TPWD Commissioners Propose Youth Rifle Season for the Month of October

[JavelinaRuss]

Saying I dont want a youth season IMO is saying I dont want a kid to get a headstart rifle hunting or for a kid to shoot a buck that I had been watching. That's where I get the the selfishness tone.

Yup and I WORK on those "big controlled ranches" I guide on them, but I've only "Shot" does, hogs and coyotes on the King, and the only thing I have been able to "hunt" there is the Nilgai bull I shot and have the skull sitting on my desk. I've hunted public land and it's not that bad, you just got to know where to go and if it's so hard then be like most and put in for the harder to get hunts where there is less pressure. The location of the hunting (since most of those "Large, controlled Ranches" also do numerous youth hunts several times a year, plus the leases on some of these ranches also do youth hunts) is irrelavant. If the deer are going to be that spooky then it's amazing how us bowhunters can kill anything during the general season!!!

[Bill M]

Originally Posted by JavelinaRuss

.............The location of the hunting (since most of those "Large, controlled Ranches" also do numerous youth hunts several times a year, plus the leases on some of these ranches also do youth hunts) is irrelavant. .............

Sorry JR but your experience is apparently limited making this statement. I find it curious that you keep knocking bowhunting during the Gen Season but don't mind putting the youth in the Archery Only.

I've had my say, I'm done.

[JavelinaRuss]

Originally Posted by Bill M

Sorry JR but your experience is apparently limited making this statement. I find it curious that you keep knocking bowhunting during the Gen Season but don't mind putting the youth in the Archery Only.

I've had my say, I'm done.

Before I moved to South Texas In terms of the case that "Guns scare deer" thinking here's my observation from a 1,800 ac lease my folks and me were on not to long ago in Sutton County:

On this lease were ten hunters and only two were rifle only (my folks) the rest of us bow/rifle hunted and as such had ground blinds and tripods close to our feeding areas. Of all ten stand locations my parents stands had the most clam deer. Feeding stations were pretty much the same (two corn feeders in a small stand of cedar or oak) but the feeders with the more bowhunting going on at them the deer's head was on a swivel and the deer never seemed at ease.

The deer at my parents feeders never were skittish or jumpy, they just walked in and ate corn in peace and even stayed at the feeder when they left the area or walked back in to the feed pen a few minutes after they shot another deer. Everyone pretty much hunted the major holiday weekends and opening days and a few weekends in between so the blinds pretty much saw the same amount of hunting. it was from these observations I started putting a ground blind about 50 yds back on the major trail the deer used to my feeders and had wonderful luck bowhunting.

So my question is why are you still hunting after the archery season if it's SOOO much harder because all those rifles are going off?

[traildust]

JRUSS,
I know you make your living guiding, so are you thinking that if this is passes it will get more kids/parents hunting, therefore increasing YOUR workload....which in turn means more money in your pocket?... Your argument that you want kids to be able to hunt 95 days like bowhunters is invalid, because if THEY start out bowhunting, THEY can hunt the 95 days like US bowhunters. You have to crawl before you walk...Whats YOUR real agenda...personal gain?

[Bill M]

Originally Posted by JavelinaRuss

Before I moved to South Texas In terms of the case that "Guns scare deer" thinking here's my observation from a 1,800 ac lease my folks and me were on not to long ago in Sutton County:

On this lease were ten hunters and only two were rifle only (my folks) the rest of us bow/rifle hunted and as such had ground blinds and tripods close to our feeding areas. Of all ten stand locations my parents stands had the most clam deer. Feeding stations were pretty much the same (two corn feeders in a small stand of cedar or oak) but the feeders with the more bowhunting going on at them the deer's head was on a swivel and the deer never seemed at ease.

The deer at my parents feeders never were skittish or jumpy, they just walked in and ate corn in peace and even stayed at the feeder when they left the area or walked back in to the feed pen a few minutes after they shot another deer. Everyone pretty much hunted the major holiday weekends and opening days and a few weekends in between so the blinds pretty much saw the same amount of hunting. it was from these observations I started putting a ground blind about 50 yds back on the major trail the deer used to my feeders and had wonderful luck bowhunting.

So my question is why are you still hunting after the archery season if it's SOOO much harder because all those rifles are going off?

To answer your question, because it's legal and after 40 years of being strictly a gun hunter, I prefer bowhunting for the past 6 years. Your above experiences don't begin to speak to the small acreage bow hunter in Texas. I could give you my experiences but I won't bother, it wouldn't matter to you.

I have to wonder why someone that would do away with archery only season bothers to come to bow hunting websites. Make no mistake, October youth season WOULD do away with the archery season.

Originally Posted by traildust

JRUSS,
I know you make your living guiding, so are you thinking that if this is passes it will get more kids/parents hunting, therefore increasing YOUR workload....which in turn means more money in your pocket?... Your argument that you want kids to be able to hunt 95 days like bowhunters is invalid, because if THEY start out bowhunting, THEY can hunt the 95 days like US bowhunters. You have to crawl before you walk...Whats YOUR real agenda...personal gain?

I think JR's signature speaks volumes!

"I'm all for the sport of hunting by any legal means possible........My JOB depends on it!"