[Lundy43123]

How many of you received the survey card from the ODNR asking for a opinion on the starting date.

According to this request card 5,123 hunters were surveyed during the 2002 deer season. Over 57% of these hunters favored opening the deer gun season on a Saturday versus the traditional Monday start.

This survey asks which I would prefer. The opening day to be the Saturday after Thanksgiving or the Saturday 9 days after Thanksgiving.

I have no real preference, what do you guys think?

Kim

 

[Caribou Dreamer2]

Do not gun hunt so does not really matter to me.But if i did i would like to see it open up on saturday instead of monday run saturday to friday.

 

[Aimrite]

ODNR is scary

As it is now it gives bowhunters one last solituded of thanksgiving weekend in the woods.
Wouldnt day after thanksgiving make more sense.You would get ALOT more hunters in the woods.

 

[Lance]

Please No change!

I hope they don't change it. I always bank on at least a couple of days of small game hunting with my dogs and family that weekend. Once deer season starts I'm tied up with Christmas stuff and can't run them again till January. Not too mention the pheasant's left over from the T-Givving releases that will go to waste to feed the hawks if there's no more small game that weekend.

 

[scott trout]

saturday arter thanksgiving would be great, all my friends from out of state( who i very rarely get to hunt with any more) would be home, plus wouldnt have to miss work.

 

[brock ratcliff]

I would hate to see the starting day change for the simple reason of tradition. To me the Sunday before opening day is always a good time to sight in guns, make plans for the morning, and enjoy time with family and friends. Also, I usually have taken deer with my bow, so I dont even hunt with a gun most years, but I always take the week off. It sure is nice to be off Thanksgiving thru gun week. To me the season opening on the Monday after thanksgiving is as much a tradition as deer season itself.

 

[mikenbow]

I like the Monday opener after Thanksgiving. We always drive to deer camp on Saturday or Sunday and meet friends, sight the guns, do camp chores, etc... Come Sunday night expectations are high and the deer stories are never ending with everyone. I guess I dont want to break the tradition.

 

[atrkyhntr]

Sat right after turkey day would be great

 

[Pike]

If your opinion is that OH. already has too many Non RES. hunter's I would contact the ODNR. and ask them not to change the first day of gun season. Currently OH.'s and PA.'s First day of gun season is the same, The first Monday after Thanksgiving, If OH. changes their gun opener to even the first Sat. after Thanksgiving, OH. will sell ten's of thousands more Non Res. lic's to hunter's from PA. Currently WVA. sell's more Non Res. Lic's than any other state in the nation, the majority of those lic's are sold to hunter's from PA.. The reason for is because the WVA. season open's the week before OH. and PA. Combine that with the fact that PA. hunter's leave their state to hunt more than any other state in the nation and also that the PGC. is currently reducing our herd to over 5 deer per forested square mile than OH. currently has, and the fact that OH. is second to none in trophy bucks, the fact that hunting on sunday's is legal in OH and not PA. and I think you will see that OH. will sell around 100,000 more Non res. Lic's the first year the ODNR changes the starting date of gun season. On the other hand if you feel the ODNR. could benefit from alot more revenue contact the ODNR. and tell them you are for changing the starting date of gun season. Pike

 

[george tinkham]

if it starts earlier than end it sooner.1 week is enough.

 

[atrkyhntr]

Hey Pike...
I like the idea.... more hunters = more deer movement + more revenue like you said
Right now with the increase in our resident fees going up along with all the permits needed and such it will be close in cost in 2004 to hunt Pa as a non-resident then to hunt Ohio as one in my instance anyway

For me in Ohio 2004:
licence------------------------>19.00
2 deer permits-------------->48.00
2 spring turkey permits--->48.00
1 fall turkey permit--------->24.00
total--------------------------->139.00

PA non-resident:
licence----------------------->101.00
Archery---------------------->26.00
Muzzleloader--------------->21.00
total-------------------------->148.00

Ohio charges both at this time $11.00 for a fur takers permit while Pa charges $81.00 for non-resident

Some Ohio hunters will not be able to afford to partake in all hunts available...

 

[flathunter]

Saturday after thanksgiving, the monday opening sucks, more could hunt on saturday, including me!

 

[george tinkham]

an elk permit in colo. is 475$.at least in our grand state you can hunt public land and still bag a p&y or b&c.other states it costs thousands of $ just to lease and get a monster deer that is half tame.pa. is a sorry state for a trophy deer anywhere.

 

[Pike]

Atrkyhntr, I think it is only fair that I Pay the same amount to hunt in OH. as a person from OH. pay's to hunt in PA. Actually I think I should have to pay more, because OH. offers a longer bow season and the opportunity to hunt on Sunday's. Pike

George, If OH. changes the date of the first day of gun season, You will find out why PA. is such a sorry state fo trophy deer and you will also start looking for private land to hunt for both bow season and gun season. I hunt at 3 different public area's in MD. at each one, ity amaze's me that about 9 out of every 10 car's parked there during bow season has PA. Lic. plates on them. Pike

 

[lureboy98]

I refuse to hunt during gun season because I do not trust people with guns. I bow hunt only on private land, and the people I see trespassing are enough to keep me out of the woods during gun season. With this in mind, the starting day makes no difference to me.

 

[george tinkham]

pike iwill never have a problem hunting on private land as i have plenty of freinds and relatives that are farmers or own acerage.in several se ohio counties but mainly in athens.some with a lot of land have mentioned leasing to hunters,but i know they really don't want to go that route but if it helps save the farm...of course i won't have to pay them though but i hate to see the day ohio goes pro.

 

[scott trout]

if you changed your mind about gun hunting you might not still be looking for that big buck

 

[wabi]

I don't think it really matters, unless you could suggest the last week of January. Whenever it is, it messes up archery, and ends the solitude I enjoy until it opens.

 

[lureboy98]

I haven't hunted since the beginning of November. Other than that I don't gun hunt, but it didn't screw up my hunting this year. I am getting major cabin fever.