Author Topic: How many hunters want the old Monday Deer Season Opener? (Read 2494 times)

PETE/NY · « **on:** December 24, 2007, 08:03:41 AM »

Just wondering how many of the members here would like to go back to the old Monday deer Season Opener?Myself and just about our entire road of camps and hunters are going to contact the DEC and see if this Saturday opener is going to be permanent.The DEC thoughts of getting younger hunters in the woods just isn't cutting it by opening the Season on Saturday.PA still has the regular Monday opener and I saw lots of young hunters in the woods as they give the kids the first day ( Monday) of school off to hunt.Our local Sportsmans Club had a poll going and out of 234 members, 218 of them want the old Monday Opener back next year.

mspaci · « **Reply #1 on:** December 24, 2007, 10:19:54 AM »

No way, we all love the sat. opener. Dont have to take a day off from work & get an extra weekend. i`d have to say 8 of 10 people here love it. I probably hunted 16 days out of the gun season as well. Mike

Leatherstocking · « **Reply #2 on:** December 24, 2007, 11:37:08 AM »

How about a compromise - a Sunday opener. I am not crazy about the Saturday opener but I can see where alot of guys would like it. Seems to me a Sunday opener could satisfy everyone (well, maybe not everyone!). But I figure it would give those going to camps the opportunity to travel on Saturday and settle in like the traditional Monday opener does, but also let's guys hunt that can't get that Monday off. Also, let's the kids get out there, so it satisfies that rationale for the Saturday opener as DEC states.

NYH1 · « **Reply #3 on:** December 24, 2007, 11:53:55 AM »

Personally I like the Saturday opener. With that said, I like hunting in the Northern Zone (which as long as I can remember has always been a Saturday opener) and it might be a while before I hunt the Southern Zone again so it really wouldn't effect me either way.

bulzaye · « **Reply #4 on:** December 24, 2007, 03:09:59 PM »

Like NY hunter I hunt in the north where the season has opened on saturday for years. Both regular season and early muzzleloading. If you hunt with a bow I guess it starts on whatever day 9/27 is. I guess I just do not see what difference it makes unless you are selfish and want the woods to yourself by excluding all those guys who cant get a monday off to hunt. Unless of course you have to work weekends and have monday and tuesday off then I guess a monday opener would be better. I am so confused. I get to camp friday after work and have to drive 2 hours to get there. I can settle in and be fine for the weekend and drive the 2 hours home sunday night. I am still so confused. I still think that it gets down to it has always been monday so it has to stay monday. If they changed itto a monday opener here in the north, I would arrange my vacation to take some time off. I think that a monday opener pushes hunters away if they cant get that time off, they get discouraged and not hunt and we lose numbers. It gets the kids out who might otherwise not get out. we need the numbers as we are less and less every year.

woodchukhntr · « **Reply #5 on:** December 25, 2007, 06:33:47 AM »

Saturday. I could never understand why the Southern zone opened on Monday and the Northern on Saturday. Most hunters do not have to take time off to hunt the first day, and we get an extra weekend (not that it did me any good!). What is the rationale for going back to Monday? I don't understand, unless it is to give those who go to camps time to set up without taking time off from work.

bulzaye · « **Reply #6 on:** December 25, 2007, 06:52:01 AM »

from what I get of it it is so those who do have monday off get the woods to themselves while thr other hunters have to wait until the saturday to hunt and get to camp friday night. Just simple selfishness and stubbornness not wanting change. It has always been monday always has to be monday and I can have the woods to myself and have the best advantage and screw the others.

Leatherstocking · « **Reply #7 on:** December 25, 2007, 07:02:25 AM »

bulzaye,

I don't think it is selfishness. And it seems to me there were just as many guys out there on the Monday opener as Saturday. To most guys, opening day is sacred and regardless of what day of the week, if you enjoy hunting, your are out there on opening day.

bulzaye · « **Reply #8 on:** December 25, 2007, 01:23:44 PM »

ok then there is no argument leave it saturday if it doesnt matter. I was just going by the earlier posts about less being in the woods so you could have the woods to yourself more as posted in the craptastic posts by rebal.

K.K · « **Reply #9 on:** December 25, 2007, 02:16:42 PM »

I hunt both Northern and Southern Zones, and it really doesn't matter to me which day of the week it opens on. I mean, I hunt in Pa, and there is NO SUNDAY hunting at all! We should be thankful for the long seasons that we do have and not worry so much about the opener. There are a lot of deer, and we need to keep our sport alive.

