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Antler Point Restrictions - My First Experience

pikehunter

By pikehunter
in Archery - Bowhunting

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pikehunter Rising Star

pikehunter

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I hunted in the area of the state with antler point restrictions for the first time over the weekend. Admittedly, ever since implemented, I've been one of those to chide the whiners. After all, how hard is it to make sure a buck has four points on one side?

The answer is: harder than I thought! I spent the weekend hunting some SE MN public land in hopes to put an early season doe in the freezer. I was waiting for such a doe to walk past my ground blind Sunday night when I looked to my left and 12 yards away, saw nothing but antler staring in my direction. My gut said shooter - instantly. But my mind reminded me to double-check antler points to stay on the right side of the law. Mind you, the sun had just set, and the buck was standing under a pretty dense vegetative canopy, so a lack of light was my enemy, but I, for the life of me, couldn't count the points on that buck.

What was definitive, is this deer was sporting some serious head gear. It was just sparse - with long, spaced out tines. (And perhaps a broken one on the right side.) As he stepped into the shooting land and I saw his sheer size -- he was a brute -- it occurred to me that I might have been too cautiously counting. After all, with that much rack, there had to be four, right? And by the time that thought crossed my mind, he stepped out of my shooting lane and out of sight.

I'll be kicking myself for quite some time about this one, even though I don't know what I could have done differently - except assume there is always a 1-inch brow tine on a mature buck and count up from there.

Just thought I would share (err, vent). Anyone have any veteran tips on antler point counting?

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96trigger Grand Master

96trigger

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Couple things to ponder...Generally, down here, if it is that big, it will have 4 points on one side. I commend you for making sure that you got a good count. You had issues with visibility and you probably should have taken care of that first to make sure you had clear shooting lanes.

You mention that you were after a doe. In my experience, it is harder to identify the does now than it is the legal bucks. At last light, you really have to be confident that the "doe" is really a doe, and doesnt have one legal antler. If you struggled to identify a legal buck, I think you would have had a harder time identifying a legal doe in that situation. Especially now with all the vegatation, it is critical that you are able to get multiple, good shooting lanes and clear sight lines. I would also get in the habit of carrying binoculars with me for just those types of situations. As winter gets closer and the woods starts to die, those issues will diminish and deer will be easier to identify.

Once again I commend you for not shooting without completely identifying the deer. It would have been tough for a number of people, myself included.

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Wanderer Grand Master

Wanderer

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Good job pikehunter!

I agree that it can be more difficult to judge a doe vs. a spike. My trail cam showed a couple near one of my stand sites and the first thing I told my buddy when we were looking at the pics is "Good to know, I better be extra careful there".

It's all just part of staying within the regulations of the hunt. I never hit the woods without my binoculars.

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pikehunter Rising Star

pikehunter

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Wow, thanks for the kind words and encouragement everyone. Didn't see that coming. smile

Good point as well about properly ID-ing does. While binoculars wouldn't have helped me in this instance (my sight line was a wide open shooting lane, but it's only about 5-yards wide and 30 yards deep), I'll be taking an extra step in the future of clearing peep lanes up the trail, so I might be able to get an earlier look, giving me a chance to judge it through an earlier lane and shoot it through the intended passage.

Thanks again for the feedback ... and as some have mentioned, yeah, this one will stick in my craw for a little bit, but what a cool, close encounter with a good buck. Worth it, any day of the week.

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TruthWalleyes Grand Master

TruthWalleyes

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http://northernwoodlands.org/outside_story/article/are-vermonts-deer-losing-their-antlers

Here is any interesting article on negative side effects of antler restrictions. I know MN restrictions are different, but the same concepts could still apply.

Sweet. SHoot a spike or a buck with a 13" or better spread! Now the meat hunters can shoot their spike and the APR Lovers like me (LOL) can get out our tape measures and shoot the big racks.

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