Touchy Subject

[dmize]

Does anyone else here have to deal with antler restricticions?
How do you feel about them?
Does anyone hunt deer to eat the damn things besides me anymore?

[kaytod]

Goal is a full freezer!

However, if Elmo the "turdy-point" buck comes by, he will eat just the same but I've never found a recipie to make those darn antlers tender....

[Robster]

I would love to get a big buck to hang on the wall. But I am not patient enough nor do I have enough time to. I hunt to put one in the freezer every year. After I get one in the freezer, I dont need another so I hunt to just get out there and would only take a large antlered buck. So in a sense, its my excuse to stay in the woods and enjoy my time out there.

[mtnbkr]

+1 to what Robster said. That's exactly what I do and why.

Chris

[subsonic]

I hunt them to eat them. I took a button buck Saturday night. First handgun kill and first kill with cast. Antler restrictions suck, but they really don't affect me much directly.

[steveb]

There are good reasons for antler restrictions. There are good reasons to give out doe tags, number to be determined by wildlife professionals. Both were vehemently argued against when the ideas were first put forth. I'm not a trophy hunter, no mounts on my walls here. All meat I shoot goes into the freezer. Have friends that fill "nuisance tags". They often give me a deer or two per season. They also go in the freezer. I come home most years from Penn without a deer due to antlet restrictions. Being a non-res., there, getting a doe tag not likely. Things are actually better here in Ohio, if you consider better, as easier, but my friends and our camp are in Penn.. Stay safe. steve b

[steveb]

I'm thinking thoughts on this subject will vary by area, and where in its management plan your state wildlife folks are with there long range plans. steve b

[derekr]

We are lucky in Middle Tennessee to have an over-abundance of deer. Early in the season I usually try to hold out for a big buck. They are in the rut and vulnerable for the first few weeks. After that it is doe-killing time. We can legally kill a HUGE number of doe. Between me, Dad and my brothers we kill as many as possible. We process it all ourselves and grind the tougher cuts into sausage. We even have our own smoker to smoke the sausage. It is a rare week any time of the year that we don't eat venison. We much prefer it to beef.

[COR]

In Pennsylvania in the unit I hunt most frequently (2D) There is a 2 week season for rifle starting Monday...Monday thru Friday (5 days) is Buck only with a "3 up" restriction (not counting a brow tine). Starting the first Saturday (6th day) you can shoot either sex with the same restrictions. The results for me have been older deer with more antler points in the past 5 years. Just my experience under the relatively new restrictions system here.

The doe just eat better so I get one of those too and usually a bonus doe....3 a year fills mine and some friends freezers quite well.

[Aggie01]

I am against antler restictions.
Ours a straight inside spread requirement. I already know a couple hunters this year who had their 12.5" deer taken away. (minimum here is 13" inside)
It's entirely too arbitrary for me.
I have shot a buck with nubbins that didn't break the skin.
2nd buck of the day in a 1 buck county at 13 years old. Better believe when I flipped him up to field dress dress him and he had the equipment "she" shouldn't have I panicked a little.
Best eating I ever had on venison.

The biggest whitetail (rack) I have ever taken was only 10" inside spread. The brow tines curve in and touch. Very mature deer.
The biggest whitetail (body) I have ever taken was sporting this mess. Easy 175 lb field dressed, IIRC. He was at least 3, if not older, with a fully swollen neck. This guy wasnt going to make a bigger rack next year.
This was a before antler restictions came out.
it's a 9 point, one side has a kicker.


For the record, whatever that is worth on the interwebs, I hold a degree in Wildlife Management from what is considered a pretty good school for that sort of thing.

[Deleted]

we must be lucky here in southern middle tennessee. the 3 and a half and older bucks generally taste better than the does. they also give a better pound for pound yield of usable meat. we kill around twelve or so and fill our freezers and then start giving the meat to people who need or want it.

[dmize]

I have left this up all week to get a varied opinion on the subject maybe to help me understand. What I understand is that I am amongst a bunch of people that feel just like me.
First and foremost I always have and always will hunt to feed my family,6 deer will usually do us for a year along with about 40 squirrels and some rabbits along with fish,frog legs coons and turkeys along with garden..I dont hunt for sport or fun in the essence of modern day cammo and ammo manufacturers.
We went under antler restrictions,mininumof 4 points on one side,4 years ago. The MDC publicized many times that "town meetings" were held for input.........The result? Antler restrictions won out,for reasons of a better quality deer heard...
Well suprise suprise since then Non Resident permits have went up and now "outfitting companies" are starting to lease up every acre of land they can get.
And heres another kicker,I had to get a special permit for my oldest son who was in a bad accident this year,to hunt out of MY truck at the edge of MY field but then also a month ago had to pay $500 deductible for $3,000 in dmages a deer did to our Explorer...............

[white eagle]

what you have just described is happening all over
all these tags and antler restriction are after one.... thing your money
we (Wis) do not have antler restrictions but I have heard many talk bout it
I hunt for meat learned long ago antlers taste the same as tags

[edk]

Here are my local regs:

Either-sex: Nov. 9 – Nov. 10
Antlered only: Nov. 11 – Dec. 4 (with restrictions)

Here in NH you do not need to switch to a handgun because rifle hunting is too easy as I hear many handgunners claim as their reason. The fact is the percentage of hunters getting any deer at all is in the minority as most finish the season empy-handed. I guess these restrictions are a necessary evil as the heard is not all that great: estimated at 80K with hunting resulting in about a 10-15% annual cull.

[humphrey]

I get to experiance edk's pain aswell.

Here in Maine we are allowed but a single antlered deer tag a season, as in 1 per year. Antlered deer are those with 3" of horn or more measured from the base of the skull. Antlerless tags and bonus tags are by lottery and are only good for certain zones.

Antlerless permits are down to 26,000 this year versus last years 40,000. Estimated harvest for this season is 4,800 antlerless and 12,000 antlered. The state sells in excess of 225,000 big game hunting liscences.

7.5% success rate. 1 in 12 was what I always hear it as.

I handgun hunt deer, not because its more of a challenge but that it doesn't matter what I use when a shot is all of 50 yards in the timber.