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

[AllOut]

But if you let them live suddenly they grow 2 pts and achieve trophy class?

Yes
6.5 year old 153" main frame 9pt


5.5 year old 154" main frame 8 who's G2 ended up splitting and added some extra small points

 

[AllOut]

Your lease is in Mexico.

Here is why the antler restriction is so contentious. Some want nothing but a head on the wall and others want a nice buck and meat for the freezer.

I don't fault either camp for their beliefs.

I don't think the minority of head hunters should control the majority of meat hunters. That being said, and I've said it before, a mature buck that field dressed 180 lbs has a whole lot more meat than a fork horn that weighs 80 lbs. That alone should drive "meat hunters" to let the little bucks walk and take a bigger buck.

I actually think that is happening. In fact I know it has because the average antler size is increasing in Okla. The ODW has put out reports that prove it.

Its an education process that does not need some additional legislation to make it happen for minority interests.

Yes, but I also lease in Grant Co. Ok and own land here at home just east of BA.

But yes I agree with you completely. I've said the same thing numerous times. If you want meat, there's a whole hellova lot more on a 200lb mature buck then an 80lb 1.5 year old spike.

 

[ElkStalkR]

The rules for my place west of Stillwater are fairly simple. We shoot all the does we want, within the state limits of course, and pass on bucks that aren't at least main frame 5x5's and 16 inches wide. Basically if we can get them into the 130 class my hunters are happy and really 130" plus deer isn't that easy to comeby in that area. I believe we have taken 4 bucks that meet that standard in the last 5 years. Occassionally there are exceptions to this rule, when we get a buck on camera for 2-3 years that just doesn't appear to be growing we will go ahead and take him.

We also have a wive's and kid's rule. Basically they get out so little and usually are thrilled to shoot anything, so we let them shoot whatever they want, no restrictions.

Also I feel as hunters get more accustomed to shooting "bigger" bucks they will eventually start letting 130's walk to see if a 150-160 steps out. Gonna take several years, but it will start to happen.

 

[Oklahomabassin]

I agree Elkstalkr. I am short a 160" by 1/8". My hunt continues!

 

[okietom]

The deer population in our entire state is too high. We need to kill more deer. A one buck limit is not a good idea because the lure of a big buck motivates many hunters. Remove that motivation and you will have fewer hunters and fewer deer killed.

The goal should be killing more deer with a higher ratio of does in the kill and a lower number of young bucks

My opinion is that we need a longer gun season. Most deer are killed during gun season. Make it longer and more deer are killed.

We could add a handgun only season.

We could require a doe kill before every buck kill. If you don't shoot a doe you don't shoot a buck.

We could add a free bonus buck tag for every hunter that killed a certain number of does in a combined season. I am thinking three or four does.

We could add a free either sex tag for killing a mature buck. If used on a doe would count toward the total for the extra buck tag.

Every one could be required to kill two does for every buck. You could kill the buck first but you could not kill another buck until after you killed two does.

We could have a combined bag limit and no bag limit per method. If you want to kill six with a gun or a bow or a ML you could.

These are my ideas. I like them. They make sense to me.

 

[makeithappen]

Yes
5.5 year old 154" main frame 8 who's G2 ended up splitting and added some extra small points

Love the character of that rack.

I agree, the amount of meat on any deer over 3 years old is much more worth the effort of cleaning and quartering in the bed of my truck than a young un with 15lbs of meat that requires practically the same amount of time start to finish.

 

[justin_h635]

I tend to agree that the $10 it takes to donate the meat whether 5 years old or 15 months old takes practically significant less time and effort than it does to clean and quarter either of them in the bed of my pickup, and the beef I eat is far superior to my palate.

 

[AllOut]

The deer population in our entire state is too high. We need to kill more deer. A one buck limit is not a good idea because the lure of a big buck motivates many hunters. Remove that motivation and you will have fewer hunters and fewer deer killed.

The goal should be killing more deer with a higher ratio of does in the kill and a lower number of young bucks

My opinion is that we need a longer gun season. Most deer are killed during gun season. Make it longer and more deer are killed.

We could add a handgun only season.

We could require a doe kill before every buck kill. If you don't shoot a doe you don't shoot a buck.

We could add a free bonus buck tag for every hunter that killed a certain number of does in a combined season. I am thinking three or four does.

We could add a free either sex tag for killing a mature buck. If used on a doe would count toward the total for the extra buck tag.

Every one could be required to kill two does for every buck. You could kill the buck first but you could not kill another buck until after you killed two does.

We could have a combined bag limit and no bag limit per method. If you want to kill six with a gun or a bow or a ML you could.

These are my ideas. I like them. They make sense to me.

I think your the only one who'd see any sense in that...

 

[Okie4570]

This is extreme, probably wouldn't be popular, but what if...............

starting this next year, NO bucks could be harvest for the next three years, unless you were a hunting with a licensed outfitter in the state of Oklahoma( as to not hurt the potential income of the guide's business).

Would you be willing to give up three years of antlers, big or small to allow the overall age of the bucks to further. Meat hunters would still have doe to harvest, as they do know. Potential effects on the herd with almost no bucks taken from the heard for 3 years? If you're a antler hunter, you're already pretty much practicing this anyway, but what if it were done state wide? I would not want to be answering the phones at the ODWC if came true, but would it help, hurt, and make no difference?

 

[justin_h635]

This is extreme, probably wouldn't be popular, but what if...............

starting this next year, NO bucks could be harvest for the next three years, unless you were a hunting with a licensed outfitter in the state of Oklahoma( as to not hurt the potential income of the guide's business).

Would you be willing to give up three years of antlers, big or small to allow the overall age of the bucks to further. Meat hunters would still have doe to harvest, as they do know. Potential effects on the herd with almost no bucks taken from the heard for 3 years? If you're a antler hunter, you're already pretty much practicing this anyway, but what if it were done state wide? I would not want to be answering the phones at the ODWC if came true, but would it help, hurt, and make no difference?

This would put a significant dent in the duck population.