State wide Antler Restrictions????

[Miki]

Amen. I'll add this caveat, though: I don't think that the same reasoning applies to a deer under 3.5. But I sure agree with your point- too much emphasis being put on a deer's score. Seems like we're getting away from the "sport" and more into the "competition"

You must have never hunted East Texas. 4 points and 6 points killed every day and if your on 50 acres with 3 people hunting it with 50 acres next door. Then you have no bucks!

[holepuncher]

Lord please let folks figure out what a 5 1/2 year old deer is. Thank you, Amen

X2

[Easttxhunterr]

my 2 cents...........i think its ok.. but let the kids shoot what they want too. what are you going to tell a kid when they are hunting with you. no you cant shot that one its not big enough. lets get more kids hunting and stop the crying about antler restictions.i mean im fine if i dont shoot a deer.but let the kids shoot what ever,

Thats what spikes and does are for

[Storm]

I wish we could have seen a buck period over the holiday but at least my son got to shoot himself an older doe.

[Txnrog]

I often wonder if we could accelerate this process of "improving" the herd, if HF and MLD places would turn loose, what are usually "Culls"(130, 140), by their standards(160"-200"), and maybe some of the Doe with those genetics.

food for thought

100% against this idea! We have a seperate subspecies of WT here in TX (actually 2-4 different ones depending on who you ask), the bred deer herds pay no attention to this -yes there are currently restrictions on importing deer, but the external genetics are already there. MS & LA actually did this many years ago by bringing down deer from WI when their herds were at all-time lows.

[Skinny]

Wrong, they are just implementing the antler restictions for all of north texas SEE THE MAP orange counties are the new ones green already have them.

That can't be right. Montague is in yellow there and we are in our 2nd year of AR.

[warren86]

you know i keep hearing every one argue about stupid s*** but the fact is we all are on the verge of loosing our hunting privlages to those **** politicans. so we all need to come together and fight for what we love!

[Txnrog]

You must have never hunted East Texas. 4 points and 6 points killed every day and if your on 50 acres with 3 people hunting it with 50 acres next door. Then you have no bucks!

AMEN!! The whole issue is about trying to improve the herd (not just the size of bucks) to allow for natural selection to have a greater role (rather than nearest buck without a hole in it regardless of age). AND trying to do this in areas that are most typically comprised of smaller acerages. In heavily populated hill country herds with an MLD program, we're killing one mature buck for every 200 acres and one cull. - so 100 acres per buck harvested. On 50 acres if you're expecting a buck every year, you're overharvesting by double what you should be - assuming a similar population density. AR's will naturally lower buck harvest rates (I know that the TPWD publication states it doesn't, but over the long haul, it should), which is good in the long run. 3 people on a 40, 60, or 80 acre section just can't realistically expect to each harvest a buck each year and maintain a healthy herd (there are some exceptions, but this would involve including 'sanctuary' range such as housing developments or unhunted properties). The land is just not capable of producing that volume of deer without skewing the age distribution.

[huntmaster]

All the people that whine about not being able to shoot a dink buck and how they don't want somebody else dictating what they can or can't shoot need to realize something:

When you decide that a dink 6 is a shooter and you kill all the young bucks, YOU have decided for your neighbor or leasemate that NOBODY is going to get to shoot a mature buck.

Why is it OK for brown and downers to decide what the deer herd is going to look like, but it's not OK for management-minded hunters and/or state biologists to decide? I don't get that.

yee ha Shane, this is IT, thanks

[skeeter]

my 2 cents...........i think its ok.. but let the kids shoot what they want too. what are you going to tell a kid when they are hunting with you. no you cant shot that one its not big enough. lets get more kids hunting and stop the crying about antler restictions.i mean im fine if i dont shoot a deer.but let the kids shoot what ever,

YES, that is exactly what you tell them if you are in an AR county. what do you tell kids if you take em fishin when they catch a fish that is too small?

bad thing about having exemptions/ exceptions for kids is there are some sorry @$$ "adults" that they would try to manipulate the rules. "ok, i know its wrong, but i'm gonna shoot that deer since it is so far away, and we will say you shot it, ok''? what kind of example would that be for the kids? kids have to be taught that rules are there to be followed. AR's are just one more rule that has to be followed or a punishment will be handed down if caught breakin the rules.

[CharlesR]

If it goes state wide there will be part of west texas that will stuffer with to many deer. In my area there are already to many deer and the food sources are few and far between. This last year the deer had a great start with rain early and good food source. But there has been no rain for some time and the food is gone. Deer are starting to suffer and it will only get worse as it gets colder. And in my are i have passed on some many young buck in that last 4 years that you could not count that high, and i have not see and return as mature buck. I question every time i sit in a stand and pass on those 2 and 3 year old buck.. Where are the ones i passed on 4 years ago???

[05 gray ghost]

I agree with the intent of the law just not the letter. There are alway exception to the rule.

[Speedgoat]

The Antler Restriction does nothing for those that already managed their herds. What it does do is restrict shooting opportunities for those that do not care about antlers, which is sad.

[34master]

Ditto. Shorten the rifle season and add a muzzleloader season extend the archery season. You will see an increase in the age of the deer. We are one of the few states that have a 2 month rifle season. Put a thread on here awhile back about passing on an 130 class 8pt. that was legal (16-18 inside). This deer if seen on other properties will not make the year yet he is only 31/2 years old. I hunt with a bow in my home county and never take the gun out. This would help especially if rifle season started after the rut. Just my opinion.

[Lonebowyer]

I think this a good thing for all hunters statewide...bigger bucks as a result of better management. Now let's just hope that we can get more hunters to abide by the restrictions and let the young bucks grow up.