How Long is Your Season?

[flathead willie]

The VDGIF (Virginia Dept. of Game & Inland Fisheries) keeps complaining that the deer population keeps booming, causing more and more damage the people, property and vehicles, yet the deer season doesn't seem long enough here. In the mountainous western half of the state we have 2.5 million acres of National Forest land and vast amounts of farm land. However the gun season is only 2 weeks long with no Sunday hunting. Prior to that we have 4 weeks of Bow Season, followed by 2 weeks of Muzzle Loader Season. (Mid Oct to the end of November) They do open bow season after gun season for another 4 weeks but by then it's usually too cold to sit on stand, let alone draw a bow. Besides, by then the deer have been so scared that most of them are nocturnal. I'd like to see the season start earlier, have a longer gun season, and allow Sunday hunting. A lot of working people don't hunt because, without scheduling vacation, they have only two-four Saturdays a year to get out and hunt. (gun/muzzle hunt) What do the seasons look like in your state?

[777]

This is Arkansas seasons:

Archery and Crossbow season
Archery and Crossbow Statewide October 1, 2007-February 29, 2008

Muzzleloading season
Muzzleloading Zones 1, 2, 3, 4A, 5A, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13, 14 and 15 October 13-21 and December 15-17, 2007

Zones 9, 12, 16, 16A and 17 October 13-21 and December 29-31, 2007 Zones 4, 4B, 5 and 5BClosed

Modern Gun season
Modern Gun Zones 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 11 November 10-18 and November 22-December 2, 2007

Zone 4 November 10-11, 2007

Zones 4B and 5B November 10-18, 2007

Zone 5 November 10-11 and November 17-18, 2007

Zone 4A, 5A, 13, 14 and 15 November 10-December 9, 2007

Zones 9 and 12 November 10-December 16, 2007

Zone 16, 16A and 17 November 10-December 25, 2007

Christmas Holiday Modern Gun season
Christmas Holiday Modern Gun Deer Hunt Zones 1, 2, 3, 4, 4A, 4B, 5, 5A, 5B, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 16A and 17 December 26-28, 2007

Youth Hunt modern gun
Special Youth Modern Gun Deer HuntAll Deer ZonesNovember 3-4, 2007

[tufffish]

why is there no sunday hunting? in texas bow season opens the first of october and gun season starts the first sat in november and goes until early january. then most areas have a doe and spike season for at least 10 days in january. the one thing we don't have in texas is much public land to hunt on. deer leases are mostly expensive here. you can find a few places to hunt the are cheap, but that usually means not many deer on them.

[Whistler]

In Tennessee we have some pretty liberal bag limits with lot's of hunting days. I live in unit L which has seasons as follows:

Archery season:

Sep 22 thru Oct 26, Oct 29 thru Nov 2, Nov 10 thru 16 and Dec 10 thru 14

Muzzleloader and archery:

Nov 3 thru 9 and Dec 3 thru 9

Gun, Muzzleloader and Archery:

Nov 17 thru Dec 2, Dec 15 thru Jan 6, 2008

Youth hunt:

Oct 27 and 28, Jan 12 an 13.

Antlered deer in each of the seasons above is 2 and 1 in the youth hunt, but you can take a maximum 3 antlered deer per season in any combination of legal seasons.

With the right permits, you can take 3 does per day for the entire legal hunting year except youth hunt where it is 2 per day.

Legal Bucks

Deer must have antlers a minimum of 3 inches in length on buck-only or antlered-only hunts.

Antlerless Deer

Defined as those deer with no antlers or deer with antlers less than 3 inches in length.

Albino Deer

Hunting, trapping, or possession of albino deer is prohibited as set forth in TCA Chapter 70-4-130. An albino deer is a deer with a lack, or significant deficiency, of pigment in the skin and hair, and has pink eyes.

[chambers bd]

Hi folks,
18 Sept bow for 6 wks then bp 1 wk then fire arms till 1 jan in the north and 9 jan in the south.:roll_eyes:

[riverdawg-1]

why is there no sunday hunting? in texas bow season opens the first of october and gun season starts the first sat in november and goes until early january. then most areas have a doe and spike season for at least 10 days in january. the one thing we don't have in texas is much public land to hunt on. deer leases are mostly expensive here. you can find a few places to hunt the are cheap, but that usually means not many deer on them.
Va is one of the few states that doesn't allow Sunday hunting. It's a ridiculas out of date law, since we live in the bible belt. About 15-20 years ago the state repeeled blue laws, allowing all types of stores and malls to be open on Sunday. I guess some people think it's alright to shop, fish or do anything except hunt on Sundays. It comes up in the general assembly about every year, but never passes. A few years ago, to challenge the law, a guy called the game warden and told him where he would be qual hunting that Sunday. Instead of letting him challenge the law, the state dropped the charges.
Chip

[catfishcentral]

Oklahoma


Bow Season
Oct 1st -Jan 15th

Muzzleloader
Oct 27th - Nov 4th

Rifle
Nov 17th- Dec 2nd

Special Doe Rifle
Dec 21-23 and Dec 28-30 in certain zones

[hunter]

