Just wondering everyone hunting in Indiana if ou think the one buck rule is helping the herd or not. I am not seeing as many does but I am seeing alot more 130 inch and larger bucks. I dont neccesarily like the new rule but I tink I can see the benefits already. Whats your opinion?

According to the DNR folks I've spoken with at NRC meetings the last few years it's only real effect has been to pacify the Great White Hunter wannabes such as the IDHA and IBA who forced it on us. They referred to it as a "social experiment", not a biological experiment. Here are a few inconvenient facts:

1)The OBR only affects the minority, while nothing has changed for the majority.

2)More bucks have been killed the last five years than in any five years in the history of Indiana deer hunting.

3)The single biggest increase in record book entries happened the first year of the OBR, those bucks had to have been alive prior to the OBR.

Basically, a small but vocal group of deer hunters who want a booner behind every bush pressured the DNR into adopting this silly and rather useless rule because they're too lazy to do what it takes to get a real trophy animal. If there were actually a booner for everyone they wouldn't be booners anymore, now would they? I live in one of the new reduction counties(Harrison), there are way too many does down here because the focus is now on bucks instead of herd management. Most of the guys I know who took their one buck during early archery spent the rest of the season hunting something else because in their eyes their season was over. Have I seen more bucks? Not really, and the ones I've seen were still the same 1-2.5 year old bucks I've always seen. All the OBR has actually done is shift the harvest more toward the gun season, more bucks are getting shot than ever before and the doe herd is still out of control. Deer management should always be handled by the folks who are schooled and paid for doing it, not a bunch of armchair quaterbacking bubbas.

Best thing that ever happened for Indiana deer hunting.
The results are not in for 2006!!
I guess you need to kill more mature does Kevin.

I'm doing my best Roger, but between limited time to hunt and late corn/bean picking my season got trashed.

With regard to the OBR having improved deer hunting let me close with this, the DNR has barely begun analyzing the data from the first two seasons, so there is no conclusive scientific evidence yet that it's done anything one way or the other. Once the data from all five seasons is in and they crunch the numbers I'm betting that the OBR supporters will be disappointed with the findings.

Like I said earlier I really dont like the new rule but I believe it helps the buck population somewhat. After I shoot my buckI quit deer hunting for the year shooting because shooting a doe just does not do it for me anymore. I dont mind taking one as a bonus while trying to fill my buck tag but I have a hard time sitting in the woods if I do not have the option to kill a buck. I hunt in Greene county on 70% public ground and 30% private ground and the does really get slaughtered here.

I wish Michigan would follow along.

I'm not a huge fan of the OBR.

Personally, I'd rather see antler restrictions.

no way on the antler restrictions, I would rather have the one buck rule and make deer drives illegal.

Why would you make Deer Drives illegal?

I am with you buckhunter I wish Illinois would go to a one buck rule.