Buck Or Doe?
 

Someone mentioned on a post why not go to a buck or doe instead of antlerd and antlerless deer.I think that is a good idea.
If Gary Alt wants to control how many buck or doe we have then call them what mother nature calls them either they are a buck or a doe.If the first deer you shoot is a button buck or has pts. 3in. or less you tag it as a buck.Then you won't be going out and shooting another buck by tagging it as a doe.
It would not solve all the problems because I understand the next deer you shoot could be a button buck and you would have to tag it as a doe but it would keep hunters who tagged the first one from going and shooting maybe an 8pt. and the total would be 2 bucks shot.It would make hunters decide do I want to be careful and wait for the 8pt. I thought that was what Gary Alt wanted in some counties next year.Some of the reason they say there are too many doe around is an adult doe with 2 fawns born at hunting time they are concidered 3 doe and tagged that way.When actually according to mother nature it could even be one adult doe,one doe fawn, and one buck fawn.Or even,one adult doe,and 2 buck fawns.Unless they make it to another year the fawns are all concidered doe's shot tagged and logged that way in the PGC figures.We are losing alot of future bucks this way by shooting button bucks.

RE: Buck Or Doe?
 

I'm basically in agreement with Alts plans but I haven't seen him take any stabs at this issue. That's more than a bit dissappointing.

RE: Buck Or Doe?
 

Buckhunter3, that's not actually all that bad of an idea. It would certainly make more reckless shooters identify their targets. The downfall is all the slobs that would let a button lay because they wouldn't want to forfiet the buck tag at their gross neglegence. It all comes down to personal respondsibility to the shooter. Identify a doe is a doe before the lead is slung.

RE: Buck Or Doe?
 

What ever it takes to protect a button buck,Im for.Makes no sense at all to launch a management program with the thought of increasing the buck heard then blast all the button buck in a liberal doe season.I got my problem solved for next year.Im going with Alt Hunting on his private club.

RE: Buck Or Doe?
 

I see some good points brought out.I think your right Rob/Pa it would depend on the honesty of Pa hunters.What would make it worse is they may do it more then once waiting for the 8pt or better good point.
I just agree like cardeer, at sometime even Alt is going to have protect the button bucks
when all the legal bucks get shot these bucks born now are your future big bucks sooner or later.I Know the buck to doe ratio here is out of hand but I thought if even a button buck gets shot and is tagged as a buck and not a doe we might get a better figure on how many buck and doe there are.
That is really all I am after a true figure.
I wish they would put on our tags a place for button bucks or 3in.or less and even if tagged with a doe tag it could be recorded as a buck.

RE: Buck Or Doe?
 

Lochorns.I am glad you wrote back.I hope you don't think I was stealing your Idea I just remember seeing it and thought it was a good Idea.Now that you mentioned they do it in texas, I hear their buck to doe ratio is unbelieveable.It must be working some how.

RE: Buck Or Doe?
 

BH3 you weren't stealing an idea, protecting buttons has been a subject here that has had almost 100% approval for several months. It sounds like Texas is on the right track.

RE: Buck Or Doe?
 

Slobs and the honesty of the PA hunter.
THAT is the toughest challenge that deer management faces in this state.
You can make all the regs and rules you want but if people don't follow them, you could never understand and know if they work or not.

RE: Buck Or Doe?
 

Wimp has got a good point...how? I'm all for protecting button bucks, but I don't think changing the name of the tags is the way to go.

If a hunter harvests his "buck" on the first day, and goies after his "doe" the following weekend... he shoots a button buck, now what? Is he a poacher? Is it illegal?

You all have discussed about slob hunter's not wanting to tag the button they thought was a doe(before they harvested a legal buck). What if the situation is different? What happens in this situation?

RE: Buck Or Doe?
 

If Texas has some policy to protect young bucks that has worked, maybe we could learn from them. Any Texans out there?