GRIMJIM · « **Reply #10 on:** December 26, 2007, 04:52:28 AM »

No Sunday hunting? What's the reasoning behind that? Just curious, is it a religious thing?
Jim

JoeG52 · « **Reply #11 on:** December 26, 2007, 09:33:10 AM »

Quote from: GRIMJIM on December 26, 2007, 04:52:28 AM

No Sunday hunting? What's the reasoning behind that? Just curious, is it a religious thing?
Jim

You get all kinds of answers to that from "the animals need a day of rest" to those who don't want to hunt on Sunday so nobody else should be allowed to either. We should also "share the woods with non-hunting activities" like hikers, horse riders, bird watchers, etc. It isn't just Sundays either, we are not allowed to hunt for a few days before Christmas until the day after Christmas.

mspaci · « **Reply #12 on:** December 26, 2007, 03:42:49 PM »

It goes back to the old blue laws. When I was a kid I remember nothing being open on Sundays, it wasnt allowed. It was only a few years ago that most of Ny Southern Tier was no hunting for deer on Sundays. I guess I am old. Mike

rebAL · « **Reply #13 on:** December 27, 2007, 09:55:00 AM »

ME!!!!!

Mike103 · « **Reply #14 on:** December 29, 2007, 05:19:53 PM »

The new opener gives us another weekend and MY SONS CAN HUNT WITH ME!

LOVE IT!

.357 shooter · « **Reply #15 on:** December 30, 2007, 03:01:19 AM »

The reason for the season opening on monday was that years ago there were alot more hunters. I mean alot more. Most of the southern zone is made up of small wood lots other than the catskill park. So opeing on monday would cut the numbers down a little, because of work. When I first started hunting as a kid, my family had a 200 acre farm that we hunted and let others hunt, then there was alot cooperative hunting. Well anyways the bordeing farm was 300 acres, with only about 30-50 woods the rest open fields with hedge rows seperating them. I remember hunters sitting all over in the hedgrows on that farm, just to have a place to hunt. And they still killed deer, this was shotgun only in those days. But back then there was alot more deer I mean alot more, nothing to see 60 70 deer first morning, with bucks and does mixed in. Those days are gone so it really doesn't matter what day it opens.

Mike103 · « **Reply #16 on:** January 01, 2008, 02:25:15 PM »

Quote from: .357 shooter on December 30, 2007, 03:01:19 AM

The reason for the season opening on monday was that years ago there were alot more hunters. I mean alot more. Most of the southern zone is made up of small wood lots other than the catskill park. So opeing on monday would cut the numbers down a little, because of work. When I first started hunting as a kid, my family had a 200 acre farm that we hunted and let others hunt, then there was alot cooperative hunting. Well anyways the bordeing farm was 300 acres, with only about 30-50 woods the rest open fields with hedge rows seperating them. I remember hunters sitting all over in the hedgrows on that farm, just to have a place to hunt. And they still killed deer, this was shotgun only in those days. But back then there was alot more deer I mean alot more, nothing to see 60 70 deer first morning, with bucks and does mixed in. Those days are gone so it really doesn't matter what day it opens.

I agree. I think the Monday opener was to cut down the amount of hunters on opening day. Thirty years ago the central Catskills sounded like a war zone on opening day. Now we need more hunters not less.

Varmint Hunter · « **Reply #17 on:** January 05, 2008, 09:15:34 AM »

Funny how opinions vary. Most of the hunters that I know would prefer the Monday opener. Personally, I prefer it that way for several reasons, not the least of which is safety. There are definitely more hunters in any given area with a Sat opener. At least on public land in the Catskill region. It is not about selfishness. I don't always hunt on opening day, sometimes I just can't get off work. With a Sat opener it is harder to find lodging, restaurants are busier and there is just that much load on the support system. With a Mon opener there has always been a percentage of hunters who finish up on the first Friday, thus allowing plenty of resources for the incoming weekend group. In the northern zone none of this made any difference because of the low hunter density.

Some others that I spoke to said they just preferred the Mon opener because it gave them the preceeding Sat & Sun to get their camp opened up, water running, firewood piled up and bunks squared away for the guys who will trickle in over the weekend.

If hunters were polled statewide, I'd be curious to know how the results would pan out.

Center Shot · « **Reply #18 on:** January 05, 2008, 02:51:41 PM »

DEC changed to Saturday to try and get more hunters in the woods. In case you have not noticed the number of hunters has dropped off dramatically in the past few years. I can remember when on the opening Monday in the Catskills you could not find a place to stay, there were long lines at the public telephones (it was even hard to get an outside line on your home phone in Delaware county). In the Bear Spring park you could not find a place to park your car along the road. I suspect that you will see three point on one side restriction similar to Pa.'s in the vary near future.
I lived in Delaware county for 40 some years and now live in Va. but hold a life time NY license and still am in the Catskills for the opener ever year. It would not matter to me when it opened I would still in the Catskills the opening morning.

Leatherstocking · « **Reply #19 on:** January 05, 2008, 03:36:06 PM »

Quote

It would not matter to me when it opened I would still in the Catskills the opening morning.

And I think that is the case for most of us. Opening Day of deer season is sacred and I don't know any serious hunters who do not consider it so. I'll make the analogy to trout season, which many avid fishermen consider equally sacred. It opens April 1, regardless of the day. If you are serious about taking part in opening day, you're out there - period. Therefore, in terms of getting hunters into the woods and into the sport of hunting, I don't see how it really matters what day it opens. DEC's thought that a Saturday opener would recruit more hunters was a midguided thought process. By that logic, every fish & game season should open on a saturday, but the don't.

