Outside of the season and before the spring fawns had dropped.
That is an interesting point. If the landowner intends to bring in outside bucks then no harm was done. But if not, I wonder how many of the fawns the does were carrying would have been buck fawns? Just for giggles, if 1/2 carried fawns, and 1/2 of them carried males, then he took 50 buck fawns off his property. I do not pretend to know how many does actually have successful pregnancies but that doesn't seem too far fetched to me.
I must say (and this is definitely not a defence) that how shows are generally put together is full of "cutaways". This is a very common video technique wherein certain scenes are shot outside the natural spot, aim, shoot, kill sequence. Cutaways are shot the same day of the hunt and used to provide continuity to the action when it's finally edited together and yes, this includes the hunter's reaction to the kill. Ever wonder how it's possible that the camera catches the hunter pretending to track his deer and then captures him walking towards the camera with the deer in the foreground? "Oh here he is!" is usually the scripted line.
Yes, the cutways are evident in all the shows. Especially when the camera shows an animal fall on it's left side but some how manages to roll over and point in the opposite direction before it is "found".
The one thing I can say about the hunting industry and hunters is everyone is out for their own self interest. It is absolutely RARE that any form of solidarity exists between groups. We are constantly in-fighting amongst each other and we spend our money to do so.
An example is vertical bowhunters outraged that crossbows are in "their" woods and must be stopped at all cost. Muzzleloaders want their own season. Shotgun guys don't like having their season chopped to allow muzzleloaders. And on and on and on it goes and likely always will.
I definitely agree with you. I can not understand why we as hunters can't seem to be able to get together. We create our own walls and dismiss anyones elses type of hunting. Crossbows are a great example. There is so much misinformation about crossbows. We've had them here in Ohio for quite a while with no negative impact on the hunting. Yet many bowhunters perpetuate the myth that crossbows are evil and need to blocked. It's a bow and it shoots an arrow. All the arguments about them needing less experience, less practice and less skill is a bunch of bull. If we ALL don't band together then the day will come that ALL hunting with be banned and a thing of the past. The writing is on the wall.
As for hunting does, I have no problem hunting for them other than getting them within bow range. Rifle hunting is illegal in Ohio but I plan on getting my shotgun and muzzleloader back out of mothballs for next season.
I hail from NY as well but never got a chance to hunt big game. My Dad was too ill by the time I was old enough to follow him through the woods. I do know he used to hunt the Adirondacks and some parts of Canada. While stationed in VA I hunted some local land near Williamsburg but mostly I hunted in WV with friends. I've been looking for land here in Ohio, either a lease or purchase, but that may be a ways off due to a sudden drop in income.
If I'm successfull, I'll need to read up on managing the deer herd and hopefully make the correct choices.
Thank you for an enlightening story...
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