TWRA seeks input on Changes to seasons

[DC219]

Watched and submitted survey. If they're really concerned about public input I wonder why they didn't send out an email or text asking for input on this? I get emails and text all the time about raffles and all kind of other junk from TWRA. I think I automatically subscribed from where I purchase my license online.

That's a great point. I get all sorts of emails from TWRA. If not for this forum, I'd have no idea this survey is going on. It makes perfect sense that they don't want real feedback from as many hunters as possible, or they'd have sent the survey to all of the license holders.

 

[Lost Lake]

So is "focus group" the new name for representatives of a "vocal minority?"

 

[BSK]

So is "focus group" the new name for representatives of a "vocal minority?"

Certainly. But who is the vocal minority?

 

[Lost Lake]

Certainly. But who is the vocal minority?

Good question

 

[Jcalder]

Certainly. But who is the vocal minority?

Probably the same group that thought dropping the buck limit to 2 would magically produce more B&C bucks

 

[TNGunsmoke]

I sat through the whole dog and pony show presentation. It is very obvious from the presentation that their HANDPICKED focus groups have already made the decisions. If they don't get the response they want from the "after the decision" survey for the commoners, I suspect they will change the data like they did in the duck blind debacle.

I have ZERO trust in anything coming from the biological side of TWRA at this point. Even knowing it was a total waste of my time, I did submit a survey with some very directed comments.

Probably wasted my time as well. The sum of all my comments in a nutshell is "Leave it alone overall, keep things as simple as possible. Tweak things a little county by county/unit by unit as biologically necessary." The split is about as dumb an idea as they could come up with, and the "primitive weapons" would be a close second. The listed primitives are already legal during big game gun, if someone wants to use one, they have their opportunity. Same with a split. If someone wants to hunt gun for 9 days, then archery for 13, then back to gun, they have that option. There is no reason to change regulations to suit a select few, and wind up confusing everyone(including the folks tasked with enforcing those regulations).

 

[Carlos]

Evidently it's happening according to this story…

 

[BSK]

This "more regional approach" sounds all well and good, but something tells me I'm not going to like it.

 

[TNGunsmoke]

I don't mind adding the turkey regions as much, we've already got that for deer. And having different turkey bag limits per region at least makes some sense. Just tweak things a little (like moving a county from one unit to another) based on biologic needs of the population, but keep it as simple as possible. But leave the season dates the same statewide(except for closing areas due to floods that might or might not happen like they currently do) and just limit the bag limits by region.

 

[luvtohunt]

I had to go back and redo the survey. It allowed me to. What you have to do is click all those boxes that talk about various parts of the season. The first time I only clicked what I was most interested in talking about. the second time I clicked more boxes and got that dialogue box.

absolutely stupid to do that. For Mid TN it may work ok, but it would screw certain parts of the state for rut timing. Also Rut here in Rutherford starts within about a week with cruising and Peak is about the week of Thanksgiving (so when they want to open gun). However it runs into early Dec with some does coming in later. then we get another pop in December. I don't know if the second opening date would catch the second pop or be too late?

There is no way to make everyone happy, but the trophy hunting committees, I mean focus groups, want to lower buck limits and grow bigger bucks. They want to do like other states that are known for bigger bucks and that includes reducing gun season.

I get it and think it would help growing bigger bucks, but anyone that is not a bow hunter is going to be irate and honestly I like having the odds in my favor, so I am ok with what we have.

3 of the last 4 years at my place in Perry Co, the last few days of November and first couple of December have been the best for daylight camera sightings of mature deer.

 

[SpurChaser]

Just did the survey too! Thank you for the reminder!

 

[WestTn Huntin man]

I know farmers that kill over 100 in a couple different fields of theirs each year. But I'd hate to leave that buck limit at 2

I hate to leave it at 2 also I'd rather it go back to 3 or 4 . The less hunters shoot the more Farmers are going to Shoot and let Rot in the fields.

 

[WestTn Huntin man]

This is a dumb proposal but it's the government so it will probably happen. The one making the final call is probably not a hunter just someone with a piece of paper saying he's qualified. That just mean more wounded and crippled deer that are never recove

This is a dumb proposal but it's the government so it will probably happen. The one making the final call is probably not a hunter just someone with a piece of paper saying he's qualified. That just mean more wounded and crippled deer that are never recovered.

There use to be a Split season. They did away with it because it was accomplishing anything .

 

[MickThompson]

Evidently it's happening according to this story…

Evidently we have mule deer according to this story

 

[DeerCamp]

If you're going to do a split season, it has to be more in line with Arkansas IMO.

Muzzleloader is Last 1-2 weeks of October, Rifle comes in Nov 10 - January or something like that. Then adjusted by region for peak breeding.

Makes no sense to have the split in the middle of November, unless we are a trophy state now, which we are clearly not.

 

[DayDay]

I think 1 a year is stupid no matter how you cut it. You can't shoot a cull and a good deer. 2 is fine 3 works fine too. You also got to remember the guys that don't have much time to hunt because they are out there making a living and maybe only shoot two deer a year. He shoots a buck with muzzleloader or first week of gun season and he's got to hunt a doe instead of just going to hunt for deer when he gets his next chance to go. I'm just saying when you ve walked down a creek where you could dang near walk on dead deer from EHD what good was keeping someone from killing an extra deer the year before. Keep it in perspective. Everyone ain't out there hunting the biggest deer in the woods. And I say good for them go have fun.

I think 2 is fine and 3 is okay. You said earlier that you would hate to leave it at 2 so I was a little confused.

 

[DayDay]

If you're going to do a split season, it has to be more in line with Arkansas IMO.

Muzzleloader is Last 1-2 weeks of October, Rifle comes in Nov 10 - January or something like that. Then adjusted by region for peak breeding.

Makes no sense to have the split in the middle of November, unless we are a trophy state now, which we are clearly not.

One thing that crossed my mind if the season dates are different by regions is that public lands might get overloaded as hunters move between regions to catch the seasons. I don't know if this would actually happen to much extent though. Maybe some hunters do this now chasing the rut seasons but I think that would be a very few.

 

[TX300mag]

Antler hobbyists throw the most money around and are the most vocal about trying to control what they perceive their neighbors to be doing to "their" deer.

 

[TX300mag]

I heard Sneak Juan members wee assigned to each focus group along with RackRoidz and Hunter Snuggie prostaffers.

 

[killingtime 41]

There use to be a Split season. They did away with it because it was accomplishing anything .

I remember those days. I thought the TWRA was accomplishing its adjective for deer already. But does the changes even have anything to do with biology. Well if focus groups are the ones suggesting these changes then I'd say no. And by the way the state of TN is already managed by unit and county. Just look at regs. That go's for deer and turkey.