8 replies to this topic

[minefield]

I read a lot about hunting seasons and most seem to use tree stands or ground binds.

Question from a Kiwi hunter; To sit in a tree stand waiting for a deer to show there has to be a lot of deer about?? , How long dose the season last , Do you have to have a licence, What is the cost? Are the areas that you hunt restocked?.

Reason for the questions is here in New Zealand it's open season all year and we have to compete with people shooting from helecopters, To get to a good hunting spot hunters would think nothing of a 6-8 hours drive and then at least another 4 hour walk with your pack and all hunting gear to get to a good hunting area, Then you think you are lucky if you just see one.

If you are good and have the contacts you may do all right on a day hunt but it's all go from the start.

My last day hunt, My mate and I left home a 3am and it was still dark when we started off with our day packs on and bows "Compond mine was a
PSE stinger" We had a 1100 meter climb to the tops saw 2 deer but were winded and arrived back at our 4WD in the dark at around 9pm, Just another days hunting.......Maybe next time and then I was 66 years old,   Geeeesss  this getting old is the pits.

If you have the money you hire a chopper to fly you in , This is starting to become the only  way you at least know you have a better than average chance of getting a deer.

Edited by minefield, 06 February 2012 - 02:28 AM.

[Highlander]

In Maryland here in the USA deer were unheard of in the early 1900's and then the state enacted hunting seasons and laws. When I first started hunting in western maryland in the 1950's there were not many deer seen. Now they are becoming pests in many areas with extremely high populations. Shows what conservation efforts can do for hunters.

A bit of Maryland History:

http://www.google.co...vdHnOTYa8c1vV8A

From it in part:

"Introduction

Deer hunting is a long-standing tradition in Maryland, particularly in the rural parts of the state including Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary’s Counties (collectively "Southern Maryland"). The number of hunters in Maryland peaked during the 1970s at more than 150,000 individuals. Hunter numbers have been in slow decline since that time period. Today, there are approximately 65,000 deer hunters in the state. Of those, approximately 7,500 hunters annually pursue deer in southern Maryland. Deer hunting offers a valuable form of recreation and a way to spend time with family and friends in the outdoors. Just as importantly, it serves as a vital management tool for helping to control deer populations and their impacts on people.
Like many wildlife species of the time, white-tailed deer were nearly extirpated in Maryland during the late 1800s. Market hunting and habitat destruction caused deer numbers to plummet and deer hunting was abolished. Protection and restocking during the early to mid-1900s resulted in a rebound of the deer population and deer hunting was reinstated in 1927 in western Maryland. Deer hunting was reopened in southern Maryland in 1954 with a buck-only season in Calvert County, followed by Charles County in 1955, and St. Mary’s County in 1959. Antlerless deer (females and young of the year males) were first allowed to be harvested again in southern Maryland in 1961 in Charles and St. Mary’s Counties, followed by Calvert County in 1962.
Today, deer hunters enjoy very liberal deer seasons and bag limits in Maryland and can hunt with archery equipment, muzzleloaders, and modern firearms (shotguns and rifles) during a variety of seasons from September 15 – January 31 annually. Current bag limits in Southern
Maryland permit deer hunters to take a total of 6 antlered deer and 30 antlerless deer per year. Deer Management Permits (DMPs) are readily available to farmers experiencing crop damage due to deer. DMPs enable farmers to implement year-round deer population control on their property.

The current liberal deer seasons and bag limits combined with easy access to Deer Management Permits support the Maryland Department of Natural Resources goal to reduce the deer herd in Southern Maryland. The biggest obstacles to reaching this goal are a declining trend in hunter numbers and the lack of access to private land for deer hunting.

Edited by HighlandHunter, 06 February 2012 - 09:44 AM.

[Old Longhair]

Deer hunting is different everywhere you go here. Yes, you have to have a license. And license prices vary greatly too, as each state sets their own. Each state also decides when and how long season is.

Out west, they have a lot of ground to cover. Mountains add a dimension to deer hunting that folks in the mid-west don't think about much. Most hunters in the mountain states don't hunt from trees. Stalking and longer shots are commonly the way of the west.

Here in the mid-west, we have so many deer it's rediculous. No need to ever restock, as they are much like roos that you have, getting into crops, and even raiding gardens in people's yards. Hunting from trees is common here, and is usually done along known travel paths.

To give you an idea what herds are like here, this is a pic accross the road from my house a few weeks AFTER season last year.
 03-02-11_Rons_Panorama-1.jpg   191.13K   2 downloads

When not threatened, they become quite bold. These three are in my backyard, and are eating hay put out for my horses.
 01-16-09 deer01.jpg   294.55K   2 downloads
 01-16-09 deer02.jpg   244.59K   1 downloads

[Jack Pine]

Longhair, there are more deer in that top pic than there are in the whole area where I live in SW Kalkaska county!!  It used to be like that pic here years ago until some of our neighbors got the attitude that doe permits come 20 to a box if you know what I mean.  Count your blessing brother unless they are causing a lot of damage of course.

Jack ><>

[Old Longhair]

Jack Pine, on 06 February 2012 - 09:56 AM, said:

Longhair, there are more deer in that top pic than there are in the whole area where I live in SW Kalkaska county!!

I used to hunt SW of Mancelona every season, Jack. So I have an idea what you're saying.
Down here, where there's more ag activity, things are quite different.

This pic was taken the same day as the one that you referred to, only two miles down the road. Think we have enough to damage crops?
 03-02-11_f1_Pamorama.jpg   138.5K   4 downloads

[Jack Pine]

Old Longhair, on 06 February 2012 - 10:06 AM, said:

Think we have enough to damage crops?

Yah, you bet.  Funny how they multiply and things change. 50 years ago [I'm so darn old it seems like yesterday] I used to live in Monroe county.  There were plenty of cottontails, Bob Whites, and ringnecks, but no deer at all, now everything is reversed to the point there aren't many birds at all and the deer are eating my Mom's flowers!  Everybody went "up north" to hunt deer, now they're going "downstate"!

Jack ><>

[Highlander]

In Howard County Maryland they are now sending the deer to school trying to educate the deer to stay out of the way of autos.  

[Fullquiver]

Send a few over here, I know some great teachers?    They will never get in the way of a car again.    To answer the OP's question yeah there is a lot of game here compared to many places in this world.  They all cost to hunt but it is well worth it.  Come on over I'll hook you up, maybe not some monster bucks but plenty of deer.

[firemedic396]

Minefield, hunting in the US is different than what you used to. Each state has different types of game, different seasons, different regulations, different pricing on non-resident licences (unless it's a private game preserve and the rules there are different), and varies everywhere depending on the region and type of game. The climates also vary greatly too so there is a lot of homework for you to do if your going to travel 20+ hours for a hunt here. My suggestion is to figure out what type of game you would like to hunt and start there. Then start contacting different guides and start asking a ton of questions, some of which may have a "frequently asked Q&A" section of their websites which may help you quite a bit. The type and extent of what some of the guide services offer will vary as well so be sure to find out ALL of what they offer before you find yourself dissappointed. There's so much to consider in an undertaking like this that it may take you up to a year of solid research just understand all of what is involved.