Should mule deer bow hunting be on draw

[KCL]

I love all types of hunting and bow hunt regularly, I feel bow season for mule deer should be put on draw, I would gladly wait a couple years for a tag to improve hunt quality, or maybe do like with sheep and if you do harvest a buck you need to wait a year before you can get another tag. It would also help having to register bucks so a true count of how many deer are being harvested in bow season could be determined. Any thoughts?

[BrownBear416]

I think its fine the way it is..

[jack88]

Its fine, maybe once the road hunting bow hunters start having more success we might have to explore that option.

[pottymouth]

I think it works great, the way it is.

[NBFK]

I think srd needs to get their **** together and quit giving mulie doe tags out like they are going out of style. I think it only took 5 years to finally back some areas down after some bad winters. I think the general season is fine, it was the bad winters and truck loads of anterless tags that hurt our population.

[pottymouth]

Originally Posted by natural.born.fawn.killer

I think srd needs to get their **** together and quit giving mulie doe tags out like they are going out of style. I think it only took 5 years to finally back some areas down after some bad winters. I think the general season is fine, it was the bad winters and truck loads of anterless tags that hurt our population.

X2
And maybe double up on some whitetail tags, in certain places. Help eliminate those whiteys from pushing Muleys out of prime habitat .

[weatherbyfan]

Around edson is horrible for mule hunting 2 years ago they put 346 on draw and the numbers are slightly increasing but the othe wmus are general and there is no good deer your lucky to see a 140" ive taken a mule in the last 10 years straight and there all between 130 and 140 i wish theyd put it on draw for everything and get numbers and size up

[elkamaholic]

As I was belly-crawling through the alfalfa stubble towards a bachelor group of 6 bucks tonight, I was thinking the same thing. While I would have been happy with the fairly wide 4-point of the narrow but high 5-point in the group, had I made it into bow-range, I knew they both could use a year or two to grow to true trophy quality.

I'm sure I'm not the only guy who lowers their standards a little during the archery season...mostly because with a bow, every harvest is special.

It would be nice if there were a few more bucks left to grow up in the peace country here. Not sure if limiting the archery tags is the total answer but it sure can't hurt. Would sure like to see more of the bruisers around that we had eight to ten years ago.

[ishootbambi]

Originally Posted by KCL

should mule deer bow hunting be on a draw?

probably.

Originally Posted by weatherbyfan

Around edson is horrible for mule hunting 2 years ago they put 346 on draw and the numbers are slightly increasing but the othe wmus are general and there is no good deer your lucky to see a 140" ive taken a mule in the last 10 years straight and there all between 130 and 140 i wish theyd put it on draw for everything and get numbers and size up

if you really care to be a trophy hunter, then quit shooting a small buck every year. you realize those 130 bucks are the big deer you wish for in a couple more years right?

Originally Posted by elkamaholic

.

I'm sure I'm not the only guy who lowers their standards a little during the archery season...mostly because with a bow, every harvest is special.

.

i dont reallyunderstand that. 140 is 140. the size of the antlers dont change with the weapon of choice?

[summit151]

Originally Posted by ishootbambi

probably.




if you really care to be a trophy hunter, then quit shooting a small buck every year. you realize those 130 bucks are the big deer you wish for in a couple more years right?



i dont reallyunderstand that. 140 is 140. the size of the antlers dont change with the weapon of choice?

i think what he is trying to say is that with the bow it is a lot harder to shoot a deer then a rifle. which makes most people lower there standards of a trophy. most people would be very proud to get a 140 to 130 mulie with the bow. as using a rifle they would be proud of a 170 180 buck

[WildCats]

Originally Posted by natural.born.fawn.killer

I think srd needs to get their **** together and quit giving mulie doe tags out like they are going out of style. I think it only took 5 years to finally back some areas down after some bad winters. I think the general season is fine, it was the bad winters and truck loads of anterless tags that hurt our population.

X3

[steve]

No.

Mulie doe tags are undersubscribed in many parts of AB.They would have to start protecting the overall population before they took away hunting oppurtunity.

Id like to see the area where our land is put on draw for mulie, would help cut back on the number of deer running around with arrows hanging out of them, make guys choose between rifle or bow, just like pronghorn. Will weed out the casual bowhunters... Not a popular opinion but one i have after harvesting a few deer with broadheads in them..Nothing better than trimming a roast and finding an old broadhead in there....

[NBFK]

Originally Posted by jrs

Id like to see the area where our land is put on draw for mulie, would help cut back on the number of deer running around with arrows hanging out of them, make guys choose between rifle or bow, just like pronghorn. Will weed out the casual bowhunters... Not a popular opinion but one i have after harvesting a few deer with broadheads in them..Nothing better than trimming a roast and finding an old broadhead in there....

The same thing could be said about 22 bullets shot gun shot and so forth that I have found in deer. Dont kid yourself lots of gut shot,leg shot,jaw shot and ass shot deer run around from the casual rifle hunters. Maybe just get rid of all of them. Arrows are more visible yes but really?

Its been bad around here, 2 of the last 3 mule deer i've harvested had broadheads in them, our group has got to be close to 10 deer with archery injuries over the past 4 seasons (1 mulie with a rifle injury). Im not saying rifle hunters dont lose the odd deer, but hunting the flat prairie seems to mean a lot of bowhunters take long shots they absolutely shouldnt attempt. Accidents happen, but this is kind of silly. Id just like to see mule deer hunting return to what it was 5 years ago, rifle and archery hunters would all have to sacrifice a bit..

