2015 Harvest News Report
Contributors to this thread:West Virginia
From: wv_bowhunter
19-Jan-16
http://www.wsaz.com/content/news/WVa-deer-harvest-up-32-from-2014-365766871.html
From: M.P.
19-Jan-16
I see the bow kill was listed as archery/ crossbow. I thought it would be separate like muzzle loader.
From: hoppies56
19-Jan-16
Crossbows accounted for 37% of total harvest of archery and cross bow combined.Which was 32,540 total just take 37% of that number. Roughly 1/3 of the deer taken in archery/ crossbow season where with a crossbow.
From: M.P.
19-Jan-16
1/3 is quite a bunch for the 1st year. A dnr guy from Ohio told me it's about 50% in Ohio.
From: Babysaph
19-Jan-16
Yea it is archery/crossbow but some would have us believe it is a separate season that runs concurrent to the bow season. There are several seasons that run concurrent to bow season but I bet they separate the kills.
From: hoppies56
19-Jan-16
yea. It still remains to be seen how the dnr will react to number a deer killed with crossbow. Dont think it is set in stone that they will always run concurrent to archery season. I guess they could change things at some point if harvest numbers got to high. But who knows how they think?
From: Babysaph
19-Jan-16
Yea but I bet any decrease will affect bowhunters as well. I think we will be lumped together. But maybe they want more deer killed. Who knows.
From: Big-Otis-Jeff
19-Jan-16
I remember back before the season started people stating that the cross bow kill would be minimal....
1/3 wow....Hopefully we can get the new air bow thrown in as well.
From: gobbler
19-Jan-16
From: Little Bear
19-Jan-16
Why would gun hunters complain? They are the ones that started using "that" weapon. DNR saw no license sales increase so there was no "new hunter recruitment" because of the x-gun, simply an increased harvest due to existing gun hunters now having another weapon to take deer/bear with.
From: gobbler
19-Jan-16
From: hoppies56
19-Jan-16
I know a number of older bow hunters who brought crossbows this past year.as well as gun hunters. As bow hunting population gets older many may switch to crossbows. If you think some compound hunters are not switching to crossbows, you are just turning a blind eye.
From: sundaynwv
20-Jan-16
State of WV missed a huge economic opportunity with a crossbow stamp. Success rates are up and many who never added to the harvest are now killing two or three deer where they would have killed zero the year before.
I am not against crossbows and I think ULTIMATELY, the more hunters in the woods the better for all. However, we are dealing with a finite resource and it should be managed as such.
From: Babysaph
20-Jan-16
I think its time for the air gun. Some guys can't cock a crossbow. Why limit them from hunting? I also think that the bow season should be shortened to keep from killing all the deer. The bowhunters are still killing 2/3's of the combined deer kill for crossbows and regular bows. I think they should let the crossbow hunters keep the dates as they are because some guys can't shoot a real bow.
From: WV Steel force
20-Jan-16
Why doesn't the DNR break the harvest numbers down by archery/xgun kill? As well as buck and doe harvest numbers for the archery/xgun seasons?
From: Little Bear
21-Jan-16
Very good question. With the new system it is very easy to do that. It's like the big elephant in the room that no one wants to acknowledge or dig deeper into that question. It may have something to do with politics and DNR not wanting to upset those they need to work with in the legislature. DNR already stated 37% of the archery harvest was crossbow, so clearly they know the numbers - why not go ahead and disclose it? I predict x-gun harvest will out pace conventional bows within 2 years and why shouldn't they - they are easier to use and have a higher success rate.
From: hoppies56
21-Jan-16
When they (DNR) publish 2015 Big Game Bulletin, we may see a better break down on the numbers. Gobbler should know,those numbers. He is a DNR commissioner or should know why they dont publish those numbers. Are they not public records? I dont think they have ever separated archery numbers between buck and doe,however this should easy be done with new check in system.
From: Babysaph
21-Jan-16
I may have missed something. I thought it was 37%. They did break it down it looks like. I erroneously spoke before. I look for the season to be limited for real bows in a couple of years
From: M.P.
21-Jan-16
Does anyone know how many out of state license's were sold last year ?
From: sundaynwv
21-Jan-16
If the public wants a break down of bucks and does, it is the dnr's responsibility to do so. It is not asking too much. We pay their salaries.
The dnr missed a huge supply of money from a crossbow stamp. Increase the bear stamp and don't just give away our most precious big game animal.
We can't cling to the sale of vcr's in a society that uses dvd's and Netflix.
From: hoppies56
21-Jan-16
I will agreed,sundaynwv state sure missed the boat on now having a crossbow stamp. At 5 dollars a stamp and all those crossbow kills , state missed a lot of money there. That money would have payed for a lot of elk.
