Saskatchewan OTC mule deer archery

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rkr

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don't know how many people read the last Big Game magazine but |Sask Wildlife Federation just announced for next year they'll recommend to the Ministry of Environment that either ### mule deer tags be awarded only through the big game draw. Hopefully the govt won't listen to them but it's unlikely.
I'll make sure not to renew my next year membership and at the same time I'll write a letter to ME.
 
skhunter said:
Did they give a reason why?
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Too many applicants and not enough tags for rifle hunters. Success rate for archery is around 18% so that will give them about 400 more tags. The end of OTC won't help them at all and they know it.
 
I'm a meat cutter and in my zone alone I have cut 18 mule deer this year already that were OTC archery tags. There were 75 regular season draw tags awarded to successful applicants and I'm sure they will have a high success rate. When a zone is given a limit like 75 and others are able to come in and harvest animals on a OTC tag it hurts the numbers a bit. I know there were more deer taken than the 18 I've done as people butcher their own and such. I used to bow hunt and had a lot of fun doing it so I'm picking on anyone but I do see the negative effects of over harvest locally. I'm sure when they cancel the OTC archery tags and make them into draw ones they will maybe take my local 75 number and give say ten to bow hunters and the remainder to the regular draw. Its going to suck for a bunch of guys but if it's what we need to do to keep healthy herds then that's what should be done.
 
The reason I don't bow hunt anymore is I have a bad shoulder and can't draw a bow. I tried to get a permit to use a crossbow but no luck. I haven't hunted mule deer since 2009 because that is the last time I was draw. When it comes down to it I guess I'm with Dogleg.
 
You know what I just realized? You can't buy an archery tag for white tail, antelope, moose or elk. You have to buy or be drawn for a regular tag and then it is your choice to use a bow or not. Why should mule deer be any different.
 
billdick said:
I'm a meat cutter and in my zone alone I have cut 18 mule deer this year already that were OTC archery tags. There were 75 regular season draw tags awarded to successful applicants and I'm sure they will have a high success rate. When a zone is given a limit like 75 and others are able to come in and harvest animals on a OTC tag it hurts the numbers a bit. I know there were more deer taken than the 18 I've done as people butcher their own and such. I used to bow hunt and had a lot of fun doing it so I'm picking on anyone but I do see the negative effects of over harvest locally. I'm sure when they cancel the OTC archery tags and make them into draw ones they will maybe take my local 75 number and give say ten to bow hunters and the remainder to the regular draw. Its going to suck for a bunch of guys but if it's what we need to do to keep healthy herds then that's what should be done.
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So you think by dividing up the 400 tags bought OTC by archers and making them available to rifle hunters will reduce the harvest?
 
Dogleg said:
There shouldn't be any special weapon seasons; over the counter or otherwise. Archery is a choice. They sure aren't in a hurry to support me hunting with a crossbow.
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i dont fully understand how the seasons are split between the game animals.
why cant they just open it up for all animals as 1st sept then close it 15 dec.

sorry to siderail thread.
 
billdick said:
You know what I just realized? You can't buy an archery tag for white tail, antelope, moose or elk. You have to buy or be drawn for a regular tag and then it is your choice to use a bow or not. Why should mule deer be any different.
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OTC doesn't affect the numbers. We have a regular either ### for whitetail while mule deer numbers are way higher and nobody complains about. Main reason to scrap OTC is envy.
 
skhunter said:
If they do this my land will be archery hunting only. Rifle hunters want to reduce opportunity for archery hunters so they should have no problem with it.
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No offence for rifle hunters but to me archery and black powder is real hunting. I have a rifle that I never use.
You can see in November a lot of road hunting and unsafe shooting and I that is why I stay away from rifle season.
 
rkr said:
No offence for rifle hunters but to me archery and black powder is real hunting. I have a rifle that I never use.
You can see in November a lot of road hunting and unsafe shooting and I that is why I stay away from rifle season.
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It is all hunting to me. There is no reason those rifle hunters can't pick up a bow and join in on the OTC hunt.
 
skhunter said:
If they do this my land will be archery hunting only. Rifle hunters want to reduce opportunity for archery hunters so they should have no problem with it.
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Your land, your rules. 'Course they will only have their draw tag every five years or so, so you won't be seeing the archery hunters very often either.
 
The whole thing is knee jerk reaction to the draw system. The old boys are used to getting drawn every 4 years in Super A and heading out for a mulie buck but w/ a huge population growth and new hunters this doesn't happen anymore and guys are upset. That added w/ Cody Robbins ..Jason Peterson ect.. and other hunters posting/airing 200" mule deer every year I think some people are a bit jealous and think its as easy as going to walmart and buying a bow package.
I don't bow hunt...really have no interest in it at all but any lost hunting privileges aren't a good thing for the community, period. If the science behind things proved that archery hunters were taking too many deer and the herd wasn't sustainable it would be a different story.
 
scott_r said:
The whole thing is knee jerk reaction to the draw system. The old boys are used to getting drawn every 4 years in Super A and heading out for a mulie buck but w/ a huge population growth and new hunters this doesn't happen anymore and guys are upset. That added w/ Cody Robbins ..Jason Peterson ect.. and other hunters posting/airing 200" mule deer every year I think some people are a bit jealous and think its as easy as going to walmart and buying a bow package.
I don't bow hunt...really have no interest in it at all but any lost hunting privileges aren't a good thing for the community, period. If the science behind things proved that archery hunters were taking too many deer and the herd wasn't sustainable it would be a different story.
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Exactly, an emotional reaction not based in facts.

Where have we seen that before?
 
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