# Chattahoochee NF-No Antlerless Deer Hunting



## 35 Whelen (Apr 7, 2019)

I know this is the bear forum, however, this seems to be where many Chattahoochee National Forest deer hunters are also.  Did anyone notice that in the proposed regulations there is no antlerless deer hunting east of I-75 during all seasons, archery, primitive weapons, and firearms for the next 2 seasons? 

 Chattahoochee National Forest - Outside of WMAs 

Deer-East of I-75 
2019-20 
Archery Buck Only Sep 14-Oct 11 
Firearms Buck Only Oct 19-Dec 26 
Primitive Weapons Buck Only Oct 12-Oct 18 

2020-21 
Archery Buck Only Sep 12-Oct 9 
Firearms Buck Only Oct 17-Dec 26 
Primitive Weapons Buck Only Oct 10-Oct 16


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## Buckman18 (Apr 7, 2019)

This is a good thing, for 2 reasons: 1. Bears and Coyotes are killing so many fawns that the recruitment rate is way too low.

2. There needs to be some select or clear cutting for browse and fawn cover, and more plots for feed during the years of mast failures. I’m not sure we can do anything about that with it being federal land.

I wish the state would add a spring bear season and increase the limit for bears. For the life of me, I do not understand why the state does not want to reduce the current population by 90%. Bear hunting is fun, but when it’s time to deer hunt virtually NOBODY who lives and hunts up here values bears more than deer. Yet, over the past 20 years, as the bear and coyotes have increased the deer have greatly decreased.


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## tree cutter 08 (Apr 7, 2019)

Glad to see it!


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## whitetailfreak (Apr 7, 2019)

Good news for sure.


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## Rulo (Apr 7, 2019)

a day late and a dollar short!  We been telling DNR for years!!!!!!!


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## Buckman18 (Apr 7, 2019)

Honestly, I am not sure this is going to be a difference maker? But it does show that at least it is ‘recognized’ by the state that the NF does indeed have a problem with the deer population. What gets done moving forward to remedy the root cause, we shall see.


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## Rulo (Apr 8, 2019)

It should not have taken DNR this long to recognize that the mountain deer herd was in trouble. We been telling them for years now.   They (DNR) do not listen. That fella with the Biology degree knows better than you (the guy sitting in the stand watching this all unfold over the years)......

If you watch what they do, how they manage our wildlife (especially on WMAs) they do little more than post yellow WMA signs on the trees.......... we as consumers are being ripped off. 

Why does it take a GON member on here (KillerKyle) to organize a WMA cleanup on mountain WMA?  Or myself writing a letter about a couch on a mountain WMA in the middle of a culdesac for 2 deer seasons to finally get picked up?

DNR better hope we (hunters) dont get organized politically and actually hold them (DNR)  accountable for what they do and dont do on our public lands.......


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## goshenmountainman (Apr 9, 2019)

I am glad to see it, haven't killed one in years, but it will not do any good without getting rid of more bears. Its about 10 yrs. to late!! I think the DNR should require the biologist to hunt deer, turkey, and bear only in the area they cover and know so much about, especially who ever is over the mountain area. I bet it wouldn't take so long to get something changed... Never will happen though, because most of them wouldn't even try to hunt after a couple of weeks!


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## Christian hughey (Apr 9, 2019)

35 Whelen said:


> I know this is the bear forum, however, this seems to be where many Chattahoochee National Forest deer hunters are also.  Did anyone notice that in the proposed regulations there is no antlerless deer hunting east of I-75 during all seasons, archery, primitive weapons, and firearms for the next 2 seasons?
> 
> Chattahoochee National Forest - Outside of WMAs
> 
> ...


I see spotted action up there and see larger populations of deer near and on private land outside of the national forest areas. Of course pressure has some to do with it. I and many others would like to see a spring bear hunt and that may happen soon keep your opinion heard, but as far as conservation goes I see what kind of hard work goes into managing these animals, far from sitting on there hands. I will have to disagree and support DNR for what they do. Sometimes it takes public opinion and pushback to assure that the dollar doesn't outweight morals but they do a great job for the most part.


