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Has long seasons ruined the traditions of hunting ?

15K views 180 replies 30 participants last post by  Allenn 
#1 ·
I was just thinking when we were kids opening day of squirrel season was a big deal. My dad and buddies and all the their boys got together and had big annual squirrel hunts on opening weekend we always had a blast. Opening day of deer season ( basically had split season back then ) was huge we couldn't wait for it . School let out because everyone was going to be out anyway . Now it seems like the season is so long folks don't have the excitement of opening weekend like before and seems like alot have lost interest. I think to much of a good thing makes it lose its appeal . What are your thoughts ?
 
#2 ·
No I don't think so . We've always had log seasons in La and it's changed a lot their since I was a kid . I think it's just more of a generation thing. Now you have kids playing some type of ball all year or doing this and that all we did in the winter was hunt !
 
#7 ·
I agree. I have lived in Lousiana and Georgia that always had long seasons and 40 to 45 years ago everyone could hardly wait for the start of the two month season. There was no “its to hot” or “to dry” - it was we are going hunting opening day. Times have changed. I bet half the people have quit small game hunting - squirrel, quail, rabbit and even dove to some extent. People hunt less now for a wide variety of reasons. I am retired and hunt less now than I did when I was working. If it wasnt for long seasons - my daughter probably wouldnt get to hunt and my son would get to hunt half as much. A lot might say it would be good to keep any extra people out of the woods we could - I disagree - there is strength in numbers. I think small game hunters have diminished because of land access issues. Lack of quail and rabbits doesnt help either. I dont think it can be blamed on big antler craze - kids can still kill what they want and we kill more bucks now with the 3 pt restriction than we did before it started. I just think people are busier now and involved in more things. I think it is a lot of things.
 
#4 ·
Right on.Really enjoyed the Squirrel hunts.To long and to many restrictions that cannot be enforced.Hard for a young hunter to wait on an 8 pt.The youth hunt is just another hunt so dad can get the early start on a nice buck before opening day of gun season.The check system on deer/turkey is a joke.My father 84 was on the phone an hour trying to talk to Agfc to check a deer.The doe season before muzzleloader season is a joke.How many will let an 8 pt walk to shoot a doe.we are blessed to have lots of private and Wma close to hunt.Agfc needs to take another look and adjust our season.
 
#9 ·
The youth hunt is just another hunt so dad can get the early start on a nice buck before opening day of gun season.
I hope you are just trolling. But I'll bite either way.

If you think that is what most folks do during the youth hunt, then I would love for you to take the opportunity to take a youth out for the youth hunt weekend and prove yourself wrong.
My oldest son turned 7 last year and I took him hunting all four youth days for a total of 5 different hunts. He was on cloud 9 knowing he was the only one that was up to bat and it was on his shoulders to get it done. He was able to take a doe on the first day of the January hunt when it was wind chill in the teens.


He also shot his first deer and first buck during the regular modern gun season.
 
#10 ·
And I think that's what alot of folks misunderstand. I think the op was asking if the traditional getting together for the deer season opener has suffered. I'd say yes once again. Like many have said the long seasons make it easier to miss opening day for various reasons. It's harder for everyone to get their schedules together when there is 47 weekends to hunt as opposed to 3 or 4.
 
#30 ·
"It's da second week a' deer camp
An' all da guys are here.
We play cards an' shoot da bull
But never shoot no deer.

Goofus he came runnin' in
An' said he'd killed a buck!
He was comin' from da wayside
An' hit him wid his truck.

Charlie cracked a six pack
An' said "It's time to celebrate
Goofus killed da first buck
Since nineteen sixty-eight!"

-- Da Yoopers
 
#12 ·
The group my dad took me to deer camp with when I first started hunting is the same group I take my son to camp with now. Granted we only camp together opening weekend and may not even see each other the rest of the year. None of us belong to deer clubs or anything like that and the area we hunt opening weekend is far from a guaranteed successful harvest hunting area, but we still set aside that weekend every year to go.

I used to get excited about going squirrel hunting opening weekend because it was the first thing to hunt other than doves. After the first kid, the ability to get free weekends to hunt dwindled, after the second kid, I am taking the first kid to get the opportunity to go hunting for a weekend at all.

Just like other things in life, social media is driving in person social interaction out of society. We were talking about this at a high school alumni event we have every year. 90% of attendance was 20+ years removed from high school. The percentage of the crowd that wants to interact face to face is growing smaller every year.
 
