Why is hunting season primarily during the winter?

TheIrishJedi · April 5, 2009, 01:39 PM

Can someone explain to me why most hunting seasons are done during the winter months?

hogdogs · April 5, 2009, 02:02 PM

Hunting seasons are generally based on when the game animal has no responsibilities to raising young. This includes pregnancy.
Brent

Scorch · April 5, 2009, 02:37 PM

Yes, that, and also that is when primarily agricultural societies have time off from farming chores.

lt dan · April 5, 2009, 02:38 PM

yes hogdogs has it spot on. in addition to what he said you can add a couple of minor reasons. hunting in the summer can get unpleasant due to the heat. there is so much flies that they can ruin the meat. the heat itself can spoil the meat. summer rains and the following plant growth sometimes makes it impossible to spot the animals. having said this i firmly believe the main reason that most hunting is done in the winter is the the almost absence of snakes

man i hate those things

publius · April 5, 2009, 05:39 PM

It is so animals won't be killed pregnant or raising their young.

L_Killkenny · April 5, 2009, 08:46 PM

Yep HogDogs has it. But you can throw in fur quality when it comes to furbearers.

Greg.B · April 5, 2009, 09:19 PM

The other have pretty much stated it....hunting seasons are primarily determined by the time of year in which the young are no longer dependant on the the adults, and the adults aren't carrying any young.

Figuring in these factors allows the wildlife biologists to calculate the estimated bag limits needed to maintain the population at both a sustainable and balanced level to meet the carrying capacity of the habitat on a year round basis.

Gbro · April 5, 2009, 10:33 PM

Our hunting season's are mostly in the fall. Our carrying capacity has to be met before hard winter sets in. We might see -40 before winter starts, if we waited that long not many hunters would participate. that would be disastrous in some forested areas.

butta9999 · April 6, 2009, 01:43 AM

I hunt in the winter months mainly because of the heat. The flys are unbearable here. It is also hard to keep meat if you are out for more than the one day.

Keeping food is another problem in the eskys the ice melts too quick, oh yeah and the beer.

Hunting in summer months does have it's advantages animals venture further looking for food. Also you can bet they will turn up at a water hole on dusk. It isjust unpleasant during the peak of the sun.

davlandrum · April 6, 2009, 04:23 PM

It is a conspiracy by the hunting clothes manufactures and outdoor catalogs...

hogdogs · April 6, 2009, 04:28 PM

I was going to say something about how uncomfortable thinsulate lined camo coveralls would be on a florida july day!

Brent

freakintoguns · April 6, 2009, 04:41 PM

thinsulate coveralls+90% humidity+fat kid sweatyness = unholy swampbutt....im out!

jmr40 · April 7, 2009, 07:30 PM

Another reason is because it is mating season for most large game and you can take advantage of this to help your success. Turkeys breed in the spring and most turkey seasons are in the Spring. Most duck seasons are timed to coincide with the southern migration in the winter. When ducks are moving.

armedandsafe · April 7, 2009, 08:15 PM

All of the answers above (well,most of them

) are correct.

Before the invention of the wall outlet, people didn't have any way to plug in their refrigerators. They had to rely on nature's refrigeration, so there was a major push to stock up after the first major frost of the late Fall and before the onset of deep Winter. Thus, there is a bit of tradition involved, which scientific research has proved to be helpful to the health of the game animals.

Pops

Jekyll · April 7, 2009, 10:13 PM

My theory is to avoid conflicts with fishing. I really hate having to choose between hunting and fishing although duck hunting and fishing might be a good combination.

sc928porsche · April 11, 2009, 12:53 PM

Yeah....that would be great.....you could use the 12ga for both birds,deer, and fish!

David_S · April 12, 2009, 11:44 PM

Quote:

I really hate having to choose between hunting and fishing although duck hunting and fishing might be a good combination.

Why do you have to choose? My son a few years ago at the start of the fishing season - an early morning hunt followed by fishing.

