This is related to the other thread about who is been successful.
Do you thing that bowhunting opportunity are improved or are they declining in your hunting area'
For me, it depends on what specie of animal I'm bowhunting.
For deer, no. For hogs, yes.
OK,if you have different animals to vote just go for the average opportunities of all the species and if you want to specify post the single game animal.Thanks
Both deer and turkey hunting has been getting better since I first started. I'm very lucky to have a few hundred acres and have access to a lot of private land. Been out at least 30 times this year and have seen deer on all but 4 or 5. Not always close but aleast something.
bout the same
Lower. The state keeps turning great pone units into draw
only units.
We did a lot of scouting this past season and plan on doing even more next year-pretty sure that made the difference in better more productive hunts. And we had insanely good luck with son Adam drawing a Bull tag on his first attempt!
Declining.
Certianly declining regarding places to hunt and the ammount of traffic you can expect to encounter at those places. This is not to say that it's poor hunting or that there isn't any good hunting around. But it certianly is tougher to get away from the crowds than it was a short time ago. But then again, the population of the area has way more than doubled in the past ten or twelve years.
Declining, at least in my area. To many doe tags equal fewer deer. I've hunted Iowa since 1999 and this is the first year that I have hunted full days and not seen a single deer.
doug77
I voted declining. If you have unlimited $$$ then it it probably improving but for the average Joe it is getting harder and harder to find good places to hunt that he can afford.
Bisch
Our turkey numbers have improved.I would say the deer have held steady or improved slightly.
Bill
I started bowhunting in the 1970's.
Hunting is far better today than it was then.
Declining. More and more posted ground. More and more pressure on public land. I hate to be one of those guys that constantly bash the PA Game Commission's deer management, but the bottom line is that I had a lot more fun 10 - 15 years ago than I do today.
I had to vote declining, as we have cat issues in the areas I hunt.
Declining only in the fact draw odds for Elk are miserable. Additionally the costs involved are making it difficult to afford to do as a family
Haven't lived and hunted here long enough to have an opinion.
No vote for me.
Deer population higher than ever in NC. Tougher to get permission on private tracts. Public land getting more attention now. You can still get away from the crowd but you have to be willing and have the means to travel where no one else will go. To me this means either hiking farther than others or running several miles by boat to otherwise inaccessible public tracts and yes there are still some very wild places in NC if you are up to it.
Deer and turkey numbers have declined where I hunt in WV.
Improved greatly on elk, turkeys, bear, lions, moose, antelope, sheep, whitetails, and Mt goats in parts of the state. Mule deer are hurting all over, and the elk and moose are declining in parts of the state from wolves.
We have so many elk here where I live, season is opening Aug 15th and runs clean until Jan 31st. Doesn't help me as I have yet to fill either of my elk tags. :dunno:
I guess a lot depend on what you mean by improving ? Numbers of animals ? Areas available to hunt in ? Numbers of other hunters ? Rules we have to follow ? My personal experiences ?
If just numbers of critters seen, unfortunately, my area has gone downhll greatly since we found CWD in the herd.
ChuckC
Improving here. We are seeing slightly less deer than we did a few years ago due to very aggressive doe harvests, but we are seeing bigger bucks and more rutting activity. We have almost no public land here but I've had luck getting plenty of small places to hunt. The towns and county have opened thousands of acres to hunt if you are willing to jump through a some hoops.
Declining.... wolves, disease, and too hard winters in a row.
However, compared to some other states, we're still blessed with solid, quality hunting.
I voted declining for the simple reason that finding a safe place to hunt has gotten harder to find,plenty of deer just lack of friendly locations to hunt.
Due to wolves, it is declining
Good idea. Interesting.
I would say "seriously" declining. Sad really. I am 50 and saw it rise when I was a kid till the mid-eighties and now it is terrible.
IMO Horrible CWD planning in the south; Too many wolves to the north.
Both can be adjusted, but that doesn't seem likely soon.
I have to that it depends on what "angle" you look at it. In some regards, populations are up and down, but the question is really a loaded one. In general, though, despite hunter numbers dwindling, access is just getting tougher. I've lost many places I used to hunt to development, leasing, blocked access, and dispersed hunters being forced into "my" areas of public and private. It may be sour grapes..and/or old age talking...but this is a trend that will not stop, IMO.