Brian Call, hopefully one day you will read this. Listening to you guys propose different reasons for the dramatic down slide of hunting in the Midwest, I feel you never get to the real issue. Declining Boomer populations, lack of public land, lack of interest are all valid topics, but I will add my 2 cents. It's not waning interest or lack of public access. This is provable across the South form Texas to FL. The problem is the Midwestern states have not evolved their hunting seasons to conform with modern times. Declining are the times when an entire family heads to deer camp for a one week shotgun season. I think the magic formula is abundance x availability. This equals an inviting endeavor. I apologize for picking on Iowa in this next example, but here goes. You can't hunt deer with a rifle in Iowa. You are provided two week long shotgun seasons. The DNR and the residents will have to realize what a slap in the face this is to the hunter. Season structures similar to this are a laughable joke. These states have millions of deer. Midwestern states already have one half of the equation, the abundance. Make the seasons inviting and the problem goes away.
Gritty Podcast 527: The future of hunting
- Thread starter bushman13
- Start date
I'm a bit confused. What's the issue with those seasons? Southern MN has had split seasons for as long as I can remember. With very little public land in the southern part of the state it works out well for those who don't own land. I know many groups who have a standing invitation to hunt the 2nd season while the landowners hunt the 1st season. I really don't see how this does anything but help get more people in the field. How do you propose changing seasons to conform to "modern times?"
Exactly, those seasons have been in place for as long as you can remember. And hunter numbers are falling off the cliff in these areas. Where are they not falling and what is the discrepancy?
I believe it's the seasons. Take Iowa again for an example, what would happen if they gave the hunter a 2 month rifle season with a 1 buck 2 doe limit? This is just an example, but you are telling the hunter: We trust you with a rifle. We value your time enough that we are now giving you months instead of weeks. And we value your right to procure food across the fall hunting season. TBH the shotgun only thing is offensive and indicates hunters are not safe.
What possible benefit could a week long shotgun hunting season have over the southern style season?
I believe it's the seasons. Take Iowa again for an example, what would happen if they gave the hunter a 2 month rifle season with a 1 buck 2 doe limit? This is just an example, but you are telling the hunter: We trust you with a rifle. We value your time enough that we are now giving you months instead of weeks. And we value your right to procure food across the fall hunting season. TBH the shotgun only thing is offensive and indicates hunters are not safe.
What possible benefit could a week long shotgun hunting season have over the southern style season?
Jokes on you. The reason iowa has arguably the best whitetail hunting in the lower 48 is its season structure.....
Might need to find a different example to prove your point. I am far from a Call fan, in fact he rubs me the wrong way ...but i think his argument has more validity than yours.
Might need to find a different example to prove your point. I am far from a Call fan, in fact he rubs me the wrong way ...but i think his argument has more validity than yours.
The focus of the conversation, hunter numbers in drastic decline in the Midwest. Not antler size. Obviously the fantastic whitetail hunting is not getting it done.
Idk man... a month long rifle season in Iowa? I can't help but think the quality of deer would drop dramatically. I'm not sure that would help, as the number of licenses given out would need to drop dramatically as well to keep the same quality. If you wanted to plow 1.5-2.5 year old age classes of bucks every year and not let every one who can't kill a buck shoot a doe, maybe a month long season rifle season would work. What the hell do I know tho, I’m just posting on here to avoid excel spreadsheets.
Also this is unrelated, Call crying in the beginning about the writer making fun of cross fitters was pretty hilarious. He came off as wildly insecure.
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Gellar
Well-known member
You can use a straight walled cartridge rifle in Iowa and Iowa only has about 500,000 deer total. Part of the reason Iowa has become so famous for whitetail deer hunting is because of these regulations and short gun seasons that are not during the rut period.
He came off as wildly insecure. But haven't you listened to him? He is a physical specimen with athletic thighs and diet as pure as the driven snow 
. Dumps smell like roses.
I can't help but think the quality of deer would drop dramatically. QDMA, These agriculture based states have plenty of wiggle room in terms of population and age management.
. Dumps smell like roses.I can't help but think the quality of deer would drop dramatically. QDMA, These agriculture based states have plenty of wiggle room in terms of population and age management.
So go down with the ship? Noble I guess.
www.outdoornews.com
Iowa hunters pass on tradition amid hunting decline - Outdoor News
About 223,000 people in Iowa held hunting licenses in 2018, a 14 percent decrease from 1988.
www.outdoornews.com
Gellar
Well-known member
You were trying to make your point with false statements. I am not arguing that hunter numbers have went down.
Actually I gave myself some wiggle room "These states have millions of deer" - a generalization applied to Midwestern states
"You can use a straight walled cartridge rifle" - Great, so I can shoot a 1800's cartridge or a pistol round at deer now. Seems kinda backwards and my original statement implies modern rifles.
"You can use a straight walled cartridge rifle" - Great, so I can shoot a 1800's cartridge or a pistol round at deer now. Seems kinda backwards and my original statement implies modern rifles.
