Published: August 01, 2009 06:47 pm      

Velvet opener sought

A few years back, the Maryland Wildlife Service proposed to open the bow season for deer on Sept. 1. They didn’t, though, and that is because the idea was not warmly received by hunters.

Every two years, before proposing official changes to the hunting regulations, the wildlife guys run their ideas past that great new euphemism called stakeholders. They alert hunting organizations, outdoor writers and others who have a stake in what is coming down. They invite those folks to come to Annapolis to see what is being proposed. The agency springs for soft drinks and pizza. Next year, 2010, will be one of those years.

Anyway, the idea was to provide even a little more opportunity for bowhunting by moving the season opener from Sept. 15 to Sept. 1. You can check for yourself, but the bowhunting opportunities in Maryland, based simply upon the number of legal days to participate, stand head and shoulders above most other states.

I would like to see an earlier bowhunting opening day revisited, but I would actually like to see it begin in August, about the 15th would be fine.

Speaking only for those of us in Region A, what’s the difference? Each of us is allowed to take only one buck with our bow and arrow, so what does it matter if that buck becomes jerky in August or September or November or January?

Here, though, is the real reason I would like to see bowhunting begin earlier in the summer than it already does.

Big bucks can be patterned more readily on their summer habits and thus there would be greater chances to claim one at that time of year. I am speaking only from my experience, but it seems to me that bucks, often in bachelor groups, stay in this summer pattern until about the first October and then simply crawl under leaves and are not seen or heard from again until pre-rut activity starts a few weeks later.

Most people call it the October lull and I, for one, am a believer that it exists.

I am not aware of any biological harm that would come to a deer population because of a mid-August opener. If there is such a reason, I figure Brian Eyler or Paul Peditto of the Maryland Wildlife Service will make me aware of it.

Another benefit to a very early bow hunt would be the opportunity to bag a buck while it is still in velvet. I bagged one, a spike buck on Sept. 23 several years ago that was still in velvet. Other than that deer, I have never seen one with carpet still on its antlers after Sept. 15.

Natural Resources Police Officer John Williams, now retired, always referred to July as the spotted deer season. I’m not saying we should shoot Bambi (although there is nothing wrong with that), but it would be nice to get an early crack at Bambi’s daddy.

83,693 and counting

In September 2007, Joe Lamp, a member of the Maryland Wildlife Advisory Commission, wrote an essay in The (Baltimore) Sun calling bowhunting Maryland’s season of cruelty.

As of Tuesday afternoon, there were 83,693 comments. If you find yourself with a few weeks and nothing to do, the Web site is www.topix.net/

forum/baltimore/TCH7UNUUJ312OJ6KO.

Have fun.

Contact Outdoor Editor Mike Sawyers at msawyers@times-news.com.