Extending the season.

[160class]

And let me be clear only rifle. Archery and Muzzleloader are not restricted on bucks or does.

Why muzzleloader? I know you can't get off as many shots, but I'm sure most shots in Texas aren't out of the range of muzzleloaders, and deer will come back after a shot. And bow hunting as I know it can be tougher, but certain places it isn't that much different than gun hunting.

And then you have the feed stores because I can gstuntee you a bow hunter doesn't feed as much as a guy in a box blind Corning senderos every hunt

[Sleepy]

Awesome. So do I. Like I told you before if that works for you where you hunt, fantastic. Where I hunt it does not.

Optimal times where I hunt are the first 2 - 3 weeks of November, then if you're lucky beginning again in mid-January.

I get that. I'm not denying when your best times are to hunt. However, if a doe is not bred during that first 2-3 weeks of November, she will begin her estrous cycle over again approximately 28 days later. Putting you in the same time period in December. This can sometimes be even better as there are fewer does to breed and the bucks run harder.

Now if they all get bred the first go round, then it could be tough. Bucks are still on their feet looking though. Just not as hard.

You and I got off to a rough start, but I didn't intend to ruffle any feathers. I just made a suggestion based on the areas that I hunt. It will be different everywhere.

[Razrbk89]

Well I'm a good majority of Texas bucks still have their horns at that point in the year. And it might help yalls herd with the shorter season, but in a lot of places in Texas I believe that would hurt it and a longer season would benefit the deer herd I believe, just as MLD has a lot of places

I guess I just can't see a longer rifle season benefitting a deer herd where people are saying that a month long rifle season isn't giving them a reasonable shot at a buck. If that's the case, there CANT be many deer in that area and they REALLY don't need more pressure.

In areas where harvest needs to be encouraged and increased, longer seasons make perfect sense. We've leveled out state wide up here at just over 200k deer a year the last 5-6 years. I think our game and fish would like to see more deer killed in some areas, but you can't just make people go shoot deer. Heck my wife and I can kill 12 a year, but we don't kill half of that because we're not going to use it. Everyone I know is the same way.

[Sleepy]

I guess all that time in college paid off, or maybe I've been a smart*** my whole life?!?!

I'm going with the latter...

Why muzzleloader? I know you can't get off as many shots, but I'm sure most shots in Texas aren't out of the range of muzzleloaders, and deer will come back after a shot. And bow hunting as I know it can be tougher, but certain places it isn't that much different than gun hunting.

And then you have the feed stores because I can gstuntee you a bow hunter doesn't feed as much as a guy in a box blind Corning senderos every hunt

Then we'll make it iron sights only, or zero powered scopes with reticle

[Doe Doe Spike]

Post oak Savannah

[Etxbuckman]

I guess I just can't see a longer rifle season benefitting a deer herd where people are saying that a month long rifle season isn't giving them a reasonable shot at a buck. If that's the case, there CANT be many deer in that area and they REALLY don't need more pressure.

Realistically most folks don't need that long, but some of these guys are talking about keeping us from being able to use a rifle during the prime parts of the season for taking a buck.

[160class]

I guess I just can't see a longer rifle season benefitting a deer herd where people are saying that a month long rifle season isn't giving them a reasonable shot at a buck. If that's the case, there CANT be many deer in that area and they REALLY don't need more pressure.

In areas where harvest needs to be encouraged and increased, longer seasons make perfect sense. We've leveled out state wide up here at just over 200k deer a year the last 5-6 years. I think our game and fish would like to see more deer killed in some areas, but you can't just make people go shoot deer. Heck my wife and I can kill 12 a year, but we don't kill half of that because we're not going to use it. Everyone I know is the same way.

Well I feel if it's shorter in east Texas it will cause even more pressure and even more younger bucks to get shot because someone wants to fill their tags and have an even shorter period to do it and i think in south Texas would be the same.

And in certain areas their are limits to bucks that can be shot and when does can be shot, now if you lengthen the season that doesn't change, just the time frame in which it can happen will be increased.

[Doe Doe Spike]

If you're not east of 45 I do not. But if you're between 35 and 45 your ruts probably earlier than where I hunt anyway so why would you want to effectively handicap your optimal chances of taking a buck by limiting yourself to a bow? If you actually want to do that congratulations. You already have that choice.

I just want to be able to shoot a doe when it's cold so I can let it hang in the tree and dry age the meat. So I would rather shoot it in January than October and with a bow if necessary.

I don't really care about shooting bucks(don't taste good, especially in the rut) just want to see more quality deer.

[160class]

I'm going with the latter...




Then we'll make it iron sights only, or zero powered scopes with reticle

Oh it's the latter! Haha

Well if that's the case then get rid of compound bows, sights, peep sights, only allow wooden arrows and arrow heads!

And I can it being a smart*** response, which it doesn't upset me, so there is a little bit in my response also ha

[Razrbk89]

Realistically most folks don't need that long, but some of these guys are talking about keeping us from being able to use a rifle during the prime parts of the season for taking a buck.

10-4 I gotcha. That's an interesting topic, for sure. I think our rifle opener is behind peak rut movement by about a week, possibly more, in northern AR. Gun season opener directly correlates with peak rut in the southern part of the state.

There's a big difference in buck quality between N and S (in general), some of which I theorize has to do with bucks down south get absolutely smashed during peak chasing.

I'm glad I'm not responsible for managing deer in states with lots of geographical differences like AR or TX. It'd be super difficult to tailor regs to match different areas with different densities and different rut dates.

[Cull hunter]

So there is truth to the rumor that the new season will be like the mld season.

Thanks for all the insight.