Bow hunt during rifle season
Wisconsin
Is it legal to hunt during rifle season with your bow using your rifle license. Which means you could shoot two bucks with your bow , one being with a rifle tag and the other with a bow tag during bow season.
I believe you need a rifle tag to bow hunt during rifle, not sure if you can fill your bow license during rifle season. I do know turkey hunting is shut down during the 9 day rifle season. Try the dnr live chat and ask.
Pretty sure you can do that and I also think several bow site members got two bucks that way last year. It comes under the lesser weapon rule. Rifle/shotgun or anything less being muzzleloader, pistol, xbow, compound, recurve, long bow. Maybe even a spear.
It was first allowed last year. So you can bow hunt during the gun season with your archery tag, and/or buy a firearm license and tag it with the gun license since a bow is a legal firearm. I wish WI would only allow one buck registered per hunter per year.
Yes, Why knife? Two years ago I shot a doe during the gun season with a bow. The DNR station stated that only a bow license to hunt with a bow during any season and a gun license to hunt during the gun season if using a gun. Unless something changed, and I believe nothing did (but?) I'll stick what I've been told.
From Page 14 in the 2014 Dee regulations book.
"Gun Buck Deer Carcass Tags Valid in any DMU statewide for harvesting one buck deer with a firearm, muzzleloader, bow and arrow or crossbow during any firearm season open to hunting deer with a firearm, except it is not valid in the Central Farmland and Central Forest Zones during the December 4-day antlerless-only deer season or in the Southern Farmland Zone during the antlerless-only Holiday Hunt (see pages 11 and 13 for military and disabled hunter exceptions). "
Thesquid, read page 10. Archery season is open through the gun season and there are no days closed prior to gun opener. Under authorized weapon use for firearms, it included muzzleloaders, bows and crossbows.
One buck? Why not? Maybe people would be a bit more selective and needing more than one is just greedy IMO. Tell me a good reason why people need two?
the archery season doesn't close for gun hunting.
and it doesn't matter how many bucks you kill as long as you keep the does to breed
I think just restricting a hunter to one buck is greedy as well! Maybe up north were the deer numbers are low this year but for the rest of the state the numbers are high enough a hunter could and can take 2 bucks. Why 2 and not one? Here's my good reason! With myself, my wife and 3 kids, one deer does not last too long and I always welcome the chance to put another deer in the freezer during the gun season. I manage and practice good deer management on our land and support a very healthy deer population of both bucks and does. I pay enough in land taxes and licenses. Put in food plots and harvest timber to maintain a healthy forest. This year we are overrun with small bucks and plan to cull out a few that we know will grow inferior racks.
First - I dont find them as silly comments. I dont agree but "silly" is not only wrong but disrespectful! I also find being called "greedy" another disrespectful term as well.
I look at this as "hunt opportunities" for our hunters. Another reason for some folks to get off the couch and away from work to get out in the woods and hunt. Does it have to be another buck? No, it could be a doe, but some like the idea of hunting another buck.
I dont know if I have ever killed two bucks in the same year and I hunt..allot!
When we look at the numbers of folks that actually "get" two bucks in one year...the number is pretty small in comparison to the number of hunters on the landscape I would suspect.
Get out and hunt!
There are states that have a draw for buck tags, IA for example. I grew up in MN where you are only allowed one buck. If people truly accept passing up younger bucks and are after mature bucks, why should one hunter take two when one of them may have given someone else an opportunity to harvest a mature buck? I can see the argument if you happen to hunt areas with an abundance of mature bucks, but that's pretty rare. But I also see some people that are selective during the archery season, due to the legth of the season, then when gun season rolls around they target any legal buck.
Here's a scenario. You are in a lease with a small group of hunters and you've been seeing several bucks on camera, but only 2 of them are what the group deems as shootable. One guy gets one of those bucks during bow season. Then the gun season rolls around and the other 3 hunters don't gun hunt. That same guy harvests another mature buck with his gun. Now the remaining 3 hunters who were planning on hunting the late season may not feel confident about hunting accept for the chance at a doe or the likelihood of another mature buck that hasn't been seen yet.
Do some of you actually think that by the time the gun season rolls around that the majority of does have been breed and that whatever is around for mature bucks can be removed since they will be replaced by youngsters the following year?
I've actually been passing up does/fawns for several years now because they aren't that abundant where I hunt. The last doe I shot was during the dreaded EAB.
I do understand if people hunt different areas during the bow and gun season. If you tag out with your bow around home, the go up North during the gun season where does are off limits in some locations, then it's OK. But back when there were free doe tags for most of the state, why not take the second deer as a doe. Maybe that buck could've been shot by someone else in the party?
