Does anyone agree?

[bigworm]

i live in the delta part of arkansas, and notice that it seems like most deer spotted out in fields are killed by high powered rifles. i was thinking the other day, as i was watching a few deer in a field, how much better our hunting would be if we had shotgun only in the farming parts of the state. it seems like every deer that sticks his head out is doomed in my part of the country. with so few areas to hide it doesn't require much "hunting" to shoot a deer across an 80 acre field. i just think that this would allow several of those 3 1/2 year olds that are shot at 400 yards to actually grow into giants if they had a fighting chance. if you look at the last few years, the biggest deer in arkansas come from the shotgun only places around crowleys ridge. don't get me wrong, i'm not one who wants to ban rifle hunting. i just want to see our state be all it can be. we have as much potential as the rest of the "big deer" states, but without age the best management won't work. whats your thoughts?

[demented]

I don't like restrictions. It seems that once they get started the powers that be don't seem to know when to quit adding more-and more. Bag limits should take care of the numbers killed, not more regulations on what we can use for the hunt. Why not shorten Bow season, end use of inline muzzleloaders, no crossbows, no scopes....Its all the same to me.

[trashbag boogier]

yea then we could hunt with shotguns forever,once you give in then your screwed.look at the zone in newport they have been with out rifles for years and one week too hunt with a shotgun.no thanks im not givin in

[taggedout]

Originally Posted by bigworm

i live in the delta part of arkansas, and notice that it seems like most deer spotted out in fields are killed by high powered rifles. i was thinking the other day, as i was watching a few deer in a field, how much better our hunting would be if we had shotgun only in the farming parts of the state. it seems like every deer that sticks his head out is doomed in my part of the country. with so few areas to hide it doesn't require much "hunting" to shoot a deer across an 80 acre field. i just think that this would allow several of those 3 1/2 year olds that are shot at 400 yards to actually grow into giants if they had a fighting chance. if you look at the last few years, the biggest deer in arkansas come from the shotgun only places around crowleys ridge. don't get me wrong, i'm not one who wants to ban rifle hunting. i just want to see our state be all it can be. we have as much potential as the rest of the "big deer" states, but without age the best management won't work. whats your thoughts?

If you dont want to ban rifle hunting, what is this thread about?

[rsalpinedenali]

Originally Posted by trashbag boogier

yea then we could hunt with shotguns forever,once you give in then your screwed.look at the zone in newport they have been with out rifles for years and one week too hunt with a shotgun.no thanks im not givin in

x2

[ARGROUNDSWATTER]

I'm through giving in and giving up. You got the bowhunters wanting our gun season cut back and wanting dog hunting outlawed. Now days you have the "trophy hunters" trying to tell us old timers how to hunt and that we do things the wrong way. I have just gotten too old to put up with any more.
If you guys want BIG bucks then lease you up several thousand acres and then you can hunt any way you darn well please and not try to tell the rest of us how to hunt.

[huntindoc]

[bigworm]

wow, didn't mean to ruffle any old feathers. i am 35 and remember the the only deer being killed were spikes. no does except for thanksgiving weekend. i bow hunt public land and belong to a lease in south arkansas for my kids. they have soooooooo much more opportunity than i did as a child because of the 3 point rule and the fact that someone finally decided that it would be a good idea to thin out a few does. i can assure you that i am not one who wants to "take your rifle season". the last thing i want is more people bowhunting on public land. kill em all as far as i'm concerned. i don't have rights to any delta farmland anyway. just thought that deer getting older may help the quality, but i guess age is overrated. sorry if i offended anyone.

[born2hunt]

Bigworm, you will find you've hit on a touchy subject. You are exactly right in what it would take to allow more bucks to reach maturity. However, you aren't likely to get much support for you're idea. You will find that most folks are happy with the status quo. Be prepared to be drawn and quartered.

[Hud_AthensArcher]

My two cents is...ALL deer must be shot within 30 yards with a bow.

[tmeredith]

I'm with ya bigworm!! I too would like to see our state live up to it's potential. I used to think that would never happen, but lately there seems to be more guys willing to give up a little in order to have better. (Not many of those guys on this forum though.) I think as the lease prices go up in the eastern and northern part of the state we're going to see guys wise up and expect to get more for their money and will be willing to give a little in order to achieve better quality hunting. Anyways, be prepared to be verbally assaulted from guys from every corner of the state, even though you're only talking about the delta....Oh yeah it might also be a good idea to have some pics of yourself with a deer you've killed with a firearm so as not to be called an elitist bowhunter. That one really stings!!!

[btech29]

Dont feel bad Bigworm, you aint the first, or the last to get ripped on this subject.

[demented]

Personally I think the three point rule stinks. We were more capable of managing our herd better than some yahoo that never set foot within 100 miles of our lease. Now we kill the best breeding bucks and allow the culls which we can't legally kill do all the breeding. Full grown deer with 13 inch spikes are common now, in the past they'd been taken out to prevent their genetics being passed on. Thinning does which allows more food is why you're seeing bigger bucks, not some asinine slot system.

