State wide Antler Restrictions????

[michaelkolbe]

I've let me son shoot a couple of bucks that wouldn't make the restrictions, but I've told him to pass on a TON of young bucks. Sure, they want to shoot everything they see, but they need to learn that we don't do that. It's no different than pheasant hunting.....you can't shoot hens. When a hen gets up right in front of you, you sure do want to shoot. But you have to wait for a rooster. Kids don't have any more problem with that than adults do.

Besides, after 2 or 3 years of antler restrictions, there will be more mature bucks walking around for the kids (and us too). In the meantime, does are tastey and readily available targets for the kiddos.

I'm VERY glad to see Taylor and Jones counties included in the antler restricted counties next year. I wish they'd just go ahead and put it in all over the state. The sooner they put it in, the sooner we get more mature bucks everywhere.

As far as # of young deer being killed....it's not scientific, but I live right off of I-20. Every year I see a whole lot of deer on trailers and in backs of pickups. I see more little skinny 6 points than mature bucks or even does. Most folks just want to shoot a deer, and it seems that most folks would rather shoot something that has any kind of antler over a doe.

that is what i mean not shoot a young buck but if it is 12in wide that should be fine i agree we do need to let the young buck grow but if he is an old buck let your kids shoot it that all im saying.but im sorry if a feel differnt then all. but that just me.

[crittergitter]

I believe Mr. TVC (first to comment on ETX) has the Golden Triangle in his location... Last I checked that is no where NEAR ETX.

you may want to check again.....

Golden Triangle (Texas)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Golden Triangle (Beaumont-Port Arthur-Orange). (Discuss)

The Golden Triangle is an area of Southeast Texas between the cities of Beaumont, Port Arthur, and Orange. The "golden" refers to the wealth that came from the Spindletop oil strike in Beaumont in 1901, and more recently from the many gas flares that are located at all of the local oil refineries, which creates a rough triangular shape around the area when viewed from nighttime aircraft.[citation needed]

The term more generally refers now to the entire Beaumont-Port Arthur-Orange metropolitan area, forming the triangle.





This Texas

[tvc184]

I believe Mr. TVC (first to comment on ETX) has the Golden Triangle in his location... Last I checked that is no where NEAR ETX.

Yeah, Beaumont is in east Texas.

[Bonesplitter]

Geez, etx, stx, wtx,ntx who cares we are all hunters who shoot deer, hogs, ducks, turkeys and everything else the state allows. People are people and some do stupid things wherever your from. I hunt here in etx and uvalde and have seen itty bitty bucks in the back of trucks on the road in both places. This is about antler restrictions not who or where have the most competent hunters. We all have to ban together no matter where we are from.

[Longhorn]

We are getting it in Palo Pinto county next year! YEE HAW!!! Too Bad I have shot a buck that was 12" inside and 8 points that is 142"!! Thats the only down side to me but I think it will be a GREAT thing.

Maglite, I would love to see a pic of that buck if you have one

[BillfromFtWorth]

I hunt in Webb county and see young deer shot. But i dont really understand the AR. When people say they cant shoot a deer because he is under 13" do they mean 13" wide?

I'm for it but it doesn't look my counties will be in the restrictions.

Well it looks like your right on the border of the new counties, if your in nolan or fisher county. Next year if you know enough hunters/coops in the area interested you might get a petition together and submit it to tpwd. A good example is atoscosa county, they were not on the list to be added next year, but tpw received a petition last year and the majority of hunters down there seem to want the restrictions so they are getting added next year.

[Longhorn]

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,

I can understand this point. I have killed a few deer in my life. None of my kills made the record books, but still some nice respectable deer. However, to this day the deer I think I am the proudest of was my first little 1.5 buck. He was a little basket rack eight point with about an 11 inch spread. I have deer far larger than him hang in the storage closet, but that little buck still has a place on the wall. He was the buck that started it all, and ignited my passion for hunting when I was young.

Dude, re-read his post. There is no doubt East Texas has the quality genetics to grow big deer. The problem however, is the fact that there aren't enough managment minded hunters to allow them to reach their potential.

Well said

I'm not trying to start nuthin, but I'm kind of concerned about the narrow basket rack genetics taking over eventually. I hope I'm wrong.

I can see were this might become a problem in some parts of the state. Although I support antler restrictions, I think it is stupid that we try to apply the same rules to every part of the state. All of our deer populations are different. For example in Llano county a large population of our deer don't have dog catchers. If they ever passed restrictions saying that all bucks harvested had to have browtines longer than X inches, I would look for another lease. I guess what I'm trying to say is that what works for one area doesn't necessarly work for the other.

[BadtotheBow]

Well it looks like your right on the border of the new counties, if your in nolan or fisher county. Next year if you know enough hunters/coops in the area interested you might get a petition together and submit it to tpwd. A good example is atoscosa county, they were not on the list to be added next year, but tpw received a petition last year and the majority of hunters down there seem to want the restrictions so they are getting added next year.

