch owner - that's why I created the poll.

I hope a lot of people will post and vote in the poll - it'd sure help me out!

[Horitexan]

MLD doesnt have anything to do with what weapons are used to kill the animals.

The size of the ranch and the number of deer makes it impossible to meet the doe quota we would be required to take, with a bow. If we want to go to MLD, it would require culling does after the season with rifles.

This is the real question. If we started culling with rifles (after the general season) would it change the title of "bowhunting only" in your mind?

[az2tx]

I have a ranch that is MLD and is a bowhunting ranch and that is all we do during the regular season, but we use the guns for management once the season is ended
Hunting and management are different

[Horitexan]

I have a ranch that is MLD and is a bowhunting ranch and that is all we do during the regular season, but we use the guns for management once the season is ended
Hunting and management are different

I agree. I'm just needing to see what the GENERAL perception is. I'm hoping that since management has become such a widely accepted practice, that seems to be supported by the average modern bowhunter, our clients would support it.

Thanks for the post!

[always_ruttin17]

Why doesnt he just keep it bowhunting only? There's nothing in the MLD regs that requires rifle hunting.

X2

[systemnt]

The size of the ranch and the number of deer makes it impossible to meet the doe quota we would be required to take, with a bow. If we want to go to MLD, it would require culling does after the season with rifles.

This is the real question. If we started culling with rifles (after the general season) would it change the title of "bowhunting only" in your mind?

No. Hunting and management are not the necessarily the same thing.
edit: see other posts above that explain this

[Tex]

I have a ranch that is MLD and is a bowhunting ranch and that is all we do during the regular season, but we use the guns for management once the season is ended
Hunting and management are different

This is what I would think as well.
I would say go for it. If you aren't taking more does than bucks you probably aren't managing the herd as best you could.

That's a nice problen to have by the way. Congrats.

[glen]

Get you a good small calibre rifle and good optics and get the herd where you need it. I don't think it can be done with a bow. Not one person on here could go out and kill 10-15 deer a day with a bow.

[Texastaxi]

Not knowing the particulars, on the ranch, the only problem I can see is that you might run out of buck tags (mld), before all your hunters hunted. Now, if your numbers are really that high, it shouldn't be a problem.

Another scenario ... if it's a really bad year and you don't get enough tags for all your hunters to possibly shoot their buck.

As for the doe aspect. I'd think you could get your hunters to put a real dent in the numbers by offering the mld tags for 3, maybe 4 does, with their buck.

So, yes, I think you could still have it bow only, and be successful. You could even offer late season doe only hunts with the mld. Save the last two weeks for you and your rifle assasisns to make up the difference, if the bow hunters don't get you there.

[txbonemadness]

I completely understand wanting to keep the bowhunting only status, however ( and this is just my personal opinion) I believe that the number one priority should be overall herd health and whatever is needed to maintain the healthiest herd possible should be done.