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## C.Killmaster (Apr 9, 2019)

goshenmountainman said:


> I am glad to see it, haven't killed one in years, but it will not do any good without getting rid of more bears. Its about 10 yrs. to late!! I think the DNR should require the biologist to hunt deer, turkey, and bear only in the area they cover and know so much about, especially who ever is over the mountain area. I bet it wouldn't take so long to get something changed... Never will happen though, because most of them wouldn't even try to hunt after a couple of weeks!



They do hunt those areas, you shouldn't assume they don't.  While I do cover the whole state in my position, I have hunted on several mountain WMAs myself and lived up there for a short while.  Hunting regulations are far from the biggest issue in the mountains, there are major habitat issues that DNR cannot address.  This is not the first action on this issue, doe opportunity has been decreased several times in the area; unfortunately to no avail and hence more drastic measures.


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## ddd-shooter (Apr 10, 2019)

C.Killmaster said:


> Hunting regulations are far from the biggest issue in the mountains, there are major habitat issues that DNR cannot address.


We’ve known that for years also. 
In reality, do you see habitat ever improving, or have the environmental groups made it impossible at the federal level?


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## goshenmountainman (Apr 10, 2019)

These problems been happening since before y'all closed the mountain WMA's. Both Burton and Coleman river have plenty of food plots left that are not in the wilderness area that were not getting planted and use to have plenty of deer. I believe there was a bear problem way before these were closed and nobody would listen, if someone had been hunting them then they would have known what we all know now. This is just an opinion but I believe alot of people in these mountains have this same opinion, because we were out there covering ground..


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## Christian hughey (Apr 10, 2019)

goshenmountainman said:


> I am glad to see it, haven't killed one in years, but it will not do any good without getting rid of more bears. Its about 10 yrs. to late!! I think the DNR should require the biologist to hunt deer, turkey, and bear only in the area they cover and know so much about, especially who ever is over the mountain area. I bet it wouldn't take so long to get something changed... Never will happen though, because most of them wouldn't even try to hunt after a couple of weeks!



That's also telling someone where and how to hunt because of their service to the community I know me myself like to pack up and goes to a random spot I know nothing about and make it happen. Just to enjoy new scenery, sometimes  it works out sometimes it don't but that's hunting. I don't disagree that we have a problem in the hills but that problem isn't the result of state DNR. Federal and politics get in the way of their decisions at times but they do what they feel is best for the quality, future of our resources at the time. Bear population has grown due to good conservation practices and now offer an awesome hunting in Georgia. I see plenty of deer once I get off the mountain top and down into flater land. I'm convinced the deer just don't like the straight up and down and I don't blame them, don't care much for it myself. Plenty of deer on the piedmont. I suggest making a trip down until things improve up there. Unfortunate cause I see some grade A bucks come from up there year after year.


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## Christian hughey (Apr 10, 2019)

C.Killmaster said:


> They do hunt those areas, you shouldn't assume they don't.  While I do cover the whole state in my position, I have hunted on several mountain WMAs myself and lived up there for a short while.  Hunting regulations are far from the biggest issue in the mountains, there are major habitat issues that DNR cannot address.  This is not the first action on this issue, doe opportunity has been decreased several times in the area; unfortunately to no avail and hence more drastic measures.


Hey killmaster keep us posted when this year's ? kill harvest report becomes available. Sure seemed to be a good year for everyone.


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## C.Killmaster (Apr 10, 2019)

goshenmountainman said:


> These problems been happening since before y'all closed the mountain WMA's. Both Burton and Coleman river have plenty of food plots left that are not in the wilderness area that were not getting planted and use to have plenty of deer. I believe there was a bear problem way before these were closed and nobody would listen, if someone had been hunting them then they would have known what we all know now. This is just an opinion but I believe alot of people in these mountains have this same opinion, because we were out there covering ground..



This has nothing to do with food plots and everything to do with a completely closed canopy forest.  Fawning cover is likely the limiting factor.


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## C.Killmaster (Apr 10, 2019)

Christian hughey said:


> Hey killmaster keep us posted when this year's ? kill harvest report becomes available. Sure seemed to be a good year for everyone.



I'll try, I just don't have direct access to the bear data like I do the deer stuff.  I'll check with the bear biologist and see what's going on.  I bet harvest is way up, I hunted Chattahoochee and me and everyone I talked to saw bears.


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## bany (Apr 10, 2019)

The food plot hysteria tickles me. Not saying they aren’t good or even beneficial. Mother Nature makes them a lot better than man does but where and how big is her choosing. When I see 20-30 acres that had a recent wind event I think it’s a shame a fella can’t log this area. Salvage the downed logs and get it between a clear cut and selective.
I don’t like to bash any government workers. How do you get the elites to do the business of Us? How do we get them to work? Why do most get re-elected when we watch them focus on attacking and investigating each other rather than doing our business? Sorry I’m off topic now.
Thanks for your work Charlie!


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## j_seph (Apr 10, 2019)

Rulo said:


> It should not have taken DNR this long to recognize that the mountain deer herd was in trouble. We been telling them for years now.   They (DNR) do not listen. That fella with the Biology degree knows better than you (the guy sitting in the stand watching this all unfold over the years)......
> 
> If you watch what they do, how they manage our wildlife (especially on WMAs) they do little more than post yellow WMA signs on the trees.......... we as consumers are being ripped off.
> 
> ...


DNR=WMA= Wildlife Management Area
Most of these Mountain WMA'S are properties of the USFS=United States Forest Service. DNR manages the wildlife, not their job to maintain the roads, organize litter pick up, etc.

What is the Forest Service?

We are a federal agency under the U.S. Department of Agriculture that *manages* 193 million acres of land, roughly the size of Texas. *We manage public lands* in the form of national forests and grasslands, provide technical and financial assistance to state and private forestry agencies and make up the largest forestry research organization in the world.

When and why was the Forest Service established?

Congress established the Forest Service in 1905 to provide quality water and timber for the nation’s benefit. Congress later directed the Forest Service to broaden its management scope for additional multiple uses and benefits and for the sustained yield of renewable resources such as water, forage, wildlife, wood, and recreation.

What does the Forest Service do?

We help people share and enjoy the forest, while conserving the environment for generations to come. Some activities are compatible. Some are not.
*You, as a concerned citizen, can play a key role by expressing your views to Forest Service managers to help us* strike a balance and make decisions in the best interest of the public lands and the public.

What is the Forest Service mission?

*The mission of the Forest Service is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation’s forest*s and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations.


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## Christian hughey (Apr 10, 2019)

C.Killmaster said:


> I'll try, I just don't have direct access to the bear data like I do the deer stuff.  I'll check with the bear biologist and see what's going on.  I bet harvest is way up, I hunted Chattahoochee and me and everyone I talked to saw bears.


Yeah had a real good year myself. Also just about everyone I know that bear hunts connected this year. Keep up the good work. Thanks


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## tree cutter 08 (Apr 10, 2019)

C.Killmaster said:


> This has nothing to do with food plots and everything to do with a completely closed canopy forest.  Fawning cover is likely the limiting factor.


what would you describe to be the best fawn cover? I myself feel like there's a ton of diversity in the mountains. There's lots of areas that's so thick you can't walk through in he summer that's been untouched for years. Some areas are closed canopy and more open woods without much cover but there's just as much areas that I feel do provide cover. Walking along the Appalachian trail you will see that closed canopy effect. Drop off 10 leads from the top over a few miles and there's tons of diversity and good cover. Let's go to hooch wma. Take Martin branch, trail ridge and look at it in the summer. Should be covered up with deer from controlled burns, logging and storm damage. I see just as many deer there as I do at cut locast gap to horse trough falls in the big mature woods. We have a predator problem. Our woods is capable of at least twice what we have now. If we never touch them again it should support at least double. The mountains will never have what flatlands has population wise. Cut the bears and the population will grow. Bears and yotes proves to much competition for the deer. Yotes are here to stay but reducing bear population would be a lot easier. Ask a poll of hunters state wide, or regionally what the focus should be on managing, bears or deer. I'd say overwhelming majority will say we have to many bears. We all know how many are complaining about lower deer. Problem I see with the bears, few has mentioned it in this thread is that most hunters are seeing bears but so few are shooting. I seen 27 last season and shot 1. We're letting to many bears walk. Just about everybody that lets a bear walk will blast a yote. We're headed in the right direction with removal of doe days but we need a spring season for bears.


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## C.Killmaster (Apr 10, 2019)

tree cutter 08 said:


> what would you describe to be the best fawn cover? I myself feel like there's a ton of diversity in the mountains. There's lots of areas that's so thick you can't walk through in he summer that's been untouched for years. Some areas are closed canopy and more open woods without much cover but there's just as much areas that I feel do provide cover. Walking along the Appalachian trail you will see that closed canopy effect. Drop off 10 leads from the top over a few miles and there's tons of diversity and good cover. Let's go to hooch wma. Take Martin branch, trail ridge and look at it in the summer. Should be covered up with deer from controlled burns, logging and storm damage. I see just as many deer there as I do at cut locast gap to horse trough falls in the big mature woods. We have a predator problem. Our woods is capable of at least twice what we have now. If we never touch them again it should support at least double. The mountains will never have what flatlands has population wise. Cut the bears and the population will grow. Bears and yotes proves to much competition for the deer. Yotes are here to stay but reducing bear population would be a lot easier. Ask a poll of hunters state wide, or regionally what the focus should be on managing, bears or deer. I'd say overwhelming majority will say we have to many bears. We all know how many are complaining about lower deer. Problem I see with the bears, few has mentioned it in this thread is that most hunters are seeing bears but so few are shooting. I seen 27 last season and shot 1. We're letting to many bears walk. Just about everybody that lets a bear walk will blast a yote. We're headed in the right direction with removal of doe days but we need a spring season for bears.



You bring up a lot of good points, a lot of which we're learning about through the  research we have going on.  The problem is the scale of closed canopy forest across a pretty large area.  Take a look at the Game Check deer harvest dashboard and compare the deer harvest per square mile to aerial photos in Google maps.  When you zoom out at the whole state look at how the dark green areas (totally forested) correspond to lower deer harvest.  Southeast Georgia is very similar, but it appears more drastic than the mountains because harvest reporting isn't as compliant there.  Also, here's a link to a video I did showing how land use can impact deer populations.  While predators may seem the cause of the decline on the surface, the landscape and land use has major impacts on the ability of predators to locate fawns.  It's just not as simple as killing more bears or coyotes, I wish it was that easy.

https://gadnrwrd.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/a8c09f55918b41e7af6e54abf1dc3a1c

<iframe width="871" height="490" src="



" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>


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## goshenmountainman (Apr 11, 2019)

tree cutter 08 said:


> what would you describe to be the best fawn cover? I myself feel like there's a ton of diversity in the mountains. There's lots of areas that's so thick you can't walk through in he summer that's been untouched for years. Some areas are closed canopy and more open woods without much cover but there's just as much areas that I feel do provide cover. Walking along the Appalachian trail you will see that closed canopy effect. Drop off 10 leads from the top over a few miles and there's tons of diversity and good cover. Let's go to hooch wma. Take Martin branch, trail ridge and look at it in the summer. Should be covered up with deer from controlled burns, logging and storm damage. I see just as many deer there as I do at cut locast gap to horse trough falls in the big mature woods. We have a predator problem. Our woods is capable of at least twice what we have now. If we never touch them again it should support at least double. The mountains will never have what flatlands has population wise. Cut the bears and the population will grow. Bears and yotes proves to much competition for the deer. Yotes are here to stay but reducing bear population would be a lot easier. Ask a poll of hunters state wide, or regionally what the focus should be on managing, bears or deer. I'd say overwhelming majority will say we have to many bears. We all know how many are complaining about lower deer. Problem I see with the bears, few has mentioned it in this thread is that most hunters are seeing bears but so few are shooting. I seen 27 last season and shot 1. We're letting to many bears walk. Just about everybody that lets a bear walk will blast a yote. We're headed in the right direction with removal of doe days but we need a spring season for bears.


