Antler restriction

[Cooter]

Thought I'd try to get a thread going on everyone's thoughts about implementing antler point restrictions here in Cheesehead land. Seems to be going well in Pennsylvania, which is similar in many ways to Wisconsin. I would be all for it unless I'm overlooking something.

[outdoor ran]

I would love to see it. I'm very disappointed in the way the herd is being managed. It's becoming very hard to find bucks over 6 points on the public lands. Alot of bucks are being killed has fawns during the doe blast. I'm seriously thinking about hunting just Mn next year. There seems to be alot of nice bucks being bagged there. I'm just so sick of this "lets kill every deer in Wi." attitude the Wi dnr has.

[muskybuck]

I think the WI DNR is out to reduce the deer herd as much as possible as fast as possible. I think they are on the opposite side of what your suggesting. I am thinking of hunting another state now also but its even further away than MN.

[witter1631]

I passed up three 6 pointers on my land this year the only way I would shoot a 6 pointer is if it was head torwards the public land next to us because it would get shot anyways. I had a shot at a nice 9 pointer to fri of season but my freind was on the ground on the other side of the deer and I wasnt sure were he was so I let it go good enough one of my buddies got that 9 pointer and it was bigger than it look when I saw it. Anyways I see alot of big bucks come out of the public land next to me in central wisconsin. But I wish people would have some managment for bucks. There is alot of qdm buy me also on most private land but it would be nice to see some on public..

Matt

[outdoor ran]

Witter, the only way you would shoot a 6 pointer is if it was heading to public land. Is that so no one on public land shoots your deer? You don't think that 9 pointer you passed up was ever over there on public land at sometime. I let a bunch of little bucks go on public land last year and I doubt any of them are alive right now. Maybe I should of killed everyone of them to make sure no one else got them. I just think thats a poor reason to kill an animal is to make sure someone else dosen't get it. I guess I'm just a little confused by your post. But that dosen't take much Do you have many turkeys running around your land? By the way welcome to the forum.

[witter1631]

yes we have turkeys running aroudn all over... that is not what I mean I meant I can shoot it i dont feel bad shooting a small buck becuase it will die anyways. i typed that different than I was thinkin. I am no good with these computers get me all mixed up

Matt

[outdoor ran]

I see what your saying now. Sometimes things just don't come out the way you mean them to. I do the same thing at times. So, do you hunt them turkeys or are they a pain in the butt for ya.

[witter1631]

yes i attempt to hunt them when i have time im only 19 so i went out b4 school i saw some nice toms but durin seasons i cant get close to em they r stuburned but out of seasons i always have them things come right up to my tree. i will get them this year hopefully.

[andy j]

I am not a deer hunter but I always thought that a antler restriction would be a good thing, but what do I know.

[Cooter]

I have gotten sick of guys braggin about how they get a buck every year, but the vast majority of those racks are tiny baskets that get full of dust piled in some box out in the garage. There are plenty of does around for meat. I'd trade a couple dozen little racks for one nice 130" rack.

[cheeks]

I think some of you forgot what hunting is about...hunting for something to eat. I can't get picky about the size of rack on the animal as it may be the only one I see and I would like some meat in the freezer. If you own land great, but unless you put a fence up you don't own the animals. Come hunt on public land like I have to and you made see things a little different.

The DNR has reasons for setting things up the way they do...protecting farmers from crop damage...vehicle crashes. What are you going to when an "earn a buck" rule goes into place? You are going to be forced to shoot the small ones before they get horns.

Things are much different up here in the north. We have much more forested land and wolves to deal with. We also have much more public land I am quessing.

Just my two cents...

[outdoor ran]

Theres more to hunting then just getting something to eat! Alot of hunters today want to kill nice bucks. Theres not alot of hunters now days that have to fill there frezzers up with deer so there family will survive the winter. If thats the case it would be cheaper to go the store and buy some food. I have no problem with meat hunters. I just wish there were buck mangement areas for guys who like to kill big bucks. Yes your right, the dnr has a reason for setting things up the way they do. Its called MONEY, they don't care about the heard, come on. How many car crashes are from deer coming off of public lands? How many from deer coming off private land? I live in the north and hunt all public lands. The bucks are getting slaughtered when there fawns during that stupid Oct. doe blast. Look at the size of bucks running around in Minn. they are doing a great job of managing the heard. I've talked to alot of hunters around here (wi) that were very disappointed in the amount of deer they seen last fall. But the dnr keeps saying theres too many. Who do you believe, the guys in the woods or the guys counting road kill coming off of private land. I just don't think theres that many deer and the size of the racks has gone way down on public lands. maybe I'm alone on this, just my 2 cents.

