BUCKMARK

I tookthe survey and hope it does some good. The 3 weekend in October is when I like to bowhunt and really spend some time in the woods. I would bet that most collisions are the drivers fault anyway, way blame the deer for driving to fastor just not paying attention to your surroundings. I see plenty of people flying down counrty roads at sunrise and sunset. These are the ones hitting deer. Just venting over the way some people try to come up with stupid sollutions to other peoples problems...

ihuntbuck

Yes i could see where an october gun season would screw up some peoples bow hunting but notice we already have a mid october youth season in most counties and that goes mostly unnoticed in my neck of the woods. i think most hunters will wait until november to chase that trophy buck instead of burning up vacation on a doe only hunt. i personaly am a meat hunter so i would welcome a late october gun hunt on my farm. i just dont think you would see the numbers of hunters afield in october as some would think i know in my neck of the woods we only have probably a fourth as many hunters during the january doe season as we do during regular firearm seasons . i just really think more deer will get disturbed by upland game hunters and people sighting in for november than would get spooked by another doe season...

-DeerSlayer-

If you are for an antlerlesshotgun season in October then you must be high. Do you realize what this would do to the rut and the regularly scheduled shotgun season? This would ruin things not only forbowhunters but for shotgunners too. The bucks would go nocturnal the first time they hear those gunshots, whether they are being pursued or not, they become EXTREMELY cautious and would make bowhunting next to impossible. Yeah there is a youth season already, but lets be real, not very many people participate in it. I am just predicting disaster... The DNR is pretty good at ruining things so we will see what happens.

solocamcan

Co-Sign.....And I almost bet that 90 % the surveys completed are against this, so we will see if our DNR took in account what we had to say. If this passes, it will show me that this survey was just all a "formality",a smoke screen to make it seem as if they cared.

Lanse couche couche

Sorry guys, but I'm at a loss to understand how putting a gun season in part of october is gonna "ruin" bow season. My dad and his hunting partner are bow hunting fanatics and generally go after big bucks. They have taken quite a few over the years and i don't recall all or even most of those bucksbeing taken during one week in October. Some are taken the firsthour of bow season, some are taken literally at the last minute of bow season. Hell, they have taken plenty of deer almost immediately after one or both of the guns seasons.If it would make folks happy, then I would be all for an extended "shoot does with whatever you want" season for the first two weeks of January. But sorry, i just don't buy the whole "ruin" scenario.

And yes, I am from Illinois and own land in Richland and Wayne counties and just spent the last 5 days over therecruising around looking at crop damage on surrounding tracts of land. The deer numbers in that area need to be cut down and the folks out in the country that actually have to live with the problems caused by too many deerdon't really care how or when it gets done.

GTD

It’s not about ruing bow season, it’s about simplifying the hunting season.

October is for bow hunters! If the decision makers in Springfield wish to thin the doe population, than make the whole month of December gun season, issuing only one buck tag per hunter. Get rid of this idiotic lottery for residents.

solocamcan

Like GTD said it's not about "ruining" bow season...it's having either our season cut short or having to co-exist with gun hunters during this purposed "Doe season". I am ALL for population control, but this isn't the right way to do it. It's a IDNR quick fix that's being shoved down their throats by insurance companies. The #1 thing I'd like to our DNR implement is some kind of Doe program requirement for Outfitters and there Clients. #2 extend the 2nd gunseason, or have this Doe only gun season the last 2-3 weeks in Dec.

Lanse couche couche

Well, like i said before, I would be all for simply adding a supplemental two week season in January when folks could shoot does with whatever they want, rather it be bows, shotguns, or pistols. But it is safe to assume that some folks won't like that either. I just think the whole"ruin" argument sounds silly.

Primetime/IL

I think by "Ruining" most of the above posters ment It will "hurt" bow season, your taking this too far. Big difference between the choice of words there.

As for it "hurting" bow season...Absolutely!!

Let me ask you this...Why is the first morning of shotgun season always the best day and most productive?? Because its the first day of the gun season and most bucks do not have a clue until that day that us hunters in orange are out and about after them. Usually after the first day many... (I didnt say all) go completely nocturnal. That is FACT.

Now think in terms of bow season... We stick that Gun season at the end of October...and your telling me it will not hurt the primary rut during Bow season??? Indeed it will! Most of those bucks that would be up on their feet cruising for does at majic-thirty in the morning will now be laying back in the brior thicket grinning like a horse eating thissles

SoIllspotnstalk

Yep, i shouldnt have said the october gun season wouldn't ruin bow season, it would DEFINITELY hurt it though. last year i took a nice mature 8 in between gun seasons. Now, he wasnt out cruising for does either, i happened to put myself in what i thought to be a good funnel, and it worked out. He was extremly cautious, so, yeah if you throw that season in, deer are just going to move at nite, like primetime said, and cut our chances down. When food gets scarce in thelate season though, those eerie bucks start to come out of the woodwork, and thats a fact. i say NO!!!to this october season.