Angry Beaver,
If you feel bad about shooting a doe then maybe the sticker, and therefore antlers, shouldn't be so important.

If the herd is too large, they have to increase doe harvest. If hunters won't do it voluntarily, and if unlimited anterless tags doesn't persuade them to do it (aka Herd Control), then Earn-a-Buck is the logical next step.

As far as shooting a fawn doe--you needed to either decide that it was an acceptable harvest that you'd be glad to have and take it OR pass it up and wait for a mature doe. You probably got some really good eating off that one. Deer hunting is about far more than antlers!

I understand the frustration of being in the woods knowing that you can't take a buck should the opportunity present itself but at the same time, you need to set standards for yourself and then live them out. It's an important life skill that is not limited to hunting.

I live and hunt in WI, and I'm totally against EAB. It promotes just the sort of stupid stuff that started this thread. It is harder to kill a doe than a buck, and it's demoralizing to have a regulation like that, makes me not want to hunt that unit.

Every single unit in WI is overpopulated, and deer hunting is totally overregulated. The dnr thinks they can "manage" the harvest, and control how many deer are killed per "management unit", what a bunch of hooey!

They should just open it up statewide, 10/1 - 12/31, any weapon, unlimited doe, free tags, but only one buck per hunter, minimum 4 points on one side.

The dnr stinks, and is using deer hunting as a cash cow. There are over a million licensed deer hunters, at $24 a pop, I don't think we're getting our $24 million worth of management and enforcement. Don't get me started on pheasants, turkey or fishing.

Ahhh...............I am so glad we don't have that "earn a buck" here.

Keep arguing, I'm enjoying it.

Be happy indeed bigjim, I've seen honest fathers re-register does for their sons to get them thatsticker, I've seen guys that wouldn't take marginal shots on bucks wing lead all over the woods to try to bring down a doe. I can't explain the importance of having that sticker without sounding like some sort of antler hungary trophy hunter. My grandfather used to hunt with a single barrel shotgun andkept his shell in his pocket and each passing season was a success. He gave up hunting shortly after EAB because the dream died for him. He couldn't shoot the doe and was too proud to let someone shoot one for him. Sitting in a stand hoping to shoot the big one with the odds totally against youis one thing, sitting in a stand knowing you can't is another. It's not about antlers, it's about heritage and the hunt.

Most of the arguments on EAB (at the DNR winter meetings...especially) involved hunters that didn't bowhunt and their inability to get that buck sticker prior to gun opener. I'd never tell another guy what to do in the woods, but if everyone in those areas dropped does left and right for a year or two, they'd see the EAB status change. The problem most guys have with that is when you see pressured does during gun season, alot of times they're followed up by a trailing buck, and no one wants to tarnish their spot with all that shooting, gut piles, etc. Of course, there's the conspiracy theory that the big insurance companies are paying off the state to get the numbers down and that there really isn't that many deer in WI. There are areas the DNR says carry more deer than ever before and the guys that hunt those same areas have seen a quarter or less of the deer numbers they used to.

But that's a whole nother argument.

No, selfish people that think they're above the rules promote the sort of stupid stuff that generated this thread. It doesn't matter what the rules are, there will always be people that disobey them.

Interestingly, I've run into more antlerless deer while hunting than bucks. Many more, in fact.

I think to the extent that hunters followed the rules laid down by the DNR, they would be able to regulate the herd size by unit with a reasonable degree of accuracy. But to the extent that people cheat by poaching, false registering, tagging for others, etc. the DNR is handicapped. It comes back again to the sorts of people that make up the hunting community and to the reality that people that shirk the law are the source of the problem.

I'm not an expert on the subject but it sounds like it might work. Or it might work too well. Have you suggested this at a DNR meeting or by letter? What response did you receive?

I can not see how it is harder to shoot a doe than a buck. I live in wi and can go to my land and shoot a doe any weekend i want, depending on weather. Does are a dime a dozen, they just go out mozy around and eat till their hearts content, this goes for earlings too. Me my buddy and his bro were all hunting the same hill top at my cabin opening weekend. this was bow, so we were all looking out for eachother, i was in a stand that was on the back top side of the knoll where i could see all 3 food plots. my buddy was to my left 300 yards and other guy was one the other side of the horse shoe shaped top. I could see them come up over the back side and tell them they were comming their way. I saw about 5 does my self 400 yards away. turns out that my buddys bro had seen about 5-6 nubbers and maybe a few other yearlings, apparently no momas were around. they each had buck tags from last year still, but the rules up at my land are mature does, 160+ class and no nubbers, you shoot a nubber, better luck next year, im not letting you back. His bro ended up shooting a nubber so he is not going back up. But back to the does harder than bucks. Bucks jsut figure out the way of the woods a lot quicker, that night a solid 8 pointer was walking towards him, and about 30 yards away, he moved and a board made a little noise, it popped up its head right there and was gone. on the other hand, i shot a 3 1/2 yr doe out of that stand the night before. it had 2 fawns with it, i was able to stand up and get ready for a shot while they were 5 yards under my stand. Does are a lot stupier than bucks from my expirences.

I'm not so sure about does being stupider than bucks. Their instincts are to protect themselves and their young. Heck during the rut the bucks are waaaayyy stupider than the does!

ok, so for 2-3 weeks out of the year, bucks just get a little careless, you cant bring young ones into this because they are getting rid of them by now and are on their own...does are watching for bucks and not for you in the trees...