Be Heard On Regulation Changes

[Guest kevinkirk]

Last year I felt screwed as a landowner, I only got one tag for an "any deer". In the past, we got at least one bonus and I used it during the Muzzleloader part. I complained along with other landowners to the MDC and this year when my tags printed, I got both the Antlerless and the Any Deer tags. Last year it would have cost me an extra $7, which was BS because we take deer to control the population for the most part. Last year, acorn crop was nil, there was a drought, and the deer were in the pastures eating up grass we use for the horses. Hay was scarce due to a late frost and we really could not tolerate any "crop damage". One field we counted 30+ deer in a 30 acre patch and they were keeping the grass pretty thin. We own 235 acres, so the new law will not affect me or my dad. On a normal year we harvest 5-10 deer off our property depending on who we let hunt it. I harvested a 120 class buck and the others ended up with 5 slick heads. Had we received the free bonus tags, 5 more could have been thinned out. I believe that the winter and other factors may have done some herd thinning this year because the deer signs have not been as thick.

I understand your hunting your own land and wanting to keep it to yourself, believe me. I do the same. BUT its hard to complain bout deer damage when you dont allow other ppl to thin the herd on your land. I know, tresspassing, messes, damage, injury, lawsuits...I GET IT...

But here we have the same thing. Too many deer in some places due to trophy hunting etc. If you shoot a few deer out of a great spot, the other 40 does have 2 fawns each and next year you have a herd and a half.

The landowners have begun to charge huge fees to hunt also and that rules out most folks. So the few public areas get hammered and the herd keeps increasing. BUT that also lets the State let in more paying out of state hunters, increasing revenue and in essence shooting our deer.

Its all a planned event.

WE have 60 deer on our section of land at any one time. Thats a lot. DO I want ppl coming in and blasting away? NO....I dont know what the answer is but if you dont let ppl shoot them, we cant complain when they eat our crops etc. You cannot have it both ways.

HOWEVER, having said all that, you prob do deserve more permits. They did that here and the landowners sell the permits. That is phasing out next year as it didnt work either.

I dont know. THere is no easy one size fits all answer is there/ ? 80 acres is the rule here. And it still costs you $20 for permits. So no free lunch here.

[jdmidwest]

There was no complaints about the hunting part, just the availability of free tags to control the population. We were sitting on the border of a control unit that only allowed bucks for years even after the new system started. I could walk across the road on two corners of the property and shoot does but not on our land. We had to apply for special permits to take the does that were needed to control the population. With the new computer system we were automatically given a bonus tag with our farm tags till last year. Last year, we would have had to buy additional tags to harvest additional deer. This year, we get the bonus tags again.

[Guest kevinkirk]

Okay I understand. So with the areas around you being pushed, you get additional deer on your property too. I didnt mean to offend you just making a statement bout why this is happening across the country with increased herds yet limited access. The farmers around here want MONEY for damages but wont let ppl hunt. OF COURSE.

Its a mess no matter where you go as the depts of wildlife are not managed by hunters or fisherman anymore, generally. But by politicians and biologist who have no connection to the land or the heritage of the same. And with less ppl hunting and fishing, they are hurting for money too. Our licenses are down I think 40% from several years ago. So they raise them and the camping fees and less people go and on and on and on. Now they close campgrounds too.

THe worst I see is in the wildlife areas open to hunting, they gate the roads closed so there is no access into the areas. Walking 2 miles in to hunt a deer and then thinking of the drag out IF you get one is ridiculous. That and closing the public hunting areas to deer hunting. WHERE do they think ppl will hunt?

MISSOURIans are lucky as there is a lot of public and national forest land still. Huge lakes and streams that yu can float without permission. Not like that in Kansas. There are fewer and fewer places to go now than every before.

The money has hurt us most of all as ppl are leasing up land, paying trespass fees in record numbers, mostly from out of state. They pay so much the average Joe here cannot afford to go. Fishing is about all thats left to do and the lakes are in such sad shape most of the time or fished so hard, that is waning too.

You have a wonderful state and are lucky if you only knew it. I know, change is hard. But someone has to pay the bills for the access.

[Trevor K]

No matter what the MDC sets as its regulations not everyone is going to be pleased. That's pretty much impossible. There are people who think they have purchased enough land and there are people who think they should buy more. There are a million different points of view. I think the MDC does a good job and is doing the best they can to please people and manage the states fish and wildlife, but thats just my opinion

[bigredbirdfan]

I will always question government programs and decisions.

