indiana one buck rule

[kevin1]

I have not seen any deer that would come close to the size of the deer in Ohio.
I think Indiana has 2 problems:
1- to many deer per square mile in many areas
2- 5 weeks or more of gun hunting (during the peak rut) takes way to many young deer out of the herd

9piont , if you don't like shooting dinks then why did you cap that particular Indiana buck ?
I see plenty of shooters much bigger than that every year . BTW , shooting takes out too many young deer , not season placement , don't shoot dinks and they'll grow up . We do have too many deer in some areas though , but the statewide average is around 15-17 PSM .

Fat chance on getting the gun season shortened or moved out of the rut here , it gets suggested to and shot down by DNR every year . Their position is that they don't manage for trophy potential , but rather to maintain a healthy herd for all to enjoy . Now that we have the OBR and lots of hunters are commenting on how many more bucks they're allegedly seeing the DNR has even less reason to move or shorten it , and since there aren't enough does being taken they may even lengthen it and move it forward into the early bow season when the deer are more active . Be careful what you wish for . You can buy as many doe tags as you want , subject to the seasonal bag limit which can be as high as twelve depending on which counties you hunt . My county allows 8 , toss in some reduction and military refuge hunts and you can fill several freezers .

[North Texan]

I think the Texas deer herd stands to benefit greatly from the one buck + one management buck rule. Having only one buck tag punished people for taking a managment buck, and as a result, nobody took bucks out of the herd that needed removal. However, I wonder how many hunters will still only take the one "trophy" buck and not take the managment?

I also think Texas needs to re-evaluate the number of does a hunter is allowed to take. Many will probably still only take the one buck, but buck:doe ratios are getting very skewed. We need more does taken out of the herd, so why not let the ones already taking does take more?

[9piont]

My particular area is on the border of Fayette and Franklin counties, in that area the deer per square mile is between 30-40. Based on the QDMA website.

I by no way am a"trophy hunter".
That little buck was just as important to me as the large one.
I have 4 kids and a wife and as long as we have venison in the freezer we won't by beef. It takes a lot of venison to feed everybody!

The little buck was about average sized based on what I saw when I moved to IN. I just like the thought of having a chance to see a monster when you are out.

Here are some of the deer that survived the season from last year.

[9piont]

This size makes up most of what I see.

[manage4him]

Based on the past couple of years, I have seen many more bucks (130+) in my area. We do need more does taken out, but people are becoming a little more picky and for some it is paying off in that they are shooting bigger deer. However, I think some of the statistics have showed that instead of 1.5 old bucks being taken opening weekend of firearms season, we are seeing more of them being taken in muzzleloader season. So, basically its just being pushed back a couple of weeks after people give up on the booners.
Possibly,a reason why people aren't seeing the bigger deer during the rut is simply because thereare so many does. The bigger bucks have a does at their exposal, so they really don't have to search as hard as they would where the buck/doe ratio is more in balance. This is why I would be in favor of the earn-a-buck situation. However, where I hunt in southern indiana, we are beggining to see the ration start to move in the right direction. For instance...opening day of firearms season last year I saw 19 deer...9 bucks (6 of which were 8 points or bigger) and ten does. Once we see the ratio start to come back into check, the bigger bucks will have to look a little harder for those sought after does.

Just my two cents...

[kevin1]

9piont , I don't know where that pic was taken or how deep you normally go , but that small buck is not representative of the entire Indiana herd , just your local area . I routinely see 8-10 pointers that would do anyone proud , and Indiana ranks #6 regularly in P&Y standings . Perhaps you need to change where you hunt . If you're hunting an area where anything with antlers gets shot you're not going to see bigger bucks because of pressure . One of the reasons I like to hunt smaller public parcels is that the lack of pressure lures mature deer of both sexes , most hunters pass them by because they either don't know they exist or figure that such a small parcel couldn't hold large deer . The largest buck I've ever seen was just inside the tree line of a small public , he had bedded for the day and I nearly stepped on him before he bolted . A buddy of mine specializes in creek bottoms running through open farm fields , and he has more than a few wallhangers to show for it . Try changing your tactics and I think you'll start seeing the bigger bucks you crave , they won't be behind every bush , but you'll find that Indiana does in fact have booners if you look a little harder .

[9piont]

kevin1,
I must now say that I have been a little wrong in my view of IN.
I still don't agree with the long gun season.
But I have been seeing bigger deer lately. I saw 5 buck together on Fri. that would all make P&Y and I got a picture of my lagest buck so far on camera. I still am not seeing them like I would in Ohio but there are some here.
I hunt on land that I bought when I moved from Ohio to In. last Nov.
I am trying to do everything I can to help the deer. I have put in 1 food plot and am going to start working on more.

[kevin1]

Go deeper and you'll find them 9piont , it's the dinks that hang out near the edges , the big boys are farther back . I've seen bucks in the Hoosier Natl. down here that were almost scary , and of all the trips I've made there I've never seen another hunter or even signs that any have been there . Just $4 a day to hunt there and only fishermen in sight . Public land gets a bad but undeserved rap sometimes , none of the publics I've hunted had much if any pressure . Another thing to remember is the difference in game management styles between ODNR and IDNR , IDNR doesn't try to manage for trophy deer , so you have to hunt a bit smarter here . Invest in a deer cart and start doing some topo map scouting , you'll soon find where the booners you seek are and how to get to them .

[Monster Bucks only]

If I can jump in here and make a quick observation and opinion - ..... the best post on here was the first one made by 9point. He hit the nail on the head. Lets consider 2 states here, Indiana and Missouri. Indiana is between 2 great whitetail states- Illinois and Ohio. Missouri is surrounded by Illinois, Iowa and Kansas which are probably the top3 states for big whitetails. Why then are Indiana and Missouri not able to match the buck quality of their neighbors?????? Look at the firearms season of Indiana and Missouri compared to the others. They simply have too many days of gun hunting during November.It is that simple. The dumbest deer in the woods is a yearling buck and during November he is walking around like a horny 19 year old kid with his head in the clouds. They basically commit suicide by walking into hunters, many of whom would not kill a buck if the season were in Decemberwhen these youngsters will bespending more time bedded than walking around.

I hope I didnt offend anyone but that is the truth.Indiana and Missouri both produce some great bucks but not near as many as they could by changing the timing of their gun seasons a little. I also realize the politics involved with getting these changes made and how tough it is. I guess that is why I share my East Central Illinois woods with so many Hoosier hunters. (and Illinois DNR is probably worse than Indianas!) Good luck to all this season.

[portable ladder]

Ilike the one buck rule, we as hoosier hunters need to increase the doe harvest plain and simple. If you are a meat hunter, shoot a doe, there are plenty of them! Let the young bucks walk, unless it is your first buck or a child's first buck, etc..... please, just shoot plenty of does and the bucks that are 2.5 years old or bigger, what is wrong with those rules?

We have size limits on Largemouth Bass on many public lakes, right?

What would help the most, has already been said, Shorten the gun season to 9 days and move it to theSaturday following Thanksgiving.