I know I don't spend much time in this forum, but I have noticed that more Va hunters spend time here.
THE IDEA

As you know, Va gives hunters 3 buck tags each year (East of the Blue Ridge PKW). I think it would be a great idea if we only got 1 buck tag per year. The state could really start producing some big deer, I think. Who is with me on this?

sorry bud, but I like my 3 buck tags!!!

I see your idea but its not the amount of tags thats a problem, its other things.

If you want to grow big bucks in this state, a state with a large population, we need to put in antler restrictions. The same kind PA put in and the same as Shennadoah County put in. You watch Shennadoah is going to blow up with monsters in the next year or two. Also, i do beleive the Earn a buck is going to show some benefits in the counties that have it, (fairfax, loudoun, prince william, franklin, roanoke, bedford).

Another thing, which i could agree to but i truley wouldnt want to see it is what they do in many midwest states, is get rid of rifle hunting, shotgun and muzzleloader, and bow only.

Yeah, 1 buck -it ain't gonna happen. There are too many deer as it is. I like having multiple tags too, however I have rarely used them. Its nice to know that if you got a buck during early bow...you can still hunt. I can't imagine having to sit out the rest of the season because I tagged out early. I would like to see them trim it back to 2 per year though. Heck, not that long ago....you could kill 1 buck per day, if you had the tags (and the tags cost $12 for a buck AND doe tag). I know guys that shot every buck that came by and bragged about how many they got.

I hunt some in Shenandoah county, I like the ARs. I also like the earn a buck they put in some areas. The good thing they did was make it so you can take a buck first, then have to shoot a doe before you can get another, vs having to take a doe first. In Frederick where I live....we have the long season now the past few years, buck or doe every day. I don't like that either, but it is what it is. I wish they would do ARs and earn a buck....that would at least help get the pop down some.

Crenshaw, where are you at?

I live in Fairfax.

No way. Have you ever noticed how about 30 percent of all hunters do the majority of the killing of deer? You eliminate the efficient killers after they kill only one buck and our deer population would sky rocket. In VA, we have big bucks, you just have to get out there and find them.

I disagree, big deer dont come from state laws, they come from huntings participating in QDM, killing less bucks however might make people wait for a bigger one, but I doubt it. Antler restrictions? Unless it was 4 pts to a side then maybe, but then you'd see alot of young bucks w/ good genetics killed. You have to figure out a way for the hunters to not shoot little bucks by choice...

I think the only thing VA could to to help the deer would be make dog hunting illegal.

Well that is kinda debateable.

I think that would help the deer HUNTING from a bowhunter standpoint to not have hounds hit the woods... but from a deer management standpoint, I think it would honestly be a step in the wrong direction.

Think about the counties in SE VA that are nothing but cutovers, swamps and big bean fields.... there is a tremendous carrying capacity for deer there, and the economy of those counties (especially southampton now that the state farm is closing up) relies on the success and yeilds of crops so much that not killing back the deer herd substantially every year would end up in a lot of deer being taken on crop damage tags, rather than during the hunting season by paying, licensed hunters. DMAP and DCAP, which have been extremely successful, have played a key role in the elimination of a lot of summer time deer culling and opened up a lot of new opportunities for hunters to take antlerless deer.

As some of the others have said.... there are a lot of tremendous bucks in VA.... but a lot of the issue is that there is so much good food/forage and good cover that they are extremely difficult to hunt.

K guys, my idea was just that if we limit people to one buck tag (like many other states) then we could produce bigger deer. I guess I am the only one on this.

Swamp-
I see your point, but what peeves me the most is dogs dont obey no trespassing signs. The guys pull up in their trucks on one side of our property, let the dogs out, then drive to the other side and wait while the dogs run all the deer off our land, it happens every saturday. I HATE IT. How many hours and thousands of dollars we've put into our land to improve the deer habitat for that?

People dont need dogs to kill a lot of deer... they need to hunt to kill a lot of deer.