Antler Restriction

[Team Hoyt]

We just got a hunting lease within the last month. It is 85 acers all hardwood. Mostly ash and oak. There is only 4 of us on the lease and have been talking about only shooting bucks that have atleast 3 on one side. What is everybody's recommendation or ideas thanks.

[GreeneHunter]

Do not leave the freezer empty this year no matter what !

[Team Hoyt]

Yeah true, hopefully I can fill it with a doe or 2. We'd just like to have some kind of program to see bigger bucks each year

[G-Man]

point restrictions are one way to hy grade your herd quickly. your better off doing a camera survey and marking your top 3 to 5 bucks..those should be your goal. points and spread as simple guidline s for the masses on your own place differnt and better methods are available

[The_Real_TCIII]

We just got a hunting lease within the last month. It is 85 acers all hardwood. Mostly ash and oak. There is only 4 of us on the lease and have been talking about only shooting bucks that have atleast 3 on one side. What is everybody's recommendation or ideas thanks.

All seasoned hunters? Make the the rule if you kill it you get it mounted


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[avg. joe]

What do the adjoining properties do? If the general rule for them is some restriction, then by all means do it. If not, the second a buck steps off the lease somebody else will definitely drop it!

[wfmiller]

The proper way to get bigger bucks is NOT AR's. It's a process that takes several years. In the end though no matter what you decide to do it won't matter if your neighbors aren't practicing the same thing as you because 85 acres isn't big enough for you to control the deer. 

[ATbuckhunter]

There are a lot of things that go into seeing big deer. I disagree with wfmiller about it not being the proper way. Its probably the easiest way to ensure the deer gets bigger, thats if it isnt killed by a neighbor. There is a risk of not getting a buck every year, but you'll have to decide if its worth it. You have to also be realistic in whats big for your area. Don't pass deer expecting itll result in a shot at a 160" deer. May never happen in your area. I say by all means try it for a few years and see if it helps at all. Ive seen AR's work wonders, but usually in a larger scale. Won't hurt the quality of bucks by passing on them so at least itll either do nothing or help out. 

[nyslowhand]

Hunt the way you want to & shoot the deer you feel comfortable shooting. If a 4/6pt'er gets your adrenaline flowing, shoot it! If you pass on a small-ish buck, live with the consequences of a neighbor within a couple of miles of your hunting location shooting that exact small buck you'd passed on. If you are holding out for mature, BBs, be prepared to eat tag soup. Even then there's the fact whitetail biologist seem to agree upon; at least once during the annual rut a buck may travel up to 5 miles seeking available does. Meaning, you just never know what'll be traveling past your stand. Could be a buck you assumed you've managed or just a sort of wildcard BB on a mission from parts unknown.

If the lease is the habitat you described being all hardwoods, there may not even be any bigger/mature bucks taking up residence within that 85 acres. You'll never know until you've hunted that property a few years &/or done some trail cam surveillance. IDK, but this seems to be the typical issue with leasing new properties!??! Is it or isn't it.... Maybe others that regularly lease have better advice!!!

Good luck!!

[SteveB]

9 hours ago, The_Real_TCIII said:

All seasoned hunters? Make the the rule if you kill it you get it mounted


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10 hours ago, Team Hoyt said:

We just got a hunting lease within the last month. It is 85 acers all hardwood. Mostly ash and oak. There is only 4 of us on the lease and have been talking about only shooting bucks that have at least 3 on one side. What is everybody's recommendation or ideas thanks.

Those standards allow a big % of 1 1/2 to be shot as well as most 2.5. What's accomplished?

9 hours ago, The_Real_TCIII said:

All seasoned hunters? Make the the rule if you kill it you get it mounted


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Never mounted a deer and never will - just never been interested. Like to shoot them though - lots of does and rarely a 3.5+. Wouldn't join a lease where I had to mount anything - JMO

[Culvercreek hunt club]

8 hours ago, ATbuckhunter said:

There are a lot of things that go into seeing big deer. I disagree with wfmiller about it not being the proper way. Its probably the easiest way to ensure the deer gets bigger, thats if it isnt killed by a neighbor. There is a risk of not getting a buck every year, but you'll have to decide if its worth it. You have to also be realistic in whats big for your area. Don't pass deer expecting itll result in a shot at a 160" deer. May never happen in your area. I say by all means try it for a few years and see if it helps at all. Ive seen AR's work wonders, but usually in a larger scale. Won't hurt the quality of bucks by passing on them so at least itll either do nothing or help out. 

