This quote was included in an article that was in The News & Observer (July 14, "Sunday bowhunting to be allowed in fall") about changes to the hunting laws that will allow Sunday hunting on private lands by bow:
"Our goal is to provide as much opportunity as we can for our sportsmen and women," said Wes Seegars, a commissioner from Goldsboro.
This statement confirms what many have been saying all along about all the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission's new rules - that they'll have a negative effect on the resource and deer hunting in N.C. The extended gun season as well as the legalization of crossbows and unlimited daily bag limits will result in too many immature bucks being killed.
There are only two things required to satisfy the needs of both the resource and hunters: access to more lands to hunt and a bonafide quality deer management program. The cost would be minimal, and most hunters would gladly comply.
The commission's own surveys indicate that 80 percent of licensed hunters want to see better-quality bucks. But its objective appears to be kill more deer without concern for quality.
We (the N.C. Bowhunters Association) and the majority of the commission's licensed hunting constituency want to maximize opportunities for all to see more quality bucks.
This goal can only be accomplished if the commission implements rules that apply to all hunters, not just the few who can afford to hunt on private land. Everyone doesn't have access to thousands of acres that can be individually managed. Many rely on hunting public lands, or small tracts of private land.
The stated goal for the commission in managing deer has always been to put the resource first. This doesn't appear to be the case now. Increasing the muzzleloader season by one week and legalizing crossbows for everyone, even during the bow-only season, is not putting the resource first. Many wildlife biologists fear that these two rules will result in an increase in harvest of immature buck deer; they opposed these rules for these reasons. While the commission wants to attract new hunters, reducing the numbers of quality deer will eventually reduce interest in deer hunting.
Sunday bowhunting alone will not have a negative impact on the quality of the buck population as conventional bowhunting is not a big factor in the annual kill. But with the inclusion of crossbows for everyone, we will see a significant increase in the buck harvest here.
Stats from other states that have good quality deer programs concentrate on lower buck bag limits and scheduling gun seasons to occur after the rut.
Quality bucks are a treasure that would attract many hunters into the woods to buy licenses to hunt. This could be the case in North Carolina, but instead these rule changes could set our deer herd back 50 years in good deer management goals.
We hope the commission will set goals that meet the needs of the resource and the desires of the hunting constituency in North Carolina, in that order.
Ramon Bell
N.C. Bowhunters Association president
