Who is in favor of 4points on atleast one side minimum?
 

What does eveyone think about a law where you can only kill a buck with atleast four points on one side of his head?

HT

RE: Who is in favor of 4 points on at least one side minimum?
 

I think that we don't need more laws we all just need to practice more self control on what we harvest.
Not to start a fight but thats what is a matter with this country is to many meaningless laws.
This law would not do anything but get bigger racks & do nothing for deer herd management just look at PA.

RE: Who is in favor of 4 points on at least one side minimum?
 

I am mixed on this subject. I do like the 4 point on one side minimum and have been practicing it myself on our farm for several years now and we do see a big difference in the size of bucks as well as the number of them. Here in MO it was put into effect as a law in alot of counties last season and mine being on of them. The trend was more female deer were killed last year than in years past as a result. On a few other properties that I hunt where others also have permission I was finding some fine little six pointer that were shot and left or what you might call "ground checked". That so far has been one drawback. The other is this: I saw alot of very fine young eight pointers killed that I would have like to seen passed on because of their potential. I mean just because he's just an eight pointer doesn't mean that he will only be a mediocre buck. I've seen alot of 8's around here go 140's and even one killed on our place 3yrs ago by a friend of mine that scored 151 and this year we had one killed with a rifle scoring 147. I guess what I'm trying to say is that the rule is fine but if your doing it for buck management purposes you have to ask yourself if the 8 your shooting is mature or not or if you are taking out next years crop. I do think that we should give each person the ability to manage their property the way they see fit and not let the government dictate it. I mean one person might want big bucks and the other just wants the meat. I say to each his own. What I want to do on my property might not work for the next guy.

RE: Who is in favor of 4 points on at least one side minimum?
 

Well said it's called self control

RE: Who is in favor of 4 points on at least one side minimum?
 

Without having some self discipline laws mean nothing. Everytime a new law goes into the books it chips away at our freedoms in some form.

Often times a law is simply a knee jerk reaction to a situation that could be taken care of some other way. There are way to many of these type of laws now. For example, 80 % let off is illegal in some states. A Mepro pin on your sight is illegal in some states. Hunting on Sunday is illegal in some states. Mechanical heads are illegal in some states, and there are more but I think you can catch my drift.

It would seem evident that making a 4 point on one side rule would be an attempt to preserve the younger bucks. In many areas of the midwest a year and a half old deer already has four points on one side so the law is not effective in its endeavor.

RE: Who is in favor of 4 points on at least one side minimum?
 

It depends on the area you hunt but I would hate to see a young hunter not get a chance to kill his first deer simply because he had to pass up young bucks. That is not the kind of encouragement they need.

RE: Who is in favor of 4 points on at least one side minimum?
 

im with ya couger mag...
my worry is that, considering that hunter numbers are down, what if a rule like that made more hunters unsuccessful, and they quit hunting? can we afford that. i do wish more "seasoned" hunters would show more restraint. i cant believe some of the little deer people around here shoot. maybe if they did it in just a couple areas per state it would be fine?
could go either way on this one

RE: Who is in favor of 4points on atleast one side minimum?
 

I don't see any problem with point restrictions. I can practice all the self control I want but when the orange army mows down all the forks and sixes I let go, it is frustrating. I really don't know much about the subject. Really, I just want to see more quality deer. There is a lot of hunting pressure where I live in Minnesota and you just don't see a lot of quality deer. In the last year in my area between driving around, scouting, and hunting I saw one buck that was maybe 140 class. Where I hunt in Iowa, in 5 weekends of hunting/scouting I saw 2 deer that easily went 140 plus I saw more bucks of any size compared to here. Iowa does not have point restrictions and I don't think there would be much benefit if they had any restrictions. Where I live in Minnesota, though, I think point restrictions could really help the quality of the herd. Personally, point restrictions is something I would like to see in my area but I'm not going to get too fired up about it because I know there are a lot of hunters around here who would not be in favor of restrictions and I think they have just as much right to hunt as I do. I'll just spend more time in Iowa.

RE: Who is in favor of 4points on atleast one side minimum?
 

Nope, too strict.

Currently, MS has a 4 point or better rule. I would like to see that raise to 6, but too many old timers would be against it.

RE: Who is in favor of 4points on atleast one side minimum?
 

Again, I will stress educating hunters to NOT shooting yearling bucks at all. I realize in some states AR's may be the way to go, however I most certainly do NOT want those restrictions in MY area. That would allow folks to remove the most promosing animals from the herd. It is not uncommon to see the healthier yearlings carry nice little 4x4 or better antlers their very first season. Granted, I realize that even spikes can grow into incredible animals if given time, yet there is no denying that a buck that already sports a 8 point or better rack is going to be a dandy! Here's a great example of just such a buck on my property. He is a yearling with a 4x on the left and a 5 (4x with a small droptine) on the right. I would HATE to see this buck get shot instead of the spike or forkhorn he may be standing beside. It's all about educating folks to NOT kill a yearling buck.... period!