deer hunting antler restriction

[msanders]

Arkansas put a restriction into effect a few years ago.I would be curious to know how it has affected their herd if at all.
I for one think it would be a good idea and talked to some biologists about it a few years ago and their response was "a 1.5 year old deer can have 8 points". Yes, but is this the norm. I don't think so.

It has actually been in affect for several years now. I am from AR and still hunt there every year. I can tell you that there are alot more mature deer with better racks since that has been put into place. On our land we have always managed the deer there so not really a big deal. But across the state it has made a difference.

 

[bigcountryok]

This is something I have thought about alot. It's tough, because why should anyone dictate what type of buck a person takes on their own land. Why should first time and young hunters have to pass deer after deer because a neigbor only wants trophies.

The wildlife department has already penalized archery hunters in this matter by creating a two buck limit. For gun hunters and muzzel loader hunters nothing has changed. Since the majority of deer are killed via those two methods, how did this really help? Why not limit it to one buck bewtween muzzel loader and gun, and max two with archery with a total season limit of two bucks.

I like what the Dept does with DMAP. Its a great program that works, but should be VOLUNTARY!!!!

If you're all about the trophy that's fine and I have no issues with that, but why should everyone else be forced to hunt the same way. If that's what you want, invest the time, work, and money to get it. There are more and more large leases who participate in DMAP every year.

I think the primary concern should be are the regulations in line with creating a healthy deer herd and not just trophies.

Either way, we are all hunters regardless of the methods used as long as they are legal. While discussions like this are good, do not let them further divide us.

 

[RidgeHunter]

Deer hunting has gone the way of fishing, all commercial now, use this bait, no use this lure, here got to put out "feeders" and shoot deer over a timed feeding device...all the while sporting the latest in "camo" and scent control while sitting in a heated elevated room looking over feeders that dump corn out on the hour every hour....

That aint hunting.

Hunting is what YOU make it. I hunt the woods, I don't corn feed. I hunt rugged terrain and have spent all my life using trial and error just to find where deer travel. I don't have an ATV, I have boots. I sleep in a tent, no camper trailer. Cook on a fire. I hunt every possible minute I can get away with it.

If you like to hunt old school there is no reason you cannot do so.

How other people hunt should have no bearing on how I hunt. I don't give a crap if Jimmy Bob rides a fourwheeler to a box blind and sleeps in a heated camper at night. Just because everybody else does it does not mean I have to

Hunt how you like, the hell with what everone else does.

I can see antler regs happening here in Oklahoma, and drawing out for tags will soon follow, esp when the state realizes they can make more money...

What? The ODWC is one of the better departments in the region. They are far from money hungry, and are entirley self supporting.

I sure don't think anyone at the ODWC is in it to get rich. Kind of a love of the game (pun intended) job.

The big bucks can be had in Eastern oklahoma they just need time.

Yes, I have seen alot of monster bucks killed in Eastern Ok. I am just saying on average, in my area the bucks do not have the body weight or the rack size of a farm/crop land deer.
If you took a sample of 3 1/2 year old bucks from Cherokee or Adair County and compared it to Woods or Roger Mills I am the Western deer are going to be heavier and sport larger racks.

Bottom line with almost 50,000 of 111,000 deer killed last season being does, I think we are doing pretty good.

If that gets out of whack, I would support going to a 1 buck limit so people would be more choosy.
But I don't like antler restrictions or earn-a-buck. Especially earn-a-buck, that would flat out suck for me.

IMO everything is fine they way it is for the time being.

 

[fishn&huntn]

If you go to a check station in NWOK you see mature deer being checked if you go east of I-35 you see tons of 1 1/2 year olds.The folks up there pass on the small ones where as most people will shoot a fork over a doe any day.Until everyone gets on board nothing except a one buck limit will work,which I am not in favor of

 

[Hooker]

Dang horn hunters have ruined deer hunting and they want the rest of us to conform so they can collect more bones.

Pat

 

[fishn&huntn]

Dang meat hunters who pass on does to shoot little bucks ruin it for the rest of us

 

[okhunter]

There are lots of great comments coming in, however there is a big difference between hunting private and public, east and west.If you hunt public land in the east (which is where I do most of my hunting) you may hunt the whole 16 day gun season and never see a buck, period.So for the average guy that only has a limited time to hunt and is hunting public land they will shoot the first horn that walks by. The guys that have the luxury of hunting private land have no idea how good they have it.It does you no good to pass on a 4 point buck on public land when there is someone on the next ridge that will shoot it.
msanders thanks for the info on Arkansas.You only confirmed what I suspected all along.

 

[fishn&huntn]

There are lots of great comments coming in, however there is a big difference between hunting private and public, east and west.If you hunt public land in the east (which is where I do most of my hunting) you may hunt the whole 16 day gun season and never see a buck, period.So for the average guy that only has a limited time to hunt and is hunting public land they will shoot the first horn that walks by. The guys that have the luxury of hunting private land have no idea how good they have it.It does you no good to pass on a 4 point buck on public land when there is someone on the next ridge that will shoot it.
msanders thanks for the info on Arkansas.You only confirmed what I suspected all along.

if you see a young buck with a doe you would kill the buck?

 

[Jared]

1. I don't know of any groups "lobbying" for the antler restriction. I do know the topic has come up within the Wildlife Dept. The best way to be heard is attend the public hearings and voice your opinion.

2. I worked for Missouri Department of Conservation before I came back to OK. I was involved and witnessed first hand what results can be obtained with antler restrictions. It can achieve the results of an age structure with a higher percent of 2.5 yr old bucks. Studies prove that the survival rate of 2.5 yr olds is exponentially increased from that of 1.5 year olds, so they have a better chance of becoming older.

3. Genetically inferior bucks do not make up a significant percent of the population. Will they reproduce? Yes. Will they then become a significant part? Probably not. Most "cull" bucks will likely still fall within the antler restriction whether it is a 3 or 4 points on one side restriction.

4. An antler restriction is effective in increasing survival rates in two ways: A) By restricitng harvest of deer with points under the restriction. B) This causes the hunter to take the time to identify the animals antlers, this greatly increases the chance of survival for that particular animal. Both of these work together to achieve the primary goal which is based on the FACT of AGE is the #1 limiting factor to grow mature whitetails.

 

[bigcountryok]

Both of these work together to achieve the primary goal which is based on the FACT of AGE is the #1 limiting factor to grow mature whitetails.

But should that be the goal of the state or the individual. I would think the state should simply focus on what does it take to maintain a healthy (not trophy) deer population. The decision to manage for trophy deer should be on the landowner and hunters on the private land.

The state should not force anyone to become a trophy hunter. I for one would like to see more people take only mature deer and take more does out of the herd in areas where its needed, but it should not be forced on people as long as we have a healthy herd.