Today is the first day of a 5 day anterless only modern gun season in Arkansas. I am after a specific few that destroyed my vegetable garden this summer. So not hunting my better stands equal a real boring day. Any and all hunting conversations are welcome. For it, against it, and/or what you hunt and your harvest information. A brief history of conservation of deer in Arkansas to start it off. http://www.agfc.com/hunting/Pages/HuntingDeerHistory.aspx
We have not done much hunting, but we appreciate hunters. The more deer you harvest, the fewer that will jump out in front of my car and get kersplatted. Daughter got one a couple of years ago, car was totaled, but no people hurt... anyway Thank you very much. We appreciate your efforts!
Your welcome and thank you. Conservation has almost been too successful, hunters have been resistant for years to harvest the females. Killing bucks do not really affect the size of the population. With populations at all time highs in most states we must harvest more does. They are dangerous as you point out and proud your daughter is ok. They are also very destructive to crops. To keep the herd healthy we must keep it below the carrying capacity of the land. It is well above that level in many areas. We need more hunters we are not replacing them as fast as the older hunters are dying off. Thank you again for your kind and informed post.
I don't hunt...and don't want to. I absolutely hate venison. But we live in an interesting area---where across the road lies acres and acres of private land. But its considered within the city and no hunting allowed. My neigbors just found out that since the residential area is COUNTY land---they can shoot deer that come in the yard. They've got their tree platforms all set and plan to bag a deer........We have so many come in the yard its ridiculous.
I was going to ask if you had any CWD issues (Chronic Wasting Disease), but decided to look it up myself. Because of CWD, the states are really psycho about not allowing people to transport live deer. Which led to that one infamous case of raiding an animal shelter to find and kill a transported baby deer.
Thankfully as your map shows not yet. Arkansas has banned new deer and elk farms and heavily restricted the ones that already existed. As well as some other restrictions. We have wild elk in the northern part of the state that were brought from other states before CWD was well known. We also did the same with black bear years ago and now they are widespread hopefully the Elk will thrive as well.
It has to be processed an prepared properly or it will have a gamey liver like taste. Or if ran by dogs for a long distance it is nasty some people claim soaking it in vinegar helps I just do not shoot those. You must remove all fat because unlike beef it does not taste good. All the white stuff must be cut out or it will be gamey. I usually make chicken fried steak out of the better cuts and jerky from the rest. Sausage can be good but adding the pork for fat defeats the healthier aspect of venison. My dad is not fond of it either he will eat it when I cook it but once you get some not done right it sticks with you evidently. Some people also claim soaking it in milk removes the wild flavor but I do it like I described. In most urban areas hunting is not allowed but yes areas like you describe it is legal. In Arkansas to use modern firearms or muzzle loaders you must be I believe 150 yards from a house unless you have their permission. Many urban areas even in the northeast states, do now allow archery to help remove deer when they become a nuisance. They will eat almost every plant in ornamental or vegetable gardens. The bucks can be very aggressive during the rut particularly if they lose their fear of humans.
You are right about once you taste gamey meat...it sticks. I've had venison sausage and jerky...and it was fine. My kids love it! But a try on venison burgers just destroyed my motivation to eat any of it. Now I imagine the taste.....
They are having a special pre-season white tail hunt this weekend, and the predictions for both bird and deer look good in Kansas. Where I am it can get a little funky. Part of the commercial zone of my town butts onto hunting land. So we often get warned if we see people with guns or orange vests along the tree line, not to panic they are just hunters out for the day lol
LOL, sorry for reminding you of the flavor. I do it all myself we always have it is expensive to take to a processing plant and most of them you have no idea if you get your own deer back. I am extra picky and trim more than most people the dogs love it however. Deer meat is something I only eat when I did all the work.
Kansas has some monster bucks and I have always heard of the many species of upland fowl. I would love to hunt there one day but hunting has become very expensive in most states. Especially states it is possible to kill world class bucks. My income does not allow that kind of luxury. I am luckier than most since I live in a very remote location with all the hunting and fishing I need. We do lease a additional 300 hundred acres from the timber companies for $4 a acre. On top of the 58 I own, that is much cheaper than most states. My former state of Texas is very expensive you almost have to be rich to get good hunting land. Most states have public hunting either in National forests which are usually free and WMA that the state controls that a reasonable priced permit is required. Those areas are usually very crowded and much harder to have sucess however.
Last year was insane around my area. No one can remember seeing or killing so many of the animals. Predictions seem to be this year could be even more frantic
Has I said in a earlier post conservation has become almost too successful. Hunters had become very hesitant to kill the females. Since not killing them led to the amazing comeback of the species. Texas kills over a million deer a year and have for most of my lifetime. Yet the population continues to grow almost every year. That is why many states like Kansas and Arkansas try to encourage the harvest of more doe. You kill a buck you remove 1 deer from the heard that is replaced easily by the doe that usually have twins. You kill a doe that will prevent her from having well over 10 offspring in her lifetime. Not to mention the offspring of her fawns when the become mature. Many breed their first year I enjoy watching them and they are so much easier than the bucks it not a challenge for me. If we do not remove more does in areas like mine and yours the population will become more likely to carry disease or starve. If it was not for the hunters the states would have to pay millions of dollars for professionals to exterminate them. So I expect many states will increase bag limits on does. In Arkansas I can kill 4 deer a year in my zone they can be all four does or up to 2 bucks. About 20 miles south of me you can kill 6 deer but only 2 can be bucks. That started last year and will likely spread to my area in the next couple of years. Setting regulations is hard because some people use the loop-holes to kill more than they should. Then of course you have the poachers that kill anything they want at anytime. I follow the law once I kill my share I will make my wife and son go hunting this year. To bring the herd on my land to a healthy level.
I didn't get drawed for mule deer this year, but I did get a over the counter depervation tag for Elk!
