I spend a lot of time in outdoor shops, usually spending too much money but also talking to plenty of other sportsmen. During one such visit to a local store, I had an interesting conversation regarding deer hunting. No, he was not complaining about Saturday Opener or the number of deer. His complaint was that other hunters were buying too many tags. It raised the question of “How many tags do you need?”

Let me start off by saying this is not a matter of how many tags are permitted. Nor is it a matter of whether you will use all the tags. After all, if you can fill the tags and they are available, have at it. The question was more about how many tags you need in your pocket at once. Just because you are allowed to have six tags, do you need to get all six tags the first day they are available?

At first, I thought this was just someone upset because they couldn’t get a tag for their favorite area, or couldn’t get as many tags as they wanted, so no one else should. But after I talked to him, it was not that at all. He explained that he hunted the same area every year and never had a problem getting a tag. He said it was even easier, not because of the combination of over-the-counter sales and a window for residents only. His problem, or concern to be more accurate, is that too many people are buying as many tags as possible and then not using them.

As we continued to talk he brought up hunters within his circle who always get the maximum number of tags but rarely fill any, certainly not all of them. Then he went on to explain how significant the number of tags can be, especially when those same hunters have children and a spouse who do the same. Another gentleman asked if these were hunters against taking does or just poor shots, and, after thinking about it, it does not matter.

To understand why this could be a big deal, you need to understand how tags are determined. Biologists estimate the annual harvest and the local population. They compare this to the local area’s carrying capacity and decide how many deer need to be harvested to maintain a healthy population. Of course, they take the average success rate into account, too, but it gets skewed when too many of those tags are held by the same hunter and not used.

So, what is the answer? Not surprisingly, the same gentleman had a solution ready to share. I must admit, it was not half bad.

1. Allow each hunter to purchase a limited number of tags, he suggested two.

2. Once a tag is filled, and the hunter reports the harvest, the system would then unlock the ability to purchase additional tags.

3. Hunters would continue to be able to purchase as many tags as are available, but only if they are successful in using the tags they have already gotten.

Of course, any change to the current system will cause heartburn, even among those who do not like the current system. There is also the occasional hunter who will complain about not having enough tags to go away to camp, but let’s be honest: not many hunters are filling six tags in one trip to camp. At least not legally. Plus, it could improve harvest report rates. In the long run, that would benefit all hunters.

Just a thought. What do you think?