[Etter1]

in reply to: How many bucks? #52613

Ga is two bucks. One must have 4 or more points on a side, but we also have many check in WMA hunts and quota hunts where deer tags are provided by the state. This year I’ve killed six deer so far but two of them were tagged by the state and really I could have killed four on free tags at this point.

I have a buddy who is up to 8 deer right now but he has only had to tag two of them on his license. He loves “free” deer.

[Etter1]

in reply to: Garbaging for Bears #41169

David Petersen wrote: Maine and CO are different states with different situations. Yet the issues and justification and fears you quote are so remarkable similar, consider please these well documented statistic facts (as opposed to hearsay and speculation):

Since Colorado banned baiting and hounding bears by ballot initiative in 1992, the annual number of bear hunters has risen, the annual number of bears killed by hunters has risen, and the annual average size of checked bears has increased amazingly … all of these gains gradually rising on a fairly steady upward curve across the years. Back then, also, the fans of the status quo, largely baiting outfitters and their clients, plus of course the predator-phobic agriculture community, and claimed the ballot initiative was the work of HSUS, but they didn’t come in until the last minute, after they saw it was going to win and wanted to grab credit. The movement was in fact started and overwhelming driven by concerned hunters including me, concerned nonhunters (not antihunters) and a few valiant Div. of Wildlife biologists and wildlife managers who had given up trying to use the system for change, since the system is political and ag-driven, ignoring rather than upholding establish research science. Everyone, including Tom Beck the leading black bear biologist in the West at the time and a dedicated bowhunter (see his “A Failure of the Spirit, p 200, in A Hunter’s Heart), finally, after years of effort, gave up attempting to convince the CO Wildlife Commission (political appointees, not professional wildlife managers, and always heavy on ranchers) to end baiting and hounding. Aside from being considered grossly unethical by many hunters and a 2/3 majority of the nonhunting public and thus shining a dirty light on all hunting (agreed to by P&Y and B&C) garbaging for bears and executing treed bears strongly favored selectively killing large males and consequently had driven the size of the average checked bear down to embarrassingly and biologically unsupportably low levels. In the end, hunters who had never hunted bear during the days of hounding and baiting took up the sport after the ban, explaining it was no longer a dishonorable activity. But I’ve said this all before, for example see “‘Brain-dead Political Hacks and other Friends of Wildlife’: Black Bear Management in Colorado,” p. 181 in Ghost Grizzlies.

All well and good IN COLORADO. But you cannot honestly think for a single second that statistics like that could carry over to a place like Maine or Quebec. In fact, that has been proven to be 100 percent incorrect by the removal of the spring season in Ontario.

The world is much more stratified than you are making it to be.

[Etter1]

in reply to: Traditional Snowshoes for Hunting #41020

I wish I could give you some info but we don’t have much use for them in Georgia.

[Etter1]

in reply to: Garbaging for Bears #41004

David Petersen wrote: What ptaylor said pretty well sums up my feelings. Extreme polarization and a bunker mentality are always the enemies of sound decision making. Sounds like folks up in Maine don’t much like their bears, or else only baiters vote.

Maybe people were voting based on the game management principles presented to them by wildlife biologists.

Perhaps they didn’t want to entirely remove the bear harvest which would, in essence, remove their deer and moose populations. I don’t know how many bears there are in Colorado. I assume that hunting and drought keep them pretty well in check, but I have seen what a huge hear population does to any cervid population. It removes it. Northeast GA used to be covered in deer. As the bear population expanded, the deer disappeared. In the last three years, I have seen 56 bears. I’ve seen 4 deer.

Perhaps you don’t realize that removing hounding and baiting in a place like Maine protects bears. 100 percent. Their harvest goes to nearly zero.

I doubt people would be so supportive of this if they started seeing their own deer, elk, moose, etc disappearing.

My Idaho lion guide told me that they cut open the stomachs of every bear they kill in the spring. Last year 25 or 26 bears had elk or deer hooves inside. I think people underestimate them as a predator.

[Etter1]

in reply to: Neat Dialogue #38905

True Detective was one of the best shows Ive seen. If you liked it, check these out:

Sopranos

Breaking Bad

The Killing

Boardwalk Empire

The Wire

You’ll thank me

[Etter1]

in reply to: Big Jim's Buffalo Bow #35615

Looks great! Bring em both to AZ. I’ve never shot a big Jim bow.

[Etter1]

in reply to: Southwest DIY Javelina Hunts? #29320

Anybody know what verizon service is generally like in that area? I would love to have the gps on my phone working for this hunt, as I like to walk a LONG way, but if not I may buy one.

I can find my way back to the truck by compass but in flat land it may be tough for me to find my way back to some pigs.

[Etter1]

in reply to: Garbaging for Bears #29290

Everyone is different

[Etter1]

in reply to: Trad Look? #29255

Put a stormy kromer on your head. Then you’ll be “super trad” like me! Lol.

Unfortunately, in GA, most people would never even expect someone to go the trad route. I was quite the unicorn at bear camp last year.

[Etter1]

in reply to: Garbaging for Bears #25695

And now a dose of the real world effects of those decisions

http://www.alternativesjournal.ca/community/blogs/current-events/controversial-spring-bear-hunt-returns-ontario

[Etter1]

in reply to: Southwest DIY Javelina Hunts? #24966

I’m really excited for this one. The drive is going to be a bit rough but the hunt will be spectacular and I can’t wait to meet the company.

[Etter1]

in reply to: Lock on Treestands #24963

Any competent metal worker could probably make a loc on for less than $15 in total. I wish I knew one nearby!!

One piece of equipment that I’ve been real impressed with are the rapid rails. They are three, three-step sections of strap on ladder rail that you use with a loc on. They are fantastic. They work extremely well on crooked trees too. I love them for blackbeard!

[Etter1]

in reply to: A Pleasant Surprise In Customer Service #24958

That’s great. I’ve gotten similar responses from the guy at Simmons. (Dave, I think)

[Etter1]

in reply to: Garbaging for Bears #24954

grumpy wrote: But what town is the bear in?

I’m not sure of the town but does he S in the woods?

[Etter1]

in reply to: Garbaging for Bears #24947

grumpy wrote: Everybody quotes me, but nobody answered my question. When I was at a stand today in the middle of the hay field, right next to the corn field, was it baiting?

No, I didn’t see any deer, got rained out (cold and wet).

Would it be different if it was my field, and I planted it to attract deer?

And what town is that bear in?

BTW. I’ve gone deer hunting 4 times this season. Saw 2 deer (not close enough to see antlers). And, despite my age, this is my first season hunting deer.

Those are semantics and those are questions that you have to answer for yourself. Me, personally, I will not sit over a corn feeder and wait for a deer but I would sit over a food plot that was planted for the sole purpose of drawing deer. Am I a hypocrite? Yes, I am. Those are just my values. I feel the same way about bears. GA doesn’t allow bear baiting. Will I ever hunt bears over bait here? Nope. Will I do it in Canada? Maybe again.

We are all different.

[Author]

Posts