I understand and thats stupid. I shot a buck two weeks ago that i consider a cull. he was a 4.5 old eight point that was only 10 inches wide. So what your telling me is that if Webb county was a part of the AR I would not have been able to shoot that buck?

[SPUD]

I understand and thats stupid. I shot a buck two weeks ago that i consider a cull. he was a 4.5 old eight point that was only 10 inches wide. So what your telling me is that if Webb county was a part of the AR I would not have been able to shoot that buck?

Correct....He would be off limits

[SPUD]

you may want to check again.....

Golden Triangle (Texas)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Golden Triangle (Beaumont-Port Arthur-Orange). (Discuss)

The Golden Triangle is an area of Southeast Texas between the cities of Beaumont, Port Arthur, and Orange. The "golden" refers to the wealth that came from the Spindletop oil strike in Beaumont in 1901, and more recently from the many gas flares that are located at all of the local oil refineries, which creates a rough triangular shape around the area when viewed from nighttime aircraft.[citation needed]

The term more generally refers now to the entire Beaumont-Port Arthur-Orange metropolitan area, forming the triangle.





This Texas

Yeah, Beaumont is in east Texas.

Thanks for the Geography lesson. Not what I think of when I hear Golden Triangle.

[Zookeeper]

I think if we threw away the tape measurer and went to 1 buck and 3 or 4 does that would balance things out. Most hunters would think twice about droping a young buck and those that do are finished hunting horns for the year. Does would get harvested and the buck numbers would go up.

[Bobcat]

I know of place that has been hunted for the last 15 years. In that time one deer a buck) has been taken by the landowners and he was an eight point on about the eleventh year of hunting. The acreage is sorrounded by acreages of similar size and smaller with habitat restricted to drainages that meander through the properties. The deer are restricted to these drainages and hunting is extensively practed there. In the last 15 years only 3 bucks older than 4 years old have been seen while on stand or on a trail camera. Young bucks that were idendified and allowed to pass were subsequently shot after leaving the property. A steady decline in bucks and population was noticed. This year, two very young trash racked bucks were seen on camera and then were never seen from the stand. In fact, only three deer were seen roaming the property during the season.

In that situation ARs will help immensely. Just to replace the deer that currently are no longer there. Maturity is a factor needed in a healthy herd. Continually killing the youngest bucks places your herd (our herd) in a very risky situation leaving it prone to many problem that can affect it quickly. Culling a trashy rack isn't the thing to do if you have very few bucks on fragmented lands.

Would the restriction be the same for a property with harvest tags from an intensive management plan awarded by the state?

[Rsatt]

Thanks for the Geography lesson. Not what I think of when I hear Golden Triangle.

I'm going to agree with Spud on this one.

My definition of the Golden Triangle is a triangle from San Antonio, to Del Rio, to Larado.

Where do I fall in this? I hunt South Texas and NorthEast Texas both.

Carry On

[BillfromFtWorth]

I understand and thats stupid. I shot a buck two weeks ago that i consider a cull. he was a 4.5 old eight point that was only 10 inches wide. So what your telling me is that if Webb county was a part of the AR I would not have been able to shoot that buck?

First of all alot of people do not know how to age deer correctly, and will say a deer is a cull just to justify killing it, second I don't believe webb county will ever go to the antler restrictions due to it being way down south. It is not a stupid regulation for areas with high pressured deer like north texas.

I think if we threw away the tape measurer and went to 1 buck and 3 or 4 does that would balance things out. Most hunters would think twice about droping a young buck and those that do are finished hunting horns for the year. Does would get harvested and the buck numbers would go up.

I don't thinks so years ago they went for 2 buck 1 doe bag limit in all texas counties to 1 buck 2 does in most of the counties that will be antler restricted, and there was no increase in does being shot. There are too many hunters out there who will just not shoot a deer unless there is antlers on it, too many times I've heard, the fun is over after the shot and I don't want to clean a doe I want something to hang on the wall.

[Zookeeper]

No, not everybody does but a whole lot do. I hunt east texas so I would know. In some areas it is worse than others. Where we happen to own our property it is among a whole bunch of 10-100 acre parcels of land. Our neighbors shoot any deer that they see. Everybody has their idea of how to manage the deer herd, and nobody's idea is the same. What we need is a management program over a broad area that everybody is going to have to abide by if their is ever going to be a good deer herd. The antler restrictions fit the bill in that respect.


EXACTLY.

Solocam you have hit the nail on the head regarding east Tx. TP&W have written studys on the effect that small parcel land owners have on East texas deer populations. There has been some effort to bring land owners together and form large management co-ops. This has not been very succesful. The small tract owners do not want to give up thier right to bring out every friend and relative to shoot deer.
The deer herd in east texas was nearly wiped out in the 20's and 30's along with the bear & turkey population by subsistence hunting. Unfortunately this attitude and practice still prevails in many parts of East Tx.,& Oklahoma.(might as well pull the the Okies in). This along with the land baron practices of the smal tract owners means that no matter what restrictions or limits are put out not much will change. The exception to this is on the few remaining large tract that are already heavley secured and closely managed.