Earn a Buck program in NJ- your story
 

I am curious to hear stories about troubles with the Earn-a-Buck program in NJ.

Let me first explain NJ...... in each season (Fall bow, permit bow, muzzle loader, shotgun, winter bow etc) you have to shoot a antlerless deer (doe or button buck) prior to being allowed to shoot a buck.

During fall bow, I took a button buck (thought is was a doe), followed up a week later by a 4 point buck with a heavy body. Not bad for a start.

As with NJ regulation, fall bow ended on a day determined by the government, and permit bow started the following day. With the new " season" , begins another earn-a-buck routine. Since the new season, I have not encountered a doe, but had shots at less then 10 yards at a 6 point, and a huge 8 point that would have been a wall hanger. Being the law abiding citizen, I passed on each of these deer. I hope I am rewarded for my law abiding patients soon with a quick kill on a doe, and then a good opportunity for a 10 point buck. We' ll see.

Bottom line is that the earn-a-buck for EACH season is a lousy plan. If I want to hunt during each season, I will be baiscally required to shoot more deer that I need, or particularly want.

Has earn-a-buck caused you to pass up any shooter bucks?????????????

RE: Earn a Buck program in NJ- your story
 

i always thought the extended season in new jersey was a scam and nothing but a money maker. you dont require say a trout fisherman to purchase a liscense for the whole year then 3 or 4 weeks later tell him he has to buy another one. its just ridiculous! we bow hunters in new jersey are being played as a bunch of dummies. anyway i have not encountered your situation but my hunting buddies have and i know it must hurt. hang in there youll be rewarded![8D]

RE: Earn a Buck program in NJ- your story
 

The NJ earn a buck is a joke. I have no problems getting a doe before a buck, but having to get 4 does (one for each season) is not very realistic. Most hunters don' t have that much frezer space. They should allow you to carry your doe kill from season to season. NJ fish and game is really the pits !!!!

RE: Earn a Buck program in NJ- your story
 

My Story???? I hate it! [:@] I can see having to take at least one doe but not two! I harvested my early doe the first day. I waited the entire season for what I consider a shooter. I passed up at least 10 different bucks (2 being decent 8' s) only to have to shoot another doe....[:' (]

It would be nice to be able to " Bank" a doe in the early season and be able to carry it over into the extended season. I hear rumors of Fish and Game relaxing EAB next year but I will not believe it until I see it.[X(]

RE: Earn a Buck program in NJ- your story
 

[X(]Earn of Buck stinks !

If the DFGW want us to kill 2 does each fall then they should just say so. Making us kill a doe before earning a seperate buck tag for the extended season is not fair to the serious hunter who is now concentrating on the rut. Let us kill 2 does in the early season and the second would be counted for the extended season doe so that we would earn our buck that way.
bmott

RE: Earn a Buck program in NJ- your story
 

Get close with your local Taxidermy/Butcher.

Have him give you a doe head / or pick up a road kill - and bring it on down to Mr. check station[:o]:)

N.Y is talking about the Earn a Buck - and sorry but I won' t be told that I have to shoot a deer I have absolutely ZERO desire to kill.

My NY doe tags can be transfered so I will transfer it onto any doe I come across. If I have to have them killed by a buddy or if I have to find them.

I will not be treated like a " tool" to kill deer for the car insurance companies and the rich shrub owners of Long Island. I hunt a very healthy and well balanced herd here.

Sorry, But the State will not force me to shoot what I do not want to shoot.

RE: Earn a Buck program in NJ- your story
 

We havesome Earn a buck zones here in Wisconsin, it started from the CWD problem, but it probably would have come to that anyway. We do not have to shoot a doe for each season however. I shot one with my bow, and now I have a tag for a buck. I can choose to use it with bow, rifle, muzzleloader etc. or if I don' t see a buck that I want to harvest, I can shoot another doe,or two, three etc. Each doe = 1 buck tag.
The main problems that I' ve seen are in my opinion 1. People not identifying their target ie button bucks, I almost drew on a button, but then happend to see the nubs. 2. People seeing a big buck, taking the shot, then trying to quickly fill their tag with a doe and not being able to. (you are allowed to register a buck and a doe at the same time, but the doe has to be shot first.) 3. Shooting an adult doe will (in some areas) make her fawns more succeptible to death due to predation, starvation, and car accidents. Therefore with each adult doe shot, you may be killing 1-2 other deer. 4. This is our second year with the earn a buck. Based soley on my observation, after one more season of this our deer population is going to drop lower than it has been in 30 years.
Your 1 per season rule seems to limit those hunters that pay more money for multiple licenses to shooting way more than is wanted or needed by the average hunter.

RE: Earn a Buck program in NJ- your story
 

The good news, is that my fiend that hunts the same private woods (only about 12 acres) I hunt just saw the same big 8 point tonight. Hopefully he' ll hang around until after I can kill another doe.

RE: Earn a Buck program in NJ- your story
 

Wow, I thought our earn a buck program in Wisconsin was bad, but I guess you have it much worse in New Jersey.
What I don' t like about our program is that some hunters will go a lifetime looking to tag a dandy buck. If this guy sees a dandy buck before a doe, he' s supposed to pass! I myself have many dandy whitetail bucks with a bow, but some people are still trying to get their first.
I think the law in Wisconsin should be at the end of the season you must have a doe tagged to go along with a buck tagged earlier in the season or you pay a fee(say like $75.) This allows the hunter to say shooting that huge buck is worth $75. if I don' t get my doe by the end of the season. If they were concerned this would not solve the population problem, they could take this money to reimburse people who shot more does and no buck.
Just my two cents
Dan

RE: Earn a Buck program in NJ- your story
 

im from ny but it should be one doe for all the seasons! that is the stupidest crazy thing ive heard! so if you didnt shoot the 4pter could you use that tag on those bigger bucks or just that season!