Archery Opens Statewide Oct. 3, 2009

[RednekF350]

Read it and weep my friends.

http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/news/2009/fallbow09.htm

Archery will be open statewide on Oct. 3, 2009 and it already opened in some zones on September 12.

This will be the first year that crossbows will be allowed and the first year for Sunday hunting in NJ.
I am not a big fan of the crossbow. The crossbow takes away the real challenge of archery hunting which is being able to draw undetected and hold that draw for what seems like an eternity at times.
It will be interesting to see what happens to the kill counts this year.

The Sunday hunting will be in WMA's and private land ONLY.
If you see anybody Sunday hunting in a State Forest, let them know they are in violation.
I think there will be some mistakes made this year.

Scott

 

[Teegate]

It should be an interesting year. Thanks for the heads up!


Guy

 

[Pine Baron]

I am not a big fan of the crossbow. The crossbow takes away the real challenge of archery hunting

Scott-

I agree 100%. If you're gonna use a crossbow, you might as well just hunt with a shotgun or muzzie. It takes all the stealth out of the sport of bowhunting.
They may be trying to increase the clean kills, reducing the number of cripples. Or maybe, since most of the state is unlimited does, they want to increase the antlerless harvest. I'm curious to see what the numbers look like for this year, too.

To be sure, we all must be careful, even on Sundays now! Hunting accidents have been reduced over the last few years. Let's hope it stays that way!

John-

 

[46er]

The list;

http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/news/2009/sundayhunt.htm

 

[Hewey]

Not a big fan of the crossbow, a lot of states are making them legal during the archery season. Jersey did it I feel to produce more money on archery license sales, more of the gun only hunters will buy and use crossbows due to the ease of learning how to shoot them. I am looking forward to spending some nice crisp mornings and evenings in my stands in the pines with my bow. I Hung a stand yesterday in the factory branch swamp, looks like a real nice spot.

The harvest numbers have been way down in the pine barren zones the last few years. I hunt zone 21. The harvest number last year was 400 deer for all deer seasons in zone 21. The state has cut back the black powder season in the pines, one week shorter now and and you are allowed to take one doe per season, in the past you could take two. 10 years ago the bow kill alone was 400 deer in zone 21. I miss the days of seeing deer every time I was in the woods. I hope with the new restrictions the numbers will come up in the pines over the next few years.

Chris

 

[Boyd]

Archery will be open statewide on Oct. 3, 2009 and it already opened in some zones on September 12.

I saw a few bow hunters out in the rain around 7:00AM this morning on the way to work.

 

[PancoastDrifter]

Dusts off orange hat...

 

[RednekF350]

The harvest numbers have been way down in the pine barren zones the last few years. I hunt zone 21. The harvest number last year was 400 deer for all deer seasons in zone 21. The state has cut back the black powder season in the pines, one week shorter now and and you are allowed to take one doe per season, in the past you could take two. 10 years ago the bow kill alone was 400 deer in zone 21. I miss the days of seeing deer every time I was in the woods. I hope with the new restrictions the numbers will come up in the pines over the next few years.

Chris

Here is something to think about Chris.
My zone, 23, is only slightly ahead of you at 436 last year.
'07/'08 about the same but '06/'07 was pretty good at 700 and '05/'06 at 1,082.

Could it have something to do with instituting the "buck tag" program two years ago?
I know plenty of people, myself included, that refused to buy the buck tag for extended bow and muzzleloader and permit shotgun.
Fish and Wildlife pushed hard to get the buck tag to apply during one week shotgun for your second deer but so far that hasn't passed.
I believe that at least some part of the drop in reported numbers over the last two years is due to hunters not taking there deer to a check station because they might be taking bucks and they didn't buy the tag to legally check them in.
Scott

 

[this_is_nascar]

Scott-

I agree 100%. If you're gonna use a crossbow, you might as well just hunt with a shotgun or muzzie. It takes all the stealth out of the sport of bowhunting.
They may be trying to increase the clean kills, reducing the number of cripples. Or maybe, since most of the state is unlimited does, they want to increase the antlerless harvest. I'm curious to see what the numbers look like for this year, too.

To be sure, we all must be careful, even on Sundays now! Hunting accidents have been reduced over the last few years. Let's hope it stays that way!

John-

Those of us who are "non-hunters" might wonder where the sport is hunting with any type of gun, especially when I see corn bait spread in the open areas. Yea, that's real challenging, isn't it?

 

[RednekF350]

Those of us who are "non-hunters" might wonder where the sport is hunting with any type of gun, especially when I see corn bait spread in the open areas. Yea, that's real challenging, isn't it?

Those of us who are not into Nascar may not understand where the sport is in watching cars go around in circles.
At least until there is good wreck.

 

[LARGO]

Those of us who are not into Nascar may not understand where the sport is in watching cars go around in circles.
At least until there is good wreck.

Ouch.
It does have a sort of a "watching tennis or golf" effect when just viewed on T.V. to be honest. To each his own.

g.

 

[GermanG]

I’ve heard similar comments in the past regarding how little sport is involved using a gun to hunt deer. It’s a totally understandable attitude which I shared myself until I eventually took up hunting some time later. My only response is that you really can’t understand how hard it is to get within shotgun range and take a deer until you actually try it, at least the way I hunt, which does not involve baiting. Deer being hunted behave very differently than the ones you see grazing on the side of the Parkway. I’ve been skunked more years than I’ve been successful. Those who are consistently successful often put in much time scouting and getting to know the area they hunt and the habits of the deer that inhabit it. And a shotgun has limited advantages over crossbows and modern compound bows, with their releases, sights, string silencers and other advantages not dreamed of by archers of old. I’m not a fan of these “improvements” at all, and was vehemently against baiting being made legal in NJ as well. I now hunt deer almost exclusively with traditional muzzleloaders. My opinion of modern inline muzzleloaders is also pretty negative, feeling that they violate the spirit of the “primitive weapon” seasons, as these seasons were referred to early on. The newer weapons meet the legal requirements of the law, but have few of the disadvantages muzzleloaders have over shotguns, and are used by hunters who have little interest in traditional weaponry, and merely take advantage of an additional season to take deer. In some ways these inlines are even superior to shotguns. I’m obviously fairly opinionated on these subjects, but my opinions are based on experience hunting and using these weapons. It’s frustrating hearing good intentioned statements regarding hunting that have little basis in reality.

 

[grendel]

bow vs. crossbow is an old argument. You had better make your first shot with a crossbow count, it is slow and akward to reload. it won't change things much. I think they have had crossbows here in VA for a few years now. I would have to check and see what the impact has been. They sure suck as a still hunting weapon.

 

[RednekF350]

I’ve heard similar comments in the past regarding how little sport is involved using a gun to hunt deer. It’s a totally understandable attitude which I shared myself until I eventually took up hunting some time later. My only response is that you really can’t understand how hard it is to get within shotgun range and take a deer until you actually try it, at least the way I hunt, which does not involve baiting. Deer being hunted behave very differently than the ones you see grazing on the side of the Parkway.

I’m obviously fairly opinionated on these subjects, but my opinions are based on experience hunting and using these weapons.

It’s frustrating hearing good intentioned statements regarding hunting that have little basis in reality.

Well spoken German.
I too find myself explaining to non-hunters the challenge of getting within shotgun and archery range of deer.
They feel that hunting must be easy from their limited view of the pastoral, roadside grazing deer.
I don't bait either and the hunters I know that do are always complaining that the deer come in too late or that they never see any decent size deer at their bait.
I think maybe deer are smart or something.

 

[Pine Baron]

Those of us who are "non-hunters" might wonder where the sport is hunting with any type of gun, especially when I see corn bait spread in the open areas. Yea, that's real challenging, isn't it?

The term "sport" for me means challenge. Hunting over a bait pile reduces that challenge. So do hunting clubs who "drive" their deer. I have nothing against these clubs, if that's what they enjoy. It's just that I prefer the solitude of a deer stand where it is just myself and the sights and sounds of the woods (without bait).
My hunt starts weeks before I climb in that stand. Learning the topography of the habitat. Finding the deers patterns of movement and feeding. And, like I tell my son, not so much where they are, but when they are. This is the definition of "deer hunting" to me.
When in the stand, the challenge with either a firearm or bow is to get the deer within range. The patience of waiting for a good shot is my sport. Sure, I could take 60yd "pot shots", but that's not what it's about to me. There are few things that can give an adrenaline rush like being pulled up and having a nice buck (or doe) coming within range. It's even better than the lights going out on the pace-car. I'm sorry if some "non-hunters" can't see the sport in this.

John-

 

[Hewey]

Here is something to think about Chris.
My zone, 23, is only slightly ahead of you at 436 last year.
'07/'08 about the same but '06/'07 was pretty good at 700 and '05/'06 at 1,082.

Could it have something to do with instituting the "buck tag" program two years ago?
I know plenty of people, myself included, that refused to buy the buck tag for extended bow and muzzleloader and permit shotgun.
Fish and Wildlife pushed hard to get the buck tag to apply during one week shotgun for your second deer but so far that hasn't passed.
I believe that at least some part of the drop in reported numbers over the last two years is due to hunters not taking there deer to a check station because they might be taking bucks and they didn't buy the tag to legally check them in.
Scott

I am a sucker for all the extra tags. I buy them all for zone 21, even for permit shotgun which is one day and most of the time I do not even see deer on that day. The state loves guys like me.

As for the numbers you may be right with hunters not checking in deer. I also have a feeling it has to do with baiting also. I have one stand I bait and keep a camera over. From my observations most deer come in way after shooting time and the deer that do show in the tail end of shooting are doe and that years fawn, I am shure this is the same with most baited sites in the pines so the doe have been getting thined out over the last few years and a good number of hunters in the pines hunt over bait only so they are also just not seeing the deer during legal shooting time. The deer now know that corn spread in the pines is not natural and it means danger during the day light.

Chris

 

[this_is_nascar]

OK, my comment was probably off-base. I knew it would spark-up the conversation, but probably would have been better off not saying it. Anyway, I don't want to take the thread off-topic or risk it being closed, so to the OP, I appologize.

 

[PINEY MIKE]

Those of us who are not into Nascar may not understand where the sport is in watching cars go around in circles.
At least until there is good wreck.

Talk about a comeback.. that was good. You know whats harder to understand? Wheres the challenge for these people going to the supermarket and catching a pack of burgers, hotdogs, or chicken cutlets? Like those couped-up animals ever stood a chance. Their all bulked up on feed w steroids and stuck in pens.

 

[Hewey]

Their all bulked up on feed w steroids and stuck in pens.

No meat is better taste wise and health wise as venison.

 

[piker56]

...and merely take advantage of an additional season to take deer...

I don't see anything wrong with that. If you are hunting deer during any season and you want to use new/different technology (or bait, crossbow, etc...) to make a cleaner kill, whats wrong with that? As long as it's legal.

BTW, I hunted deer with a traditional 50 lb recurve and never shot a deer, although I passed up shots. I now hunt Pickerel.

Greg