Which State will be the 1st to move it's gun season out???

[Sligh1]

So talking to my buddies in different states as they plan their trip each year to leave their state during November... Many tell me of Nov 3, Nov 15, Nov 10, etc gun seasons.... All ludicrous in many deer manager's opinions (and yes, mine too) and why states like IA, KS, OH, etc are so good - late gun (ok, I think we all know this). So, is any state out there actively trying to move their gun season out?? Any guesses on who will beat back the old schooler's and finally make a change that's right and makes biological sense and make hunting better for everyone?

Yes, I can't believe Missouri can look north to Iowa and not put 2+2 together- especially considering they have more habitat & possibly more potential. Same with Michigan looking to its southern neighbor of Ohio and seeing night & day difference in quality of the hunting. Or MN thinking early Nov with rifles is a great idea when droves of its hunters head just over the border to IA when able as it's also an unbelievable jump in management. More and more folks each year understand what value a late gun season brings to ALL HUNTERS for better hunting and superior biologically backed management. Many are stuck in their 1970's beliefs of management & won't consider any advancements or change but many are. We all know how hard it is to get any stubborn old-school thinkers to change anything or even discuss anything that would help all hunters & biology. Many folks are understanding this and much of it is coming from looking at good examples of their neighboring states. Think any states will ever finally make the change???

 

[mplane72]

Don't hold your breath. Tradition often trumps common sense.

 

[cjgarrett]

Missouri is a complete nightmare! I do not understand how a rifle-rut scenario makes sense on a management sense....

 

[whitetaildave24]

Indiana has brought it up multiple times but it always gets shot down and never makes it to the table for discussion. Our season always starts the first Saturday after the second Tuesday in the month of November.

 

[Team pewp]

I completely agree! I can only imagine how many bucks would take a dirt nap in Iowa if you could gun hunt during the rut and how breeding would be greatly effected too. I hope Iowa never changes it stance on this. I also hope Iowa never changes it stance on NR tags too. I strongly believe strategically setting season dates and limiting tags is why our deer heard is as good as it is. Now if we could just get rid of the late antlerless season!

 

[HorseDoctor]

Tradition, and the desire for quantity over quality will cause most attempts at drastic change to be met with fierce resistance.

 

[cjgarrett]

I completely agree! I can only imagine how many bucks would take a dirt nap in Iowa if you could gun hunt during the rut and how breeding would be greatly effected too. I hope Iowa never changes it stance on this. I also hope Iowa never changes it stance on NR tags too. I strongly believe strategically setting season dates and limiting tags is why our deer heard is as good as it is. Now if we could just get rid of the late antlerless season!

That is one thing i hate about KS! There is no out of state draw... Pretty much there are a limited (1,000,000) non-resident tags, so as long as you sign up early you will get one.

 

[DannyBoy]

I doubt it will ever happen. Just like party hunting in Iowa, it will likely never go away.

 

[nemohunter]

My issue with the Missouri gun season is the use of center fire rifles and the duration of it, the center fire rifles I think make people take longer shots than they should without practicing at all. I'm not a big fan of the timing of it but if it would be more like Illinois and split up and only use shotguns or muzzleloaders I think I'd be ok with that. The biggest problem I have with Missouri is why in the world do we need an antlerless season when as many does as somebody wants to shoot can be taken right before it during the regular gun season. These are just my opinions.

 

[LYON]

I completely agree! I can only imagine how many bucks would take a dirt nap in Iowa if you could gun hunt during the rut and how breeding would be greatly effected too. I hope Iowa never changes it stance on this. I also hope Iowa never changes it stance on NR tags too. I strongly believe strategically setting season dates and limiting tags is why our deer heard is as good as it is. Now if we could just get rid of the late antlerless season!

X2! I have had so many times where a buck is tending a doe out in the middle of a field. With a bow in hand, good luck. With a rifle (or even shotgun) in hand it wouldn't be very hard. Then again, if there was a gun season that landed during the rut, the deer may change there "tending" locations a bit.

 

[sep0667]

Hopefully they will change to take some attention off of Iowa as the quality of the bucks will get better in other states. I agree to Sligh that if MO would change it would probably become known as the big buck state over IA. If any were to change I think it would be MO first being that they are boarded by IA and KS.