I do still consider it "greedy" since there isn't an abundance of mature bucks. Have I been "greedy?" Of course, I admit it, but I would support a one buck limit rule.
Since 1986, I bow hunt and gun hunt every year, and I have only ever killed two bucks in a year on 3 occasions. Of course I am picky about what I shoot, and I have another 16 guys in my group, and I can only think of maybe 1/2 dozen times in the last 30 years that one of them has had a "double buck" season.
Bottom line, I really don't think it is a big deal/problem allowing a buck with gun and bow.
I agree "double buck" seasons are pretty rare, which just reiterates my point, that mature backs aren't in abundance. The DNR also posted that pie chart in the regs showing the number of hunters who shoot 0-1 deer a season. Do I think this is a big problem? No, but if the masses start complaining because the addition of more crossbow hunters, I would rather see a one buck limit then APR restrictions or something else to aleviate the harvest of immature bucks. I don't want the DNR telling me what I can and can't shoot when it comes to bucks.
Also, how many hunters shoot a yearling during the bow season because their expecations are higher during the gun season. With the addition of crossbow hunters and many of them crossing over from being gun hunters I can and have witnessed this first hand. First year crossbow hunter harvests a yearling buck since it's his first and he'll be back during the gun season. It's his land and I don't have any problem with his decsion. But if he was allowed one buck, would he have passed on it?
Knife, It's a choice the other 3 made not to gun hunt. In your scenario you have a group of hunters who are deciding what is and what isn't acceptable to shoot based on antler size, they shold also be able to say no gun hunting or only one buck off the lease per guy.
You also use mature buck in your post. For many we don't care if it's what you deem mature or not.
Yup I find the comments 'silly' and 'greedy' disrespectful as well. Knife2sharp, if you want the one buck rule by all means go ahead and enable it on yourself but don't push it on others and then call them wanting to take 2 bucks in a almost 4 month hunting season silly or greedy people! Also others might have a different opinion as to exactly what a 'mature' buck is.
I thouht everyone on the Bowsite only shoot mature bucks.
Knife2sharp - read page 10. Archery season is open through the gun season and there are no days closed prior to gun opener. Under authorized weapon use for firearms, it included muzzleloaders, bows and crossbows. And just what did I say otherwise? I do hunt somewhat selective - I also put and want meat in the freezer. If you want a one buck per year only shoot one buck per year - simple as simple can get.
Sorry squid, I misread your comment.
Nope I have no problem saying that I shoot just about any buck that comes in range, within the limit of course. I believe that I get as much enjoyment and pride out of a little 6 pointer as most do out of a bug 10 pointer. In fact I know I get more enjoyment out of my little buck than many of the guys on TV who seem to think a big buck is owed to them.
I'd like to get to the point where I only shoot mature bucks, but I'm only in my third season and my only buck to date was a spike, so its pretty much anything better than that. Basically, though, its really about getting some meat for the freezer and enjoying my time in the woods for me, so although I would like to get a big buck I am happy either way.
"This year we are overrun with small bucks and plan to cull out a few that we know will grow inferior racks"
It's fine that you want to shoot young bucks if you are happy with that. But call it what it is. There is no way to know that a 1.5 year old deer will grow "inferior" antlers in years to come, unless you let him live. Not slamming you at all, it's just that the cull word gets used a lot as en excuse to shoot young deer. You don't have to justify it, it's your land, tag, and hunt. As long as you are happy, that's all that matters.
RutNut...it guess cull and inferior was the wrong words to use. We have 4 young hunters with us this year and we will allow them to take a small buck and those bucks will be the ones that have the spike or 3 point racks. Keeps their interest in hunting and they can do this every 2nd year they hunt if they do not tag out on a larger buck.
I have been in MN 38 years, a one buck state. Had no problem with that at all. It did help that you could party hunt gun or bow season.
Maybe something could be done to limit bucks being shot up north where any deer is scarce now days. Thinking along the lines of if you already used your bow tag on a buck you could not tag another buck in a northern county. But with party hunting most people could legally get around that anyway.
I hear guys say that it needs to be buck only for a few yrs. Is it going to be doe only then since the bucks will be decimated? I would think the north should be one buck per hunter and no party hunting.
Like I've said before, those that suggest a one buck season are greedy. Yet those that want to shoot 2 or more a year are not? Yeah, that makes sense.
The DNR won't do it because it's been accepted as status quo and they could see a drop in gun license sales. When it comes to the DNR, it's about money. They want you to believe there's an overabundance of deer so you keep buying tags. They're just like MN, they have no clue how many deer there are in the state.
My buck tag says "buck" not "mature buck." I've never been in favor of regulation changes born out of a desire for trophy hunting. If you have a VALID biological reason, fine. If your justification revolves around the desire for more trophy deer, I'll take a pass.
