Did MLD ruin opening day in Texas

[Hills of Texas]

I understand what you're saying. Growing up "opening day" was always the first weekend in November as my father who introduced me to hunting was not a bow hunter. I remember getting out of school early on the Friday before and driving to Bandera, TX where we hunted. I remember the town of Bandera would have a "Hunters Dinner" that Friday night in town that we attended a few times and it was fun to see everyone getting ready for deer season to begin.

I don't mind MLD as I hunt an MLD property currently. I think opening day is what you make of it. I still take my kids opening weekend of general season, and treat it the same way my father treated it for me. I get them out of school early and take them to camp. We have a nice meal Friday night and talk about what we're going to or rather hope see Saturday morning, etc...

Yes I have taken them with me both bow and rifle hunting in October, however we always treat the first weekend of general season as our "opening weekend", and I plan on doing that as long as they're still willing and wanting to go with me

This is spot on. It’s what it means to you and what you make. As a group, we’ve become worse than a bunch of old ladies. Gossip and complain and blame. As long as it’s legal it should be just fine. If you worried someone gets to start before you or had an unfair advantage over you, then it’s what your making it. Enjoy whenever your opening weekend falls. Maintain the traditions and stories you were brought up and encourage others to do the same. If everyone worried about them and theirs instead of pushing opinions off on everyone else, we’d all be better off.

[RiverRat1]

Sounds like some folks are upset they don't get the "extra" time. Take your bow out and go hunt the same number of days as MLD. Heck I've been on mld for years and didn't realize it overlapped archery season.

Well that's just to bad, so sad.. Cry me a river. Those same guys said MLD paid for that extra time with the new fees so get over it

[HighwayHunter]

I can’t wait for my MLD lease mates to start blowing up the woods so all the deer take refuge at my feeders[emoji41]


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[SC-001]

I think the 100+ day season has a larger effect than the MLD. Back in the 70s and 80s there was a much shorter season. Everyone had to hunt in a very short timeframe, so it made more conversation around opening day.

They're going to have to go to shorter seasons here like other states eventually for low fence if the population keeps going up like its been.

[Bayouboy]

First off I am a big mld fan, however I was talking to a friend the other day and I told them I really miss opening weekend pre mld. When I was a kid first Saturday of November was a holiday. All the teachers all the kids would talk about it all week then on that next Monday the few successful hunters would show off their kills. Now at least here in East Texas every club makes their own rules when to start and there is no big special day for everyone. Even for those of us who bow hunted ( sure was nice not to hear gunshots all day during bow season) felt that first day of general season was special. Sometimes I just miss the simpler times pre cell phone back when a corn feeder was a 5 gallon bucket with a stick in a hole in the bottom the deer bumped for corn

I still use a lot of home made feeders. Some out of five gallon buckets. Usually see my biggest deer near them. I am on a MLD lease and it does feel weird being able to gun hunt so early. We used to have a week of bow season only then guns. Now it is all tied together.

What I do miss is the opening of squirrel season in La.. It was treated like the opening of deer season in Tx. No kids went to school the Friday before squirrel season opened.

[160class]

It isn't about extra time to manage the herd, it is about having more time to bring in paid hunters. If you can't shoot your allotted number of tags during regular season, then you suck as a hunter. Don't get me wrong I am not against MLD whatsoever or the extended seasons they get, just don't BS me that it is about having extra time to manage the herd properly.



100% correct



And I have as well and it can be done no problem. 3 of us killed 80 does one year in 2 weekends because the hunters screwed around and didn't shoot any one year. And the delusion that people have that you have to shoot does early because they will be bred later in the year is stupid. Once they are dead they ain't having a baby either way.

And I’ve done that also, but I would much rather not have to do that or put as much pressure on a ranch in doing it one weekend.

And yes they aren’t going to have a baby once their dead, but I would rather not have to shoot bred does either.

[Bayouboy]

If you are on a lease that has to kill 150 does and 50 cull bucks and you think it is a pain in the a#$, then here's a suggestion. Why not open up your lease for a weekend or two for all the guys on here that don't have a place to hunt or are not lucky enough to get on a lease and let then come in an shoot a doe or cull buck. Sounds like a win-win to me. Because now, if you shoot 150 does, what do you do with all the meat ? Are you going to tell me that you skin 150 does every year and only keep the meat from one or two. Or do you just shoot them and let they lay ?

What happens when they shoot a trophy buck that they thought was a cull buck?

[Dale Moser]

It's not nearly as special as it used to be. Being pulled out of school at lunch on the Friday before the opener was awesome.

No reason you can't still do so, I do it every year! Makes no difference to me what others are doing.

[Dale Moser]

Not the special weekend it once was, feel the same way about archery opener since the arrow guns got legalized for able-bodied men.

What about some dude using a crossbow changes what you do? If it does it's your own fault.

[bowhuntertex]

Had a place few years ago that we had to shoot 140 does and 47 bucks. Let me know how easy you think that is. Its not. Having an extra month absolutely does help.

didn't say it would be easy, but it can be done. Again, don't get me wrong, I am all for MLD. But pretending the extended season was for management purposes is a joke. that was to give outfitters a chance to have more hunts, plain and simple.

[Hix]

No MLD on my land, half of us bow hunt (sweat, do work around camp and fight mosquitoes) but when the general opener comes we all gather up like we have for 30+ years at the farm.










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[Montec man]

Have been MLD for 15 years and it hasn't ruined a thing for us. We still celebrate the first weekend of hunting and party like its 1999. For us its not all about the hunting and we enjoy any excuse we can to get together and forget everything else for a while. Not sure what being MLD could detract from that?

[Dale Moser]

Nobody feels sorry for any of you on an MLD lease where you "have to shoot 1** does and however many cull bucks". You signed up for it, if it's too hard, don't sign up next year.


I don't mind the MLD at all, but it's become a crutch.
I don't like that they start early with the rifles.
I don't let it affect my opening day experience one bit.

[Montec man]

Maybe not for you. But for me and I'm sure a lot of others, it absolutely is needed. Hunting time is limited by work, family stuff, life, ect. We need the time. To suggest otherwise when you are not involved with that particular ranch is simply narrow-minded.



Geez, Will. Maybe I do suck as a hunter. Maybe not. But I have killed one or two in my lifetime. It's more about the management, not the hunting. Has absolutely zero to do with bringing in paid hunters. On our lease, killing does is pretty tough. We need the time. Same as above, it's pretty narrow-minded to suggest you know more about how to manage our place than we do. And I'm glad you had a couple weekends one year where you were able to shoot a lot of does. If you knew how many of those weekends I've had over the years, you might not make some of these comments.

Its absolutely about extra time to manage the herd. We're a bow only lease, and there's no way you could kill the amount of deer we need to without the extra time.

[trophy8]

You MFers will gripe about literally anything. With all that’s going on in the world these days you’re going to gripe about the way other people legally and effectively manage their deer heard. Good grief. Grow the hell up. And hunt how you want. And don’t worry about other folks.