From: Little Bear
21-Jan-16
The DNR may have missed out on some increased revenue but they can't make a stamp or license or any increase in tags without the legislature's permission.
If anyone was paying attention last year, the normal "cost of living" adjustment to the hunting license was supposed to increase $1 but the legislature wouldn't allow it.
If anyone is "giving things away" it is the legislature. There is a bill introduced now to repeal the Senior lifetime license and give it for free.
Babysaph - to your point - all the more reason to belong to a bowhunting organization that fights for bowhunting opportunities.
From: Babysaph
21-Jan-16
I do. The PBS.
From: Babysaph
21-Jan-16
And besides like you said the legislature rules anyway. They will do what they want. They are out of touch. Typical for our state. Just give all of it away. Of course our citizens demand it and they are the ones voting the legislatures in.
From: Babysaph
21-Jan-16
and where did that fight get us with the crossbows? The same thing will happen with that stupid air gun. I am too old to worry about it now. I am very fortunate to own enough land that it doesn't effect me. I do my own thing. I have seen that the legislature caves to the big money. But its that way everywhere.
From: sundaynwv
22-Jan-16
Maybe the dnr gave away a relationship with the legislature. Instead of upsetting the legislature and not doing anything until forced to do so(see deer numbers of 90's and elk) they should build relationships with the legislature.
IMO, I feel Bob Fala will be a great man for this job.
From: gobbler
26-Jan-16
From: gobbler
26-Jan-16
From: sundaynwv
27-Jan-16
Gobbler,
Would it be possible to make the numbers into a post of their own so people are more likely to see them? Thanks.
From: buff
27-Jan-16
So how many more deer were taken, this year with the addition of crossbow over last year, and did the gun harvest change ?
From: sundaynwv
27-Jan-16
Archery harvest increased 46% over the previous season and 28% above the five year average.
Gun harvest went up from last year but we also had a 20,000 surplus of bucks in the woods.
From: Babysaph
27-Jan-16
Wow. Lots of button bucks shot.
From: Babysaph
27-Jan-16
Well 7247 bucks wouldn't have been killed if they didn't allow crossbows. Looks like I was right. Some on here said the crossbows would't increase the bow kill. So I guess that means now the season will be shortened. Nice
From: Babysaph
27-Jan-16
From: buff
27-Jan-16
So 28% increase in harvest over 5 year average, what % increase is 20,000 bucks over the 5 year average? I agree with you, I don't care for crossbows, but I would like to see apple to apple comparisons, I'm sure that crossbows increased the kill, but can you really say, 7247 bucks wouldn't have been killed? Some of that number would be guys with bows, if crossbows were not allowed.
From: hoppies56
27-Jan-16
Thank you, Gobbler for getting those harvest numbers and the break down. 7247 is lot of buck deer, not sure how DNR will look at those numbers from a management prospective. May take more than one years kill to get a better idea of what changes to make if any. thanks again
From: Babysaph
27-Jan-16
I guess you are right buff there would be some killed but I don't that many. I predict in a few years we will lose some of our bow season. Of course they could make a one or two week crossbow season but then the crossbow guys would cry foul. I think it will be a blanket decrease in the season if the DNR sees that too many deer are being killed.
From: gobbler
27-Jan-16
From: buff
27-Jan-16
Gobbler, Is there a data base from the past of licence holders, to see which rifle guys are now using a crossbow also? Seems like it would be fairly easy to get that info a useable format. (This is coming from a guy who dosn't know jack about such things)
From: buff
27-Jan-16
Gobbler, Is there a data base from the past of licence holders, to see which rifle guys are now using a crossbow also? Seems like it would be fairly easy to get that info a useable format. (This is coming from a guy who dosn't know jack about such things)
From: gobbler
27-Jan-16
From: Babysaph
27-Jan-16
Bingo gobbler. LOL. You hit the nail right dead on the head.
From: Limbhanger
27-Jan-16
Gobbler does your information say how many hunters there were? What was the success of % of hunters?
From: gobbler
27-Jan-16
From: mudflap
30-Jan-16
http://wvmetronews.com/2016/01/30/electronic-check-system-will-require-tweaks-in-second-year/
Read this today.
James
From: sundaynwv
30-Jan-16
Seems to me that hunters are at fault at not the dnr. Honest mistake, but also a 5,000 or something swing in the harvest numbers.
From: gobbler
30-Jan-16
Anytime a completely new system is introduced especially something electronic that requires hardware and software there are going to be "bugs" that need to be tweaked plus there will be a learning curve for DNR and public.
