Spring deer hunting?
05-03-2004, 07:47 AM
#1
Typical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Havre de Grace MD USA
Posts: 703
Spring deer hunting?
Ok everyone, for me this is a controversial topic and am wondering how you folks feel about this.
I have recently acquired a property for hunting, only it is really more of an extermination job. This property is a horse farm that trains multi-million dollar race horses. The owner of the property wants deer, coons, possums and groundhogs all but eliminated from the property. (In reality that will never happen because the property is next door to a giant state park.)
They have acquired "Wildlife Management Permits" and it's "game-on". The owners have made me an "agent" of the property and I do not even need a liscence to hunt the animals.
Now I know that does are pregnant right now, and in my opinion, it would be unethical to shoot a pregnant doe. The property owner dosen't care about any of the morality of hunting, just wants to keep the deer from jumping out in front of the horses, scaring the horse which in turn will throw the jocky with an end result of a 5-10 million dollar horse running freely with a possibility of stepping on a groundhog hole only to break it's leg. Bye-bye horse.
The reason that the property owners have given me permission to "exterminate/hunt" is because the man that runs the working part of the farm won't take up the challenge. He is trying to promote QDM! The owners want the animals under control. Period!
I was on the property the other night and between myself and my friend we saw over 30 deer in 2 separate herds.
My quandry is this: If I don't post some results, I am afraid that I will lose the property and I really want to hunt it during the regular season. I know there are massive bucks out there just dieing of old age. The property is 200 acres with 75-80 acres of thick woods right in the middle and again a massive state park all around. To me this is prime hunting.
So now, what to do?
I have recently acquired a property for hunting, only it is really more of an extermination job. This property is a horse farm that trains multi-million dollar race horses. The owner of the property wants deer, coons, possums and groundhogs all but eliminated from the property. (In reality that will never happen because the property is next door to a giant state park.)
They have acquired "Wildlife Management Permits" and it's "game-on". The owners have made me an "agent" of the property and I do not even need a liscence to hunt the animals.
Now I know that does are pregnant right now, and in my opinion, it would be unethical to shoot a pregnant doe. The property owner dosen't care about any of the morality of hunting, just wants to keep the deer from jumping out in front of the horses, scaring the horse which in turn will throw the jocky with an end result of a 5-10 million dollar horse running freely with a possibility of stepping on a groundhog hole only to break it's leg. Bye-bye horse.
The reason that the property owners have given me permission to "exterminate/hunt" is because the man that runs the working part of the farm won't take up the challenge. He is trying to promote QDM! The owners want the animals under control. Period!
I was on the property the other night and between myself and my friend we saw over 30 deer in 2 separate herds.
My quandry is this: If I don't post some results, I am afraid that I will lose the property and I really want to hunt it during the regular season. I know there are massive bucks out there just dieing of old age. The property is 200 acres with 75-80 acres of thick woods right in the middle and again a massive state park all around. To me this is prime hunting.
So now, what to do?
05-03-2004, 07:52 AM
#2
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 2,445
RE: Spring deer hunting?
Unethical to shoot a pregant doe? If you are serious about thinning the herd, then you want to shoot as many pregnant does as you can. I wouldn't really want to do that myself, but you have to separate the job you are doing from what most people consider hunting to be. They are not the same thing.
As far as bucks go, hell, don't shoot any. With a pile of dead does, you will have plenty of dead deer to make the owner happy, and you'll still be able to tag a big buck during the season.
As far as bucks go, hell, don't shoot any. With a pile of dead does, you will have plenty of dead deer to make the owner happy, and you'll still be able to tag a big buck during the season.
05-03-2004, 07:54 AM
#3
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Memphis TN USA
Posts: 3,445
RE: Spring deer hunting?
I personally wouldn't shoot pregnant does to hunt anywhere. But that's just me. I am soft in that regard. I don't even shoot does with fawns when the season gets here. I have been down that road and a kicking baby inside of a dead mother is a heart breaking sight when it's an animal that you respect a great deal (at least for me). However, that's a decision that you are going to have to make.
05-03-2004, 07:59 AM
#4
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Elkview WV
Posts: 2,369
RE: Spring deer hunting?
