Whitetail Deer Management in Oklahoma........

[Okie4570]

Some questions for the masses. What are your goals for your property......or does it vary per property. Does it vary for public land? Do you use the DMAP program, if you qualify for it? Is your goal numbers, antler size, buck/doe ratio, etc? Do you manage stricter than the regulations of the ODWC? Do you cooperatively manage with those other people on your lease/hunting group, neighbors, etc? Do you take more does than bucks, or vise versa.

What do you think of the overall deer herd of OK? That's a broad question, our state varies greatly from one corner to the other, but what is your over all impression of your area as far as deer numbers, and quality. If you're unhappy with it, what do you think it will take to change/improve it in your area?

I don't want this to be a "hey, you're a dumb a$$ because you do this and not that", I just wonder what the general feeling is among us here on OSA. IIRC, the votes that were cast on the question of going to 1 buck per season or leave it at 2 bucks was very close.

There will always be variables of course, but I'm for the proper buck/doe ratio, which I/we fail at miserably, even though myself, daughter and landowner take many does every year, we can't keep up with them. (The drought has helped/hurt us more in that area than we could ever do by hunting them.) Usually only taking a mature buck every other year or so. The exception to this is my daughter or the landowners son, if it's brown it's down if they want to do that........she's had several deer seasons under her belt now, and is getting to enjoy the hunt as much as pulling the trigger now. Is there really any area in the state that is lacking in deer numbers?

I'd be all for one buck per season, pushing rifle season back a week, starting archery season a week later, ending in January a week later. Let the last week of season in January be doe only, primitive cap/flint only.
I'm torn on the antlerless issue............leaning towards doing away with that, if it has nuts, that's a buck. I understand accidents happen...practice better game identification? Not sure about that one. I can be a little more understanding with a button buck taken with a rifle/ML.....archery is different, the hunter should be able to tell.
No limit on doe per method of take. If I want to shoot 5 does with a rifle on the first day of rifle season, great......same with ML and archery, if doe need to be taken, let us take them, if it's ok to take all my does with archery, why not ML and rifle?
This could be tricky/expensive/possibly confusing, but no different than spring turkey season........why not manage doe/bucks county by county? Is that doable? Not sure of all of the goods/bads of that one. (Don't use the honesty argument on this one)

Throw some ideas out there, surely you've thought of some over the last few years.

 

[264Magnum]

When I hunt public land, I try to hold out for a decent buck. Sometimes I get trigger happy / impatient / whatever and shoot a smaller one. I generally don't feel bad when that happens. On the ranch I have access to, I'm going for quantity. Just a nice place, close to town that I drive to in an afternoon and knock over a doe. Or be able to take some inexperienced friends to and know they'll have a good chance to shoot something. I'm not a trophy hunter.

 

[DEER 24/7]

I am all for 1 buck limit.i wish it was 1 of each sex and it doesn't matter when you take them kill a buck and doe on first day of bow season your season would be over.and in some places until to the ratio is what it needs to be it could be 1 buck and 2 does.but hey I am trophy hunter.something else no body has talked about is money if you would have 1 of each limit that would be a lot less deer tags Oklahoma would sale Oklahoma Wildlife sure likes money.look forward to see how everyone else feels about this

 

[fishfurlife]

I would support a one buck limit but I think everybody here knows that when it comes to bucks, I enjoy chasing mature deer. As for antlerless hunting, I am all for an increased harvest, except that a very small percentage of hunters actually kill their limit of deer every season. Not taking into account DMAP and other such programs of coarse. You have to make killing does appealing to increase the harvest. To me, killing does is appealing because it is where my best venison cones from.

As for the management on a private vs public matter, i can get a little soap boxy on that. I have heard the phrase "good public land deer" entirely to many times. My take is that you either killed a good deer in your eyes or you didn't. There is no such thing as a "public land exception". Don't kill less than you would on private land just because it's on public land. When he hope the fence to private land, he is the same deer. Now I understand that the phrase can also be used as a compliment "dang that's a nice deer and it was killed on public land". Regardless, if you try to justify a kill to me then I am going to question why you pulled the trigger. If you are happy then I will be the first to congratulate you. Spike or Boone and Crocket.


I haven't hunted a great deal of private land over the years but my goals over the last 5 seasons have been the same. Public or private. Managed or not. A mature buck that appeared to be 4+ years old. So far I have succeeded. The last three being 6 years or better based on tooth wear.