I'll still lobby for a Sunday opener as I said in a previous post because I think that can satisfy the most folks, but the bottom line for me is that it really doesn't matter which day it opens. right now, I would prefer the Monday opener, but I have two boys (11 and

, and a nephew that I am bringing into the sport. When they can deer hunt, I'll probably be glad for the Saturday opener, just so I don't have to take them out of school (like my dad did with me!

).

Leatherstocking · « **Reply #20 on:** January 05, 2008, 03:38:28 PM »

Oops, that first smiley was supposed to say "8". My younger son is 8 (so in NY he has a while to wait)

Center Shot · « **Reply #21 on:** January 06, 2008, 04:20:49 AM »

Lowering the age to hunt big game is another thing DEC is considering and I think New Yorkers should lobby for. The only way to protect our sport for future generations is to bring the youth in to it. Here in VA 12 is the age that kids can get a big game license though they can shoot deer at a younger age if they are accompanied by a parent or guardian. My son was 12 when we moved down here and he shot his first deer (8pt) with a muzzle loader one afternoon after he got home from school.

Hunter education or shooting education 4H clubs are also common down here and I do no believe I knew of any in NY. These are great programs for the youth and are fun for the adults also. We have traveled over the US to matches and at least five of the kids from our programs have received division one scholarships to universities with shooting programs.

Raging480 · « **Reply #22 on:** January 08, 2008, 05:16:13 AM »

I like the saturday opener, but either way is fine for me.

The problem with the Catskills is that they do not allow logging inside the park. The habitat is poor for the deer, just big trees and rocky, open ground. If you want deer in the mountains, you need to create a habitat that will suppoort them.

.357 shooter · « **Reply #23 on:** January 09, 2008, 10:27:17 AM »

Raging480, Exactly on the Catskill Park.

Chenango · « **Reply #24 on:** January 12, 2008, 02:26:52 AM »

In the latest issue of New York Outdoor News there is an article of a hunter from Oxford ,NY that has a survey going on the web on New York Deer hunting and would like input on all our concerns about deer hunting. The survey is located at http://www.tigersurvey.com/survey.php?survey=4271
The survey results are to be viewed also by the DEC according to the article so here is a chance to voice your opinions on the saturday opening,
lowering the age for hunting , food plots . and state land usage etc. The suvey will be closed in late february and he has had over 1500 responses
as of Christmas.

.357 shooter · « **Reply #25 on:** January 12, 2008, 05:12:23 AM »

Unfortunately I find it hard to believe that the state will care about any info On this survey. I did it, but most likely in vain.

Leatherstocking · « **Reply #26 on:** January 13, 2008, 03:54:20 AM »

According to the NYON article, DEC is looking at it and although it has some flaws, it's results will probably be considered. I commend the guy for doing it. In this day and age of limited resources at DEC, I think anything that helps to communicate is worthwhile.

bubba · « **Reply #27 on:** February 23, 2008, 06:27:37 AM »

I like the Saturday opener. But I live in the North and hunt in the north. But some of the reasons for going back to Monday make no sense to me, such as no lodging an restaurants crowded. Well aren't they on a Monday too? I know a lot of guys who travel south to hunt and spend money there for lodging and eating. That puts money in the pockets there. Which is beside the point, but ti will be the same on Monday or Saturday. Here in the North it used to open on October 25Th regardless of the day of the week. Guys hunted regardless. If you are so worried about getting to camp then do what I do. Take Friday off and get there and settled in. I am at camp by noon on Friday and hunt with the muzzle loader for a week then with the rifle Saturday morning. Where I hunt we get a week of early muzzle loading before season. So then it gets confusing as to which is actually opening day. Then you get the guys complaining that it isn't fair the muzzle loaders get in a week before everyone else. I guess my point is regardless of how it is done people will not be satisfied. The big picture is we need to do what is good for the sport to keep it going for future generations. As far as the safety argument, if there were as many guys in the woods on a Monday opener as a Saturday opener where is he difference in safety? As I say I do not have a dog in this hunt because I do not go south to hunt. I did once and it was a Monday opener. I went with a friend near Cortland on state land. He put me on a ridge before daylight. When the sun came up I saw 7 other guys watching the same ridge. So I got up and left for safety reasons. If there would be more guys there on a Saturday I would be very scared

WNY_Whitetailer · « **Reply #28 on:** March 31, 2008, 07:58:49 PM »

I actually enjoyed the Monday opener more. One last weekend of archery and then have a go at it with the guns for a few days...

woodchukhntr · « **Reply #29 on:** April 01, 2008, 01:25:19 AM »

I'll be retired then, the Monday opening would work better for me. While I was working the Saturday opening was better since I didn't have to take time off.