I don't agree. Depending on where he is located with this lease, point restriction are the least of my choices. He is dealing with seasoned hunters?  If he Is, I would rather suggest just NOT shooting 1.5 year olds.  Why let a spike walk through only to shoot the 6 pointer that is still a 1.5 year old. what does that change? 

I will also say that if you do this then stick to it regardless of what the neighbors do. If you have a 1.5 year old in front of you there is only one sure way it doesn't make it into the next season. That is if YOU pull the trigger. If you can get do tags then there is you freezer meat. If the guys that you hunt with are the type that they would rather lose an arm rather than say they didn't get a buck this year, and shoot any buck late season, then this won't work. 

If you are going to be on this lease for a while you may want to meet with the adjacent landowners. a Co-op is the perfect way to get like minded folks into a program that makes everyone's hunting better. Even if everyone near you won't do it, if a few do and then the others see the success they will increase their interest.  

In My opinion. 

[landtracdeerhunter]

11 hours ago, Team Hoyt said:

We just got a hunting lease within the last month. It is 85 acers all hardwood. Mostly ash and oak. There is only 4 of us on the lease and have been talking about only shooting bucks that have atleast 3 on one side. What is everybody's recommendation or ideas thanks.

Don't forget about the doe to buck ratio.

[ATbuckhunter]

1 minute ago, Culvercreek hunt club said:

I don't agree. Depending on where he is located with this lease, point restriction are the least of my choices. He is dealing with seasoned hunters?  If he Is, I would rather suggest just NOT shooting 1.5 year olds.  Why let a spike walk through only to shoot the 6 pointer that is still a 1.5 year old. what does that change? 

I will also say that if you do this then stick to it regardless of what the neighbors do. If you have a 1.5 year old in front of you there is only one sure way it doesn't make it into the next season. That is if YOU pull the trigger. If you can get do tags then there is you freezer meat. If the guys that you hunt with are the type that they would rather lose an arm rather than say they didn't get a buck this year, and shoot any buck late season, then this won't work. 

If you are going to be on this lease for a while you may want to meet with the adjacent landowners. a Co-op is the perfect way to get like minded folks into a program that makes everyone's hunting better. Even if everyone near you won't do it, if a few do and then the others see the success they will increase their interest.  

In My opinion. 

Maybe it didnt come across the way I hoped for, but basically I was saying that AR's help promote the passing of 1.5 year olds. Yes some 1.5 year olds have more than 3 points on one side, but a lot dont. The best way to do it is to let 1.5 year olds go, but some hunters arent able to tell 1.5 vs a 2.5 yo. 

[G-Man]

4 minutes ago, Culvercreek hunt club said:

I don't agree. Depending on where he is located with this lease, point restriction are the least of my choices. He is dealing with seasoned hunters?  If he Is, I would rather suggest just NOT shooting 1.5 year olds.  Why let a spike walk through only to shoot the 6 pointer that is still a 1.5 year old. what does that change? 

exactly take out you most upcoming prospects in a high hunter density area and you can hygrade a herd quickly. yes a spike can become a 10 pt but isnt it better to leave the 1.5 year old 8pt? next year hes at least an 8 and bigger.. the spike well hes ready behind developmentally and may take up to 4 or 5 years to catch up and become what hes possible. leave the 1.5 and possibly 2.5 year ols alone if your cameras show bucks that are older and better. as i said the top bucks on your camera survey should be your targets and if a stray wander through ot is only shootable if as large or larger than your top bucks.. imo best way to ensure your getting most out of your property.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

6 minutes ago, ATbuckhunter said:

Maybe it didnt come across the way I hoped for, but basically I was saying that AR's help promote the passing of 1.5 year olds. Yes some 1.5 year olds have more than 3 points on one side, but a lot dont. The best way to do it is to let 1.5 year olds go, but some hunters arent able to tell 1.5 vs a 2.5 yo. 