Hunting is allowed all year round here in New Zealand. When hunting in winter and my hands are freezing I look forward to the summer. Then in summer when toiling up the hills I look forward to the cool winter days when you don't have to get up so early and can sleep in longer.

toolguyb · April 15, 2009, 09:03 PM

Always heard less ticks on game animals. Also before a good freeze our squirrels have worms in them. ( think its called wolves??)

Hellbilly5000 · April 16, 2009, 12:09 AM

I personaly think its because some idiot decided to make you wake up at 3 am and freeze your butt of while sitting in a tree for hours at a time

botebum · April 16, 2009, 10:13 AM

Those aren't worms in the squirrels. They are bot fly larva. They don't hurt the meat as they live just below the skin. That said, the thought of eating a squirrel that had them puts me off my feed.

Doug

toolguyb · April 16, 2009, 12:14 PM

I skinned a squirrel once with one in it. It was pretty sceevy watching the skin moving around on a dead squirrel:barf:

April 5, 2009, 01:39 PM	#1
TheIrishJedi Junior Member Join Date: April 4, 2009 Location: Kentucky Posts: 5	Why is hunting season primarily during the winter? Can someone explain to me why most hunting seasons are done during the winter months?

April 5, 2009, 02:37 PM	#3
Scorch Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2006 Location: Washington state Posts: 15,248	Yes, that, and also that is when primarily agricultural societies have time off from farming chores. __________________ Never try to educate someone who resists knowledge at all costs. But what do I know? Summit Arms Services

April 5, 2009, 02:38 PM	#4
lt dan Senior Member Join Date: March 4, 2008 Location: south africa Posts: 328	yes hogdogs has it spot on. in addition to what he said you can add a couple of minor reasons. hunting in the summer can get unpleasant due to the heat. there is so much flies that they can ruin the meat. the heat itself can spoil the meat. summer rains and the following plant growth sometimes makes it impossible to spot the animals. having said this i firmly believe the main reason that most hunting is done in the winter is the the almost absence of snakes man i hate those things __________________ If youth is wasted on the young, then Africa is wasted on the Africans

April 5, 2009, 05:39 PM	#5
publius Senior Member Join Date: January 25, 2005 Location: Mississippi/Texas Posts: 2,505	It is so animals won't be killed pregnant or raising their young. __________________ "Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress, but I repeat myself." Mark Twain

April 5, 2009, 09:19 PM	#7
Greg.B Member Join Date: February 4, 2008 Location: Evansville, IN Posts: 40	The other have pretty much stated it....hunting seasons are primarily determined by the time of year in which the young are no longer dependant on the the adults, and the adults aren't carrying any young. Figuring in these factors allows the wildlife biologists to calculate the estimated bag limits needed to maintain the population at both a sustainable and balanced level to meet the carrying capacity of the habitat on a year round basis. __________________ NRA Member \| NRA Certified RSO \| NRA Certified Pistol Instructor \| NRA Certified Rifle Instructor \| NRA Certified Shotgun Instructor \| Indiana Hunter Education Instructor \| BSA Scoutmaster \| BSA Merit Badge Counselor

April 5, 2009, 02:02 PM	#2
hogdogs Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 31, 2007 Location: Western Florida panhandle Posts: 11,069	Hunting seasons are generally based on when the game animal has no responsibilities to raising young. This includes pregnancy. Brent

April 5, 2009, 08:46 PM	#6
L_Killkenny Senior Member Join Date: February 2, 2007 Location: Iowa Posts: 2,676	Yep HogDogs has it. But you can throw in fur quality when it comes to furbearers.

April 5, 2009, 10:33 PM	#8
Gbro Senior Member Join Date: February 20, 2005 Location: Minnesota Posts: 2,084	Our hunting season's are mostly in the fall. Our carrying capacity has to be met before hard winter sets in. We might see -40 before winter starts, if we waited that long not many hunters would participate. that would be disastrous in some forested areas. __________________ Gbro CGVS For the message of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, But to us who are being saved, It Is The Power Of God. 1Corinthians 1-18

April 6, 2009, 01:43 AM	#9
butta9999 Senior Member Join Date: June 29, 2008 Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Posts: 692	I hunt in the winter months mainly because of the heat. The flys are unbearable here. It is also hard to keep meat if you are out for more than the one day. Keeping food is another problem in the eskys the ice melts too quick, oh yeah and the beer. Hunting in summer months does have it's advantages animals venture further looking for food. Also you can bet they will turn up at a water hole on dusk. It isjust unpleasant during the peak of the sun. __________________ Knowledge is Power!

