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MA deer shotgun season

HorizontalHunter said:
Pretty much. All you have to do is look at the Quabbin boom-bust cycle of deer management to see exactly that cycle. The Prescott segment was pretty dismal this year. When I asked the biologist how it was going she didn’t give me a number she just said: “Less than we hoped but at least everyone is having fun.”

I guess that at the end of the day it doesn’t matter much for me. I don’t have kids and my hunting days are numbered. It’s a shame for sure.
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You cannot base statewide management off of the quabbin hunt. Quabbin is and always has been a deer eradication hunt. They want them all dead. they wont tell you that but that is what they want. The deer populations there are far below state averages as a result. So are the success percentages for hunters. Except in the sections that get a break from being hunted for several years as did petersham since covid. That appeared to be a pretty good hunt this year as a result.
 
ccm75 said:
IMHO there are plenty of deer around. I occasionally try to bow hunt on the local WMA, so it will be nice to have 12 days before the pheasant hunting begins…
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I am excited for next year to be able to hunt while the acorns are still falling. Love watching them come running in to a hot white oak tree dropping nuts.
 
Coyote33 said:
As opposed to what? Black powder or archery? Shotgun is the only other choice. Oh, and crossbow.


I don't know why they need so many different zones. West of 495 to Connecticut River could be one or two zones, then West of the Connecticut River could be another one or two.
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It was joke.....rifle of course. Near me you probably could use a rifle safely. Woods are huge.

I don't hear many shots where I live, was out 4 hours Saturday morning on the last day, and heard like 2-3....one for sure was a rifle..
 
arlow said:
You cannot base statewide management off of the quabbin hunt. Quabbin is and always has been a deer eradication hunt. They want them all dead. they wont tell you that but that is what they want. The deer populations there are far below state averages as a result. So are the success percentages for hunters. Except in the sections that get a break from being hunted for several years as did petersham since covid. That appeared to be a pretty good hunt this year as a result.
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I participated in one of the first Quabbin hunts with a couple other guys, the day of the hunt was fairly warm and got to my stand before light. I could feel a few things crawling on me around my wrists but it was not until it was light enough that I realized I was covered in hundreds of ticks, and I mean hundreds. The two other guys I was with experienced the same. We left by 10 or so and spent the rest of the day getting the ticks off of us, out of our clothes, and vehicle. The warm weather that day really brought them out.
 
Woodsloafer said:
I participated in one of the first Quabbin hunts with a couple other guys, the day of the hunt was fairly warm and got to my stand before light. I could feel a few things crawling on me around my wrists but it was not until it was light enough that I realized I was covered in hundreds of ticks, and I mean hundreds. The two other guys I was with experienced the same. We left by 10 or so and spent the rest of the day getting the ticks off of us, out of our clothes, and vehicle. The warm weather that day really brought them out.
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NEVER go out in the woods without it dude.

Amazon product ASIN B007TULAH6View: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007TULAH6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1


You can pay more for the Sawyer brand if you like. It's all the same shit..
 
Woodsloafer said:
I use it now and have for years, this was twenty plus years ago, I never really even saw ticks (north central MA) before then. Now, of course, they are everywhere.
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I can't even imagine having that many ticks on me! I spray my clothes and gear with the Sawyer's stuff prior to the season starting, and give it a spritz throughout. I use picaridin cream on my skin.

I haven't been out this year due to an injury, but am going to do some light squirrel hunting tomorrow out in the western part of the state before I pick my son up from UMASS. I saw the temps were going to be in the upper 40 to 50 degree range so I gave my stuff a spraying earlier today. Doesn't take much to "reactivate" those little bastards!
 
Y don't ppl from zone 10+ just put in for a doe tag in the western zones? They would only reduce the doe harvest by taking a tag from the pool and not hunting there. Then they could always buy a surplus tag in their actual zone!
 
ace7644 said:
Y don't ppl from zone 10+ just put in for a doe tag in the western zones? They would only reduce the doe harvest by taking a tag from the pool and not hunting there. Then they could always buy a surplus tag in their actual zone!
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Because that is an idiot, ignorant, a**h*** idea in addition to the fact you are trying to get people who are not going to hunt out here to spend money on something that has absolutely 0 direct benefit to them. Joe Biden could have come up with a better plan than that. JFC
 
Coyote33 said:
As opposed to what? Black powder or archery? Shotgun is the only other choice. Oh, and crossbow.


I don't know why they need so many different zones. West of 495 to Connecticut River could be one or two zones, then West of the Connecticut River could be another one or two.
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Trebuchet?
 
Coyote33 said:
I don't know why they need so many different zones. West of 495 to Connecticut River could be one or two zones, then West of the Connecticut River could be another one or two.
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Exactly, you dont know butkus. Understand that, stay in boston suburbia and leave it at that and you will better off. Between rt 495 and the NY border there are vastly different habitat areas with vastly different management needs.
 
Woodsloafer said:
I participated in one of the first Quabbin hunts with a couple other guys, the day of the hunt was fairly warm and got to my stand before light. I could feel a few things crawling on me around my wrists but it was not until it was light enough that I realized I was covered in hundreds of ticks, and I mean hundreds. The two other guys I was with experienced the same. We left by 10 or so and spent the rest of the day getting the ticks off of us, out of our clothes, and vehicle. The warm weather that day really brought them out.
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We used to do a crap load of deer drives in Brimfield, warren and wales back in the 90's. Lots of deer and lots of ticks. Pushing through tons of mountain laurel and low pines were great producing strategies. But you came out covered in those creepy crawlies. picking off 50 or 100 was not uncommon. and dont even think of wearing fleece. I hate those things!
 
arlow said:
We used to do a crap load of deer drives in Brimfield, warren and wales back in the 90's. Lots of deer and lots of ticks. Pushing through tons of mountain laurel and low pines were great producing strategies. But you came out covered in those creepy crawlies. picking off 50 or 100 was not uncommon. and dont even think of wearing fleece. I hate those things!
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Yup, and with the weather we have nowadays during the deer season, they are out and worse than ever, it really sucks (literally). I can remember when I was a kid in the 70s trudging with my father through a foot or more of snow right from the beginning of the shotgun season, it was always cold and snowy from Thanksgiving on.
 
Coyote33 said:
Not sure if you are agreeing with me, or disagreeing. Either way, I agree with what you are saying. My thoughts are the population is lower in each area as you go West. Not commenting on "management needs". That would most likely be a more selective thing, specific to "habitat areas", as you put it.
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I am disagreeing with you. The fact you don't understand that from my last post only highlights how out of touch and mentally vapid you are. Borderline unbelievable, but then I do have faith in the stupidity of people.

Your "thoughts" are totally clueless and foolish. That is not how it works. You are the classic city boy example who thinks they can tell everyone else not in the city what they need even though you simply do not have not even a shadow of a clue what you are talking about.

The zones in the berkshire mountains are totally different habitat than the zones in the ct river valley and the zones in the hills between 495 and the ct river valley are different again. different habitat, with different winter severity, and different deer population densities. Zones 1 thru 9 are separated so they can manage the different needs in the different habitats and it is 1000% necessary. I live in zone 7 which is mostly suburban springfield towns with small to medium blocks of forest. Generally there are great deer numbers here. But understand every zone is going to have fluctuations in deer densities throughout the zone so there will be some localized exceptions in areas. Go up to zone 5 and 6 which are northern central mass with big blocks of mature forests for miles and miles the deer numbers are not very good. Same in much of the berkshires except right up against the NY border where there are more deer. Most of zones 8 and 9 hold decent but not great deer numbers.

So every one of these zones needs to be managed differently in order to try to get/keep the deer density to be as close to the carrying capacity as the local habitats allow.

So all your assumptions and postulations are pure ignorant bullshit. I just wish people would stop puking mindless stupid verbal diarrhea of shit they know absolutely nothing about. If your going to take stupid hardline positions on things like telling everyone inside 495 to buy up doe permits in zones 1-9. At least have a clue on the subject matter at hand so you dont sound like a total idiot.
 
Woodsloafer said:
Yup, and with the weather we have nowadays during the deer season, they are out and worse than ever, it really sucks (literally). I can remember when I was a kid in the 70s trudging with my father through a foot or more of snow right from the beginning of the shotgun season, it was always cold and snowy from Thanksgiving on.
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We are currently in a warm cycle. These cycles tend to last 6,8 10 years or so. I have tracked it in my mind mostly by how much ice we have had for icefishing over the years. In the early 90's it was warm and some of the years we got little or no ice. Then in the early 2000's we were augering through over a foot for most of the winter. early 2010's it was real cold and we were driving on the ice most years with 15 to 24 inches of ice. The CT river froze solid for about 4 years straight which is pretty rare. Now the last couple years safe ice around here has been scarce again. We have had to go to the berkshires to find safe ice and even that did not last long last year. The cold will come back again and it will stick for a while.
 
arlow said:
We are currently in a warm cycle. These cycles tend to last 6,8 10 years or so. I have tracked it in my mind mostly by how much ice we have had for icefishing over the years. In the early 90's it was warm and some of the years we got little or no ice. Then in the early 2000's we were augering through over a foot for most of the winter. early 2010's it was real cold and we were driving on the ice most years with 15 to 24 inches of ice. The CT river froze solid for about 4 years straight which is pretty rare. Now the last couple years safe ice around here has been scarce again. We have had to go to the berkshires to find safe ice and even that did not last long last year. The cold will come back again and it will stick for a while.
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I hope the hell so, i am sick of these "winters", ready for a few years of heavy snow that stays and ice (for ice fishing).
 
arlow said:
I am disagreeing with you. The fact you don't understand that from my last post only highlights how out of touch and mentally vapid you are. Borderline unbelievable, but then I do have faith in the stupidity of people.

Your "thoughts" are totally clueless and foolish. That is not how it works. You are the classic city boy example who thinks they can tell everyone else not in the city what they need even though you simply do not have not even a shadow of a clue what you are talking about.