I have not personally attacked anyone on any forum period since my mother (who was mentioned here) did not raise me that way.

Just because philosophically you don't agree with someone gives you no right to do so.

I think that one issue is this theory that people went out and bought land just to get around paying for tags. Why would they go buy a couple thousand dollars worth of land to get a $17 tag?

Prying away a landowners right to harvest wildlife on his own land is just a crummy deal all the way around.

[jjtroutbum]

I for the most part have no problems with the MDC. Are there things that they could do better? Absolutely but nothing is perfect and I will admit that as far as I know we have one of the best and a model department for the entire country.

The things I don't care for have been changes that have come about in the last couple of decades such as a movement away from shooting sports and education, hunters education and a general feeling of the movement away from a mainly hunting and fishing promotion and an increased funding for butterflies , birdwatching, basket weaving and over priced nature centers. Looking at the contents of Missouri conservation magazine over the last 10 years has been enough to prove these changes to me.

I think there should be more funding for more law/regulation enforcement and I mean boots on the ground. There is a need for continued land purchases to help fight over development and loss of habitat for hunting and fishing. And the fleecing of legal law/reg abiding hunters and fishermen is just away to bite the hand that feeds you.

I absolutely do not support the loss or threatening the loss of the funding through repealing the sales tax the only reason this works as well as it does is it hopefully keeps the hand of the state reps and such out of the cookie jar, but certainly wish there was a better way to put more leverage on the commissioners of the MDC to appoint less PETA types to lead the department.

I like fish and the fuzzy animals of Missouri. They taste great.

[Dutch]

I just got my land owner tags today. The puter spit out more than the book said I was supposed to get. I don't need that many deer.

[bigredbirdfan]

I for the most part have no problems with the MDC. Are there things that they could do better? Absolutely but nothing is perfect and I will admit that as far as I know we have one of the best and a model department for the entire country.

The things I don't care for have been changes that have come about in the last couple of decades such as a movement away from shooting sports and education, hunters education and a general feeling of the movement away from a mainly hunting and fishing promotion and an increased funding for butterflies , birdwatching, basket weaving and over priced nature centers. Looking at the contents of Missouri conservation magazine over the last 10 years has been enough to prove these changes to me.

I think there should be more funding for more law/regulation enforcement and I mean boots on the ground. There is a need for continued land purchases to help fight over development and loss of habitat for hunting and fishing. And the fleecing of legal law/reg abiding hunters and fishermen is just away to bite the hand that feeds you.

I absolutely do not support the loss or threatening the loss of the funding through repealing the sales tax the only reason this works as well as it does is it hopefully keeps the hand of the state reps and such out of the cookie jar, but certainly wish there was a better way to put more leverage on the commissioners of the MDC to appoint less PETA types to lead the department.

I like fish and the fuzzy animals of Missouri. They taste great.

Exactly what I was trying to say but didn't.

[tadman]

I will always question government programs and decisions. I think you just like to raise a fuss about anything becasue you have nothing else to do.

I have not personally attacked anyone on any forum period since my mother (who was mentioned here) did not raise me that way. You are only getting what yer giving. Don't throw rocks if you don't want any thrown back.

Just because philosophically you don't agree with someone gives you no right to do so. Is this where I shed a tear? Have you read what your write?

I think that one issue is this theory that people went out and bought land just to get around paying for tags. Why would they go buy a couple thousand dollars worth of land to get a $17 tag? This here is another reason why I know you are either very young or not very educated. Have you priced land in the last.....say.....decade? Prying away a landowners right to harvest wildlife on his own land is just a crummy deal all the way around. Again what right is being taken away? None. Not one!

[jdmidwest]

KK, no offense was taken, I just took the time to explain the situation further. We control the numbers of hunters, MDC controls the numbers of free tags. Allowing other hunters usually opens up alot of other problems. Invite one, he starts bringing buddies, next thing you know, you don't have a good spot for yourself. We have enough family to cover the farm. The deer have never been a real problem since the row crop days. Back then they could eat alot of beans. Now, in years of no acorns, they just keep areas of the pastures clipped. Heaven forbid you plant clover or alfalfa, we did that one fall and they worked on it all year. Our hay crop was not as good on that section as it should have been.

Our property is surrounded by some of the worst deer poachers in the area. I had to run one out during youth season.