[btech29]

Originally Posted by demented

Personally I think the three point rule stinks. We were more capable of managing our herd better than some yahoo that never set foot within 100 miles of our lease. Now we kill the best breeding bucks and allow the culls which we can't legally kill do all the breeding. Full grown deer with 13 inch spikes are common now, in the past they'd been taken out to prevent their genetics being passed on. Thinning does which allows more food is why you're seeing bigger bucks, not some asinine slot system.

I usually agree with most of your posts, but I think your alittle off on this one. I dont see many big spikes, thats the exception not the rule. Most of the genetics come from the doe anyway. I disagree with alot of people on here about this, but they are still goood people, just misinformed.

[Da' Big Dog]

do you know the funny thing about me hunting in Arkansas,I have not killed 1 single deer with a rifle...got a .270,7mm mag,7mm WSM, 30.06 and
.50cal front stuffer.........My slug gun rig gets 3 inch groups at 150 yards.....
....


a few have fallen to my bow.....in open country 60-70 yard shots are the norm..
...last I recall though some really big deer come from down round Phillips county...

[4hunting]

the biggest deer in arkansas come from the shotgun only places around crowleys ridge

Believe you may have a little error on your thinking in several areas. First, banning rifles may save a few deer that are shot at long distance, but when we have shotguns & muzzleloaders that will shoot 200 yards it will not handicap many. 80% of the deer shot are killed by shots under 200 yards. Second is your example of this small area in the state where shotguns only are used. I think it is not so much the shotgun issue that has showed this result, but more in the restricted number days the deer can be hunted in this area.
Yes, there are some big deer that come off the ridge, but if you really want to see bigger deer, do what they do where they really come from and compair where this is to the area you are using for your example to see if they have anything in common.

In the past several year the largest deer in size, and on an average come from the NWR area'a of Eastern Arkansas. The Cache River/ White River NWR's have produced State records, Big Buck Classic winners & the highest average of above 150 class bucks than any area in the state. Now if this is what people want then maybe we need to take a look at what they are doing do get such results. The do not banned a specific weapon from being used, nor do they use APR's, it is plain & simple what they do, they have a deer season with a limited amount of days but give the hunter a more liberal set of rules to harvest a deer & get out of the woods.

[Mule man]

Easy solution Big worm. If you want to go to a shotgun only season then use a shotgun only.

[Swamper-AR]

Wouldn't bother me. I wish we had trophy deer like Kansas and Illinois.

[Arkiehunter74]

Originally Posted by ARGROUNDSWATTER

If you guys want BIG bucks then lease you up several thousand acres and then you can hunt any way you darn well please and not try to tell the rest of us how to hunt.

I agree here. I remember growing up when we had to choose between buying groceries and buying clothes/utilities/fuel/necessities. I am fortunate enough not to be quite in that boat anymore, but have the strong belief that I do not have the right to decide what anyone else shoots. I do not know his/her situation, nor do I know if he/she is a "trophy" hunter or not. But for those that don't care about how others want to hunt, just how you want them to hunt, I think I have the solution. Everyone is talking about deer's age and allowing them to grow, I propose we ban hunting to every fourth year. That way all deer would be given a chance to reach that "Magical" age where they will all become trophys (assuming all persons will comply with the law and not poach). Now we need to throw in a draw system also, say give out 10,000 hunts for the entire state, one deer per person, and it is a three day hunt (the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday the week before Thanksgiving). Heck, after 10 years of that, even the does will make Boone & Crockett.

[phish69]

Im still not sure why people hunt with rifles. Not much of a sport when you can shoot a deer from 300 years away. I prefer hunting with a bow, much more of a sport. If I do gun hunt, shotgun only. Lets keep it fair guys, put your rifles back in your closet and save them for long distance target practice.

[dirtdart]

I think it's funny that people THINK that it's shotgun only areas that created big deer.

Brainwashing!!!!!!!! Move to zone 4.

I just wonder if these "Shotgun Only" advocates who travel to Colorado to Elk hunt actually take their shotguns with them?

Maybe all of you "shotgun only" guys should move to that already overpopulated area known as Zone 4 and give the rest of us a break.

Shotgun Only Areas were created because of the fear of using rifles in areas where overcrowded hunting areas were a cause for concern.

Same reason we wear blaze orange. Stupid people shooting others and blaming it on how much the object in their high-dollar scoped rifle looked like a huge whitetail. Yep! Retards abound.

[gh32]

While it's fine to use a shotgun if you want to,I'm completely against having to because of some regulation.I'm perfectly happy with rifles.

[tmeredith]

Originally Posted by 4hunting

Believe you may have a little error on your thinking in several areas. First, banning rifles may save a few deer that are shot at long distance, but when we have shotguns & muzzleloaders that will shoot 200 yards it will not handicap many. 80% of the deer shot are killed by shots under 200 yards. Second is your example of this small area in the state where shotguns only are used. I think it is not so much the shotgun issue that has showed this result, but more in the restricted number days the deer can be hunted in this area.
Yes, there are some big deer that come off the ridge, but if you really want to see bigger deer, do what they do where they really come from and compair where this is to the area you are using for your example to see if they have anything in common.

