If antler restrictions work so well..........


Strut10

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Re: If antler restrictions work so well..........

I wish Va. would put some antler restrictions. 5 year ago we started shooting nothing but 16" and wider. We used to see 2-3 that size before we started managing. Now we are seeing from 10-15 bucks of this size. It works!

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Re: If antler restrictions work so well..........

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......why have there only been 2 typical bucks taken with a gun in Pennsylvania since AR began to break into the top 100 racks ever killed in the state?? confused.gif

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I'm sorry, but I think there is a post like this every month in here. Why does it keep coming up? I think by now the point is proven that antler restrictions aren't good in PA for some people and are good for others.

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Re: If antler restrictions work so well..........

[ QUOTE ]

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......why have there only been 2 typical bucks taken with a gun in Pennsylvania since AR began to break into the top 100 racks ever killed in the state?? confused.gif

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I'm sorry, but I think there is a post like this every month in here. Why does it keep coming up? I think by now the point is proven that antler restrictions aren't good in PA for some people and are good for others.

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Well said.

"Good for some people and bad for others."

But the main point of AR is that it lets younger deer live a bit longer to grow and maybe show potential. Or show they wont..

JMO

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Re: If antler restrictions work so well..........

Why this post came up is because some facts popped up. Cold, hard fact that flies in the face of all the arguments the PGC used to sell us their junk science.

The "good for some and not good for others" is an empty argument. Maybe one guy likes AR and another guy doesn't. That's fine. But science (which is what we were told this program was) is not run by consensus. It's run by facts.

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Re: If antler restrictions work so well..........

Like a few folks who don't like antler restrictions said...trophies are in the eyes of the beholder.

Now instead of folks shooting 1.5 year old 4 pointers...they are taking 2.5 and older 8 pointers. How many "typical" racks have been entered takin with a bow? How many nontypical racks total?

I don't think that Gary Alts plan was to grow world class bucks...just better quailty. I would rather shoot a 120" 8pt....than not even see an 8pt.

There are alot of pictures in local papers showing some real nice bucks in the past few years...just because they didn't make "books" don't mean they aren't better racks because of AR.

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Re: If antler restrictions work so well..........

How many have been shot and not registered? I know of quite a few deer that have been taken by friends and family here in Ohio that more than qualify for the Ohio Big Buck record book, but they aren't officially registered because it just isn't very important to the individual hunters.

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Guest psefirestormlite

Re: If antler restrictions work so well..........

It might just be me but I have seen some monster come out of pa the last couple years. Everybody that I have spoke with that hunts in pa loves the AR.

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Re: If antler restrictions work so well..........

I don't think there should be any ar's because their are people who just want the meat or a young hunter that a 4 pointer would be just as much as a trophy as a boone and crocket buck to someone else.deer are allready hard enough to get to come in close enough and to get a presentable shoy so when one does get close enough and present a shot then you shouldn't be held back on harvesting the animal just because the state thinks that it's not a shooter deer. I myself won't shoot a deer unless it is a trophy caliber deer or a mature deer with a crappy rack but not everyone feels this way and who am I or anyone to tell another hunter what they can and can't shoot.JMO

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Re: If antler restrictions work so well..........

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I don't think there should be any ar's because their are people who just want the meat or a young hunter that a 4 pointer would be just as much as a trophy as a boone and crocket buck to someone else.

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Those are both good points, but if someone just needs/wants the meat, they can always shoot a doe.

I also think they should have an age restriction on the AR, to allow younger hunters an opportunity to harvest whatever.

Just my opinion

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Re: If antler restrictions work so well..........

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I also think they should have an age restriction on the AR, to allow younger hunters an opportunity to harvest whatever.Just my opinion

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Pa. does have these exceptions in place for junior hunters--and senior hunters also(I think).They can take any antlered deer statewide.

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Re: If antler restrictions work so well..........

JMO...... but they do work.... but only in the right situation.... If you're going to have AR, you have to have restrictions indepth enough to protect your 1.5 old bucks.... many states have restrictions, but don't protect all of their 1.5 old bucks, here in Mississippi, there is a bill to modify our AR because of this, we're taking the better 1.5 bucks and letting the inferior ones walk, hopefully it will pass.... The flip side of this is that you still have many many meat hunters in the world....

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Re: If antler restrictions work so well..........

AR does work....and i had a local hunter by my camp (old timer) talk to me the other day about this past season. he was saying that there are no deer left and that the AR doesnt work...i want the meet but i really want to shoot a big buck (this is what he was saying)....i responded with..."what did you shoot this year?"

get this....he responds with "a button buck and a 5 pointer"

i almost fell over!!

some people will never learn

by the way...both of these animals were shot a full sprint from about 200 yards with a high powered rifle. he thought the 5 point was an 8...and the button buck was a doe. what an idiot!!

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Re: If antler restrictions work so well..........

You all need to subscribe to North American Whitetail. They did a study in Texas to prove that "once a spike, always a spike" saying is not true. They tagged several 1.5 spikes ,or what you all are calling inferior, and several 1.5 8 points. At 3.5 The majority of spikes were smaller than the 8 point bucks. But at 4.5 the majority of the spikes caught up with the bigger bucks. I think with age and the right food any buck can be grown into a monster buck. The only draw back that is happening in my area is that when you have big bucks it is harder for the average joe to find a good place to hunt. It is getting so crazy in our area that people are willing to pay 2500 dollars for 80 acres of hunting land. And believe it or not people are purchasing cliffs for 7000 an acre. Thats the worst draw back on AR's.

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Re: If antler restrictions work so well..........

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They did a study in Texas to prove that "once a spike, always a spike" saying is not true

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That saying is so old, I'm surprised it's still around and even more surprised if anyone believes it. They didn't have to waste money on a study to prove that. crazy.gif In very rare cases, there are genetic spikers, that will remain spikes, but it is rare indeed.

By inferior genetics, the guys here are talking about those bucks that (example) at 2-1/2 might be a 3x3 and at 4-1/2 they are still nothing more than a 3x3 and never will be anything more than a 3x3. You just don't shoot them at 2-1/2, but wait til they are older and thicker in the rack to be sure of what they are.

That's the only thing I don't like about AR. It allows those inferior bucks to keep breeding, but hey, ya gotta start somewhere. wink.gif

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Re: If antler restrictions work so well..........

Good point buckee. We had a 2.5 6 point on our hunting property this year that I tried to get culled out, but my brothers wouldn't shoot him. But the overall picture is good for Penn.. I wish Va. would move in the same direction. You wouldn't hear me complaining.

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Guest Huntin_Cop

Re: If antler restrictions work so well..........

I wouldn't have thought that; maybe it's just gonna take some time. I've been wanting KY to pass an antler resrction law. I'm fortunate enough to have access to close to 600 acres to hunt but hunters on the neighboring property shoot the first buck that walks out, most of which are immature, making it difficult to grow big bucks. I think AR would have a positve effect on the quality of the bucks on my land but this may vary from one region to another (such as yours). Hope it will improve for you this year.

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Re: If antler restrictions work so well..........

I do not believe in managing a deer herd for the size of antlers. I believe in managing it for the health of all deer.

Ohio has some monsters taken each year without having a restriction except that we are only allowed one antlered deer and it is considered te be antlered if the antler is at least 3".

I see some people wanting AR when they are allowed to take more than one antlered deer per year. Maybe you should only take 1 instead of more and see what happens to the size of racks then. Just throwing that out there. tongue.gifgrin.gif

I chased a nice sized buck for quite ahile this past season. I ended up without one but that is part of the fun. I also would have taken the basket rack 6 pointer also if he came near. grin.gif

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