A couple things: Parts of Iowa (and the Midwest) are flat lands. Rifle bullets travel much farther than shotgun slugs. The reason for no rifle seasons in the past is for safety reasons. You can say it's a slap in the face of the hunter and the state is saying they don't trust them, yepp, we had a local man killed just last year by a .223 bullet from a fellow hunting partner shooting at a coyote. The bullet traveled over the slight rise and killed the guy sitting in his truck. Just last week a guy driving down the road heard a loud noise, later found a bullet hole in his vehicle. Law enforcement determined it was likely from a coyote hunter. Predators are the only thing you can hunt in Iowa with a centerfire rifle. I guess we now have straight wall only rifle cartridges allowed but likely because they don't have the range that other rifles do.
To your point of giving everyone a rifle and a month to shoot a buck. You will destroy the age population in a hurry and then people won't want to go out if they don't feel that they have a chance at a big mature deer.
Giving people longer to kill a deer isn't going to solve anything in my opinion. If it's a priority to you then you will schedule life around it. People just have many different things going on these days. How many parents end up at Swim meets, soccer games, basketball tournaments, you name it. When we were kids we had shorter sports seasons and kids skipped school to go hunting if their folks were ok with it. Times have just changed, and people are pulled too many different directions.
To your point of giving everyone a rifle and a month to shoot a buck. You will destroy the age population in a hurry and then people won't want to go out if they don't feel that they have a chance at a big mature deer.
Giving people longer to kill a deer isn't going to solve anything in my opinion. If it's a priority to you then you will schedule life around it. People just have many different things going on these days. How many parents end up at Swim meets, soccer games, basketball tournaments, you name it. When we were kids we had shorter sports seasons and kids skipped school to go hunting if their folks were ok with it. Times have just changed, and people are pulled too many different directions.
I'm with Trial, I just don't think the seasons are the issue. Heck, Iowa gives youth hunters 2 full weeks of hunting before any other hunters have a chance.
I think it's mostly access. When my dad grew up, almost everyone lived on a farm where they could hunt. When I grew up almost everyone had a family member that owned a farm where they could hunt. Now, kid's are lucky if someone in their graduating class grew up on a farm. Good luck getting permission to hunt anywhere with everyone wanting to grow the next trophy buck. Couple that with sports, which are now a year-round commitment if you want a place on the team, and kid's just don't have the opportunity they used to. Hunter numbers have nowhere to go but down. You could have a 4 month long rifle season and I just don't think it would change much.
I think it's mostly access. When my dad grew up, almost everyone lived on a farm where they could hunt. When I grew up almost everyone had a family member that owned a farm where they could hunt. Now, kid's are lucky if someone in their graduating class grew up on a farm. Good luck getting permission to hunt anywhere with everyone wanting to grow the next trophy buck. Couple that with sports, which are now a year-round commitment if you want a place on the team, and kid's just don't have the opportunity they used to. Hunter numbers have nowhere to go but down. You could have a 4 month long rifle season and I just don't think it would change much.
PS. Iowa already has a "youth Season" - Kids can buy a youth tag, and hunt for 2 weeks before any of the other seasons open. They can use a bow, shotgun or muzzleloader. If they are unsuccessful during that 2 week period or have too many soccer games they can then continue to use that tag during any of the other 4 Iowa seasons. So they get to hunt from Mid Sept. until Jan. 10. They just have to change their weapon of choice during some of the seasons. Sounds pretty accomadating to me.
Times have just changed, and people are pulled too many different directions. - Exactly my point. The modern hunter isn't dragging his entire family and crew anymore for a week long season. He wants food and recreation, give him this freedom and hunter numbers might stop the down slide.
As far as safety, there will always be a small number of hunting related accidents, comes with the territory. I would guess the number of people having heart attacks and falling from their stands is 30x the accidental shootings number. Not a factor to me.
As far as safety, there will always be a small number of hunting related accidents, comes with the territory. I would guess the number of people having heart attacks and falling from their stands is 30x the accidental shootings number. Not a factor to me.
Texas is all private and no access without $$$. Not an issue there. Same for Alabama, GA, FL
I would argue that loosening the seasons would give more reason for a person to spend on a yearly lease. Not my theory, just what I have observed first hand in the South.
I would argue that loosening the seasons would give more reason for a person to spend on a yearly lease. Not my theory, just what I have observed first hand in the South.
Mallardsx2
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I dont watch or listen to their podcasts anymore.
Besides, I always thought Brian Call was a little bit gay with his infatuation with "A-ron" Snyder. Really creepy to be honest...so I dont hold what he says with much weight.
Besides, I always thought Brian Call was a little bit gay with his infatuation with "A-ron" Snyder. Really creepy to be honest...so I dont hold what he says with much weight.
Point is life is full of choices. Iowa kids get a ton of time to shoot a deer if time is the factor and if they really want to.
To the safety issue, we already have shooting accidents from hunting coyotes with rifles. We sure as hell don't need deer hunters shooting their Creeds from 800 yards.
To the safety issue, we already have shooting accidents from hunting coyotes with rifles. We sure as hell don't need deer hunters shooting their Creeds from 800 yards.
Mallardsx2
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Ya I dont mind him. He tells it like it is I just dont care much for his lap dogs...
