Some Local Deer

[Baysider]

In Accomack where I live you can but our family/lease land is in Northampton where you can not run dogs. We've counted as many as 95 sets of eyes in one field when we leave after a hunt. Its been good and bad really. We picked up the neighboring land due the farmers dropping the leases and a trophy hunting guy from VA Beach that took one deer per year. Now the crop damage is down (it was estimated at 85% at one time), farmer is happy, and we have 1300 more acres to hunt that buts up to our farm. A win win, but unfortunately the geese dont use the new farm.

[assateague]

That's a good deal.

Although I have no "concrete" proof of what I'm about to say, I still believe it to be the case. In the last 8-10 years, many, many, many of the farms have been leased out for hunting by trophy hunters from across the bay. They simply do not kill does, regardless of how many they are allowed. Now, you have all this land, which used to be hunted by sometimes a large group of people, who meat hunted, and would put a hurting on them. The places where this used to occur have become almost "sanctuaries" for the deer, as they're only hunted maybe one week a year. Also, farmers are farming much more land which isn't theirs, so even the crop damage tags don't do a whole lot of good. We get 30-some tags this year, but the farmer and I have 8 parcels spread out in about a 15 mile radius, and it's just too impractical to drive around every night all night looking for deer. So they get a pass that way, as well, since the guy tending the land no longer looks out his back window, sees deer in the field, walks out and pops a couple. All these things combine to make more deer everywhere. And the word on the street now is that DNR is cutting the bucks down from two per weapon to one all season, with unlimited does. This simply won't help at all. They've tried to increase the doe kill by sponsoring biggest doe contests, but that doesn't work real well because they changed to a phone in system a few years back. Reinstate check stations, sponsor biggest doe contests, and require two does to earn a buck, and maybe- maybe- it'll do something. But it definitely needs fixing.

[Baysider]

Saw this on another forum and thought it might interest you. Hopefully the link works and I dont get into trouble.

http://www.msa.md.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc5300/sc5339/000113/014000/014011/unrestricted/20110835e.pdf

The "deer sanctuary" is exactly what was going on there on that land. Its happening all up and down the shore. Once the farmers and land owners saw dollar signs and the word got out that we had big deer here the rich came and tied up all the land. Now, even with the economy as bad as it is some have dropped their leases but the owners still want top dollar. I was quoted the other day on a lease where the guy wants $10 per year for 250 acres. 180 of it is field. I think I offended him when I burst out laughing on the phone. We typically pay no more than $7 per acre and he is asking $40.

[assateague]

That was a good read- thanks! The programs are there, but the way they're implemented is poor. I don't know how many trophy hunters I've heard say "got my two does called in- now time to shoot some bucks", and they haven't even been in the woods yet. The phone-in system just short-circuits most doe-before-buck requirements. I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss going to BS and hangout at the check in stations, also. It was always fun, the small local stores which did it loved it as well, because it increased their traffic and revenue tremendously.

And the guy who manages our crop damage tags is a bit of a dick. It would be wonderful to go to a three-year system for those, rather than every year. I have to tote around a bundle of paperwork everywhere I go for those things.

[Baysider]

Any of those programs carry a lot of red tape. Ive been involved in crop damage tags and kill permits. The kill permits allow you to kill deer night and day year round and with a light. I think its all killed my want to deer hunt though. You can only shoot a dumb goat so many times before all you're doing is shooting a dumb goat. Another reason I didnt deer hunt last year. Sure wish I had picked a better waterfowl year to do so.
I miss the check in stations too. It was fun to get together and se the bucks and hear the stories of why Bill lost his shirt tail. It was great for kids when they got all the congrats and hand shakes from all the old timers for joining the ranks. Another tradition lost in a way.

[assateague]

You're exactly right about the kids. That's where the tradition starts, at the check stations. After you're there checking in a deer, everyone gets to see it, you feel proud, and when you bump into those guys, you're on more equal footing and have a connection. Calling it in just doesn't cut it, in any way, shape, or form.

[Baysider]

We do have some check in stations left. One guy in my group runs the local hardware store and he kept his status. However most people call them in now, and the groups do not hang out anymore. Funny how the DNR's "streamline" the very processes that are apart of the traditions and then wonder why hunters numbers are down and why more kis dont get into the sport.

[Goldfish]

I never thought about that with the check stations.

When I was working at Gander years back, the DNR said that we no longer had to go and visually look at the deer because some people who had to check in the deer didn't want to see a dead deer I guess. (This was pre-phone in time, but the electronic licensing and tagging were in place so you could do this at most gas stations)

Every time someone came in to get a tag, I would go look. My coworker goes "You know that you don't have to go and look at the deer now."

Me: "So. What's wrong with it?"


I liked seeing what people got and chatting with them about it. It was Gander Mtn for goodness sakes, that embodies everything about the store practically.

[assateague]

Not anymore. Now it's a women's camping and hiking apparel store.

I used to love the check stations. We'd sit around and drink coffee and eat scrapple sandwiches all morning, BSing and looking at deer. At night, we sat around drinking coffee and eating crab soup, BSing and looking at deer. It sucks now, and when my kids kill their first deer, I'm going to be proud and as a clam, and I'll make sure they know it. But I can't help but think it adds quite a bit when you get to load it up and drive down to the store, for everybody to see, and you get to tell them all your story. Everybody has heard the same stories from countless kids, but everyone always took the time to gather round, and appear as if it was the most exciting story in the world. Which it was, to that kid. Now that's gone, and that's a damn shame.

[duckkillerclyde]

what is a scrapple sandwich?

[Goldfish]

what is a scrapple sandwich?

Some burnt bacon, miracle whip, scrambled egg, pig snout concoction that they put on white bread toast.

[assateague]

what is a scrapple sandwich?

Scrapple egg and cheese sandwich on white toast. Deliciousness, but you may have to have been raised with it to like it, I'm not sure. They make it sound way more gross than it actually is.

Scrapple, also known by the Pennsylvania Dutch name pon haus,[1][2] is traditionally a mush of pork scraps and trimmings combined with cornmeal and wheat flour, often buckwheat flour, and spices. The mush is formed into a semi-solid congealed loaf, and slices of the scrapple are then panfried before serving. Scraps of meat left over from butchering, not used or sold elsewhere, were made into scrapple to avoid waste. Scrapple is best known as a rural American food of the Mid-Atlantic states (Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland). Scrapple and pon haus are commonly considered an ethnic food of the Pennsylvania Dutch, including the Mennonites and Amish. Scrapple is found in supermarkets throughout the region in both fresh and frozen refrigerated cases.

[Baysider]

Wheat bread actually. Its good. The lunch wagon here in the plant makes a mean scrapple egg and cheese.

[assateague]

Can't stand it on wheat bread. I love wheat bread for anything but scrapple sandwiches. I watch my wife put ketchup on scrapple and I want to vomit.

Nothing beats a scrapple egg and cheese. I may go get one or two right now, as a matter of fact.

[Baysider]

I was thinking the same but Im an hour late for breakfast food at the roach coach.

[FlintRiverFowler]

So scrapple is home made Spam?

[assateague]

Hush your mouth. Scrapple is a fine food. Spam, while ok, is not something I go out of my way for.