Opinions on MO Conservation Area Deer Hunting Restrictions

[Tigerhaze]

I'm sort of surprised this topic has not been discussed here yet. Apparently MDC has decided w/o public input (as usual) that they are going to place additional restrictions on deer hunting at CAs. Most CAs are listed in the deer hunting pamphlet with the restricitons for that area; if a CA is not listed then no deer hunting is allowed period at that area! Some areas will allow firearms hunting but not allow doe harvest, some areas are bow only, etc.



I haven't gone through the list in its entirety, but it looks like one of the biggest changes from the status quo is that some of the larger CAs in northern MO are being restricted to "buck only" harvest.



I know there will be mixed opinions on this topic; bow hunters will generally welcome the changes and gun only hunters will generally scorn them. The rationale MDC used for these changes is rather weak if you ask me, and is not logical when compared to the stance they have taken in past years concerning doe overpopulation.



I am curious as to whether MDC has thought through all the other unintended ramifications, such as whether further restrictions on harvest from public CA lands are going to lead to more pressure and tresspassing incidents on private lands and road hunting. Also, whether restrictions on doe harvest are going to lead to a further imbalance in the doe:buck ratio.



Any thoughts?

[oneshot]

Well I don't like it because I live next to 8,000 acres that you can no longer use Antlerless Tags.I would always go over there and get 2 or 3 Does.

But the way I understand it if your just wanting a Deer you can use your Any Deer Tag and still take a Doe.

Me like most around here count on the meat.With Gas Prices I don't know if it will justify me driving to another area.Or if I want to just hunt my own property and take what the Lord offers me.

oneshot
The Big Grin hunts around the house don't buy no dang Tags.

[Warmouth]

It sounds dumb to me as far as MDC looking like they have any consistancy in their regulations, but in some areas the doe harvest went too far.

Around Truman res. the deer have been hit hard since the unlimited doe tags. In 2003 my father inlaw saw 17 deer dragged out of one area that is only 1-1.25sq miles, and he works 5 days a week. It was a slaughter, and that whole area hasn't held near as many deer as it once did. It is Corps ground, but show the need to cut back on unlimited does and unlimited access.

If MDC is going to do this they need to make eveything clear and post a chitload of signs etc. You know some sorry bastard is going to be driving up at 5am openning day, going to the spot he always hunts, and not know it's closed off to does.

[Outdoorsfool]

PS and I were discussing this...it's stupid and MDC has lost their fornicating mind! For years now they have allowed bonus antlerless or unlimited anterless tags because of the "overpopulation". Now they turn around and severely restrict harvest in a lot of conservation areas.... .but they continue to allow untold numbers of nuisance tags to wipe out deer and let them rot in field, sometimes on farms right next to CA's. It makes absolutely no sense. Why not have tried a happy medium and not gone with unlimited antlerless tags and let people continue to hunt CA's. The CA's were set up by MDC primarily for use as hunting and other "conservation" type uses...they weren't set up by DNR to have fornicating walking trails on!!

[PoisonSnake]

Well, in light of how hard the CAs have been hit in northern MO, it was a wise decision. I was told of one area, Union CA I believe, where the population was 9 deer per square mile. On the other hand, on private lands in the same general areas, deer desities were ~65/square mile. These CAs got hit hard. In fact, the managed hunt here in Columbia was shut down last year because of the fact that they had a grasp on the population in that area. I have been told that the unlimited doe season is no longer needed on private lands as well. Now, I have been bitching about this for some time. Especially when you have nuisance tags for farmers during summer months. You cannot have it both ways. Farmers are allowed to use spotlights, what have you to kill deer from just after turkey season until September 14. Then, the deer are allowed to rot in the fields. On top of that, you have the MDC implementing unlimited harvests on these same properties. Now, some hunters are going to kill exactly what the MDC says they can. Most won't, but they will still be convinced of overpopulation. In our area, which is one of the heavier populated regions of this state, deer numbers have dropped dramatically. It is amazing what has happened in the last 5 years. Why is it that the MDC can shut down a managed hunt because they have the population in check, and continue to allow unlimited harvest on some private lands. Last I checked, an area that has never been previously hunted is a little better than private land to begin with in terms of numbers of deer. On top of that, you have farmers killing them during the summer. So, with this logic, one should have year round hunting via spotlighting and the whole fornicating 9 yards. They have killed 56 deer that I am aware of in less than a square mile very near the HFA. This is on top of already reduced deer numbers. A lot of folks are pissed to high heaven and I am one of them. I praise the MDC for at the very least seeing where there was a problem on some of these CAs. I will be very interested to see their stance on the wanton waste of a good resource due to nuisance tags.

[Outdoorsfool]

I'm glad I have private land to hunt and don't have to rely on public ground. Wonder how much this is going to hurt hunting in Missouri and how much this plays into the hands of those high-dollar lease outfits.

[PoisonSnake]

Me too OF. However, it now seems that foodplots and the money some of us have expended to benefit the deer in our area is all for naught. Furthermore, I paid a price for that land. The farmer, who is now renting his farmland from others who are not from around here, is the one doing the shooting. I'll guarandamntee you I have more $ invested in that area than he does.

[Outdoorsfool]

You are involved in a vicious cycle over there! Your neighbor is planting crops for harvest and thinks deer are hurting him and you are planting crops trying to help the deer and keep them in the area.
Fortunately for us, most of our neighbors are cattle farmers and land is used for pasture or hay. The closest cropland production is a down the road a piece, but the dude is an old-timer, doesn't watch his crops like a hawk and figures some harvest loss due to wildlife is part of the game. Maybe you should check into buying some HFA's on the other side of the river! Helll, you could probably get twice the acreage for the same $$.

[PoisonSnake]

I hear you. I think I could maybe get 3x the acreage and be twice as happy. In fact, that is what I would have preferred to do in the first place. But, the old lady likes the convenience of the HFA.

[Outdoorsfool]

Well then I hope she also likes not seeing deer and smelling rotting carcasses! heck, you're only talking about 30-40 minutes.

[Tigerhaze]

Outdoorsfool said:
PS and I were discussing this...it's stupid and MDC has lost their fornicating mind! For years now they have allowed bonus antlerless or unlimited anterless tags because of the "overpopulation". Now they turn around and severely restrict harvest in a lot of conservation areas.... .but they continue to allow untold numbers of nuisance tags to wipe out deer and let them rot in field, sometimes on farms right next to CA's. It makes absolutely no sense.

That's sort of what i was thinking. I am not against having different regulations for CAs for safety reasons (some CAs just can't handle gun hunting because of the proximity to houses or their size).

It does seem contradictory to limit does on CAs and then turn around and allow unlimited doe tags on the adjoining private land or even nuisance tags for all deer. Last I checked deer can't read the little yellow or blue and white signs around the CAs and ignore fences (unless they are part of an HFA).

If the objective is to improve the quality of the hunting (as MDC claims) then they need to look at uniformly restricting unlimited tags for the entire unit, not just the few parcels of public land within that unit. Otherwise, why the **** do they even have units?

[PoisonSnake]

Tigerhaze: I too believe micromanagement to be a good idea. I mean, the herd in Boone County varies from one mile to the next. But, I'm not so sure as to how feasible it actually is. PS