In the past several year the largest deer in size, and on an average come from the NWR area'a of Eastern Arkansas. The Cache River/ White River NWR's have produced State records, Big Buck Classic winners & the highest average of above 150 class bucks than any area in the state. Now if this is what people want then maybe we need to take a look at what they are doing do get such results. The do not banned a specific weapon from being used, nor do they use APR's, it is plain & simple what they do, they have a deer season with a limited amount of days but give the hunter a more liberal set of rules to harvest a deer & get out of the woods.

4 hunting is right bigworm. If you want more and bigger bucks the best way to achieve that is by shorter gun seasons and a 1 buck firearm limit.

I've hunted mostly on the ridge in zn. 5 (where it has been shotgun only for the last 20+ yrs.)since '75 and I can tell you without a doubt our big buck numbers have gone down greatly as the number of gun days has gone up. I'm sure our shotgun only rule here is more about safety than saving any deer from being killed. I agree with others who have said a shotgun only rule wouldn't save a lot of bucks, because with internet checking who's going to know what an animal was killed with? I hear almost as many rifle shots as shotgun shots during our gun season in Craighead county.

That being said, I'm glad to see more and more guys like yourself who know we could have better hunting here, and are willing to have an open mind and try some differant management practices in order to have better hunting for all.

[huntindoc]

My Rem 870 special purpose shoots saboted slugs to 2" groups at 100 yards and is accurate without hold over to 125 yards. I'm in.

J/K stirring the 'ol pot.

[born2hunt]

Originally Posted by phish69

Im still not sure why people hunt with rifles. Not much of a sport when you can shoot a deer from 300 years away. I prefer hunting with a bow, much more of a sport. If I do gun hunt, shotgun only. Lets keep it fair guys, put your rifles back in your closet and save them for long distance target practice.

It's people like you that give us bow hunters a bad name. The truth is that we need firearms hunting in order to properly manage the herd. Us bow hunters simply can't kill enough deer to keep the numbers in check (to have any effect at all really). The reason people shoot deer with firearms is because, even though it's not near as much fun as shooting deer with a bow, it's still a lot of fun. I've always said that "fairness" has no place in deer management. It works both ways. You have the same opportunity to shoot a deer with a firearm as anyone. That is "fair." To you firearms-only hunters out there, please don't assume that all bow hunters are of the same mentality as phish69.

[fullcredit]

Even if rifles are banned and you went to shotguns only, the poachers would still use their rifles from the road. Trust me---it happens in our part of the Delta and along Crowley's Ridge too. The only legal gun hunting we have is with shotguns, and that's the way it's been for many years---I'm ok with that, it's basically all we know. But I do remember many years ago when rifles were allowed, then several years that there was NO gun hunting at all, before it opened back up for shotguns only.

[Quack addict]

Originally Posted by fullcredit

Even if rifles are banned and you went to shotguns only, the poachers would still use their rifles from the road. Trust me---it happens in our part of the Delta and along Crowley's Ridge too. The only legal gun hunting we have is with shotguns, and that's the way it's been for many years---I'm ok with that, it's basically all we know. But I do remember many years ago when rifles were allowed, then several years that there was NO gun hunting at all, before it opened back up for shotguns only.

x2......

[Wes Ramsey]

Originally Posted by phish69

Im still not sure why people hunt with rifles. Not much of a sport when you can shoot a deer from 300 years away. I prefer hunting with a bow, much more of a sport. If I do gun hunt, shotgun only. Lets keep it fair guys, put your rifles back in your closet and save them for long distance target practice.

You wanna hunt with a bow you go right ahead, but you don't have the right to tell others what they should or shouldn't do. Maybe it's not fun for you, but I greatly prefer to hunt with a rifle. It's more fun for me, and that's what it's all about. It doesn't have to be difficult to enjoy. elitists.

[huntindoc]

Originally Posted by Wes Ramsey

You wanna hunt with a bow you go right ahead, but you don't have the right to tell others what they should or shouldn't do. Maybe it's not fun for you, but I greatly prefer to hunt with a rifle. It's more fun for me, and that's what it's all about. It doesn't have to be difficult to enjoy. elitists.

Agreed.

If we were in danger of over harvesting our herd this might be defendable. However in most of south Arkansas where I hunt the opposite is true. We need our rifle 'harvesters' to get our buck/doe balance better and keep the numbers below carrying capacity. In fact, bowhunters like myself should pick up a rifle and help if they can't kill their does with a bow.

[soarkrebel]

Originally Posted by phish69

Im still not sure why people hunt with rifles. Not much of a sport when you can shoot a deer from 300 years away. I prefer hunting with a bow, much more of a sport. If I do gun hunt, shotgun only. Lets keep it fair guys, put your rifles back in your closet and save them for long distance target practice.

I am going to try and keep from getting scolded on here....YOU prefer hunting with a bow GOOD!!!!!!!
I prefer my rifle....GOOD!!
Now just how far is 300 years away??
I am gonna keep my real thoughts to myself but I bet you can guess what they are!!!!!!!