North Carolina Commissioner Proposals – 2008/2009
Posted by dihardhunter on October 13, 2008
I’ll save my own breath and just post an article written by Craig Holt, a popular author for the North Carolina Sportsman magazine. Should be interesting to see how these proposals fare as they run the gauntlet of public hearings, disgruntled hunters, and wildlife biologist recommendations.
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission’s commissioners are at odds with the professional staff’s proposals for deer-season and bag limits for 2009-10.
The commissioners apparently are being pressured to increase the harvest of deer in the state, including establishing a uniform statewide season (no more East, Central, Northwestern, Western zones tied to designated months). These proposals will be presented to the state’s sportsmen and women during January 2009’s annual series of public hearings.
However, it’s unclear as to which of these final proposals will be sent to the public hearings. As of Oct. 10, the WRC hadn’t posted its final list of proposals at its web site.
Indications are the N.C. insurance industry may have had a hand in these proposals because of so many deer-car collisions in the state (estimated 15,000 in 2007). Auto collisions with deer are covered under the comprehensive section of insurance policies. The average claim for a deer collision with an auto is $3,000, or $45 million in total claims in 2007.
As a result, the commissioners will propose any weapons (archery, muzzleloader, rifles, shotguns) season from the Saturday nearest Oct. 15 until Jan. 1 statewide. They also propose a four-week-only archery season in September and two-week muzzleloader season in mid-October.
The WRC’s Big Game Committee — composed of commissioners — presented its recommendations for changes in deer seasons and bag limits Oct. 3. They details include:
• Establishing a uniform deer season (matching the current Eastern deer season) in and east of Yancey, McDowell and Rutherford counties (WRC districts 1-8) with the following structure:
• Opening all counties in and east of Yancey, McDowell and Rutherford counties to the maximum either-sex season;
• bow and arrow season opens the Saturday on or nearest to Sept. 10 and ends the fourth Friday thereafter;
• muzzleloader season opens the Saturday or and nearest to Oct. 8 and ends the following Friday;
• all lawful weapons opens the Saturday on or nearest to Oct. 15 and ends Jan. 1;
• bow and arrow will be allowed during muzzleloader season.The commissioners also are proposing to allow bow hunting deer on Sundays only at private land, except for migratory birds, and allowing Sunday falconry, except for migratory birds.
The commissioners also want to replace the Youth-Only Wild Turkey Day (in the past the first Saturday in April) with a “Friends and Family Afield Wild Turkey Season” the first Saturday in April that would mean every person hunting this day would have to be accompanied by at least one other person, with shooting hours ending at 1 p.m.
The WRC’s Division of Wildlife Managment, headed by Dr. David Cobb, presented its staff recommendations for 2009-10 deer seasons.
The Division didn’t propose a statewide uniform deer season nor an “any-weapons-legal” season, thus preserving traditional archery and muzzle-loader dates.
The Division’s proposals included:
• removing the daily bag limit on deer;
• allowing hunters to use archery equipment to harvest deer during the muzzle-loader firearm season at game lands;
• shortening the bow season by one week and extending muzzle-loader season by one week to create a two-week muzzle-loader season. Currently at private lands, archery equipment can be used during muzzle-loader season.
• Assigning all of Moore County to the Eastern deer season.
• Move portions of Avery and Yancey counties currently in the introductory either-sex deer season into the conservative either-sex deer season.
Well, I figured that the whole unregulated deer season proposal would be smoke and mirrors, but…I’m still not sure I will be happy with an archery season that has been cut in half…oh wait! No, I WON’T be happy with that regulation, but it is better than the alternative. It’s just gasoline prices, they tell us it might go up to $5, then we’re happy when it’s “only” $3.50.
I hereby step down from my soapbox, before I rant and rave my way into a big debate.
Interesting stuff for sure!
My brother and I were just talking about this when I was home for the archery opener. He’s friends with the district supervisor warden, and he mentioned that if hunters don’t step up and start taking more deer, the insurance commission would start to take a heavier hand in setting regulations. That’s a dangerous road to go down…
The problem isn’t that the liberal seasons and limits aren’t offering enough opportunity… it’s that hunters aren’t filling those limits. Too many hunters still won’t shoot does or smaller bucks, and are holding out for “trophy” deer.
It’s a lot like the issue here in CA with feral hogs. In places where the population needs to be controlled or eradicated, the State has resorted to paying professionals. The hunters complain at the loss of an opportunity, but they don’t realize how ineffective sport hunting is at this kind of thing… specifically because it is just that, sport hunting. Professionals have no qualms about killing the young, lactating females, and smaller boars… all animals that most sport hunters wouldn’t dream of shooting.
I sure hope it doesn’t come to that in NC, but I can see how it could happen.
Good luck, and NC hunters… like I tell the folks here in CA… if you want change, you have to get out there and get active to protect your sport. Go to the commission meetings, speak out, and follow through. Don’t leave it up to someone else… nobody else is going to do it for you.
October 13th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
Well said Phillip, if hunters don’t take responsibility, somebody will and it will be at the hunter’s expense. Time to step up to the plate!
October 13th, 2008 at 8:32 pm
The problem with me is that I live in a county where running dogs are legal. I hardly seen any deer after the first week of gun season because of the running of dogs. They all go into hiding and/or become nocturnal. I would take more deer if I saw more.
December 15th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
I agree with Mike. I also hunt on private land and the dogs continue to come through chasing deer everywhere. The rut is no good when dogs are used to hunt deer. The deer become very scarce. My suggestion is simple, have a special season for dogs, like maybe the last 4 weeks of the season. Still hunters will still have bow, muzzle load and a good part of the rut to harvest their deer.
January 5th, 2009 at 12:56 pm