#15 ·
The group my dad took me to deer camp with when I first started hunting is the same group I take my son to camp with now. Granted we only camp together opening weekend and may not even see each other the rest of the year. None of us belong to deer clubs or anything like that and the area we hunt opening weekend is far from a guaranteed successful harvest hunting area, but we still set aside that weekend every year to go.

I used to get excited about going squirrel hunting opening weekend because it was the first thing to hunt other than doves. After the first kid, the ability to get free weekends to hunt dwindled, after the second kid, I am taking the first kid to get the opportunity to go hunting for a weekend at all.

Just like other things in life, social media is driving in person social interaction out of society. We were talking about this at a high school alumni event we have every year. 90% of attendance was 20+ years removed from high school. The percentage of the crowd that wants to interact face to face is growing smaller every year.
People are just different now. Yes, longer seasons might have made some difference. I guess everyone still camps during deer season in NE AR?

My dad and mom were both born in the mid 1920’s. Even when they lived 1000 miles from the high school they attended - they made it to their high school reunions into their 70’s every five years. Their 50th reunion was attended by 65% of the living graduates. My 25th year high school reunion was attended by about 25% of the living graduates. My 40th year reunion was cancelled due to lack of interest. My 30 year old daughter was tasked with organizing their ten year reunion. About 10% of the graduates committed to come and that reunion was cancelled.

Younger people are just so involved in other things. I used to hunt with a deer rifle a lot. So did my son and wife. I dont hunt with a rifle at all anymore. My wife hardly hunts anymore. My son mostly bowhunts. Very few hunters back in the 80’s were striclty bow hunters. I think there are also more duck hunters that mostly quit deer hunting when duck season opens.

In addition, on opening day of modern gun season, that one day of harvest now equals approximately 25% of the total annual deer harvest during the 1980’s. More opportunity to kill a deer now means you dont feel compelled to spend a week in the woods at one time.
 
#14 ·
I was just thinking when we were kids opening day of squirrel season was a big deal. My dad and buddies and all the their boys got together and had big annual squirrel hunts on opening weekend we always had a blast. Opening day of deer season ( basically had split season back then ) was huge we couldn't wait for it . School let out because everyone was going to be out anyway . Now it seems like the season is so long folks don't have the excitement of opening weekend like before and seems like alot have lost interest. I think to much of a good thing makes it lose its appeal . What are your thoughts ?
I have some of the same, fond memories of when I grew up. One of the main reasons for the longer season now, than back then....is Arkansas has about 5 times as many deer now, as it did when I first started deer hunting. It does give hunters more opportunities to take off work during deer season. When I was a kid, it was almost impossible for many hunters to take off work, during the week days. Half of some companies male employees... wanted to be out hunting. Companies couldn't afford to let but a few take their vacation time during the short, 2 week split season. That left only a couple of weekend hunts that year, for the rest of the hunters. One week in Nov. & one week in Dec. The Dec hunt was never as productive back then.
 
#16 ·
Not really any places to camp and hunt deer in nea. Mostly people just hunt in their backyards. The few wmas we have are either bowhunting only or hunting by limited permits. I'm not sure if scatter creek even has a campground, but I'm sure it's only hunted by the locals. It's not like it's a destination place. Most folks in nea hunt in zn.3.
 
#17 ·
I'm dead set against giving up even one day of season. Any season, duck, deer, squirrel whatever. We need more people in the woods not fewer. I fully expect hunting to be mostly gone in my lifetime due to lack of interest and political correctness.
 
#19 ·
I actually grew up not really liking deer season because of the pressure of those short seasons. Nobody took the time to show us kids how to hunt because they didn't have enough time because this was going to be their only chance. I do have good memories of deer camp but not because of the hunting which was mostly "sit here, they'll come out over there" and then sit there freezing for half a day. No, I'll take the modern season.

I'll promise you that the guys who would shoot a buck during the antlerless hunt would have done that season or no season. No different from bow season to me. No telling how many deer got killed with modern gun on the first weekend of bow season. I also hear lots of rapid fire during muzzleloader. Poachers gonna poach.
 
