coolbrze0

Since the new antler restriction law was put in effect a few years ago, have you all noticed bigger bucks? Down in VA, everyone' s mentions that they would hate a law like that, but to be honest, I think it is an excellent tool for QDM. BTW - when was the PA law enacted?

Martin Cougar

Last year was the 1st year for antler restrictions. Most of the western counties (about 10) needed 4 pts to a side and the rest of the state was 3 pts to a side. Except for the counties that are located around highly populated such as Pittsburgh, Philly.

This year will be the 1st season where some of the younger bucks were able to survive. I haven' t noticed any real change in my time spent scouting this year but I really think that it will take another year or so to notice any big changes.

BarnesX.308

We don' t have enough hunters on our property to make any difference. I' d love to know how it' s working out on some of the more heavily hunted public land, though. We saw 13 big bucks before the season and I know none of them were shot. We know everyone who hunts on our land and very few of the big bucks that we see preseason are ever shot. There must be some old monsters around on our mountain - we just have to find them. On another note: many of the hunters that hunt our land refuse to shoot a doe.

Scott Meier
White Oak Lodge

Jason N

I' ve noticed a more balanced hered in my scouting this year. The bucks I' ve seen are bigger too. I dont' know if AR is all that' s making a difference. Herd Reduction is playing a big role too. In about 3 more years I think we' ll have a good basis to judge AR and HR...until then we can only do what the PGC wants us to and see what happens.

Jason N

It' s sad that so many people still feel that shooting a doe is wrong for whatever reason. These type of people are the reason we have an imbalanced herd and small bucks in this state. Taking a mature doe is much better than shooting a 1.5yo spike buck that hasn' t even had time to reach full body size let alone show his antlers potential.

wimp

Yes I have seen a lot more bigger bucks this year. I hunt private, but heavy hunted land. The doe reduction hasn' t shown many affects, but I am seeing more nicer bucks, and the sad part is that there were 2 others shot right in my area illegally, or it could be better. (1 of which was caught)


Jason,
Yea that is so true and I run into those types all too often. My dad bugs me a little in his thinking, he' ll shoot the does, so he' s not hurting for meat by any means, yet he will still shoot the 1st legal buck by him, just to get a buck. I' ve gone round and round trying to persuade him.

BarnesX.308

One guy told me he wouldn' t shoot a doe because it was like killing 3 deer at once. Another fellow told me that, if you kill a lot of does, the bucks will spend all their time running around, fighting and beating themselves up instead of breeding. I' ve been an avid doe hunter since 1981.

Scott Meier
White Oak Lodge

snipehunter

i don`t really know if this experiment will work or not i was told that the size of a deers rack depens on what it has to eat and not his age i think it is just a way the state is tring to make a buck (no pun intened) but last year if you shot a spike to say you could take it to the game warden pay 25.00 and get another tag about the bonus tags they say if you keep the doe population down there will be a better heard. just my .02

JimPic

snipehunter,food does have something to do with rack-size, but age and genetics are also big factors.Also,I don' t know if you' re from PA or not but if so,you should bone up on the rules and reg' s.If someone took a spike to a warden and said he thought it was a 3 or 4pt to a side-I guarantee he would' ve been fined the maximum $500(quite a few people got the max).If the warden did deem it to be an honest mistake,he would have gotten a $25 fine and could take the meat,less rack.No tags were given out for mistake kills.

BarnesX.308

I got lucky. The first deer I saw on opening morning was an 8-pointer. Good thing, too. I think my toes were getting frost bite. It was 2 degrees on opening morning where I was.

Scott Meier
White Oak Lodge