I'm still tryin' to figure out where to get one of them thare longer guns...
I'm still tryin' to figure out where to get one of them thare longer guns...
Even though I’m not strictly a meat hunter, I appreciate that many still are. After all, that is the basis for hunting in the first place. I loathe the idea of antler restrictions and unless it’s gonna change the health of the state herd Im out on the one buck per year limit as well.
While a great many of us get antler crazy and analyze trail cam pics to the point where we are certain we not only know a bucks age, but also the day he was conceived, we are messing up if we forget that’s not the foundation nor the basis for what we do. Additionally, the more we focus on what our deer will score, the more likely that tourism hunting will force your leases to continue to rise, further overcrowd your favorite public spot, and for some -drive you off your land completely as you can no longer afford to play the game you love.
Much as I dream of that encounter with my ideal typical 12 and nontypical 28 pointer, part of the thrill is knowing they are more akin to a perfect diamond than they are weeds in a field.
Don’t misunderstand, I hate that my neighbor shot the 2.5 year old perfectly symmetrical 8 that I let walk. I hate that i sat in bitter cold for 12 hours and saw no shooters. I hate that my management efforts are limited by what the guy two farms over is doing on his place. But I’d hate it even more if I felt like I was hunting on a pope and young deer farm.
As for longer rifle seasons I’m actually all for it it. That said I have no doubt thats because as a NC transplant I became accustomed to 3+ months of rifle hunting. When I moved here 20 years ago I was appalled at the short rifle season especially since my first hunting property was nearly useless for bow hunting.
The way I see it, state biologist should set the season bag limits in such a way that we continue to produce a healthy state deer herd. The limits should be fluid from year to year if need be. But the method of harvest should not be as big of a factor. If you say I can kill 6 deer per year, then it shouldn’t matter by what means I do so. 6 is 6 whether I killed them with a long bow, crossbow, rifle, slug, buckshot, etc.
Conservation efforts should be first and foremost about managing towards the optimal number of animals that the land and population can support.
All that said, I’d support a new OK wildlife motto..Hunters in the know harvest a doe.
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See I'm the opposite. Not a fan of antler restrictions. Too complicated, too restrictive for first time hunters, etc.
Get your buck and be happy with him. Then go kill 5 does if you're hungry.
I guess it depends on what your ultimate goal is, but if you want to raise the age structure of your buck herd, antler restrictions definitely work. I’d like to see the studies that claim otherwise just to see what they’re basing their opinions on.I'm all for antler restrictions if they work, I've seen more studies that say otherwise,
I guess it depends on what your ultimate goal is, but if you want to raise the age structure of your buck herd, antler restrictions definitely work. I’d like to see the studies that claim otherwise just to see what they’re basing their opinions on.
Do the “points” y’all are talking about have to do with getting some kind of preference for controlled or draw hunts?
Interesting last paragraph in the first article you linked.Yes good for the buck age, ODWC is wanting to increase doe harvest, and I'm not sure Oklahoman's would go for it. Some interesting reads out there. Some contradictory if I'm reading them correctly.
https://www.mossyoak.com/our-obsession/blogs/deer/antler-restrictions-good-or-bad
https://www.pgc.pa.gov/Wildlife/Wil...r/Pages/AntlerRestrictionsAreTheyWorking.aspx
https://www.deeranddeerhunting.com/...antler-point-restrictions-dangerous-precedent
https://www.qdma.com/qdmas-position-mandatory-antler-restrictions/
https://www.themeateater.com/hunt/whitetail-deer/do-antler-point-restrictions-work
We’re just now beginning to understand how the prions that cause CWD might be spread by deer so empirical results are a ways off, but we can draw several conclusions. Yearling bucks disperse more than older age classes. Antler restrictions protect yearling bucks so there are more of them, which means more deer dispersal. “If” (and it’s a big if) these younger bucks can carry prions with them, then protecting younger bucks could actually increase the spread of CWD. Sorry to end on a dark note, but let that sink in for a while as you sit on your deer stand this fall.
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