Can't argue with their science, they are not wrong, no way no how, will not listen. There is good fawning cover on most of the land up here, grown up roads, fields, and plenty of tornado damage. Not listening to what the people see and hear in these mountains is why we are at this crossroad with these bears. We need either a dog season in the early spring, Jan. Feb. or early March or one in July or August.. No seasons to be affected and no other hunters to be bothered, all we need is a little help up here and we can take care of most of the problems, I know a lot of hunters have not been shooting doe up here for a lot of years and we all have the same opinion about bear, we rather have more deer and less bear. I plant seven food plots every year for the deer and turkey and there has been only one deer shot in any of them and I got it this past season, we have been letting them walk for the last five years trying to build the population back a little. We had about seven doe spread out between the plots this last summer that had fawns in July, by the middle of August there was only two fawns left. Guess how many bear I had on camera at these plots, 12, that I could tell were different out of hundreds of pics, only had one yote, and he got blasted on opening day of turkey season when he came in to eat a hen turkey that was calling to a gobbler! If we can get some help with these bears we might be able to help the deer, if we get no help, there is no hope! On a side note, I don't have any bear dogs or know anyone that has any that I talk to often, so I am not trying to get another season for myself, just trying to get help with these bear problems that myself and every person in this community is sick and tired of!


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## Rulo (Apr 11, 2019)

j_seph said:


> DNR=WMA= Wildlife Management Area
> Most of these Mountain WMA'S are properties of the USFS=United States Forest Service. DNR manages the wildlife, not their job to maintain the roads, organize litter pick up, etc.
> 
> What is the Forest Service?
> ...



Its not that simple.  "DNR manages the wildlife, not their job to maintain the roads, organize litter pick up, etc" is not going to cut it. 

It is "their" job.  As curators of the forest, DNR aka the "WMA people" are tasked with managing not only wildlife but the environment as well. On top of taking an oath to do just that......

To simply say that DNR Staff can circle around a couch in the middle of a cul-de-sac for  2 years because its "not their job" is wrong. Either pick up the couch (because as a citizen you sure dont want to get caught driving around on a WMA with a nasty couch in your truck bed) or call the USFS to pick it up. Its indicative of a bad attitude and poor work ethic among staff......

Trash.....same thing......DNR  manages the wildlife....set the regs,,,,,will and can write us tickets for dumping on USFS/WMA lands but can simply say...."Its not my job" when it comes to picking up dumped furniture or organizing a litter pick up?

Nope. I dont think so......

DNR is the one pushing to expand these WMAs. Why? To justify their budget and reason for even existing.  Well fine....then they need to do their job!


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## tree cutter 08 (Apr 11, 2019)

Maybe another year of research will help shed some light on the problem. Like I said before I know we don't have the best habitat for deer up here and dealing with the federal government to get something going is a waste of time I feel like. Just look what trumps been trying to get done and the resistance he's getting. I've accepted the fact that timber harvest of national forest will probably never happen on a large enough scale to do any good. In pockets that it has in recent years I can see no noticeable difference in deer numbers. Only reason I don't buy the habitat scenario is that we lost to many deer to quick. It started 20 years ago with increased doe days, booming bear and yote numbers. The combination has killed the deer off in a relatively short time. Yes we need better habitat but that's going to be hard to do. Eliminate some competition and I think we would solve the problem. Everything has to have a balance and right now it's not. I'm with goshen on the bears. We have to many of them. To many people are tired of dealing with them. I had my garbage carried off the other day because of them.


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## mallardsx2 (Apr 11, 2019)

What makes me laugh is that most people that read/talk about the deer population in  the CNF have no clue just how bad it truly is. Its bad. They need to shut the season down for 2 weeks in the CNF and allow us to hunt the bears with hounds.