April 6, 2009, 04:23 PM	#10
davlandrum Senior Member Join Date: February 27, 2006 Location: Lane County Oregon Posts: 2,547	It is a conspiracy by the hunting clothes manufactures and outdoor catalogs... __________________ U.S Army, Retired Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do. -Potter Stewart

April 6, 2009, 04:28 PM	#11
hogdogs Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 31, 2007 Location: Western Florida panhandle Posts: 11,069	I was going to say something about how uncomfortable thinsulate lined camo coveralls would be on a florida july day! Brent

April 6, 2009, 04:41 PM	#12
freakintoguns Senior Member Join Date: October 6, 2008 Posts: 496	thinsulate coveralls+90% humidity+fat kid sweatyness = unholy swampbutt....im out!

April 7, 2009, 07:30 PM	#13
jmr40 Senior Member Join Date: June 15, 2008 Location: Georgia Posts: 10,805	Another reason is because it is mating season for most large game and you can take advantage of this to help your success. Turkeys breed in the spring and most turkey seasons are in the Spring. Most duck seasons are timed to coincide with the southern migration in the winter. When ducks are moving.

April 7, 2009, 08:15 PM	#14
armedandsafe Senior Member Join Date: January 9, 2005 Location: Moses Lake WA Posts: 1,001	All of the answers above (well,most of them ) are correct. Before the invention of the wall outlet, people didn't have any way to plug in their refrigerators. They had to rely on nature's refrigeration, so there was a major push to stock up after the first major frost of the late Fall and before the onset of deep Winter. Thus, there is a bit of tradition involved, which scientific research has proved to be helpful to the health of the game animals. Pops __________________ Armed and Safe: Not just a theory If it time to bury them, it is time to dig them up. Remember, "Behind every blade of grass."

April 7, 2009, 10:13 PM	#15
Jekyll Senior Member Join Date: January 27, 2009 Location: Easten PA Posts: 277	My theory is to avoid conflicts with fishing. I really hate having to choose between hunting and fishing although duck hunting and fishing might be a good combination.

April 11, 2009, 12:53 PM	#16
sc928porsche Senior Member Join Date: May 29, 2008 Location: now living in alabama Posts: 2,433	Yeah....that would be great.....you could use the 12ga for both birds,deer, and fish! __________________ No such thing as a stupid question. What is stupid is not asking it.

April 15, 2009, 09:03 PM	#18
toolguyb Member Join Date: March 1, 2006 Posts: 73	Always heard less ticks on game animals. Also before a good freeze our squirrels have worms in them. ( think its called wolves??)

April 16, 2009, 12:09 AM	#19
Hellbilly5000 Senior Member Join Date: March 24, 2009 Location: RGV, Tx Posts: 787	I personaly think its because some idiot decided to make you wake up at 3 am and freeze your butt of while sitting in a tree for hours at a time __________________ And death climbs the steps one by one, To give you the rose that's been burnt by her son, Point me to the sky above I can't get there on my own, Walk me through the graveyard Dig up her bones

April 16, 2009, 10:13 AM	#20
botebum Junior Member Join Date: April 15, 2009 Location: Ash, NC Posts: 6	Those aren't worms in the squirrels. They are bot fly larva. They don't hurt the meat as they live just below the skin. That said, the thought of eating a squirrel that had them puts me off my feed. Doug

April 16, 2009, 12:14 PM	#21
toolguyb Member Join Date: March 1, 2006 Posts: 73	I skinned a squirrel once with one in it. It was pretty sceevy watching the skin moving around on a dead squirrel:barf: