iashedhunter90

Iowa and I know alot of other states have implemented a Jan. antlerless season. Maybe I'm confused but I cant seem to understand the reasoning behind this.
Being addicted to shed hunting I spend many hours in the timber late season and I know that many bucks have dropped antlers by this time.If the DNR is trying to reduce the doe population it seems that an early season in Sept. or Oct. would make more sense.
I would like to know what percent of deer shot in this late season are bucks.

crokit

TOO MANY!

FlDeerman

They have it after the rut?What a dumb idea.Here in NW.Florida ours is during the week of Christmas and our rut starts inearly January.Some young bucks are taken but so are many does.One way you can tell a young buck is look at the back knee,if you see a brown or tan circle,don't shoot.It's the tarsal glands.

redline002

I agree. Not a very well thought out management plan. End results would wind up killing mature bucks.

Mottz

Alot of shed bucks do get shot during this time. I've heard the idea behind having this in Jan antlerlessis because of the deer population. This late in the year you're not taking out just 1 doe, your taking out the offspring also. So you end up taking out between 1 and 3 deer actually. Two years ago I participated in a late season and when I got a doe I found a suprise (well actually 2 tiny suprises) when I was gutting it. I no longer do late season hunts.

FlDeerman

Ouch,that would hurt.

BarnesX.308

In PA, we have a lot of doe hunting in the early season. There are a few reasons:

1 - Don't shoot shed bucks
2 - Don't shoot pregnant does
3 - Eliminate the does that would be shot in the late season prior to the rut so bucks don't waste time and energy courting & breeding a doe that will get shot later
4 - Eliminate does that would be shot later anyway before they can eat a lot of prime feed - leaving the surviving deer with better nutrition

rybohunter

My thoughts are that not enough people kill does early in the season. Many don't wnat to mess up thier chances at a buck or make up plenty of other reasons not to shoot does. Therefore they need to have later doe season to kill off what is needed each year. Yea some shed bucks may gets shot, but that's got to be statistically small.

crenshaw

Yeah its a big concern where i live. Our late antlerless season runs to the end of MARCH!!!

We also have an early season too. We got to many deer for the available land. Unfortnatley bucks do get shot, but my butcher told me not as many as you think, cause the only guys out there are die hard or there managing, and they tend to be a bit more thurough. But its inevidable that some are going to get shot. But around here we need more does taken out. We have EAB and early and late season to try and curb the population.

hossdaniels

In NC(central part), you can shoot does all year from sept to jan 1(end of season). IMO that is the best way to get rid of them. If you use up all your doe tags, you can get more for free. I've heard talk of next years season being only "deer" season from sept to jan. No special bow or blackpowder season at all.