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## PappyHoel (Apr 11, 2019)

People will starve now.  Increase in the trout stocking program is needed


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## Christian hughey (Apr 11, 2019)

I have been told that the reason a spring bear hunt wouldn't be considered is due to conflict with other campers, hikers, etc. My argument was that you have just as many people during September and october and if that was a true deciding factor you could make it bow only. My conversation didn't make it much further than that. Just assume that he lost interest in the conversation or had no more B's to shoot me. I don't know why there is no consideration of a spring hunt but I'm sure there is good reason somewhere. Definitely a topic to be pushed. Looking forward to pulling out the bow early.


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## ripplerider (Apr 11, 2019)

Hey Pappyhoel why dont you save that "stocking trout = welfare for locals" nonsense for the fishing, political, or "useless Billy" type discussions? If you knew anything about true mountain folks you'd realize that if they're really into trout fishing they seldom fish for stockers and dont enjoy eating them nearly as much as you seem to think they do. If you ever got lucky enough to catch and eat a good-sized stream-bred trout you'd get why. I havent eaten 20 natives in the last 10 years, but it's not because I havent caught any. It's called catch and release. So, basically, grown folks are talking. Go outside and play.


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## ripplerider (Apr 11, 2019)

Here's one more hint before I sign out here, maybe for good. Just because someone has a local tag doesnt mean they're a local. I bet you have a tag from a mountain county. Case closed.


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## Mr Bya Lungshot (Apr 11, 2019)

Rulo said:


> Its not that simple.  "DNR manages the wildlife, not their job to maintain the roads, organize litter pick up, etc" is not going to cut it.
> 
> It is "their" job.  As curators of the forest, DNR aka the "WMA people" are tasked with managing not only wildlife but the environment as well. On top of taking an oath to do just that......
> 
> ...



I see you often bash DNR. 
On this point about a couch that you looked at for over two years,
why in the world wouldn’t you do your part and haul that thing to the dump if it bothered you that much?
It’s not a bad thing to get caught hauling away a couch or garbage you found.
They may have seen it before as did you.
They’d probably stop and thank you for helping and they can’t give you a ticket if you had it in your truck hauling it away.
Don’t demand of others things your not willing to help do for yourself and say it’s not your job too.
It is my job to help keep the forest clean and my payment is the view.


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## Raylander (Apr 11, 2019)

I woulda burned that couch No way im letting something tare me up for two years..


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## Christian hughey (Apr 12, 2019)

Mr Bya Lungshot said:


> I see you often bash DNR.
> On this point about a couch that you looked at for over two years,
> why in the world wouldn’t you do your part and haul that thing to the dump if it bothered you that much?
> It’s not a bad thing to get caught hauling away a couch or garbage you found.
> ...


I agree DNR has many tasks each year to overcome. Many you obviously aren't familiar with. We don't need to go into who does what but trash pick up shouldn't be on their list of duties due to the simple fact that I'm sure most of them have enough sense not to throw it out. In my opinion, that's why we have prison detail. Make those no good lazy pieces of scum go out and pick up trash as a debt to their community. Also just quit throwing trash out. There are public trash facilities everywhere you go. Don't be a lazy piece and take it to the can as far as the couch goes there are many alternatives to putting it on the side of the road even for a poor man in the hills.


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## Thunder Head (Apr 12, 2019)

I don't want to start another argument or derail this thread.

I live close to the mountains and like to hunt there during bow season and during December some too.
Granted I don't put the work in to do this myself. And I get why you don't want to drag a bear over that ridge. I did it once myself.

But if you live there and your tired of bears, bears, bears. Why don't you invite some of your fellow GON members up to get their first bear.

I bet the list of volunteers would be long.


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## goshenmountainman (Apr 13, 2019)

Thunder Head said:


> I don't want to start another argument or derail this thread.
> 
> I live close to the mountains and like to hunt there during bow season and during December some too.
> Granted I don't put the work in to do this myself. And I get why you don't want to drag a bear over that ridge. I did it once myself.
> ...


Did just that this past year, eight friends, eight bears, all recovered but one. Found a week later. Another guy on here is going to come this fall and maybe he can take a few with him.. We trying everything!! Also have to be careful, don't want to take someone to your honey hole and have them beat you back! Everyone I have taken has been really good people!!


