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-   -   Did ARs Really Produce bigger 2.5+ Buck? (https://www.huntingnet.com/forum/northeast/304745-did-ars-really-produce-bigger-2-5-buck.html)

bluebird2 09-24-2009 12:12 PM


Originally Posted by livbucks (Post 3452536)
We shoot more bucks, and they are bigger (racked) than what we used to shoot.
Can't get any more plain than that.
Sorry if this offends you. I don't claim to speak for everyone.


The fact that a small group of hunters are harvesting bigger buck than before ARs is not a big surprise. ARs prevent you from shooting the spikes and ys,so obviously the bucks you harvest will have larger racks. But, the question remains as to whether the average 2.5+ buck is larger or smaller than the average 2.5+ buck pre-ARs.

ManySpurs 09-24-2009 12:19 PM


Originally Posted by livbucks (Post 3452551)
2f .

Cool. I'm glad the program is working out for you. It's refreshing to hear that.:deer:I wish we all could say the same.:cry:

bluebird2 09-24-2009 12:20 PM

Here is what Alt said.


Of all the things that could improve our
deer breeding ecology and increase the size
of bucks in the herd, nothing would do it
as quickly and dramatically—and be ac-
cepted by hunters—as changing our ant-
ler restrictions.
This was the message that Dr. Gary
Alt, Pennsylvania Game Commission
Deer Management Section supervisor,
carried throughout the Commonwealth
prior to antler restrictions being placed
into effect for the 2002-03 license year.
“Our traditional antler restriction
before implementing the change in
2002 required bucks to have two or
more points on one antler, or a spike
three or more inches in length,” Alt
said. “By increasing the number of
points required to be legal, we will pro-
tect a significant percentage of younger
bucks by allowing them to live longer.
This should increase the number of
bucks living at least one more year and,
in the long term, hunters
will likely see more
and larger bucks than they
have ever seen before.

ManySpurs 09-24-2009 12:37 PM


This should increase the number of
bucks living at least one more year and,
in the long term, hunters
will likely see more
and larger bucks than they
have ever seen before.
"In the long term" he said. What did we harvest last year? 109K bucks was it?

DougE 09-24-2009 12:43 PM


Originally Posted by bluebird2 (Post 3452566)
No, you are the one that is lying, because it would be impossible to have, "Larger buck than ever seen before" if the size of the 2.5+ buck didn't increase due to ARs.
Alt did not just say hunters would see more big buck than ever before, he said those bucks would also be bigger than ever before.
That is a fact and the only way you can deny it is to lie.

For crying out loud.The man was claiming there would be more bigger bucks because AR would put moire into an older age class.He didn't say those being saved would be any bigger than the ones before AR.

bluebird2 09-24-2009 12:47 PM

We harvested 109,200 in 2007 and 122,000 in 2008. the interesting thing is the vast majority of that increase was due to the 10,000 additional 2.5+ buck that were harvested, rather than a large increase in 1.5 buck. Therefore, the harvest does not indicate the herd is increasing, it just shows that the 2007 was reduced due to the bad weather conditions the first two days.

livbucks 09-24-2009 12:52 PM


The fact that a small group of hunters are harvesting bigger buck than before ARs is not a big surprise.
Why are we in that group (most) every year? Why are you not in that group at least sometimes? I can't figure that one out because we hunt public owned lands.
It really isn't an exclusive club.
I will say that we almost always score on the second day, not the opener, since AR started. You figure THAT ONE out, because I can't. But I aint spending alot of time wondering either, if you get my drift.
At home in 2B has not really changed since AR. It's hit or miss on small woodlots. too much human activity that alters deer movement, so it's a crap shoot. Big bucks? you bet. but they are nocturnal in nature at home.

BTBowhunter 09-24-2009 01:05 PM

Here we go again with another classic Bluebird flimflam designed to confuse the issue.

I know of no one on this board who took ALts words (Ill chosen as the were) and interpereted iy to mean that ANY age class of bucks would get bigger be it 1.5, 2.5, 3.5, 4.5 or whatever.

NO CLAIM WAS EVER MADE that 2.5 bucks would get bigger within their age class. The claim was that the average age would get older and therefore the average antler size would increase, because the AVERAGE BUCK would be OLDER. That has happened.

BTBowhunter 09-24-2009 01:07 PM


Originally Posted by livbucks (Post 3452616)
Why are we in that group (most) every year? Why are you not in that group at least sometimes? I can't figure that one out because we hunt public owned lands.
It really isn't an exclusive club.
I will say that we almost always score on the second day, not the opener, since AR started. You figure THAT ONE out, because I can't. But I aint spending alot of time wondering either, if you get my drift.
At home in 2B has not really changed since AR. It's hit or miss on small woodlots. too much human activity that alters deer movement, so it's a crap shoot. Big bucks? you bet. but they are nocturnal in nature at home.


Thats the experience in my part of 2F as well Greg.

livbucks 09-24-2009 01:11 PM

As my Pappy says "the bucks are where you find 'em" LOL.


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