Why such a short gun season?

[dennishoddy]

Don't get me wrong, I'm not in favor of a longer deer season, just making a point that the average hunter spends just so many days in the field no matter how long the season. I'm betting this same data is true in Oklahomans transition from a 9 day to 16.
If anyone thinks we aren't already moving toward a Texas style lease system, they have their heads buried in the sand.
A Texas based "conservation" group dedicated to high fence hunting have been lobbying the Ok legislature for several years.

 

[Okie4570]

Don't get me wrong, I'm not in favor of a longer deer season, just making a point that the average hunter spends just so many days in the field no matter how long the season. I'm betting this same data is true in Oklahomans transition from a 9 day to 16.
If anyone thinks we aren't already moving toward a Texas style lease system, they have their heads buried in the sand.
A Texas based "conservation" group dedicated to high fence hunting have been lobbying the Ok legislature for several years.

What's their motive and reasoning for wanting that in Oklahahoma?

 

[dennishoddy]

$$$$$$
They are leasing ground like crazy in the panhandle, and and other parts of Ok, then rent the leases. I got talked into going to a couple of their meetings in okc. First one was an eye opener, second time was to learn more. Both times the main speaker was a honcho from different commercial deer hunting organizations in Tx.

 

[AllOut]

I've competed with guys from Texas for a few leases, had guys from texas call our land owners offering more money, had a guy from Texas call me when I had open spots on a lease last year.
Asked them why? They said it's cheeper to get a lease and buy non re's tags here then just finding a spot in Texas. Plus they can come and kill two bucks and go back home and kill more.

Texas = one thing in the hunting world..... GREED!

Oklahoma is the Dark Horse, we are fast becoming a trophy deer state which will compete with Kansas, Ohio, Iowa and Illinois in the future. The problem is so will the prices. Whats good is we arnt main stream yet so it's slowly trickling in. The problem is in the past 3 years I've seen more and more celebrity hunters make a trip here and they all say the same thing, Oklahoma is a hidden treasure right now. That's a problem... A lot of people see/hear that. If you watch the "Monster Buck" videos you will have knoticed that last year the largest buck kill in the two video set came from NW OK and again this year put one of the largest deer in the video.
My point, I am all for a better quality deer herd and making sacrifices to get it. But this state will have to make drastic changes to it non resident laws or we will be ran over by big money.

 

[VIKING]

Dennis, the little 160 acres that our Little Buddy leased for all those years got leased up this past year by 3 guys from Texas..160 acres went for 3400.00 dollars a year...That's per year for 5 years...Pretty expensive hunting especially since they didn't take a deer this year..Serves em right...Oh..One more point about the extended season. I for one was really excited when we went from 9 to 16 days on gun season..BUT..since then I have yet to hunt one day in the second week. Still do all my hunting and killing the first week...

 

[VIKING]

I've competed with guys from Texas for a few leases, had guys from texas call our land owners offering more money, had a guy from Texas call me when I had open spots on a lease last year.
Asked them why? They said it's cheeper to get a lease and buy non re's tags here then just finding a spot in Texas. Plus they can come and kill two bucks and go back home and kill more.

Texas = one thing in the hunting world..... GREED!

Oklahoma is the Dark Horse, we are fast becoming a trophy deer state which will compete with Kansas, Ohio, Iowa and Illinois in the future. The problem is so will the prices. Whats good is we arnt main stream yet so it's slowly trickling in. The problem is in the past 3 years I've seen more and more celebrity hunters make a trip here and they all say the same thing, Oklahoma is a hidden treasure right now. That's a problem... A lot of people see/hear that. If you watch the "Monster Buck" videos you will have knoticed that last year the largest buck kill in the two video set came from NW OK and again this year put one of the largest deer in the video.
My point, I am all for a better quality deer herd and making sacrifices to get it. But this state will have to make drastic changes to it non resident laws or we will be ran over by big money.

This is very true...it's happening more and more

 

[30BulletHoles]

I think that non resident deer tags should be on a draw basis.

 

[AllOut]

I think that non resident deer tags should be on a draw basis.

Thats what I was hinting at.
Like the way Kansas did til 2008. Very limited # of non resident tags, draw in only and they shouldn't be cheep! As for the money in it, make them buy a doe tag before your allowed a buck tag, so we get double tags fees which makes the state the money back from what it loses plus the extra cost or price jump should probably put us back to normal.

 

[dennishoddy]

I have 80 acres South of Pond Creek, that is nothing but wheat field, but the neighbor has 20 some acres of grass/hedge apples, with an alfalfa field on the other side. Two years ago, I went there to look the place over, and saw a huge tower blind going up 50 feet from the common fence. I talked to the owners son, and found out that some guys from Houston had leased that 20 some acres and were paying him to keep up a year around feeding program with deer pellets in the spring and corn in the fall.
We don't really get along, so I didn't ask him how in the hell somebody from Houston found out about his little patch. I don't go to the place often as its leased out for farming, but the time I'v e been there, I haven't seen much sign of anybody hunting there. The feeder is always throwing though.
I'm sure with Vikings Experience around Stillwater, and mine in another part of the state, we can see a trend.

 

[AllOut]

So how do we stop this, or prevent it from getting out of hand?