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## strothershwacker (Apr 13, 2019)

Whose worse, the slob that throws out the trash....... or the slob that just walks by it?


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## Christian hughey (Apr 13, 2019)

strothershwacker said:


> Whose worse, the slob that throws out the trash....... or the slob that just walks by it?


Definitely the one that throws it out but I'm with the other guy on the couch set it on fire.  Less to haul off later.


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## Joe Brandon (Apr 14, 2019)

I would not be opposed to a dog/bear season in the sping, summer, or early December. Heck honestly I don't care when they dog hunt for bears though I know a a lot of my friends do. I will hunt around the areas and or the dates. Honestly whatever will bring back some resemblance of a deer population I am all for. I am not a wildlife biologist so I really just have opinions I have to leave my trust up to them, heck what else am I gonna do lol.  I also would not be opposed to baiting for bears on private land, heck even public. In Maine you can bait on public land you just have to be posted and a mile or more from any structural dwelling. I am all for any means to narrow down the predator population, I tagged out on bear this season, though it was the first year I have harvested a bear. I also missed two bears this season. In total I dont know how many bears I saw but I saw bears every time I hunted them.


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## strothershwacker (Apr 14, 2019)

Not during bowseason. I'm all for the dog hunters but why take it from the bowhunters? Give em their own season.


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## Christian hughey (Apr 14, 2019)

strothershwacker said:


> Not during bowseason. I'm all for the dog hunters but why take it from the bowhunters? Give em their own season.


Absolutely NOT during bow season PLEASE don't push for dog hunting during bow season. One of my favorite things to do is come up and bow hunt these bears and putting dogs on the ground that early in the year will ruin the quality of the hunt for everyone. Have a late season dog hunt. A well trained bear dog will find the bear no matter what time of year. If DNR is looking to harvest more bear during the bow season a good start would be to open the access roads on wmas during bow season instead of the first gun hunt. This will make it easier to retrieve your animal when timing due to hot temps. is a big factor. Also would encourage more people to get out there a little earlier in the year if they could go hunt their spots and not have to walk 5 miles to get there. It really makes no sense to close gates during bow season but open them during gun season when temps. aren't a factor and there is a ton of other hunters in the woods. You would think they would either keep gates closed all year or close them during gun season to give ALL the MANY other hunters room to roam.


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## tree cutter 08 (Apr 14, 2019)

I'm not sure dnr is wanting more bears killed. If they are, there are better ways than a dog hunt. I to wish they would open more gates during bow season. I ain t going to the trouble to kill something miles in and have it spoil before I get it out.


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## Rulo (Apr 17, 2019)

Mr Bya Lungshot said:


> I see you often bash DNR.
> On this point about a couch that you looked at for over two years,
> why in the world wouldn’t you do your part and haul that thing to the dump if it bothered you that much?
> It’s not a bad thing to get caught hauling away a couch or garbage you found.
> ...



hmmmm....look at from this angle and do a little experiment for us here on the GON Network.....

Saturday or better yet....preferably in the Fall when people are out and about either looking at leaves or simply scouting......or better yet during one of the newly passed bear dog hunts......go find ya a nasty old couch and a love seat plus all the soiled cushions you can find and stuff it in the bed of your tacomma pick up and drive around one of the mountain WMAs......

Make sure people see you driving around......and see what happens.......


Just curious........Do that and tell us what happens........now remember.....DNR/WRD Personal dont see the couch lying in the cul de sac (its been sitting there for 2 years) must be camoed up or something but they dont see it.

This would be even better....since you drove an hour to pick up said couch and love seat,,,,,,, you load it up and drive over to another WMA and park in your favorite spot and go in for a few hours and come out at dark...

tell us who was waiting on you to return to your vehicle and  what happens.......

and this one would be even better.... as mentioned by a Senior GON Member previously.....lite it on fire and add a tire or two just to get some much needed attention.....once again wait. And tell us what happens!!!!!!

Now remember....your on a WMA....


