OK, I have one more thing on my mind. In the pa. hunting digest that we receive when buying a license it had an article titled ' consider letting that button buck pass' .

With an anterless deer tag and a deer that you could positively identify as a button buck well within archery range in front of you broadside would you let him pass because he was a button buck?

Do you honestly believe you can positively identify a button buck?

yes

Yep. I do it every season.

I let a spike and a small 6pt walk last season not to mention 3 buttonheads

It paid off though because i harvested a large 8 pt buck in the very same spot.

Yes.
Todays buttons can turn into tomorrows monsters.
Plus just think if all button bucks where shot how many mature bucks will you see in the future?

Absolutely! You have to let walk, they' re the big boys of the future. All world records were once buttons!

Definately!!!

Yes, in most cases you can tell. I let them walk. I' ve made a couple mistakes in 32 years, but both were at longer distances, 33 and 35 yards. That said, I think if you pinned down a biologist and ask him this question with regards to thinning an overly out of whack population he' d tell you shoot NUMBERS first and worry about selection when you get the herd numbers under control.

I recently was selected to be on a Whitetail Management Group here in Maryland. We will work in pockets where hunting has been limited or prohibited, parks, land that is to be cleared for development, neighborhoods where hunting has been prohibited etc. Any place there' s a population problem and someone wants help. We had a meeting last night. Our guidelines will be to shoot NUMBERS. It doesn' t matter what it is. If it comes by we' re to shoot until a level is attained. After that it will be more selective and " Herd Maintenance" . We will be working closely with State and County Governments, developers, land owners, companys, towns, Hunter and Farmers Feeding the Hungry etc. We offer guidance, suggestions and a method of tightly controlled population control.

All team members are qualified with the weapons they use(you have to pass quite strict proficiency shooting standards). All team personnel have to pass background checks, be Bowhunter and Firearms Hunter Safety Graduates, You have to be graduates of a firearms course to hunt with a gun in Maryland but the Bowhunter Education for regular hunters in Maryland is voluntary. The members of the Whitetail Management Group must complete both. Shooting proficiency, clean record with DNR and background checks must be done every year. We pay for a $2,000,000 liability insurance plan for the land owners and ourselves. We work in groups, NEVER alone.

We' ve received some very good, favorable news coverage lately. We are a Corporation whose Executive officers talk to groups, testify at hearings and do all the politicing. It should be good for all concerned and especially good in a state that has at times in the past been a little tough on the hunting community.

YES!

Yes let the button buck AND spike walk on by.[:-][hr]
You need that there davidmil. there are deer runnin through the streets. Deer everywhere! My buddy had a buck leap into his living room in the middle of the night, trashed his house then jumped back out the window he busted. Freaked him out! This happened in Gaithersburg, MD. Crazy!