GMMAT

Honestly, guys.....

Take ALL hunters out of the equation......and say no hunters were hunting deer in any state.

Where are most of the big bucks? There's no need to take this personally. I don't know if there was a motive behind this post or not (not my thread), but on the surface....it seems a bit irrefutable.

Germ

Well being they are not being hunted, Everywhere now(Note: Big is
relative to a state)

HuntingBry

I see your point, but I have seen some deer that are absolutely wired in areas that have relatively little pressure. I can't explain it, but it's true. Also, I live in suburbia and there are plenty of areas that can't be hunted and the deer will stand 25 yards away feeding and paying you no attention while you're out cutting the grass or washing the car. However, you step 1 foot inside the wood line and they're gone. That's instinct, and I don't believe deer lose that unless they're penned.

Wow, I feel real sorry for the does in your area giving birth to deer with 100" of antler. OUCH!

Todd1700

If you are a bowhunter that loves to hunt big bucks the fact that you live in Illinois should keep a #### eating grin on your face 24/7.

Pretty much.

No but they have supierior genetics compared to our southern deer and the place where wehave beenhunting was about 70 percent corn and soybeans and 30 percent hardwood timber which was loaded with huge acorns. Talk about a deer food paradise. I saw 2 year old bucks that were pushing 200 pounds and we killed does that weighed 150 lbs. A good mature buck in Alabama may only weight 170 lbs. Most of the 2 year old bucks already had racks bigger than the average 4 year old buck down here. Heck, we weren't even in the west central region that is so famous nation wide. Nor have we been hunting some outfitters heavily managed ranch. Just family farms in the southern half of the state. Supposedly where the big buck hunting is the worst in the state.

statjunk

It think the primary issue here isn't location. It is perception of large racked deer. When someone sees a large rack deer on a wall they think wow that must be a good hunter. There is however much less correlation than most would think. That is Atlas's argument. At least that's what I think.

I don't put deer on the wall and I don't keep racks, in all honesty I've only shot one deer that would have been worthy. I do keep pics however. If a rack hunter were to look at my pic collection they'd likely think I wasn't a good hunter. I have on two seperate occaisions chosen to take a doe over buck for the tenderness of the meat. Does taking fewer bucksmake me a bad hunter? This is a case of perception isn't reality.

For you guys that point out that Atlas should keep being happy to shoot the button buck. That is a bit immature. A button buck is a legitamite target. There is no reason in my book to be selective about a button buck vs a 1 year old doe etc... That is of course as long as you have a good balance of male to female deer to keep the population going.

Tom

Germ

Stat

Knowing where you hunt I would say you have great success I have 80 acers to hunt near Lake View for rest of my life now.

Well put!!

NEW61375

So true, good post Stat.

goos_blues

Of course Alabama's got inferior genetics, you've been able to shoot as many bucks you want the last 40 years. What do you think is going to happen. Now, if people weren't so selfish, that 3 buck limit would have taken place years ago, you probably wouldn't be complaining about little bucks than. Sounds like the DNR in that state should have got its act together. You should be mad at them, not the people who see big bucks.

Todd1700

I'm not mad at anybody. I hunt in Illinois and see big bucks so if I were mad I guess I would have to be pissed at myself.

Bag limits do not set the geneitics of a deer herd. Deer not being allowed to reachtheir full potentialcan be blamed on liberal bag limits but the genetics of our deer herd has been the same for thousands of years. Even the deer that reach 6 or 7 years of age down here pale in comparrison to a buck of equal age in most midwestern states. Heck they pale in comparrison to a 4 year old buck in most of those states.

First, I'm not complaining just stating facts. Second, I don't know anyone (myself included) that routinely kills more than 3 bucks a year down here anyway. Most Alabama land is privately owned or leased. And most private land owners or hunting club leases have long had self imposed rules about which size bucks could be taken and how many. That being the case I would not hold my breath waiting for the new 3 buck limit to transform Alabama into the next Iowa or Illinois if I were you.

MOTOWNHONKEY

I just started posting again about a week or so ago after being gone all summer..........you're 0 for 2. Better luck next time
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Any chance you can go back to what you were doing instead of being a constant pain in the a$$??