#20 ·
The long gun deer season's have got small game hunting screwed up like a tube of crickets. With a gun deer season going on from earlier in this week till practically January or so it's almost impossible to squirrel hunt, with or without a dog, or rabbit hunt with dogs. I am fortunate enough to have plenty of private land to small game hunt on so that's not much of a problem for me. But if I didn't live where I do I would never squirrel hunt with a dog on public land for fear of coming up on someone sitting on a deer stand and have them shoot my dog or ruining their hunt, same with rabbit hunting. And before someone says that you can still hunt squirrel's wearing blaze orange must be a way better squirrel hunter than I am 'cause I don't do good wearing it at all. Being one that hate's change I saw all this coming when the timber companies went to leasing land and deer season got longer and longer and longer. Times have changed and people don't hunt as much as they used too and I agree with that but if the deer season's were not like they were I don't think small game hunters would be a dying breed...d2
 
#24 ·
I think one of the big things that has hurt small game hunting is private land access. Back in the 80’s and 90’s - we could drive outside of town for five or ten minutes and squirrel hunt, rabbit hunt, and quail hunt. Now all that land is leased and it takes an hour drive to get to decent squirrel hunting from where I used to live. Not to mention the fact that quail and rabbits are an endangered species in this part of the state.
 
#22 ·
I'll state it again I've been in the same camp since I was 10 we always had long seasons . When I was a kid there would be a ton of us camp out for opener of squirrel and everyone would for deer season. We had no running water or electric at camp just generator and it was always full of peopel . Now we have running water and electric and a nicer camp same season length and no one hardly ever camps there at all. Season length hasn't changed just the generation of people. Like lots of others said times have just changed .
 
#23 ·
I think the availability of hunting land is one big factor in this. Used to, you'd have to travel a ways to find ground to lease. Now, the timber companies are buying up every acre they can get their hands on and leasing it out to deer clubs. Growing up I didn't know anyone with a hunting lease close by their house. Everybody had to travel to get to their hunting land and that meant camping. I'm in a lease now where 80% of the members live within 10 miles of camp. When they climb down in the morning they swing through camp to see if anybody got one then head home to eat dinner. After the evening hunt same thing then home for supper and sleep. There is no camping. There are no late night poker games and sitting around the fire telling stories. Everybody meets up for half an hour at camp and then goes their separate ways. "Deer camp" was as exciting to me as a youngster as deer hunting. I think my son is missing out on that. That's one of the reasons I'll be looking for a new lease after this season.
 
#25 ·
The long deer seasons, leased land and loss of habitat are the biggest factors in the decline of small game hunting.
And my opinion is that small game hunting is the foundation of all hunting, so it pains me to see it become neglected and forgotten by many, and practically unheard of by many younger hunters.
Opening day of deer season is still a big deal to me, but I would certainly get just as much enjoyment from deer season if it was 2-3 weeks long instead of practically non-stop from Mid-October through the end of the year.
 
#26 ·
Assume it was 3 weeks. How many of us have hunted as much as possible and haven't killed a deer this year? Well, seasons over, try again next year. A lot of people would just quit. They definitely wouldn't be paying the money they do now, and life keeps getting busier.
 
#27 ·
I understand that my opinion is a little biased considering I've never deer hunted anywhere outside of South Arkansas, but in most of the areas I hunt, you are in bad shape if you can't kill a deer within 3 hours, let alone 3 weeks. That along with my preference for small game hunting certainly influence my opinion on the deer seasons being much too long
 
#28 ·
The same people that hunt with me would not have passed a legal deer 25 years ago - but pass tons of them now. I think that is a function of more deer now, and the perception that you have more days to hunt, so you will get another chance - that may or may not happen. I used to kill two bucks - usually spikes - every year prior to the 3 pt reg. I have killed one buck in the last six or seven years. It is almost like the more deer we have and the more days we have to hunt, the fewer deer we kill.
 
#32 ·
Some of you guys are thinking with your heart and not your brain. Nobody wants to give up anything or give anything back, so they look for any other possible reason other than their favorite activity for why something is going wrong. I'll say it again. In fact, I'll spell it out, Nothing good comes from long seasons.
 
#47 · (Edited)
Have hunted and fished all my life.when I started hunting Independce.co was no deer.had to drive to stone county, Ozark National forest.was like a Razerback football game.deer camps everywhere.Got their early before opening day to squirrel hunt to scout for a deer stand.Today we have deer eating our gardens in town.Worked with big brother taking kids hunting and fishing.still do it today.nothing more enjoyable than to see a kid catch.take his first deer,or turkey.Now take grandkids,nephews and nieces.Really blessed to be able to hunt and fish.My best days are behind me.We are losing our youth to Computer games and school actives. Keep them busy they say.
 
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