[Cooter]

I have no problem filling the freezer every year without shooting little bucks. And I do hunt public land and pass up little bucks there - both east of Eau Claire and up north near Drummond.

[CanOCorn]

A little off the subject but my old man told me that he heard they are dropping the "earn-a-buck" next year... any truth to this???

DNR finally lose enough revenue in deer tag sales to open their eyes and see that it is difficult for land owners to go and blast away their deer herd for 3 years straight so they just won't hunt at all.

[fish-n-geek]

Dropping the EAB zones is one of the topics up for discussion at this year's conservation congress. Decisions made this spring will affect the 2006 hunting season, not 2005. There are a lot of options and ideas being bounced around, but none of them are set in stone yet.

On the other (same?) hand, the 2005 regs have not been published yet, so anything is possible....

-rus-

[cheeks]

The DNR does need the money as they have been hit hard by budget cuts. We have a warden up here who does not have the money to get out and enforce game laws. He has to sit in his office because he does not have enough $$$ to put gas in his truck. I do not believe they are in it for the money. My guess is you will complain about the license fees going up also. If you want to create a deer management zone you are going to have to buy the land and do it youself and the DNR is not stopping you. As for the number of deer being killed along the roads there are more than you think...and lastly the bucks my group has been getting have never been bigger. Not trying to make this an argument just stating what I see and know.

[Cooter]

It amazes me that there are hunters out there who would rather shoot little bucks than big ones - but I think that is what you are saying if you don't favor QDM type programs or antler restrictions.

[cheeks]

Not would rather, have no choice. Where is the money going to come from???? That is the question.

[BEAMER]

I dont know much about the science behind deer management, but one would have to believe that if we all passed up the small bucks there would be plenty more large bucks within a few years. For the meat hunters there are more than enough doe's to shoot and from what I understand reducing the number of doe's really makes the herd stronger. As for the money, wouldn't the state make more in the long run off non-resident license sales if we were known as a real trophy whitetail state? If there were antler restrictions wouldn't the DNR then drop the EAB? Has anybody else watched a nice buck browse under them and had to pass because it was the first morning of archery season and they have not seen a doe in the first 15 minutes?

As for the DNR, I think that they do the best they can with the resources alloted to them. Someone had said that Minnesota has done a great job, if they are doing such a great job why do they still have such a early rifle season(during the rut)? Wouldn't it be better to let the bucks breed before killing them?

As I said, I am no expert and imagine views on this vary among different guys, just my opinion.

[witter1631]

I agree with cooter and beamer

[muskybuck]

I have some doubts about the DNR. Last Nov three of us hunted hard 6 days. It was an earn a buck zone in the Chequamegon forest. We saw one doe in six days, and it ran across the tar road while we were walking on it back to the trailer for lunch. I have serious doubts as to why this zone would be earn a buck. One idea is they want the deer taken out of there to make room for their prized elk herd!! Or is it the insurance companies and their money speaking up. I have some serious doubts as to the main objective of the DNR at this time. I think the major objective is to drastically reduce the WI deer herd any way they can.

[Cooter]

Muskybuck - Are you gonna show me how to catch muskies by Rice Lake this summer?

[cheeks]

We did not see too many does (2) compared to three bucks. I know they are out there as I drive the roads around here at all hours of the day and the deer are thick. I do not know whre they are going but they are there (Saw them all the time when we were scouting). I am thinking it was weather or rut related.

As for the DNR...who else do we get to count and manage the deer??? And why would they distort the numbers, and don't tell me money, because I do not believe it.

[bottomdweller]

heres my two cents. we are all sportsman, and what one hunter wants is different from the other. shooting and mangaging for big bucks is great thats what i do. but alot of hunters just want meat, and thats good for them. we have to put aside our own feelings sometimes for the greater good. if we bash eachother because of our huntin ethics, the antis wont even have to try and close us down we will do it ourselves. since ive moved here from northern min ive seen more deer in the last two years than i have in 25 years of hunting and thats the truth. dont know if its the luck or what but im having a blast everyday i hunt now. anyway gl everyone.

[Cooter]

I feel meat hunters can fill freezers with does. I put 3-5 deer in the freezer every year without taking little bucks. I only have one decent buck to my credit, but I've never regretting letting little bucks walk. I think most hunters in most areas can do the same, but I might be wrong. I'm sure there's not a place in the state of WI I couldn't fill the freezer on just does. I think sometimes people get spoiled with easy hunting and/or are just lazy.