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Booshway
posted
It looks like we're getting ready to lose a season. I just got the regulation concepts for the next 2 year cycle of hunting regulations and our DNR is proposing to turn the week of late October antlerless muzzleloader into a full on modern hunt. Will still be antlerless only, region B only, but will allow modern shotguns and rifles. Stakeholders meeting is next week, the first round of feedback, and I'll be attending to cover it for my newspaper column. I'll forward anything new that comes up on it.

Most of the other proposed concepts are fairly minor things, mainly concerning the bear hunt and baiting distances for bears and fall turkeys. At least for now, occasionally new things come up at the stakeholders meeting.
 
Posts: 429 | Location: Delmarva | Registered: 22 December 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Factor
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Where are these meetings held?

OH and in what paper do you write? Big Grin

LD in Damascus, MD


It's not what you know, it's what you can prove
 
Posts: 3843 | Location: People's Republic of Maryland | Registered: 10 November 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Factor
Picture of Hanshi
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Since I hunt with MLs and nothing else, I feel no disadvantage during the regular season. I don't like the larger crowds, however.


*Young guys should hang out with old guys; old guys know stuff.*
 
Posts: 3560 | Location: Maine (by way of Georgia then Va.) | Registered: 26 January 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
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I am another who hunts all the seasons with muzzleloaders. Rarely, I take a modern firearm.

However, I agree with Hanshi that muzzleloader seasons are far less crowded and quieter. I would hate to see them go.


Know what you believe in. Fight for your beliefs. Never compromise away your rights.
 
Posts: 1296 | Location: Cherokee Land, Tenasi | Registered: 06 January 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Factor
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The problem is, there are a great many areas in Maryland where people cannot hunt because of the laws regarding the distances to "occupied dwellings", churches and schools. So in some places, the only places to hunt are the public hunting areas in Wildlife Management Areas. So they created a special 3-Day muzzleloader hunt in October, a Thursday, Friday, and a Saturday in succession. It was successful, so they offered an extended "antlerless" only period for muzzleloaders the following Monday through the next Saturday. This is in the majority of the state, and early ML season is then 9-days long.

Well, the deer count is apparently down this year....it seems to me that the deer for whatever reason moved in larger numbers into the neighborhoods where they simply cannot be hunted. So instead of looking into opening up areas to bow hunters, or additional park areas for controlled firearms hunts, some nebbish in Annapolis think that allowing shotguns (for we are talking only about areas that are either shotgun or muzzle loader only areas) more time in the woods would increase the harvest.

NOTE they don't think or propose opening the "regular" deer season up a week early and letting it run for three weeks instead of the traditional two. Roll Eyes

LD


It's not what you know, it's what you can prove
 
Posts: 3843 | Location: People's Republic of Maryland | Registered: 10 November 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
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LD,

This first meeting is what they call the Stakeholders meeting. It's invite only, press and reps from major hunting groups across the state. They use this as the first round to get feedback, sometimes the 'concepts' disappear after this meeting, often a few new ones show up. After this it will go forward to official proposals for the next two year regulation cycle process, which includes general public meetings and a chance for online comment.

This concept the DNR is proposing becuase they want more does killed and think this will do it. I don't know. The opportunity is there, but it's hard to get hunters afield unless they at least have a chance at a buck. Currently bow season remains open during that week, so anyone that hunts multiple weapons (me included) just goes bowhunting so they can use their archery buck tag. It's the last week of October after all, end of the sika rut and beginning of the whitetail rut, so you know what's going to walk in front of you if you head to the woods then with no buck tag.

So it opens up numerous problems. Such as guys shooting bucks with rifles and tagging them as bow kills (which, if you can get a taxidermist or butcher to talk to you honestly is already a problem). Or more pressure during peak deer time that will suppress the rut activity for November bow hunting. Or if people will even want to go.

I'd rather see, and think it would be more effective if they want to increase the kill, would be to make the general early MZ season a full Saturday-Saturday week instead of just the three days we get now.

Oh, and I write a weekly outdoors column for The Daily Times in Salisbury, as well as being a contributing editor for the Maryland Hunting Quarterly.

Dave Ciekot
 
Posts: 429 | Location: Delmarva | Registered: 22 December 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
Picture of Hunts4Deer
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My family (all 4 of us) hunt public land in Montgomery County. I would not want our muzzleloader only extra week to become a shotgun season. Why? Because that would almost amount to "Opening Week" for regular firearms season. Despite the fact that it would be a does-only season, there would be nearly as many hunters out there as in the late November opening day.

