Numbers show most Louisiana hunters don't report their deer

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Horizontal Hunter
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Numbers show most Louisiana hunters don't report their deer

Unread postby Horizontal Hunter » Wed Aug 19, 2015 1:09 pm

Since the 2008-09 season, Louisiana hunters have been required to tag the deer they shoot and report the harvest to the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries via telephone or Internet. The tagging requirement was designed to give wildlife managers a clearer picture of the health of the state's herd and the number of deer that end up in freezers every year.

But the program has been a complete flop.

The reason is that the majority of Louisiana hunters simply refuse to report their deer, and the number of hunters who comply declines with each hunting season.

During the program's first year of implementation, 116,571 deer were reported as harvested by hunters. Nearly every subsequent year, however, the number of reported deer has fallen. During the most-recent deer season, only 65,081 deer were reported by hunters, which is fewer than half the department's estimated statewide harvest of 139,900.

The department issued more than 273,000 sets of deer tags for the 2014-15 season.

Due in part to the dwindling harvest estimate, the management agency is considering shortening the deer season or cutting seasonal bag limits.

Scott Durham, deer study leader for the department, said tagging-program compliance has certainly not gone the way the agency had hoped. He and his team must still rely on antiquated mail-survey data with low participation rates to make estimates about the health of the state's herd.

"It's very clear that we still have a big problem with that," he said. "It makes my job much more difficult to try to extrapolate what the real numbers are. We're eight years into (the tagging program) now, and my confidence in the numbers has certainly not increased."

According to the structure of the penalties for failing to comply with the law, failure to tag a deer is a bigger deal than forgetting to report it. If an agent catches a hunter with an untagged deer and cites that hunter, the potential fine ranges from $250 to $500, and the maximum amount of jail time is 90 days.

If, however, a hunter is caught with a tag missing from his or her license string and there's no confirmation number for having reported the deer, the potential fine for that offense is $100 to $350 and up to 60 days in jail.

Last season, enforcement agents statewide wrote 344 citations and 160 warnings to hunters who had failed to report deer they had previously harvested, but agents issued only 12 citations and two warnings to hunters who had failed to tag their deer, according to Adam Einck, media relations director for the department's enforcement division.

He said he's not sure there's any more department personnel can do.

Read More:


http://www.nola.com/outdoors/index.s...isiana_hu.html

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Re: Numbers show most Louisiana hunters don't report their d

Unread postby Swampbuck » Wed Aug 19, 2015 2:13 pm

They should use that as justification to lowering the tags!!

Unfortunately they don't manage the herd here

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Re: Numbers show most Louisiana hunters don't report their d

Unread postby cbigbear » Wed Aug 19, 2015 2:20 pm

We have a 3 buck 4 doe limit, 3 month rifle season, 2-3 week "primitive weapon" season allowing scoped 45/70 & 35 wheelens, & dog hunting is still allowed. We have ALOT of problems under reporting is just one of them.

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Re: Numbers show most Louisiana hunters don't report their d

Unread postby BigCedarJack » Wed Aug 19, 2015 2:33 pm

That's a lot of love!

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Re: Numbers show most Louisiana hunters don't report their d

Unread postby cbigbear » Wed Aug 19, 2015 11:57 pm

Most LA guys want lengthy season & the ability to gun hunt the rut. Here's a quote from a local forum

" I REALLY DON'T LIKE THE IDEA OF SHORTENING THE SEASON. This is due to several reasons: 1) Like Gun Rights, once ground is lost, we likely wont' get that freedom back 2) I just simply love to hunt, even more than I like harvesting or possibly taking a trophy (the time afield is theraputic and a passion) 3) And finally, like some other guys said, the rut could be entirely missed (in Area 6 if they shorten the end or in other Areas along the coast if they shorten the beginning)

Like some of you have said, they didn't have data, now they have some data; but some equals less than none. The math doesn't work. This is an excuse to be the means to an end to get someone what they want; POLITICS. Which makes this even more sickening.

Either way, I find this topic of discussion very disturbing; this is our culture we are now talking of shortening. Very sad indeed, especially in the Sportsmans Paradise; won't be as much of a paradise if they shorten what we love to do.

Another classic example of this state being behind the curve when it comes to smarts, technology and a place where people want to come to. So the outlaws want to kill 10-15 deer and not tag or report; LET'S PUNISH EVERYONE. GREAT IDEA... NEWS FLASH - OUTLAWS DON'T CARE ABOUT LAWS, NOT EVEN NEW ONES."

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Re: Numbers show most Louisiana hunters don't report their d

Unread postby Horizontal Hunter » Thu Aug 20, 2015 12:43 am

During the program's first year of implementation, 116,571 deer were reported as harvested by hunters. Nearly every subsequent year, however, the number of reported deer has fallen. During the most-recent deer season, only 65,081 deer were reported by hunters, which is fewer than half the department's estimated statewide harvest of 139,900.


