Shot button buck as a guest
 

I joined a friend for a hunt on his lease in Ga, where their county and lease rule requires 4 on one side and they have 2 buck tags for the season. Ga also went to 10 doe per year given the high number and desire to reduce them. I ended up shooting what i thought was a doe but turned out to be a 95 lb button buck. As a new hunter, I did not realize the importance of making sure it was not a button. My friend reluctantly admitted he was supposed to share an article with me that discussed the differences between a doe and BB, etc., but he forgot.

I really felt terrible, particularly when he told me he would need to burn one of his two buck tags. Later, i did some reading and found Ga regs count BB's as "antlerless deer" which would seem to preserve his buck tag. Anyone else deal with this? In my state, BB's are 60 lbs, so when i saw what turned out to be a 95 lb deer, i never considered it being anything other than a doe.

RE: Shot button buck as a guest
 

If thats what the regs say, he shouldn't have to use a buck tag. Here in SC, it would have to be tagged as a doe, unless it was a doe day, then it wouldn't need a tag at all. It would be considered the same as a doe.

RE: Shot button buck as a guest
 

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote<font size=1 face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>Later, i did some reading and found Ga regs count BB's as &quot;antlerless deer&quot; which would seem to preserve his buck tag. <hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' size=2 id=quote>i live and do most of my hunting in Ohio and an &quot;antlerless deer&quot; here is anything w/spikes of less than 3&quot;. but you admit yourself that the lease rules requires 4 on one side. lease rules are created to manage a herd. you shot a buck so it needs to be tagged as a buck.

RE: Shot button buck as a guest
 

actually I believe a buck in Ohio requires antlers of atleast 5 inchs...not 3

as far as the Ga. STATE rules go...your deer is a 'doe'

the rules of the CLUB may be entirely different tho and those are probly the ones that require your friend to use a buck tag....which for the good of the lease will limit the number of bucks taken per year. Even though it was only a button buck it is still one less male deer one the lease.

if thats the case it still doesnt really make sense becuz he could still tag the deer as a doe but have it count as a buck toward what hes allowed on the lease

** I almost got him but I refuse to take a marginal shot **

RE: Shot button buck as a guest
 

Here an anterless animal is deemed to be a doe or yearling (fawn). Button bucks would fall into the antlerless catagory...since no antler growth is visible. we use to have the a spike was anterless if equal to or shorter than the ear...but it caused to many problems.

In your case clearly it was considered a anterless tag. I think the DNR or State regs. should change the name of these tags to &quot;anterless&quot; not &quot;doe&quot;. Since it will negate confusion and times it is hard to tell BB's from their sisters or small moms.

RE: Shot button buck as a guest
 

the question is not whether he killed an atlerless deer....he obviously did...the question is, did the lease allow him to take the deer in the first place...and the answer is no...and the price to pay is burning a buck tag. pretty simple.

RE: Shot button buck as a guest
 

Tealboy, as Knobby stated, the rules of the club may apply here, what does the ARTICLE state that your friend was suppose to have read to you say? This is why clubs have rules. The articles of the club will apply. He is equally to share in the blame. Don't be so hard on yourself, the other day I was watching a spike around my stand and after about 10 minutes it had looked directly straight in my direction and it was actually a 3x3 that I estimated to be a 1 1/2 year old yearly buck(good future trophy stock). They say the first to go is the ole eyes, <img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle> Later, and good luck, I think maybe you learned a very valuable lesson and that is, before you pull that trigger, you better damn well idenify your target correctly, Bobby <img src=icon_smile_shock.gif border=0 align=middle>

RE: Shot button buck as a guest
 

I am assuming your friend had to burn a buck tag from the lease, cause I am sure you weren't hunting without a license were you? So the tag was issues by the club, and you are his guest, so he had to use his club tag. Right?

Let this be a lesson. Some clubs you mess up like that and are asked not to return. Plus it makes your friend look bad. In that situation, its better to let one walk than to mess up.

But it happens, and if you didn't feel bad about it, then you should worry.

--Jim

RE: Shot button buck as a guest
 

Its a doe, plain and simple. State regs would over ride any club rules, besides, you would look pretty simple checking in a button as an antlered deer. The club can have punishment for not following its rules tho

RE: Shot button buck as a guest
 

Yes, I purchased my licence for $133, despite the member telling me it was not necessary.

I am not convinced the club will require the member burn the buck tag, though it might. Unfortunately, with the pressure to take a high number of does, this type of thing is going to happen more often in the future, at least in Ga where the doe limit is now 10. In fact, the day before, one of the members shot a 60 lb &quot;doe' that in hindsight, was most likely a BB (based on head shape). However, it could not be determined for sure given the young age so it was listed as a doe. In my case, the deer was 95 lbs which is large for Florida does. The 60 lb deer, which was close enough for the member to make a headshot, was so small that i would not have shot it.

In the end, I have learned a valuable lesson, in fact two. One, I now know how careful you must be when looking at antlerless deer and two, I realize the importance of spending time with guests on my lease to make sure they understand the importance themselves. I think it can be easy for experienced hunters to take for granted, certain basic rules but less experienced hunters need to &quot;learn and be reminded&quot;. Of course, I am not shifting the blame by making the above comments, but sharing my experience and the lessons learned.

Regards.