As most of you don't hunt urban zone changes I wanted to make sure everyone was aware of what is in the new proposal. The proposal includes changing the urban zone do deer reductions zones making it easier to add and remove areas. The kicker is the gun season in these areas would last until Jan 31st and the additional bag limit would be 10 deer instead of the current 4. You may think no big deal as most hunters aren't going to kill more than 2 or 3 deer. That may be the case but if we have gun seasons this long we are going to see more hunters than ever killing 2 or 3 deer in a year. I have seen a decline in our population here over the years and I don't think it's a good idea to be having a gun season this long. Most of you will probably not care as at this point as it doesn't affect you but it could be easily added to your area. We are currently a 4 bonus county. We were an eight last year. What if they made every county 4 and above a deer reduction area? I'm sure a lot of you wouldn't want this. Let your voice be heard.

You have to take account of what they are trying to do.
That is reduce the amount of deer in the heavily traveled suburbs around the larger cities.
This is my first season hunting urban, I'm hunting in a buddys back yard using my bow.
I have a heavily traveled area about 50'x50' to hunt in with a steep hill in the back. I told him that during gun season I could take them with my pistol, but he said that he thinks that would disturb the neighbors too much. I can see his point, with the houses only 75' to 100' apart, I wouldn't want a strange hunter blasting away next to my house.
And from what I've seen there is not many large deer in these areas, but there is a lot of deer. So unless someone owns a field in one of these urban areas there is not going to be much full scale rifle hunting to in these areas start with. So a longer season won't make much impact or do any good. The problem is the deer have found a haven that has plenty of backyard food, not many predators, (hunters)a warm place to bed,(I have seen them bed next to the warm basement wall) & is fairly insect/disease free because we spray for bugs in these areas. I have managed to take one small doe but the deer are so small it doesn't pay to take them to the processors because my doe didn't weigh more than 75 lbs. Most processors in this area charge a minimum of $80 to $90. I processed my own & got about 20-25 lbs of meat.
One thing I did notice is the deer are smart enough of the evening to wait until the 5:00pm rush is over before wandering too far from their bedding area. That puts there movement too late for any evening hunting. So they could raise the limit to 100 but that won't get many more deer taken because you need to get them away from the houses first.

Basically all of tippecanoe cty is an urban zone and a lot of it is pretty rural and the hunting is like everywhere else. Guns are used at all my urban areas.

Also keep in mind these are no longer urban zones.

There's are some urban area that you will never be allowed to GUN HUNT even if this passes....Local ordinances will override that!!!!

There are many Urban areas you can gun hunt now but not with a Urban lic....


BTW... Its the first Saturday after November 11 through January 31 of the following year For GUN use in a "reduction" area if this passes!

I'm aware guns in the new "deer reduction" zones starts in November. I emailed our wildlife biologist and got a reply from him saying urban zones seasons were still going to be archery. He must have not read the proposal yet!

like 10 point stated the majority of tippicanoe county urban zone is in rural area

mine as well. Nothing urban about west point, Indiana.

oh my gosh!!

Forgive my ignorance but how does the verbiage change from "urban" to "reduction" make it easier to add and remove areas?

I see the logic now. The proposal allows for the DNR Director to establish reduction zones by temporary order apparently whenever deemed necessary. This replaces the current situation where they are established in the code which can only be changed by rule, i.e. the legislature via the somewhat (necessarily) cumbersome.

That gives more flexibility to the DNR and allows the professionals to manage deer v. the politicians. I am all for that.

The argument that a longer reduction zones gun season will result in a higher harvest is a different matter.

I honestly don't believe it will change a thing since folks with access to urban (reduction) zones kill their desired number of deer regardless of season length.

But, DNR and the LRC believes it will so you are making their argument for them. To argue against a longer season by saying it will be more effective at reducing deer in reduction zones is not going to work. They're just going to say "That's the whole point."

"Management" Is the critical word obviously. As stated, all of Tippecanoe seemingly would be a bit ridiculous. I have access to southern Tippecanoe county but don't choose to hunt there at all. But, there is no way you would consider that specific area urban. Sadly, what we have seen and will likely see more and more is cities or municipalities deciding to legislate the issue themselves by not allowing any discharge of a weapon in their jurisdiction. The risk continues to be that any increase in supposed issues by urbanites related to firearms use, even length of time to be used, will likely lead to more and more local ordinances that reduce access to hunting entirely within some urban zones. This could be a slippery slope, totally unintended as such by the DNR. Especially if you accept the argument John is making above, which I do, in regard to the affect on total local harvest numbers.

Also, keep in mind that it seems just as likely that reduction zones will decrease with the added flexibility and power that the proposal adds to DNR.

I contacted our wildlife biologist and he didn't even realize this was in the proposal! If he doesn't know about I can only imagine that most hunters don't know about it.

http://www.in.gov/nrc/files/lsa14453_proposed.pdf

Most of the deer changes are on pages 3-10 for everyone to review.

Jack

P.S. Ya'll going to the public hearing on River Otters tomorrow night? Sounds like the animal rights folks will be there.

http://www.indystar.com/story/opini...otters-solution-overpopulation/20158899/

I've spoken to many hunters who have heard about the proposal to allow HPRs but I bet you are correct that very few (maybe just the 10 or so of us on HH ) have read the whole thing.

Ive know about this for some time...since early fall after talking to Chad.....one of my gripes(among many) is that the whole of Porter county and Lake counties have been "urban zones"....there is as much of a difference between the north and south of these counties as there is the north and south of this state....Why I have continually asked ALL of Porter be considered an urban zone ?? Why...there has never been a need for it....the area south of Valparaiso is farm land and river bottom of the Kankakee river....there is no "urban" there....same for Lake county south of the Merrilville region,,no urban, no subdivisions, no malls, no nothing, all farm land, small wood lots and river bottom of the big river, so why classify it as "urban"...Ive asked the DNR/Chad many times and could never get an answer ...........if they scale back the "reduction zones" that may be good...there are areas with in both counties that no longer need to be considered 'urban' or a reduction zone or what ever the heck the DNR will call it now...Ive talked to over a half dozen land owners/farmers up here and they all say this has been the worst season ever...deer have disappeared or are in extreme low numbers.......and I thought last year was bad..,lol.....all I can say is BACK OFF THE DOES !!....

Your right Jack. There is a lot of emotion by the Animal Rghts folks on this issue. I had a call from a local physician asking why this is being proposed.

hope to, I posted this in the trapping forum

There will be a public input meeting about the the need for an Otter season at the Plainfield Public Library. It's very important that we show up and show suppose for this proposal. The opposition has started coming out in force. Please try to attend and pass the word to your fellow trappers, fur buyers and fisherman.

December 11, 2014 at 5:30 pm
Plainfield Public Library
1120 Stafford RD
Plainfield, IN 46168

How this turn out......I coulnt make it there!!!

RE otter meeting...I was not able to make it but I ready this from a fellow trapper on another site.

"It was interesting to say the least, I believe that we will be allowed the otter season. They just took comments from everyone. It was a good time and kind of entertaining to keep hearing the one lady huffing and puffing... And one gentleman informed us that there are no Otter at the Goose Pond, even though four guys trapping there this week said they found lots of sign and saw one. But the gentleman they were mistaken... Lol.."

That is standard operating procedure in government these days. Reference Obama Care ... "we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it"