Archery .............. September 15 thru November 9 statewide
November 21 thru January 15 statewide


Firearms ............ November 10 thru 20 statewide


Muzzleloader....... November 23 thru December 2 statewide


Firearms antlerless December 8 thru 16 73 counties

[flathead willie]

Va is one of the few states that doesn't allow Sunday hunting. It's a ridiculas out of date law, since we live in the bible belt. About 15-20 years ago the state repeeled blue laws, allowing all types of stores and malls to be open on Sunday. I guess some people think it's alright to shop, fish or do anything except hunt on Sundays. It comes up in the general assembly about every year, but never passes. A few years ago, to challenge the law, a guy called the game warden and told him where he would be qual hunting that Sunday. Instead of letting him challenge the law, the state dropped the charges.
Chip

I think it may pass this year. I just got a copy of the VDGIF Outdoor Report.
Here is part of it. The rest is available on the VDGIF site.
VDGIF Hunters Survey on Sunday Hunting Results Now Available

Richmond, VA — The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) announced today that it has initial results from its recent hunter survey on the topic of Sunday hunting. The results from the 2006 survey, when compared with the results from a survey conducted in 1996, indicate a significant difference in hunters' opinions about Sunday hunting has occurred in the last ten years.

When hunters were surveyed on this subject in 1996, the overall response was close. Slightly more hunters opposed Sunday hunting (48%) versus those who supported Sunday hunting (45%). It is worth noting, however, that of the 48% of hunters who opposed the concept of Sunday hunting in 1996, 45% were strongly opposed. Of the 45% supporting Sunday hunting, 39% strongly favored it.

The 2006 hunter survey results indicated that 62% of responding hunters expressed some level of support for Sunday hunting compared to 34% who were opposed. Of the 62% supporting Sunday hunting, 53% were strongly supportive. Of the 34% who opposed Sunday hunting, 28.5% were strongly opposed.

Regionally, there were minor differences in hunters' support for Sunday hunting. Overall support ranged from 66% in northern Virginia to 58% in the south central Piedmont area of the state.

VDGIF Board Chairman John Montgomery said of the survey, "Many people incorrectly believe that Sunday hunting is regulated by the Board of Game and Inland Fisheries, but it is a Legislative matter. However, the Legislature does regard us as a source for information on hunters and hunting. Since our information on hunters' opinions on the issue was a decade old, we undertook this survey to get current information which we are providing to members of the General Assembly."

The 2006 survey was sent in November to 5,000 licensed Virginia hunters who were randomly selected. A second follow-up mailing was sent to non-respondents in early December. A response rate of 59% was obtained from these two mailings.

[dougc]

Hope that passes for you guys, no hunting on Sunday is rediculous!

That's my one full day off!

[Cathooker]

I have an open invitation to hunt on a very trophy deer productive farm in Va. However I have been reluctant to go because of the no hunting on Sunday. My work schedule (self employed) just will not allow me to be gone four or five days during the week. I hope they see the light and repeal this antiquated law.

[nycathunter]

no sunday hunting? what kinda crap is that not everyone goes to church an unless your blasting rounds off near one i dont see why. our season in new york in the southern part is. bow oct 13th- nov16th/ gun now 17th-dec 9th/ muzzle dec 10th- 19th. heres another wierd law i cant figure out we can only hunt crows on fridays, saturdays, sundays an mondays anyone know why? an yet another one we cannot shoot a deer or bear while it is standing in water isnt when we have 2 feet of snow just the same? or if a buck of a lifetime is standing in a puddle i cant legally shoot it who comes up with these laws geeeez :ooooh:

[Madtownangler]

Southern Wisconsin goes from the middle of September to the first or second week of December most years, depending on the zone. There is a Chronic Wasting Disease area (CWD)in the southern counties that has a longer season than the rest of the state, but most rifle hunters can only hunt from the first saturday before Thanksgiving until the sunday after Thanksgiving. The bow season is closed a week before and a week after that season.

So...

CWD Zone and Disease Eradication Zone

Bow and Gun
Middle of September to week before Thanksgiving have to shoot a doe before you can shoot a buck -earn a buck program- EAB

Two weeks after Thanksgiving until first or second week of December EAB bow and gun.

Wisconsin Regular Season Rifle Only

Saturday before Thanksgiving to Sunday after Thanksgiving. No bow hunting allowed statewide and you can shoot a buck first during this season.

Also if you shoot a doe the DNR will issue you a buck tag for next year if you don't get a buck this year.

These seasons seem a little strange to some people but for us hunters in the southern part of the state we get a real long rifle season, so the deer can calm down and not be running crazy. It's like having a bow season that you can use a rifle for deer hunting. If you go to the youtube website and look up my user name madtownangler I put up a low quality video of my deer blind.

[bigfatcat]

here is a online hunting petiton for sunday hunting in virginia . that law really has to change since my dad always works and i have school during the week.

http://www.petitiononline.com/shva2006/petition.html