The zones in the berkshire mountains are totally different habitat than the zones in the ct river valley and the zones in the hills between 495 and the ct river valley are different again. different habitat, with different winter severity, and different deer population densities. Zones 1 thru 9 are separated so they can manage the different needs in the different habitats and it is 1000% necessary. I live in zone 7 which is mostly suburban springfield towns with small to medium blocks of forest. Generally there are great deer numbers here. But understand every zone is going to have fluctuations in deer densities throughout the zone so there will be some localized exceptions in areas. Go up to zone 5 and 6 which are northern central mass with big blocks of mature forests for miles and miles the deer numbers are not very good. Same in much of the berkshires except right up against the NY border where there are more deer. Most of zones 8 and 9 hold decent but not great deer numbers.

So every one of these zones needs to be managed differently in order to try to get/keep the deer density to be as close to the carrying capacity as the local habitats allow.

So all your assumptions and postulations are pure ignorant bullshit. I just wish people would stop puking mindless stupid verbal diarrhea of shit they know absolutely nothing about. If your going to take stupid hardline positions on things like telling everyone inside 495 to buy up doe permits in zones 1-9. At least have a clue on the subject matter at hand so you dont sound like a total idiot.
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Now tell us how you really feel.
 
arlow said:
I am disagreeing with you. The fact you don't understand that from my last post only highlights how out of touch and mentally vapid you are. Borderline unbelievable, but then I do have faith in the stupidity of people.

Your "thoughts" are totally clueless and foolish. That is not how it works. You are the classic city boy example who thinks they can tell everyone else not in the city what they need even though you simply do not have not even a shadow of a clue what you are talking about.

The zones in the berkshire mountains are totally different habitat than the zones in the ct river valley and the zones in the hills between 495 and the ct river valley are different again. different habitat, with different winter severity, and different deer population densities. Zones 1 thru 9 are separated so they can manage the different needs in the different habitats and it is 1000% necessary. I live in zone 7 which is mostly suburban springfield towns with small to medium blocks of forest. Generally there are great deer numbers here. But understand every zone is going to have fluctuations in deer densities throughout the zone so there will be some localized exceptions in areas. Go up to zone 5 and 6 which are northern central mass with big blocks of mature forests for miles and miles the deer numbers are not very good. Same in much of the berkshires except right up against the NY border where there are more deer. Most of zones 8 and 9 hold decent but not great deer numbers.

So every one of these zones needs to be managed differently in order to try to get/keep the deer density to be as close to the carrying capacity as the local habitats allow.

So all your assumptions and postulations are pure ignorant bullshit. I just wish people would stop puking mindless stupid verbal diarrhea of shit they know absolutely nothing about. If your going to take stupid hardline positions on things like telling everyone inside 495 to buy up doe permits in zones 1-9. At least have a clue on the subject matter at hand so you dont sound like a total idiot.
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?


1703719035484.png

1703719091042.png
 
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arlow said:
I am disagreeing with you. The fact you don't understand that from my last post only highlights how out of touch and mentally vapid you are. Borderline unbelievable, but then I do have faith in the stupidity of people.

Your "thoughts" are totally clueless and foolish. That is not how it works. You are the classic city boy example who thinks they can tell everyone else not in the city what they need even though you simply do not have not even a shadow of a clue what you are talking about.

The zones in the berkshire mountains are totally different habitat than the zones in the ct river valley and the zones in the hills between 495 and the ct river valley are different again. different habitat, with different winter severity, and different deer population densities. Zones 1 thru 9 are separated so they can manage the different needs in the different habitats and it is 1000% necessary. I live in zone 7 which is mostly suburban springfield towns with small to medium blocks of forest. Generally there are great deer numbers here. But understand every zone is going to have fluctuations in deer densities throughout the zone so there will be some localized exceptions in areas. Go up to zone 5 and 6 which are northern central mass with big blocks of mature forests for miles and miles the deer numbers are not very good. Same in much of the berkshires except right up against the NY border where there are more deer. Most of zones 8 and 9 hold decent but not great deer numbers.

So every one of these zones needs to be managed differently in order to try to get/keep the deer density to be as close to the carrying capacity as the local habitats allow.

So all your assumptions and postulations are pure ignorant bullshit. I just wish people would stop puking mindless stupid verbal diarrhea of shit they know absolutely nothing about. If your going to take stupid hardline positions on things like telling everyone inside 495 to buy up doe permits in zones 1-9. At least have a clue on the subject matter at hand so you dont sound like a total idiot.
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Well....Rob has this spot on. My zone in 5 at 1000 feet in elevation is very different from his in zone 7 at 500 feet or whatever it is near the CT river valley. Add 500 feet of elevation, you add 10 degrees of cold and more snow, rocky soils, less mast, harder winters. Much much more mismanaged public land that has just dead forest, big woods and big predators. Deer take much longer to repopulate an area like that.

Zone 7 small blocks of suburban forest, much of it unhuntable, closed off towns, liberals, and good soils which produce good mast crops, and also its the farming capital of MA with large crop fields.

Night and day differences.....have to be managed differently.
 

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