is the season 16 days on public now?
I have always killed the first deer i see that is a clear shot. I am fortunate enough now that i have access to property where the deer are more plentiful. Some ofbthe guys i hunt with are hunting for wall hangers, but not me. It would be nice to get one, but i would just as soon get a doe. This may change after ive gotten more deer, but we'll have to see. I am 29 years old and have been hunting since i was 11 and have only gotten 8 deer, half have been does and half bucks. If i were to have to get doe before buck i would only have 4
I agree with you completely. I am only stating what the strategy and goals are for an antler restriction. In MO it was only in place in northern portions of the state not the entire state, and was put in place with a majority support from the public.
I believe that managing a healthy herd will always be the primary goal of the state. Even MO in the restricted areas they still allowed harvest of any buck during the youth season so the kids don't have to go by the restriction.
It is of my OPINION that in a majority of management areas an antler restriction would ultimatley benefit herd health.
However I do believe that hunters should have the right to choose what they want to take if its legal. We already restrict the taking of antlered deer now by implementing a minimum 3 inch antler length. If it was restricted to a 3 or 4 point on one side it would just increase survival of 1.5 yr olds.
And that is fine if that is the way you choose to hunt and raise your son. I still question the thinking though that says everyone else has to hunt the way you (meaning everyone who wants trophy hunting only) do.
As long as everyone stays within the law and the regulations are such that the deer herd stays healthy whats the issue. Lets all have fun, whak'em and stack'em and celebrate with some bbq back strap
Not trying to be argumentative, but,
the flavor of venison is dependant on their environment. Its no different that beef cattle. 90 days before butcher, they "feed them out"
If a deer is taken off of natural browse, it will taste different that a deer taken off an agriculture.
In the dozens of years that I've deer hunted, and the thousands of pounds of meat I've processed and served to friends, not one person had been able to say: thats doe meat! or if its buck meat!
INMHO
I agree with you that it would make for a much better selection of bucks, but how many new hunters, or hunters who are not physically able to really hunt mature bucks would miss out.
This is a tough issue either way. The trophy hunter in me would love to see a 3pt on one side restriction, the hunter, and dad would like to leave it an open decision.
Either way DEER SEASON IS ALMOST HERE!!!!
LOL I agree with you that feed makes a big difference, but I from my expereince (most deer taken off of natural browse) a young doe will eat better than a buck when they are on the same diet. Just my expereice, but I have had bucks that were very good and of course most were off of the few areas I ever got access to that had ag crops.
WOW! I never expected this to be such a hot topic. There are several situations I never considered. I hunt on private land, so public land hunting never crosssed my mind. I believe that taking a young hunter out and watching them bag a deer is probably a greater thrill than shooting a deer myself. So let me propose an adjustment:
1. no anter restriction for hunters under the age of 16.
2. no antler restriction for public land. (not sure how to enforce that one)
I do feed corn in three areas in the center of my property in an attempt to keep the deer on my property. because the feeders are in the middle of flat land, it wouldn't do any good to hunt over them anyway, they hit them after dark. I also feel "hunting" over a feeder isn't hunting.
I'm located center-state, so there are some true trophies, but not nearly like they are in areas with better soil that will support crops. The majority of my property is open grassland and a working cattle pasture. there are some hardwoods and brushy creeks, but primarily around the perimeter of the property.
I also believe that hunting has become highly commercialized. therefore I build all of my own feeders and stands, rather than buying. I mix my own mineral, and experiment with natural attractants rather than buying also. As for camo, I must admit, I wear what I think looks good. Maybe I'm sucked in by the marketing, maybe I'm vain.
I am strictly a trophy hunter, and have killed all the deer I am interested in killing just for sport. I am there waiting for the 1 in 50 that I would take. When I take the younger folks hunting, I let them shoot whatever they choose. I am a strong supporter of Hunters for Hunger and donate all the meat that we take. I was recently told that they will not be taking any meat that was not taken with a bow for fear of lead poisoning, so I'm not sure what we'll do if that's true.
I don't knock anyone who wants to kill for sport, or meat hunters. I do believe that the deer population is growing faster than hunting is decreasing it. The population needs to be stabilized, or decreased. My solution to that is by taking does, not young/small bucks. As any farmer will tell you, if you want more calves, get more cows, not more bulls. so the opposite must be true.
If such a restriction was put in place, would the taking of restricted deer continue illegally? there are many road hunters in my area that don't obey the laws we have already.
My neighbors on 3 sides are city folk, bring the whole bunch in every year. Of the 11 deer taken last year, 4 were does only one of which was a mature doe, 5 immature bucks composed of spikes and forkey horns and 1 basket rack 6. 2 yearlings barely out of spots. these are older, experienced hunters, all who hunt every year, and have no discipline or respect for nature or the enjoyment of truely hunting.
1. no anter restriction for hunters under the age of 16.
2. no antler restriction for public land. (not sure how to enforce that one)
I do feed corn in three areas in the center of my property in an attempt to keep the deer on my property. because the feeders are in the middle of flat land, it wouldn't do any good to hunt over them anyway, they hit them after dark. I also feel "hunting" over a feeder isn't hunting.
I'm located center-state, so there are some true trophies, but not nearly like they are in areas with better soil that will support crops. The majority of my property is open grassland and a working cattle pasture. there are some hardwoods and brushy creeks, but primarily around the perimeter of the property.
I also believe that hunting has become highly commercialized. therefore I build all of my own feeders and stands, rather than buying. I mix my own mineral, and experiment with natural attractants rather than buying also. As for camo, I must admit, I wear what I think looks good. Maybe I'm sucked in by the marketing, maybe I'm vain.
I am strictly a trophy hunter, and have killed all the deer I am interested in killing just for sport. I am there waiting for the 1 in 50 that I would take. When I take the younger folks hunting, I let them shoot whatever they choose. I am a strong supporter of Hunters for Hunger and donate all the meat that we take. I was recently told that they will not be taking any meat that was not taken with a bow for fear of lead poisoning, so I'm not sure what we'll do if that's true.
I don't knock anyone who wants to kill for sport, or meat hunters. I do believe that the deer population is growing faster than hunting is decreasing it. The population needs to be stabilized, or decreased. My solution to that is by taking does, not young/small bucks. As any farmer will tell you, if you want more calves, get more cows, not more bulls. so the opposite must be true.
If such a restriction was put in place, would the taking of restricted deer continue illegally? there are many road hunters in my area that don't obey the laws we have already.
My neighbors on 3 sides are city folk, bring the whole bunch in every year. Of the 11 deer taken last year, 4 were does only one of which was a mature doe, 5 immature bucks composed of spikes and forkey horns and 1 basket rack 6. 2 yearlings barely out of spots. these are older, experienced hunters, all who hunt every year, and have no discipline or respect for nature or the enjoyment of truely hunting.
Yes, it always has been on corps land.
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