And we all know that after regular firearms season on public land, bow and muzzleloader hunters have far fewer opportunities to get any close shots. The woods literally get "shot up" and the deer become skittish and nocturnal.

That extra anterless only, muzzleloader or bow only week should be preserved.

I agree with LD that they should instead look for ways to open up more areas for hunting that are currently off limits.

OR, allow shotgun on private land only for that week, and preserve muzzleloader and bow only on public land for that week... similar to the way they treat Sunday Hunting.


John
Vive le Roy!
 
Posts: 513 | Location: Colony of Maryland | Registered: 04 November 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
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I'll let you guys know what comes out of the meeting on the 3rd. I wonder about our DNR. This idea came out of their Deer Management Report in 2014, of course that was the same place they started asking for commercial sale of wild venison. Sometimes I think they want to get rid of all the deer.
 
Posts: 429 | Location: Delmarva | Registered: 22 December 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Factor
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commercial sales of venison???

Well that will simply cause poaching to go through the roof. You'll end up with folks trespassing to kill deer on private land to make money. You'll get folks killing deer with means other than legal, such as rifles in the shotgun only areas, spotlighting, or using a modern gun in bow season or ML season, to get money. You'll get folks getting into fights over deer while they are armed with firearms either somebody will rob another hunter, or territory fights will begin. THIS IS A VERY BAD IDEA.

IF they want better harvest numbers, they need to open the regular gun season one week earlier, and keep it open for three weeks. One of the problems I had this year was some pretty bad weather, PLUS the deer for some reason changed a lot of movement habits this year. Had I been able to hunt for three weeks strait, I would have been in the woods more as I would have been able to take advantage of three weekends, and two days off.

Extend the January late season from two to three days to a full 6 days as well.

LD


It's not what you know, it's what you can prove
 
Posts: 3843 | Location: People's Republic of Maryland | Registered: 10 November 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
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Dave the commercial sales was something they talked about a few years ago, not in this package. Although if I remember correctly it was part of proposed legislation last year and got defeated.

The antlerless MZ topic was pretty overwhelmingly opposed by all in attendance, so not sure if that will go on to the next stage or not. I suggested making the regular either-sex October MZ season a week instead of three days, but they were worried about too many bucks being shot. The only voice in support of adding the rifles and shotguns for the antlerless week was the Farm Buruea rep.

Looks like bear season will include Frederick and Washington Couties. Also bear hunt subpermittees may be able to hunt without the permittee present, that was another favorably received concept (under current rules if the main permittee only wants to hunt one day of the hunt, his co-permittees must stop as well).

Will be interesting to see what exactly comes from the all the feedback and discussion, DNR should have the official proposals, which is the next stage, probably next month. I'll post a link when they come out...
 
Posts: 429 | Location: Delmarva | Registered: 22 December 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
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Well we got the problem knocked out in the Stakeholders meeting! They took out the idea of using modern firearms during the week of antlerless muzzleloader!!! Most of the other concepts went forward and most of them look good, so seems to be a good product so far.

Here's the link to the official proposals and where to comment online if you want...

http://dnr2.maryland.gov/wildl...Hunting-Seasons.aspx
 
Posts: 429 | Location: Delmarva | Registered: 22 December 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Factor
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AND THERE WAS MUCH REJOICING!

[obscure Monty Python reference]

Big Grin

LD


It's not what you know, it's what you can prove
 
Posts: 3843 | Location: People's Republic of Maryland | Registered: 10 November 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
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LD, not sure how far west you are, but if you look there is a proposal to add Washington and Frederick Counties to the bear hunt zone. Talking to the bear biologist at the meetings, nobody has killed one with a flintlock yet - I'm hoping to be the first but still haven't drawn a tag of my own...
 
Posts: 429 | Location: Delmarva | Registered: 22 December 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
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quote:
Originally posted by Hanshi:
Since I hunt with MLs and nothing else, I feel no disadvantage during the regular season. I don't like the larger crowds, however.
I'm with ya. I haven't fired a enter fire rifle at a deep in at least 10 years. It's been about that long since I sat in a stand as well. Flintlock + patched round ball + sitting on the ground against a tree = hunting.
 
Posts: 552 | Location: SC | Registered: 03 May 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
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Sorry, wrote this after my 4th 12 hour night shift!
 
Posts: 552 | Location: SC | Registered: 03 May 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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