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## ripplerider (Apr 18, 2019)

Well you could take a picture of it sitting in the cul-de-sac, load it up then haul it off. If you drove by it for two years surely you went home at least once straight from there. If you parked with it in your truck every day for a month they couldnt do a thing to you unless you unloaded it on Forest Service land. I've hunted in a truck with scrap lumber and other stuff in the back that would get you a ticket if you threw it out many times with no-one saying anything. I pick up trash all the time on F.S. because I know it will lay there till judgement day if I dont, and it also makes me feel like I've done a little bit of good that day. I'm constantly amazed at the amount of trash that gets casually dropped out of car windows not to mention left at campsites. Who raised these people and why do they come to the woods and then litter?


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## ddd-shooter (Apr 18, 2019)

ripplerider said:


> Well you could take a picture of it sitting in the cul-de-sac, load it up then haul it off. If you drove by it for two years surely you went home at least once straight from there. If you parked with it in your truck every day for a month they couldnt do a thing to you unless you unloaded it on Forest Service land. I've hunted in a truck with scrap lumber and other stuff in the back that would get you a ticket if you threw it out many times with no-one saying anything. I pick up trash all the time on F.S. because I know it will lay there till judgement day if I dont, and it also makes me feel like I've done a little bit of good that day. I'm constantly amazed at the amount of trash that gets casually dropped out of car windows not to mention left at campsites. Who raised these people and why do they come to the woods and then litter?


Have cleaned many a campsite myself. Boggles my mind. Leave it better than you found it would go a long way nowadays. After all, it is OUR land. 
But I will also say, if I can put some trash in my truck, I hope the forest service, game wardens, and game management guys do as well.


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## carver (May 12, 2019)

The amount of trash left in the forest makes me sick,when hunting,fishing,or just walking I always carry a trash bag or two,I'll never understand people who litter.


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## strothershwacker (May 12, 2019)

With 66,000 state inmates there should be no garbage on the side of any road.


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## tree cutter 08 (May 12, 2019)

strothershwacker said:


> With 66,000 state inmates there should be no garbage on the side of any road.


 you got the right! Instead the state contracts and PAYS to pick up road side trash. Where in the world did common sense go?


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## ArrowJack (Jun 4, 2019)

Buckman18 said:


> This is a good thing, for 2 reasons: 1. Bears and Coyotes are killing so many fawns that the recruitment rate is way too low.
> 
> 2. There needs to be some select or clear cutting for browse and fawn cover, and more plots for feed during the years of mast failures. I’m not sure we can do anything about that with it being federal land.
> 
> I wish the state would add a spring bear season and increase the limit for bears. For the life of me, I do not understand why the state does not want to reduce the current population by 90%. Bear hunting is fun, but when it’s time to deer hunt virtually NOBODY who lives and hunts up here values bears more than deer. Yet, over the past 20 years, as the bear and coyotes have increased the deer have greatly decreased.



Plenty of wildlife openings are intentionally unattended to now. You can view satellite imagery from 2016 on google maps and look at food plots (wildlife openings) on the NF and WMAs. Visit some of them now and you'll find 10 foot pines and brush everywhere. I'm not sure if there is some kind of management strategy behind this or DNR just doesn't do as much work as they used to.


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## C.Killmaster (Jun 5, 2019)

ArrowJack said:


> Plenty of wildlife openings are intentionally unattended to now. You can view satellite imagery from 2016 on google maps and look at food plots (wildlife openings) on the NF and WMAs. Visit some of them now and you'll find 10 foot pines and brush everywhere. I'm not sure if there is some kind of management strategy behind this or DNR just doesn't do as much work as they used to.



Some of them are being managed as early successional habitat, which means leaving it fallow and letting weeds take over.  Once trees take over, you set back succession again through fire, plowing, and/or herbicide.  That's the type of habitat most lacking in the mountains.


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## ArrowJack (Jun 5, 2019)

C.Killmaster said:


> Some of them are being managed as early successional habitat, which means leaving it fallow and letting weeds take over.  Once trees take over, you set back succession again through fire, plowing, and/or herbicide.  That's the type of habitat most lacking in the mountains.



Thanks for the response, Charlie. Always value your input.


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