 

[notime]

1 buck per season. If u shoot bb before u fill buck tag no buck for you. Lower doe harvest in my area numbers have been hurt by drought. We are on dmaps the counts were down yet landowner keeps sayin murder all does. With far fewer sightings by all in our area i didnt take any does or bucks this year. Daughter did score on a 160" 12 pt. strict 4.5 and older on my 520 acres surrounded by another 3000 under same program

 

[dennishoddy]

I'm going against popular opinion, but I'm ok with the 2 buck limit, for my area.
I don't know about your area. I don't hunt it.

I hunt a large DMAP, and we have the bucks to support it. That being said, its been a year since I've taken a buck, and I only took one that year. Had it been closer, I probably would have passed, but when a buck gets your attention at 377 yards with the naked eye, you get excited. The mass seen was from a crab claw type rack.

Prior to taking that buck, I passed on bucks for two years. Its my choice.

The drought devastated our herd, bucks, does and fawns alike. Two years in a row the ODW told us to stop the doe kill early on the DMAP. This year I killed one doe for meat.

In the NW county's all bets are off about next season. The spotlight surveys will tell the tale this fall.

 

[fishfurlife]

You are spot on Dennis concerning 2 bad years of deer recruitment in NW Okla. No question about that at all.

I should clarify that I would support a 1 buck limit but am not against a 2 buck limit. Probably sounds odd but it's true. I am fine being allowed to shoot two and would be fine as well with one.

 

[Deer Slayer]

I would support a 1 buck limit but I am not apposed to a 2 buck limit. Shoot some does for meat while you watch for a nice mature buck to harvest.

 

[AllOut]

I could type all day on "how if feel and what I think" about this.
But I won't I'll make it short....
First, I'm a trophy hunter to the core. Unless it's for some sort of management purpose I WILL NOT shoot a buck if it's not going on my wall. Thats the first question I ask myself when I see a buck. "Is he worth mounting?" The answer has to be yes before I even pick up my bow or gun. Typically in Oklahoma, if I dint estimate it at 4.5 or older then it also gets a pass. Killing Does, I will if I feel like it. But typically won't deal with them til my buck tag is filled.

Anyway, I'm all for a 1 buck limit. Honestly it's what I really want us to go to. That and getting rifle out of the rut! I think that would help a chit ton!
Public or Private makes no difference, I agree Fishfurlife's comment on "it's a good public buck" bull chit. One if the dumbest sayings I hear. I hunt mainly private but do hunt some public and have seen some absolute monsters on public land. I have a few public spots that are better then most private land I've been on. As far as hunting pressure. A lot of private lands get pressured just as hard if not harder then some public.
Not trying to be a dick or hurt someone's feelers....
But some people just need to learn how to hunt.

As for some of the original questions.
I think the over all deer herd in OK is great, we have a very good population. I think our only major issue is the age structure. We need to focus on getting the average age of our bucks up.
I personally think the easiest way to do that would be the one buck limit and getting rifle out if the rut. Possibly ARs too but like I've stated before, I'm on the fence with that.
"Earn a buck" might help with getting buck;doe ratio better. But that's just me thinking out loud.

 

[r00s7a]

One buck limit wouldn't be such a bad thing, I would hope that there would be some tangible results throughout the state. Has anyone seen any data comparing when we went from three buck to two buck limit? Three was quite liberal, two feels nice, one would be acceptable, but I hope that it would be worth it. Buck limits are not really on my list of concerns for deer management in SE Oklahoma. I want the dadgum antlerless restrictions removed so that we can knock down a doe when we feel like it, and not just on the weekends, and give us a holiday season like everyone else. We did not seem to have any ill effects from drought, the deer are thick as flies, does especially, they need thinning just like everywhere else. Quit treating them like an endangered species. I am considering getting on DMAP this year, but I don't know if that will help out any. Dennis, you may be able to answer this, if I am on DMAP, do I still have to abide by season limits? I am pretty much on 4000 acres to myself with a high deer density. I don't want anyone else in there shooting, even if it is just does. If I got the property on DMAP, would I only get to shoot 4 or 5, whatever the season limit is? Or if I were given 20 doe tags, would I get to go in there and whack all 20 myself? Is not worth it to me if I have to recruit shooters.