This is what I found most interesting.

According to the Numbers, the year it was implemented the harvest was under reported by about 36,000 and every subsequent year even more hunters didn't report their harvests. I wonder why. Is it a case of "civil disobedience" or rampant poaching?

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Re: Numbers show most Louisiana hunters don't report their d

Unread postby cbigbear » Thu Aug 20, 2015 2:45 am

Horizontal Hunter wrote:
During the program's first year of implementation, 116,571 deer were reported as harvested by hunters. Nearly every subsequent year, however, the number of reported deer has fallen. During the most-recent deer season, only 65,081 deer were reported by hunters, which is fewer than half the department's estimated statewide harvest of 139,900.


This is what I found most interesting.

According to the Numbers, the year it was implemented the harvest was under reported by about 36,000 and every subsequent year even more hunters didn't report their harvests. I wonder why. Is it a case of "civil disobedience" or rampant poaching?

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My guess is there was initially more participation in the telecheck system at first because they had buy in. The first yr hunters had some problems with telecheck working so you lost some, then every yr after you get less participation because there is no enforcement.

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Re: Numbers show most Louisiana hunters don't report their d

Unread postby Metz8 » Thu Aug 20, 2015 12:15 pm

cbigbear wrote:Most LA guys want lengthy season & the ability to gun hunt the rut. Here's a quote from a local forum

" I REALLY DON'T LIKE THE IDEA OF SHORTENING THE SEASON. This is due to several reasons: 1) Like Gun Rights, once ground is lost, we likely wont' get that freedom back 2) I just simply love to hunt, even more than I like harvesting or possibly taking a trophy (the time afield is theraputic and a passion) 3) And finally, like some other guys said, the rut could be entirely missed (in Area 6 if they shorten the end or in other Areas along the coast if they shorten the beginning)

Like some of you have said, they didn't have data, now they have some data; but some equals less than none. The math doesn't work. This is an excuse to be the means to an end to get someone what they want; POLITICS. Which makes this even more sickening.

Either way, I find this topic of discussion very disturbing; this is our culture we are now talking of shortening. Very sad indeed, especially in the Sportsmans Paradise; won't be as much of a paradise if they shorten what we love to do.

Another classic example of this state being behind the curve when it comes to smarts, technology and a place where people want to come to. So the outlaws want to kill 10-15 deer and not tag or report; LET'S PUNISH EVERYONE. GREAT IDEA... NEWS FLASH - OUTLAWS DON'T CARE ABOUT LAWS, NOT EVEN NEW ONES."

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I agree with Lyle x 1,000... I guess its just the way we've always done it, the thought of a 2 week gun season and 1 buck tag kills me... I normally dont kill more thatn1 buck in La. but there has been years were I killed 3. Im not stupid, I see that there is obviously a downward spiral in our deer herd (in certain areas).... but in other areas there isn't.... Outlawing isn't the problem, reporting tags isn't the problem, habitat change is the number one problem.... 20 years ago there was alot more hardwoods than there are today.... 20 years ago they were aggressivly burning pine plantations and creating awesome habitat for deer and turkeys, today they spray everything and that just sucks!!!!! IF they decide to lower the tag limits because decreased deer heard and habitat changes I can live with that, But to do it because of people not calling in tags well thats just stupid! just my 2 cent
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Re: Numbers show most Louisiana hunters don't report their d

Unread postby DropTyne » Thu Aug 20, 2015 12:44 pm

Tradition is important. A few years ago the WI DNR wanted to increase the length of the gun hunt to 2 weeks. It was shot down pretty much immediately, guys wanted the 9 day gun season they grew up with. If I were from LA I would be fighting to keep it the same.

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Re: Numbers show most Louisiana hunters don't report their d

Unread postby Swampbuck » Thu Aug 20, 2015 12:50 pm

People always fight change, it's just our nature. But like was said earlier when habitat is disappearing and numbers are dropping it's maybe time for a change. Look at alot of the states in the midwest. People fought those changes in alot of cases but I bet they support it now

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Re: Numbers show most Louisiana hunters don't report their d

Unread postby kenn1320 » Thu Aug 20, 2015 3:22 pm

The numbers show the harvest is down and there is no accurate way to quantify non compliance. What are they supposed to do, ignore the harvest numbers are down and not change anything? Ill tell you why the compliance is down, laziness. Hunters want to take from the land, but dint want to give back even when its as simple as reporting what they took. Sad really that they are given a voice to be heard and they ignore the chance.
Michigan hunters cry they want mandatory check in(i did for years till I learned the down falls) and this story is a prime example of why it doesn't work.

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