Did MLD ruin opening day in Texas

[Drycreek3189]

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

You can still hunt that way if you want to. Tell you what I do miss though. I miss the days when twenty pigs didn’t come grunting and squealing into your life when you are trying to deer hunt !

[Javelin]

Most of yall missed the whole point. The point was that now there is no Single opening day for the masses. I know we are all bow hunters, however to this day MOST hunters are not. Back in the day the first saturday of November was the opener for the majority, so on that day the majority of hunters all went out for the first weekend I was almost a state holiday, especially for kids. Now some kids go hunting the first day of bow season, some leases open rifle hunting up a couple weeks into october or at other times, there is no ONE date that the majority start so there is not the excitement all across a school for kids or even at jobs for most adults because we all start on different dates.

[doright]

I still enjoy both opening days. Very few bow hunt on our lease so I get to enjoy it alone. Gun season is where the big cookout happens and every gets together to swap lies. To me some of the luster was lost when we went to scoring deer. Doesn't seem that long ago when someone killed a deer it was an 8 point,6 point etc. Now you need to know math to describe what you killed along with a score sheet so every can double check your math skills. Not to mention a dentist so you can correctly age the animal. Hunters for the most part have been caught up in meeting someone elses standards and forgot how to have fun and enjoy the hunt. I'm all for growing bigger deer but I see to many times people asking if this is a deer you should shoot. If it excites you and makes you happy shoot it. I hope eveyone has a great season . Be safe and remember why you are hunting.

[BCBHunter712]

OP, I don't think it has been ruined for everyone but things have definetly change in a lot of areas. Many local clubs still have large gatherings and cook outs the Friday before general season opener and I know some local MLD clubs that still don't allow rifle hunting until the first day of general season like everyone around them and they have a large gathering at that point as well.

In reference to schools and teachers, I asked my son if any of his friends, classmates, or teachers, hunt or talk about hunting and he said no. He said one of his teachers from last year likes to hunt but he has never heard any others mention it. This is a small 3a school surrounded by timber company land and leases so I thought there would be more.

Times are changing for sure but it is our responsibility to make it special, especially for our kids. If we pass down that tradition it will keep its excitement, but if we don't it will fade away. Nowadays due to work I never get to hunt opening weekend, but I coordinate with friends and family and ensure my son and soon my daughter get to feel the excitement of preparing the day before, traveling to camp, waking up early to that cup of hot chocolate and camo clothes, and the suspense of sunset from the blind. Last year I let my son take a picture of his first deer he harvested opening weekend to school and he showed his teachers but only the one that hunts showed any interest he said .

[bowhuntertex]

Heck no it hasn’t diminished opening day for us. We get two opening days.





Sure there is. It gives the landowner/agent more time to control their numbers with a more efficient tool.

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.

That additional time at the beginning of the season is simply not needed

100% correct

Ehh it kinda is when you have to shoot 150 does, I’ve been on a place that wasn’t MLD and we had to kill 150 does, and 45 culls. That extra time earlier in the year would’ve been nice to get after the doe numbers and not have to shoot them throughout the year and post rut

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.

[M16]

In one of the areas that I hunt. Very few mature bucks make it through bow and youth seasons. Either everybody should have a "special" early season tailored to fit them or everybody should start on the same day. You choose your method of hunting. If the difficulty is greater. Too bad.

I am proposing a senior citizen early season. If we can get a discount at Dairy Queen why can't we hunt early? Besides we don't have that many hunting seasons left. The **** youth still have a lifetime of hunting ahead of them. Why do they get an early season and we don't.

[jdg13]

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.

[tmurray]

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.

Man, what a great memory, that takes me back! I can remember being 7 or 8 years old and getting pulled out at noon. I remember riding in the front middle seat, Grandpa driving, Dad riding shotgun. Papaw's truck was one of the old ford gas guzzlers that had two tanks and I thought it was the coolest thing at that age that I got to hit the button that switched tanks when the first tank was running low on fuel. We lived in Lake Jackson and had small family land we hunted in San Saba. I can remember stopping at the same Circle K every time and getting the little pecan pie's. Funny the things that stick with us. I'm 37 now and have an 8 year old boy, wonder what he will remember when he's older. Kinda makes me realize that when going on hunting trips, I should take the iPad away from the commute. It sure is easy to hand him the ipad and let him watch Netflix the whole way down.

[Take Dead Aim]

Nm

[Take Dead Aim]

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.

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.

[Big pig]

Can you imagine the millions of hunters on the roads all the same Friday before one opening day!?!?!

I personally believe buck season is entirely too long for the good of the herd
No way a buck can escape to his maturity in the area I owned for 35 years
Never saw a 6 yr old buck. 13” rule included.

[Mex. Bowhunter]

Yes it did. Truly miss the opener. It was as special as Christmas morning to us back in the day. Most of the time you slept right through opening morning because you couldn't sleep the night before

[James]

I have Mixed feelings on MLD. I get what you’re saying OP

[S-3 Ranch]

No , we start harvesting doe , and management bucks , then we start our trophies
So about thanksgiving is opening day for bucks

[SmTx]

Can you imagine the millions of hunters on the roads all the same Friday before one opening day!?!?!

I personally believe buck season is entirely too long for the good of the herd
No way a buck can escape to his maturity in the area I owned for 35 years
Never saw a 6 yr old buck. 13” rule included.

I think the internet(sharing info) and social media(bragging) have played one of the largest roles in conservation we've seen in our lifetime.

Everyone and their momma wants the big buck so they can post a picture on their social media account. It takes some work to get them bigger and we're seeing the biggest deer being killed year after year.