harvest that many deer
experts recommend.
If your goal as a land manager is to increase buck
numbers or age structure
on your property, then antler restrictions are not for
you. For several key reasons.
Antler restrictions sometimes include that a bucks
outside spread must be 15
inches or more. This is
about the length from the
outside of one ear to the
outside of his other ear.
The major problem with
this is that it is extremely
hard to tell 15 inches from
40 yards away in a tree
stand or ground blind.
Yes, you can use the outside the ears criteria, but
that is not always accurate. You may end up taking a buck that is too small
or passing on a buck that
was plenty big. This extremely limits how effective
antler restrictions can be.
Also, as a sport that is trying desperately to recruit
more hunters, antler restrictions can hurt junior
hunters.
Think back to
your first buck. Would it
meet antler restriction criteria? Odds are, probably
not.
A key in keeping
young or new hunters interested in the sport is letting them have some success. If that means they
take a younger, smaller
antlered deer, that is perfectly fine. If it means that
young boy or girl is going
to be a hunter for the rest
of their life that is perfectly
fine with me.
Antler restrictions also
have land restrictions as
well. In order for antler
restrictions to work it takes
thousands of acres. That
is why Game and Fish
agencies can use them
with some helpful effects.
The whole state of Missouri or Illinois is enough
land to make a change. A
small 120 acre property in
one of those states is not
enough land. Bucks have
home ranges that can be
quite large and controlling
buck age structure in a
small area is nearly impossible.
Antler restrictions are also
site specific. What works
on a property in one part of
the state will not work on
another property in the opposite corner of the state.
That is the main problem
with some statewide antler
restrictions and also why
your property should not
be treated exactly like your
neighbor’s property. You
need to look at your property and your unique situation.
Fertile soil, food
availability and many other
factors that contribute to
antler size relative to different age classes are widely
variable.
This makes it
difficult for antler restrictions to work on properties that may actually
have an area large enough
for them to work.
For landowners who want
to improve herd health,
age structure, and along
with those antler size, the
voluntary
passing
of
younger deer is a much
better choice. This means
aging buck’s on-the-hoof
and applying harvest criteria based on age class.
This too can be difficult. It
takes lots of practice to be
able to correctly age a
buck while it walks past
your stand, but it is a much
more effective way to go.
“A key
in
keeping
young or
new hunters
interested in
the sport is
letting them
have some
success.”
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