 

[ARbowhtr]

MO did back there gun season up one week this year.

 

[Sligh1]

MO did back there gun season up one week this year.

have they actually changed it so it will ongoing be a week later? Or, is it part of a rotation where some years it's earlier, some years later? Like, some states do the 2nd saturday or WHATEVER for the month- meaning it could be a 6 day difference from one point to another. Is it permanently one week later do you know? Dec 1 rifle season in MO would rock the whitetail world in the midwest. Almost every hunter there would experience a hunting dream scenario.... Better quality, better age structure (more bucks getting to maturity and not blown away at 1 or 2 at 400 yards with the 30-06), more options, more people wanting to come there to hunt instead of Iowa, KS, OH, etc. Increased land prices, increased economical dollars, etc, etc. The vast areas there that could & would grow record book bucks with significant increases would also be something astounding and cool to see what that state could become. Same fight - old schooler's trapped in 1974 VS the new generation that has BIOLOGY & evidence on their side - man I hope the new school someday wins this one!

 

[Hardwood11]

Minnesota is one week later this year....from Nov 3 to Nov 9

(Enter applause)

Minn could be crazy good, if they would move the season!

 

[JNRBRONC]

If the goal of a state's DNR is herd population management, how does antler size/buck age structure figure in?

 

[Sligh1]

If the goal of a state's DNR is herd population management, how does antler size/buck age structure figure in?

That's not the stated goal of any state I can recall. Happy to give you goals, quotes, public stances of many DNR's across the country. Some involve the "best biological management", ecosystem, balanced and healthy deer herd (balanced being AGE structures, proper buck to doe ratios, new hunter recruitment. Economical benefit of the resource & managing for that. Simply keeping deer #'s at XYZ is not the simplistic stance of any I can find. If that were the case, open rifle season September 1 and shoot until SAID # of KILLS IS REACHED. Every state could make population control a whole lot easier than it is now by doing something like that. Forgot primitive weapons season, youth seasons, shotgun limitations or muzzleloader limitations or bow. If it's ALL about population management - we should use the most useful tool - RIFLES and get them out there 1st thing. Stated goals of many states & deer biologists of those states involve far more than population management.

 

[nannyslayer]

Missouri is a complete nightmare! I do not understand how a rifle-rut scenario makes sense on a management sense....

Being from southern MO and big timber country, and loving to go back home to gun hunt, it doesn't bother me to have gun season when it is. If you didn't have gun season during rut, your chances of seeing a good buck are slim down there. I'm not saying it's the best management practice, but it is nice to get family and friends together and kill mature deer, and yes it's with a rifle. To each their own, but why chastise another hunter for what weapon they choose to use during the year?

 

[meyeri]

Hopefully they will change to take some attention off of Iowa as the quality of the bucks will get better in other states.

It seems like Iowa draws a big majority of attention for big buck hunters from all over and this is a stigma I would love to see spread out more. Not that IA doesn't deserve it but I think the midwest is awesome anywhere. I have lived and hunted in IA, MO and IL and from my experience I can say that there wasn't a whole lot of difference in the places that I hunted in the quality of the deer. (Obviously my experience is very circumstancial and highly biased but I saw big bucks everywhere.)

I think it would be different if i had a hundred acres in Southern IA, but in my current places I see little difference.

I do agree that MO should push back their gun season to December, but everyone there doesn't know any different so they love it. I can say that I prefer the season dates and setup in IA the best, but the others had their benefits as well; like in MO you can start bowhunting Sept 15th, that's pretty sweet!

 

[JasonF]

I live in mo and I wish rifle would be pushed back as we'll, just when it's getting good you get a bunch of careless morons wandering around, shooting from the road, and pushing every ditch they can find. Deer go nocturnal and it's really hard to get on one after rifle season. I agree with everyone, bump it back and either hike the nr tags up or do a draw like Iowa. I also hate the antler less season. Lots of buck probly get shot and tagged with a bow.

 

[ARbowhtr]

Sligh, I don't know why it's moved back or if it will stay. It may be the rotation looked you said. I just know this year it is a week after AR gun season, and in all years past that I can remember it has been the same. We can only hope.