Antler Restrictions...
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lol "HEY YOU DEER! STOP RUNNING FOR A SEC SO I CAN COUNT YOUR POINTS!!!"
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It works though... I've seen the benefits hunting in PA.
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They have antler restriction in PA now,everyone I know hates it.The thing is senior/handicapped and kids under 16 can actually shoot any legal buck (spike over 3").Now I really dont mind this but what makes them more privileged?Basically what people do now is shoot any buck that comes along (without counting) and if they walk up to it and its to small just call over an eligble tag person,you know one of 3 mentioned above.And the worse thing is if they find no tag like that they leave the "illegal" deer there to rot!
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You are one of those "believers"?The bigger bucks were always there but now just alot less of them,what a massacre they did on that population.
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I dont see the point in antler restrictions.. not all of us are hunting to put another head on our wall to brag about
and if antler restrictions actually meant more bigger deer (which imo it does not) You antler hunters would have nothing to brag about because everybody would be killing a big buck every year
and if antler restrictions actually meant more bigger deer (which imo it does not) You antler hunters would have nothing to brag about because everybody would be killing a big buck every year
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This reminds me that I need to hit the store to pick up a regulations book. This is the biggest down side to having the lifetime license. They don't send the regs book out with it to save costs.
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I areas where there are available doe permits I would really encourage hunters to let 1.5 year old bucks go. It is a hard sell to have people pay good money for a license and then have no doe permit and then tell then not to shoot a buck as well. . Horns aside, if you lay a 3.5 year old buck next to a 1.5 year old buck or compare the box of meat you get from teh two....that is where the real difference is for me. The horns are a side benefit, but luickily where I hunt I usually get a dozen deer a year on the cameras that are mature and over 120 .
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I think it should be the land owner's choice.
But if we MUST have antler restrictions then I think anyone under 18 or over 65 ought to be able to use their tag any deer.
But if we MUST have antler restrictions then I think anyone under 18 or over 65 ought to be able to use their tag any deer.
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1,336 Posts
I also hate antler restrictions. If people want to shoot bigger deer, they can stop shooting small ones any time they'd like. I'm self regulated in that regard and it works just fine. The same goes for all my other hunting buddies who shoot more mature deer. None of us were told we had to do it.
But hey, the state knows what's best for you. They understand all of your circumstances.
But hey, the state knows what's best for you. They understand all of your circumstances.
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I don't shoot anything less than a 6 pointer anyway (during regular season) but I've killed a lot of spikes over the years. If I hunt with anyone I don't care what they shoot. Spikes are a renewable resource and It's been proven they can be spikes their whole life without good genetics. How about we shoot all spikes and crotch horns for 3 years and leave the sixes and up alone?
It works IF you hunt for antlers. I don't eat the antlers. It's all about ego for antler hunters. It's not about hunting.
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while spike may just be spike for a few the vast majority of spikes are 1.5 and maybe a few 2.5 year old deer if they were late born. the only sure way to make sure a spike never gets bigger is to put him on the ground. That assures he doesn't grow bigger.
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1911- I don't eat antlers either but I sure do get my freezer filled a lot fuller and faster if I am shooting deer that are not this springs deer or bucks that are over 1.5 years. This is a 1.5 year old 7 point (was not taken in AR areas but the horns would have meet the minimum requiremnts) hanging next to a 4.5 year old 9 point (should have been 10, broken brow) the 7 dressed out at 125. the 9 dressed out at 185. the piles of meat weren't even close to the same. That is where the reall difference is when trying to fill a freezer. Their rear hooves are at the same hanging height. Just eh difference in the loins was crazy
The Deer population in my hunting area 9p is so low you cant even apply for a doe permit with out preference point from last year. Our Buck crop is not what it used to be even 15 or 20 years ago, not even close. I do not think antler restrictions will help in our area. We do a lot of pre season scouting, glassing and trail cams etc., and are not seeing the deer this year. The winter kill in 2004 & 2005 put a hurt on the herd and it has not bounced back. Plus the large number of permits handed out in the early 2000s. I might even expect it to go back to the old days of 2 to 4 guys on a permit if the population does not come back soon.
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Bucks taste nasty to me,even though im not a big deer meat eater like a few others I know.The bigger the buck the more I really can not stand the taste of it,but not a doe shooter either to make up for the more palatable meat.There are some real nice buck here and I do pass on the small ones,I do have the luck that I usually see multiple buck over the season to be picky. And I do measure my season by how big the horns I get that year,there is no reason I see to tell others what to shoot.
This state is to big to even try to manage deer like a preserve or pay to hunt area.They want to really get it done right they have to go extreme IMO,like someone said above.Maybe go with shoot small buck only one year,but I would say even go to a buck kill bi-yearly.Can you imagine what we would have if no buck were killed for just one year!!!!!!
This state is to big to even try to manage deer like a preserve or pay to hunt area.They want to really get it done right they have to go extreme IMO,like someone said above.Maybe go with shoot small buck only one year,but I would say even go to a buck kill bi-yearly.Can you imagine what we would have if no buck were killed for just one year!!!!!!
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Snow belt areas are ver prone to impacts like that. When you look at areas like yours, high peaks. Ontario/St Law Delta, Mohawk and hudson valeys and the finger lakes and western regions...look at how varied the habitat and deer concentrations are. I live in 8H . everyone gets double doe tags herre and they had them available for the second draw as well. I don't know of anyone that tried for the second draw and didn't get another two. There are deer everywhere. What there isn't is public land to hunt. I only know of one small plot of state land in southern 8H. The DEC has their hands full trying to mainatain a stradegy that will be good for the whole state. Heck we have seen population variances in side the same WMU's
As for deer taste. I take the does I get and they go into steaks. The bucks and even the less desirable cuts from the does get ground and I make snack sticks and Italian sausage. I have a couple very good recipies I would be willing to share or swap if anyone is interested.
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Just my opinion, no need to get mad at me. There are many haters and believers in the antler restrictions. It's all based on how you look on it.
I myself, would never shoot anything other than a 6 point or larger, that's just me. (Even to this day I have never taken a buck after 8 years of hunting due to this fact..I just don't see the big ones during hunting season
).
Then again, I know a lot of friends who will shoot anything for the meat, which is great. I like the meat too, but I just fill my freezers with does.
So overall, I do see how many (most) of you commenting here are against the antler restrictions. After thinking about it, I think I would have to change my opinion and agree with all of you and say that antler restrictions are probably wrong. In other words, let the hunter decide whether he wants to take that deer or not, not the law.
I myself, would never shoot anything other than a 6 point or larger, that's just me. (Even to this day I have never taken a buck after 8 years of hunting due to this fact..I just don't see the big ones during hunting season
).Then again, I know a lot of friends who will shoot anything for the meat, which is great. I like the meat too, but I just fill my freezers with does.
So overall, I do see how many (most) of you commenting here are against the antler restrictions. After thinking about it, I think I would have to change my opinion and agree with all of you and say that antler restrictions are probably wrong. In other words, let the hunter decide whether he wants to take that deer or not, not the law.
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