http://www.startribune.com/outdoors/story/1554300.html

Check this out.

Mods: Move if you find it's Necessary...

I believe in deer management but my rules are 6 points or over for bucks and a couple of does a year.

This is an excellent article. I'm one of the guilty ones (I shot a button buck and a six point this year). I plan on letting the smaller ones walk from now on and shooting does for meat. The hard part is getting the neighbors to first stop poaching ever 4 pt they see.

AMEN!

I know EXACTLY what your saying.

Here in MN there are two problems:
1. Rifle Hunting during peak rut
2. I'd say, maybe not a majority, but danged close to rifle hunters only hunt the two or three weekENDS, and just want to shoot anything and everything.

I had the same problem with the neighbors. This year, about .25 miles down the road 5 1.5 and younger bucks were killed. It really made me mad. I went 2 miles both ways and talked to all of the land owners, ALL of them say they are going to try and do the "8pt or bigger" thing from now on. All I need now is for them to commit, and actually do it. Lets see if the handshake did anything to help the management in my area.

Reread your post, you admit to the same things you berate yor neighbors for. So from this day forward all that don't follow your lead are loosers?
No one here wrote your very post last year did they? Becareful what you ask for. In your own words you are the very problem that you strive to solve.

I've been thinking about trying to do this exact thing with my neighboring land owners. I'm afraid it's going to be tough though...there are a lot of small acreage owners in my area.

Here's a quick story:

My folks have around 150 acres. We've put in food plots and made the security cover better. Our rule is, if you shoot a buck, you mount it. Thedeer numbers and quality of the deer have skyrocketed. The neighboring landowner comes in duringrifle season only. He approached us this year and said, "You know, all the deer are here because you guys have done all this work. What are you all going to shoot this year?" We told him if he wants to kill a deer, shoot a doe or a buck that your going to mount. He says, "GREAT!". Low and behold, he shoots this beautiful 1-1/2 year oldnine point that I had under my stand bowhunting earlier this year. In fact, a buddy of mine was filming me at the time and we have awesome footage of him. We ask him if he's going to mount it, "No, I don't even want it. I'm going to donate it to the 'share the harvest'. He's probably as big as he's going to get anyway."WHAT!?! SHOOT A DOE DUDE!!![:@] He would have been 160" deer in a few more years. It's sad.

Moral of the story...Even if you get agreement from your neighbors, it doesn't mean they will follow up on it at the moment of truth.

Agreed, but you have to start somewhere...

Love the idea. Seems unbelievable that they were able to get so many people on board. They should be commended for their efforts.

Yea getting neighbors to cooperate is hard. We have a neighbor who has talked about shooting deer while sitting on his porch of his house on his property, while the deer are in a field on our property. Again, its sad. Fortuneately, we have a good relationship with one of the largest landowners in the immediate area.