I think that in this instants it's like Ucle Norby says this is not a normal hunting situation you are there to do the job that the land owner has requested and you have to make the decision if you are up to it or not. But you may lose your primo spot if you decline to get the job done. Tough decision good luck with it.
05-03-2004, 08:09 AM
#5
Typical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Havre de Grace MD USA
Posts: 703
RE: Spring deer hunting?
SA, this is exactally what I am afraid of. My wife is a "labor and delivery" nurse. Right now she is OK with the whole hunting "thing". But I know the first time she hears about the pregnant doe...well you get the idea!
It's like I know what need to be done...I just don't know if I am man enough to do it[
]
I just can't stand the idea of losing this spot. AND the reason I'm "in" is because the the other guy couldn't get the "job" done. I don't want them to call somebody else.
I guess I could consider myself like the Orkin man and make it easier on myself.
It's like I know what need to be done...I just don't know if I am man enough to do it[
]I just can't stand the idea of losing this spot. AND the reason I'm "in" is because the the other guy couldn't get the "job" done. I don't want them to call somebody else.
I guess I could consider myself like the Orkin man and make it easier on myself.
05-03-2004, 08:15 AM
#6
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Flowery Branch Ga. 30542
Posts: 823
RE: Spring deer hunting?
The land owner wants you to kill the deer, he doesn't want you to hunt, just kill. Now you have to decide if you are a deer killer or a deer hunter. this job is not easy to do, if I were to say OK, I would get a gun and if it is brown it is down. If you don't I would suppose they will find sharp shooters that will.. Lots of luck..
05-03-2004, 08:21 AM
#7
Typical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Havre de Grace MD USA
Posts: 703
RE: Spring deer hunting?
Bees, you are right. I am definitely a deer hunter, but I need to become a deer killer, at least for a short period of time in order to keep the property.
With as many deer as we saw, it would be like shooting ducks in a barrel. They could not have cared a less that we were out there. I don't think these deer have ever even smelled a human being!
With as many deer as we saw, it would be like shooting ducks in a barrel. They could not have cared a less that we were out there. I don't think these deer have ever even smelled a human being!
05-03-2004, 08:56 AM
#8
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Shreveport, LA
Posts: 305
RE: Spring deer hunting?
Maybe you could use the opportunity to feed a bunch of hungry folks.
I would pass on just killing deer for the sake of killing them, but if it was for a program like hunters feeding the hungry I might help them out.
Good Luck
I would pass on just killing deer for the sake of killing them, but if it was for a program like hunters feeding the hungry I might help them out.
Good Luck
05-03-2004, 09:00 AM
#9
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 7,208
RE: Spring deer hunting?
This is a tough one. I personally don't know if I could shoot a near birthing doe, or one with fawns too young to survive. That dillema aside....I didn't realize there was such a huge problem with deer spooking horses that they needed to be exterminated. The groundhogs I can see, but I see deer peacefully hanging out in horse pastures all the time.
05-03-2004, 09:11 AM
#10
Typical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Havre de Grace MD USA
Posts: 703
RE: Spring deer hunting?
rybohunter, these are not those type of horses. They get "run" every morning, early, like when deer like to be out, and the deer will walk right out into the area that the trainer uses for a track. The real problem is in the morning as they do not train/run the horses past 12 noon on any given day.
These horese can reach speeds of up to 40 m.p.h. and coming around a corner at 40 m.p.h. and having one of these horses collide with a deer can be tragic for the deer the horse and the jockey.
This farm does not have those type of "pastures". These horses are not "allowed" to eat the grass. They have to eat hay "imported" from another state, because Maryland grass/hay isn't good enough protein wise for the animals...but the deer love it!
These horese can reach speeds of up to 40 m.p.h. and coming around a corner at 40 m.p.h. and having one of these horses collide with a deer can be tragic for the deer the horse and the jockey.
This farm does not have those type of "pastures". These horses are not "allowed" to eat the grass. They have to eat hay "imported" from another state, because Maryland grass/hay isn't good enough protein wise for the animals...but the deer love it!