Comments on: George Smith, SAM: Where Have All The Deer Gone? http://www.skinnymoose.com/bbb/2009/12/02/george-smith-sam-where-have-all-the-deer-gone/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=george-smith-sam-where-have-all-the-deer-gone Black Bear Blog - The Politics of Hunting, Fishing and the Outdoors. Protecting our American Heritage. Sat, 26 May 2012 08:00:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Dan http://www.skinnymoose.com/bbb/2009/12/02/george-smith-sam-where-have-all-the-deer-gone/#comment-16020 Dan Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:35:55 +0000 http://www.skinnymoose.com/bbb/?p=8479#comment-16020 MIFW is putting more pressue on Maine 's coastal distririts.and our islands , take a look at isbro. The island is 12 miles long and 2 at it's wides. they have kept the expanded archery season on this island for 12 years ,the deer population on this island has been destroy.beyond recovery. I'm not saying they should have stop hunting on the island., But 10 years ago they should have stop the expanded season and went to the oct archery season with a one deer kill. And mainted a healthy deer herd on the island...but I guess that would have been the right thing to do. I have a farm in searsport havn't seen a deer on it in 4 years......and its been posted for 7, I posted it to stop the killing of does and lambs not to stop hunting... That is,why alot of us are posting our land. Because we don't believe that MIFW will do anything to save the deer herd, that is why we the landowners and hunters have to to do it, if we want to keep hunting in Maine. The hunters need to stop killing does and lambs. and as the deer population grows land will open up to hunting.....I would love to have deer hunting for my gran-kids like I had it as a kid in Maine. I also give up killing does and lambs 18 years ago, I'm asking all hunter to do the same , for their kids, so we can have deer to hunt in the future ..Think about it, with the deer population declining was there any need of having 45,385 antherless premits on 5 coastal destirits. and our deer herd is hurting too MIFW is putting more pressue on Maine ‘s coastal distririts.and our islands , take a look at isbro. The island is 12 miles long and 2 at it’s wides. they have kept the expanded archery season on this island for 12 years ,the deer population on this island has been destroy.beyond recovery. I’m not saying they should have stop hunting on the island., But 10 years ago they should have stop the expanded season and went to the oct archery season with a one deer kill. And mainted a healthy deer herd on the island…but I guess that would have been the right thing to do. I have a farm in searsport havn’t seen a deer on it in 4 years……and its been posted for 7, I posted it to stop the killing of does and lambs not to stop hunting… That is,why alot of us are posting our land. Because we don’t believe that MIFW will do anything to save the deer herd, that is why we the landowners and hunters have to to do it, if we want to keep hunting in Maine. The hunters need to stop killing does and lambs. and as the deer population grows land will open up to hunting…..I would love to have deer hunting for my gran-kids like I had it as a kid in Maine. I also give up killing does and lambs 18 years ago, I’m asking all hunter to do the same , for their kids, so we can have deer to hunt in the future ..Think about it, with the deer population declining was there any need of having 45,385 antherless premits on 5 coastal destirits. and our deer herd is hurting too

]]> By: Richard Paradis http://www.skinnymoose.com/bbb/2009/12/02/george-smith-sam-where-have-all-the-deer-gone/#comment-16019 Richard Paradis Wed, 02 Dec 2009 21:56:01 +0000 http://www.skinnymoose.com/bbb/?p=8479#comment-16019 Tom, nice read --- as always. I suspect IF&W will be administratively combined with the other natural resource agencies. To do more would not be in anyone's best interest except those people that want IF&W as the enforcer of endangered Species Laws. Hunter financed anti-hunting police. After my wife and I read George's column I felt it was the beginning of SAM putting pressure on IF&W and the legislature to do something big and fast to get the deer population up north back up to a huntable population. At least have a presentable and workable plan to do something. I am sure IF&W must feel relieved at the decicion of Judge Woodcock last month regarding trapping in areas where Lynx may reside. Like everyone I have spoken to, we got shut out this year. Six of us hunted in the area to the north of Bingham for a week plus my wife and I hunted several other times. One of the fellows I hunted with saw a 'flag' but that was it. I hunted more than 10 different spots from the Long Falls Dam Road to Abbot without any more than a 'maybe' that I saw a deer. The past two winters were dreadful and I understand the deer winterkill for the first winter may have been as high as 2/3rds and last winter also took a heavy toll. Most areas we hunted did not have a more than a sparse scattering of fresh tracks. As a hunter and long time sportsman I have never seen so few deer sign even in the late 1970's. I am sure IF&W is ready and willing to work with SAM to get something out to the legislature and encouraging news to sportsmen. This is not the time for SAM and IF&W to be at war. The battle is will we have a future in hunting Whitetail Deer in Maine. Glad you are very knowledgeable in this area and anxious to publish the issues. Tom, nice read — as always. I suspect IF&W will be administratively combined with the other natural resource agencies. To do more would not be in anyone’s best interest except those people that want IF&W as the enforcer of endangered Species Laws. Hunter financed anti-hunting police.

After my wife and I read George’s column I felt it was the beginning of SAM putting pressure on IF&W and the legislature to do something big and fast to get the deer population up north back up to a huntable population. At least have a presentable and workable plan to do something. I am sure IF&W must feel relieved at the decicion of Judge Woodcock last month regarding trapping in areas where Lynx may reside.

Like everyone I have spoken to, we got shut out this year. Six of us hunted in the area to the north of Bingham for a week plus my wife and I hunted several other times. One of the fellows I hunted with saw a ‘flag’ but that was it. I hunted more than 10 different spots from the Long Falls Dam Road to Abbot without any more than a ‘maybe’ that I saw a deer. The past two winters were dreadful and I understand the deer winterkill for the first winter may have been as high as 2/3rds and last winter also took a heavy toll. Most areas we hunted did not have a more than a sparse scattering of fresh tracks.

As a hunter and long time sportsman I have never seen so few deer sign even in the late 1970′s. I am sure IF&W is ready and willing to work with SAM to get something out to the legislature and encouraging news to sportsmen. This is not the time for SAM and IF&W to be at war. The battle is will we have a future in hunting Whitetail Deer in Maine.

Glad you are very knowledgeable in this area and anxious to publish the issues.

]]> By: sam http://www.skinnymoose.com/bbb/2009/12/02/george-smith-sam-where-have-all-the-deer-gone/#comment-16018 sam Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:43:08 +0000 http://www.skinnymoose.com/bbb/?p=8479#comment-16018 i hunted private land 20 of the 25 days in rifle season i saw 1 doe and 2 flags. this land has been managed for the past 8 years with very litte hunting pressure . i have seen deer numbers increase for the past 4 years .. and this year they have all disappeared. no camera pictures, no sightings, nothing .. its time for a change in season dates, state leader's, in whatever area needed to get the herd back. i hunted private land 20 of the 25 days in rifle season i saw 1 doe and 2 flags.
this land has been managed for the past 8 years with very litte hunting pressure . i have seen deer numbers increase for the past 4 years .. and this year they have all disappeared. no camera pictures, no sightings, nothing ..
its time for a change in season dates, state leader’s, in whatever area needed to get the herd back.

]]>