Blackpowder firearms season is major cause of leathality of antlered bucks before peak rut

CRC

Old Mossy Horns
NCWRC goal is to get 20% or less of total antlered buck harvest before peak rut across the deer seasons.

Only SE deer season zone is close to that (29%)

Looks like some of the WRC commissioners want to deal with blackpowder season antlered buck harvest (i.e. shorten season a week, ect)

Listening to big game committee live discussion 2/10/21

Data can be found in this presentation on SLIDE 30

 

Deep River

Ten Pointer
Contributor
A lot of good info in this report. Thanks for posting, CRC. I am assuming that your comments about commissioners looking at changes to black powder season were based on something you heard in the presentation. Is that correct? I don't see anything like that in the report.

The updated deer density maps are really surprising. My, how things have changed.
 

Deep River

Ten Pointer
Contributor
Based on my limited but growing personal observations in the NW zone, I think that the season structure is not really to blame for the high numbers of bucks taken before peak rut. I think it may have more to do with folks who can't wait for the appropriate season to use a rifle. I can't tell you how many time during archery and black powder season I hear rifle fire just prior to sundown. Usually, it is a single shot followed quickly by an emptying of the magazine to make it sound like the guy was target shooting. ... but almost always right before sun down. This is a curious time and method of target shooting.
 
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UncleFester

Old Mossy Horns
I prefer finishing up during BP too. I didn't this year and hunted very hard, wore my old self down a bit. Not to mention the wife started complaining about how much I was hunting. She never says anything, but last season she sure did.
 

ddavenport

Six Pointer
Contributor
So the buck tags are reduced from 4 to 2 in a good part of the state and the estimated compliance in reporting harvests goes up? I believe that is wishful thinking.
 

slugoo

Eight Pointer
Is it a radical idea to make the western deer seasons start later and end later? If the problem is that bucks are getting killed before they can breed, why not start and end later?
 
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