One Buck Rule

[Horn]

That sucks, in west TN right now it is basically open season on all deer because of CWD.

There is hope , I think on CWD. We had extra hunts to lower the deer population in my county just a few years ago due to CWD and I don't hear much about it now. They lifted the restrictions for this year in those counties, but from the little bit I heard ( just started hunting this year) it seemed somewhat popular. Guys like big bucks. It's all food to me, I'll shoot does

 

[thedutchtouch]

Indifferent, my state doesn't have this rule. Hopefully states that do base it on deer population numbers and not nimby complaint numbers

 

[PEEJAY]

Good point, but is this more of a classification issue instead of a restriction issue? Because if I harvested a spike, it is considered a doe. The proposed 'restriction' would only protect protect 1 year old, as I understand at 2 years old most get small 6pts.

No you need to read the rule i posted. A spike buck with at least one of those spikes over 3" (which is most spike bucks) is an antlered deer dude. You can harvest ONE deer like that. You are allowed one deer per year that does not meet the restrictions. The rule you are interpreting is mostly for a button buck counting as an "antlerless deer". or a really small spike buck and his ears were hiding em.

 

[ricky racer]

I personally like the way that Michigan does it. With the Combo license we can take two bucks although one of the bucks has to have a minimum number of points on one side. The number of points varies from management unit to management unit depending on deer numbers. Some units may have a restriction on both bucks.

With this system, I can take a buck and still continue to hunt. If I could only take one buck, I'd rarely shoot anything knowing it would end my season, which in my view is a high price to pay for killing a buck. I love the hunt as much or more the actually taking of a deer.

 

[PEEJAY]

Indifferent, my state doesn't have this rule. Hopefully states that do base it on deer population numbers and not nimby complaint numbers

...lol

We do have restrictions! You and creed are poachin all our spike bucks lol

 

[HuumanCreed]

Hm....ok well now I'm

No you need to read the rule i posted. A spike buck with at least one of those spikes over 3" (which is most spike bucks) is an antlered deer dude. You can harvest ONE deer like that. You are allowed one deer per year that does not meet the restrictions. The rule you are interpreting is mostly for a button buck counting as an "antlerless deer". or a really small spike buck and his ears were hiding em.

Yup. reading it now, I've been schooled. The wording and the picture example threw me off. Glad to know my lack of success stop me from breaking the laws. Phew....

 

[PEEJAY]

...lol

We do have restrictions! You and creed are poachin all our spike bucks lol

sorry your talkin about the one buck rule! im done haha

 

[PEEJAY]

Hm....ok well now I'm


Yup. reading it now, I've been schooled. The wording and the picture example threw me off. Glad to know my lack of success stop me from breaking the laws. Phew....

THe picture is there to confuse you. the whole book is. you have to be a philosopher to read it correctly

 

[Anobody]

Yes agree 100%. Makes people more selective and lets deer grow up. Plus is aids in pressure reduction keeping stress off the herd

 

[HuumanCreed]

sorry your talkin about the one buck rule! im done haha

Ok you squirreled me away from the point I was trying to make. I was just asking, how would this restriction work unless you clearly state that anything with 1-5 pts are still consider bucks and are classified as protected. Because Maryland does not do male/female, but antler/antlerless as the criteria.

"An antlerless white-tailed deer is a female deer or a male deer with no antlers or spike antlers less than three inches in length, measuring from the top of the skull as the deer is in life."

Hm.....honestly, I don't personally know how I feel about this. I would be proud of a 4 pts at this point, so maybe a mulligan for the first buck and restriction on any afterward make more sense. But one buck....I dont know....

 

[NMSbowhunter]

We have antler restrictions and I think it has helped. The rule is a buck has to be 10 inch inside spread and 13 inch main beam for most of the state and 13 inch inside spread and 15 inch mainbeam for the delta area. For youth, they can shoot anything they like, and that is cool. We get 3 bucks a year, and two have to fit the antler restrictions, but one can be smaller...guessing they added that last year due to CWD. I'm kind of torn since I don't personally see anything wrong with someone who is older and hasn't shot a buck taking any antlered deer they are happy with, and that third buck covers that.