[NBFK]

Originally Posted by jrs

Its been bad around here, 2 of the last 3 mule deer i've harvested had broadheads in them, our group has got to be close to 10 deer with archery injuries over the past 4 seasons (1 mulie with a rifle injury). Im not saying rifle hunters dont lose the odd deer, but hunting the flat prairie seems to mean a lot of bowhunters take long shots they absolutely shouldnt attempt. Accidents happen, but this is kind of silly. Id just like to see mule deer hunting return to what it was 5 years ago, rifle and archery hunters would all have to sacrifice a bit..

I can't buy into putting archery on draw is going to improve our mule deer population. Go on alberta relm and look how many antlerless tags get issued or the last few years, let alone if you were in a cwd zone. Start throwing hay out during these ridiculous winters and yeah our mule deer populations might be where they should be. Don't kid yourself just because archers can buy a tag over the counter dosnt guarantee a harvested animal. Lots of guys go home empty handed.

[summit151]

Originally Posted by natural.born.fawn.killer

The same thing could be said about 22 bullets shot gun shot and so forth that I have found in deer. Dont kid yourself lots of gut shot,leg shot,jaw shot and ass shot deer run around from the casual rifle hunters. Maybe just get rid of all of them. Arrows are more visible yes but really?

x2

[bowhunter9841]

I think we should be more worried about catching all the poachers than putting archery tags on a draw! It is much more difficult to stalk within range of a Muley buck with a bow, than it is to shoot it illegally! I don't think that a couple hundred guys chasing muleys with a bow makes that big of a difference! Especially when only a handful of them are actually successful!

[Rhino81]

I think it is stupid that it isn't on a draw. Bow hunters should not get a tag whenever they want and rifle hunters have to wait. Don't get the logic behind srd's thinking on that one. But then again don't get there thinking on a lot of things.

[pottymouth]

Originally Posted by Rhino81

I think it is stupid that it isn't on a draw. Bow hunters should not get a tag whenever they want and rifle hunters have to wait. Don't get the logic behind srd's thinking on that one. But then again don't get there thinking on a lot of things.

Do you bow hunt as well?

[Rhino81]

Originally Posted by pottymouth

Do you bow hunt as well?

I do.

[Rhino81]

Originally Posted by pottymouth

Do you bow hunt as well?

I also rifle hunt. I just think it would increase the number of trophy bucks if it was a draw. I know there are going to be a lot of " well there would be more trophies if we did this to" replies to that.

[pottymouth]

From 1995 - 2010 (15 years ) there have only been 12 typical mule bucks scoring over 180, recorded with Alberta bowhunting records. 3 over 190.

9 typical velvet over 180, same years.

40 non typical over 180, same years.

11 non typical velvet over 180, same years.

That's 72 bucks in 15 years........that's 4.8 bucks a year over 180 by archers, thats 0.034% , of Muleys shot by archery tackle........

I don't have the rifle and smoke pole numbers to compare.

[ishootbambi]

Originally Posted by pottymouth

From 1995 - 2010 (15 years ) there have only been 12 typical mule bucks scoring over 180, recorded with Alberta bowhunting records. 3 over 190.

9 typical velvet over 180, same years.

40 non typical over 180, same years.

11 non typical velvet over 180, same years.

That's 72 bucks in 15 years........that's 4.8 bucks a year over 180 by archers, thats 0.034% , of Muleys shot by archery tackle........

I don't have the rifle and smoke pole numbers to compare.

the records dont show them all. remember guys like me that dont care.

[Rhino81]

X2. Most will agree. The numbers Of deer taken with archery gear would most certainly surprise you potty mouth.

[pottymouth]

Originally Posted by ishootbambi

the records dont show them all. remember guys like me that dont care.

And thats why we have record books, to help with info, for stats and maybe even decision making process......

[Rhino81]

If every one that shot a buck in the past 15 years had to enter into the book, that would be some book. I am not saying every archery buck taken would make the book. But you will never know if ya shoot them before they are of worth to be. Just saying and it is only my opinion. Maybe it should be a separate draw, keep it fair for the strictly rifle hunters who have to wait as well.

[pottymouth]

Originally Posted by Rhino81

If every one that shot a buck in the past 15 years had to enter into the book, that would be some book. I am not saying every archery buck taken would make the book. But you will never know if ya shoot them before they are of worth to be. Just saying and it is only my opinion. Maybe it should be a separate draw, keep it fair for the strictly rifle hunters who have to wait as well.

It's my belief, that even if there was a separate draw, the numbers would still allow for archers to draw almost every year.

[mulecrazy]

Originally Posted by bowhunter9841

I think we should be more worried about catching all the poachers than putting archery tags on a draw! It is much more difficult to stalk within range of a Muley buck with a bow, than it is to shoot it illegally! I don't think that a couple hundred guys chasing muleys with a bow makes that big of a difference! Especially when only a handful of them are actually successful!

This statement could not be any more on the money. GREAT POST!!!. prioritize people!!!!! Bowhunter success rates are much much less than some people think. Everyone has equal opportunity and the system is working great. The same people that whine about this seem to give the saskatchewan management all the credit, correct me if I am wrong, but I believe they have the same basic setup of general mulie tags east of the border.

[Rhino81]

You may be right, I think it is more the principle of making things equal across the board from rifle to bow. Probably could be an argument on making it a draw in certain wmu's. Like I said it is just one guys opinion.