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

[Oklahomabassin]

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?

No cause, what if somebody has let the herd mature to the point next year is pay dirt? Not everybody has just caught on to the concept of letting Bambi walk.

This isn't a personal attack you Okie.

 

[Okie4570]

No cause, what if somebody has let the herd mature to the point next year is pay dirt? Not everybody has just caught on to the concept of letting Bambi walk.

This isn't a personal attack you Okie.

I thought about that too, wondered if anyone else would, that would be frustrating to say the least. Where I hunt, every year is brand new as far as bucks........I've never seen another place like it. I'll see several does year after year with unique markings, etc. Bucks on the other hand come and go, a fresh batch every year it seems. I've only had one buck since I've started putting out cams in 2008, that I've seen two years in a row(that I know of), took him with a bow. I'll have several nice ones, a bunch of knot heads and usually one or two shooters on cam till the rut, none of which will be seen the next year, but others will be there to replace them. What happens to the 3.5yo bucks continues to be a mystery.

 

[fishfurlife]

Unless you harvest more does, substantially more does, on average during those three years, then it would just be like putting things on pause briefly. Year four would result in a buck slaughter and you would be back to square one.


Plus, plenty of bucks would get killed during those three years as it is legal to kill a buck and tag it as an antlerless deer.

Figure out a way to make killing does more appealing as opposed to shooting the first jug head that walks by and things would get better pretty quick. Problem is that a high percentage of guys will shoot a spike before a doe and they will openly admit it.

It's their choice. I am cool with it. I can't see myself strapping tougher buck harvest laws on the state as a whole because we aren't all on the same page as hunters. I wish there was an easy fix. Unfortunately there isn't. The best case scenario would be to do as several different groups have in the state. Get all your neighbors on the sane page management wise. Regardless what that is. The more acreage you have committed to some sort of plan, the more pronounced the rests will be.

 

[fishfurlife]

Heck, look at any archery only public land in the state and you can see what a limited buck harvest does to the maturity of the herd.

 

[Oklahomabassin]

Unless you harvest more does, substantially more does, on average during those three years, then it would just be like putting things on pause briefly. Year four would result in a buck slaughter and you would be back to square one.


Plus, plenty of bucks would get killed during those three years as it is legal to kill a buck and tag it as an antlerless deer.

Figure out a way to make killing does more appealing as opposed to shooting the first jug head that walks by and things would get better pretty quick. Problem is that a high percentage of guys will shoot a spike before a doe and they will openly admit it.

It's their choice. I am cool with it. I can't see myself strapping tougher buck harvest laws on the state as a whole because we aren't all on the same page as hunters. I wish there was an easy fix. Unfortunately there isn't. The best case scenario would be to do as several different groups have in the state. Get all your neighbors on the sane page management wise. Regardless what that is. The more acreage you have committed to some sort of plan, the more pronounced the rests will be.

Antlered tags cost double as much as antlerless tags and allow combined season total to substitute antlerless deer in place of antlered deer. This wouldn't put tight restrictions on antlered harvest, however it would make those who aren't exempt from tags think twice if they want to shell out more dollars for the same ol venison in the freezer just because it has antlers.

 

[retrieverman]

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?

First off, I am not hiring anyone to "help" me shoot a deer, and secondly, if OK is willing to give up three years of out of state license revenue, I am willing to not shoot a deer in your state.

I bought out of state archery and muzzleloader licenses this year and didn't kill a buck, but I did kill three does. Of the several hundred acres my family has access to, there was one buck killed (by my uncle during rifle season).

Quite frankly, I am just not as mad at the deer as I used to be, and this is the first year since 1982 that I haven't killed a deer in Texas.

I agree with Justin. I like venison, but I had rather eat beef given the choice.

 

[Oklahomabassin]

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

With the questions we get here come deer season, I can't imagine the confusion that set of regulations would cause. I am not even sure it makes sense. I will have to read over it again when I have a good nights rest and see if I change my mind.

 

[Oklahomabassin]

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.

Every hunter would need a flow chart to carry in the field to make sure a deer is legal before they harvest it.
This idea reminds me of a hunting scavenger hunt. 1st on the list a mature doe. 2nd on the list a mature buck. 3rd on the list anything brown. 4th. Mature doe.

 

[Okie4570]

First off, I am not hiring anyone to "help" me shoot a deer, and secondly, if OK is willing to give up three years of out of state license revenue, I am willing to not shoot a deer in your state.

I bought out of state archery and muzzleloader licenses this year and didn't kill a buck, but I did kill three does. Of the several hundred acres my family has access to, there was one buck killed (by my uncle during rifle season).

Quite frankly, I am just not as mad at the deer as I used to be, and this is the first year since 1982 that I haven't killed a deer in Texas.

I agree with Justin. I like venison, but I had rather eat beef given the choice.

I wan't referring to us, I was referring to the typical out of state hunter(you're not typical, lol) who comes into OK and uses a guide service.

 

[okietom]

Every hunter would need a flow chart to carry in the field to make sure a deer is legal before they harvest it.
This idea reminds me of a hunting scavenger hunt. 1st on the list a mature doe. 2nd on the list a mature buck. 3rd on the list anything brown. 4th. Mature doe.

I am not saying to use all of them at once. I am suggesting several ideas that might each work seperatly or even together with another one.

Look at each of them one at a time.

I did use the word ideas, it is plural and means more than one. It was not one idea.

I count seven ideas, not one.