I would support the idea of no modern firearms during the rut. That would have the biggest net positive on bucks making it into the 3+ year category, not that the DNR has ever asked us what we want, lol.

 

[LtMoe66]

I wish IL would split the difference, 1 buck with archery and 1 with firearm

Missouri has the 2 buck limit. That’s all seasons combined. With only 1 buck being able to be taken during archery season before gun season.

 

[PEEJAY]

Ok you squirreled me away from the point I was trying to make. I was just asking, how would this restriction work unless you clearly state that anything with 1-5 pts are still consider bucks and are classified as protected. Because Maryland does not do male/female, but antler/antlerless as the criteria.

"An antlerless white-tailed deer is a female deer or a male deer with no antlers or spike antlers less than three inches in length, measuring from the top of the skull as the deer is in life."

Hm.....honestly, I don't personally know how I feel about this. I would be proud of a 4 pts at this point, so maybe a mulligan for the first buck and restriction on any afterward make more sense. But one buck....I dont know....

I was talkin to Dutch in that post.

from what i understand, Maryland doesnt do the male/female criteria because....females can have antlers too! just like "bearded turkeys" here. Very progressive DNR in a very progressive state lol.

 

[thedutchtouch]

...lol

We do have restrictions! You and creed are poachin all our spike bucks lol

well yes, we have restrictions, but not specifically just one buck. we have antler restrictions, but we can still shoot 3 mature bucks, or a spike and two mature bucks, tbut i was trying to be specific, the "one buck rule" doesn't exist here.

similarly to @HuumanCreed my newbie abilities have kept me from testing the limits of these rules thus far as well lol

 

[Jammintree]

"An antlerless white-tailed deer is a female deer or a male deer with no antlers or spike antlers less than three inches in length, measuring from the top of the skull as the deer is in life."

At least in my state a mature buck that’s already shed antlers is also classified as “antlerless”

 

[PEEJAY]

well yes, we have restrictions, but not specifically just one buck. we have antler restrictions, but we can still shoot 3 mature bucks, or a spike and two mature bucks, tbut i was trying to be specific, the "one buck rule" doesn't exist here.

yea i apologized like 2 posts down. i got a side chat goin with creed and forgot what the original question was haha. my bad

 

[thedutchtouch]

yea i apologized like 2 posts down. i got a side chat goin with creed and forgot what the original question was haha. my bad

all good i edited my last post to add that while i know the rules i cant quite find deer to make that knowledge useful lol. next year's the year. i said that last year.

 

[Nutterbuster]

I'm for it if it's a decision made by biologists to ensure long-term herd health.

I'm against it if it's pushed by loud voices who want bigger deer.

 

[woodsdog2]

I voted indifferent. I agree with @BTaylor said, it matters where its brought up. In NY you get a regular season buck tag and apply for DMP's. If you're a bowhunter you automatically get one Doe Tag and one "Either Sex" tag during BOW/ML. During the late season, you can convert you any of your unused tags and if you have an unused buck tag you can use that to shoot a buck in the late season or a doe. We have a lot of deer now though but we also have a lot of hunters but rather than remove the ability to get two bucks, they need to liberalize the antlerless harvest even more but I also agree with @Nutterbuster, it should be based on what the Big Game biologists are recommending not a political process. But I'll qualify that even more, as long as the Biologists are conservationists, see an active and/or useful role for hunting as an important means for conservation and are not anti gun/pro climate change etc. "Greenie Weenie's "if you will.

 

[raisins]

I voted in favor of the 1 buck rule because anything is better than the 3 bucks, no antler restriction that WV has. And it used to be 5 bucks, no restrictions....which is bananas.

One thing that might help is letting other hunters know that killing a young buck is probably the easiest kill there is. An older doe is much harder to fool (obviously). A young doe is harder to hunt because she will almost always be with a family group, so they have old does and multiple eyes and noses to fool. Also, a young doe doesn't go into the rut and start taking risks and moving a lot during the day.

A young buck that is in its first rut after being kicked out of the family by his mama is about the saddest and easiest to harvest creature on Earth. But folks would rather shoot a spike than a doe because of reasons.