Some may not be able to but if there are 4 buddies it doesn't take much studying to make that call. a 1.5 and a 2.5 don't look anything alike. Out here by me I see more 6 point 1.5's than I do spikes or 4 pointers. 

 

Edited October 2, 2018 by Culvercreek hunt club

[ATbuckhunter]

1 minute ago, Culvercreek hunt club said:

Some may not be able to but if there are 4 buddies it don't take much studying to make that call. a 1.5 and a 2.5 don't look anything alike. Out here by me I see more 6 point 1.5's than I do spikes or 4 pointers. 

 

I agree, I think passing based on age is a much better option than passing based on antler points. Unfortunately some hunters get a tunnel vision when they see a deer. 

[grampy]

There is so much more than just antler restrictions in play when trying to keep older bucks on a property. Yes, if you kill a small buck, he will never be a big buck. That is absolutely true!!!  But.....  More than anything else, deer need to feel secure! Without the thickest, nastiest bedding areas, that do NOT get hunted, or invaded very little by humans. Deer will move to where they can find that security. Especially during hunting season!!! 

In short they need a place to hole up, and have a chance to survive a couple of hunting seasons! It may only be one or two bucks that make it, that wouldn't have otherwise. But they become more difficult to kill with each passing year. 

More to it than 'just' what you shoot on any given property. As you have no control what others shoot on theirs.

Like I said, more to it than just AR.

Age based shooting is always better than AR, in my opinion. Learn the difference of how a one, two, and three year old, or older buck appears physically.

There are no easy shortcuts to putting mature bucks in a place, where there are very few or none. A lot of planning and patience is involved, with what is or isn't shot.

 

 

[Team Hoyt]

Alot of good information thanks. Yes we plan on shooting does, but not everyone that walks by. I'd be happy just to get 1 in archery and pass up the rest of the season. We are experienced hunters, but have never had our own lease. Only have hunted public land where everyone around us goes by the saying "if it's brown it's down" so we'd like to make the best of it for the lease.

[LET EM GROW]

What are your goals, first and foremost? Sounds like your wanting to harvest either older bucks, or bucks with more points on their head set.. 

Antler restrictions save some young bucks but not all. If you want to try and harvest bigger older bucks, Start your season off by telling yourself, if i dont get a buck this year it will be ok! lol.  Do a ton of research, QDMA website is a great place to start, grab some books.. AR's are ok but it can make a very genetically inclined deer die young still, and an old poor racked buck safe from anyone in the woods(quite rare but possible).

If you guys just want to harvest respectable deer, have at it.. Just all be on the same page as one another..

From there all 4 of you agree on whatever it is you want to agree on.. and dont get away from the agreement! For example.. if you shoot a buck, you mount it(A seasoned hunter typically wont want to mount a small buck, and this is how we started well over a decade ago). If you guys can age deer.. Make sure 100% of the time you let 1.5 yr old bucks grow. Unless you have a youth or new hunter, make an exception. If you can let 2.5yr old walk with out hesitation. Your off to a great start. 

Again, it all depends on your goal.. or goals..

 

[JRod 8G8H]

85 acres to 4 people.. lots of places for deer to hide.... get an idea of the doe to buck ratio early on...  I would consider their age instead of counting points, meaning the forks and baskets all get passes.. cause you could have a 5, 6, 7, 8 point 1.5 year old buck.. unless the freezer is empty then take em out! good luck sounds like a sweet deal

[Four Season Whitetail's]

. It's not hard to tell a baby 6pt from a 2yr old 6pt. It's almost a givin the second ya lays eyes on them.


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[Robhuntandfish]

5 hours ago, Team Hoyt said:

Alot of good information thanks. Yes we plan on shooting does, but not everyone that walks by. I'd be happy just to get 1 in archery and pass up the rest of the season. We are experienced hunters, but have never had our own lease. Only have hunted public land where everyone around us goes by the saying "if it's brown it's down" so we'd like to make the best of it for the lease.

Me and a couple buddies lease 120 acres but we don't have any agreement on bucks.  They haven't gotten many deer ever and it's pretty much brown down for them. I generally pass anything under 5 points although I passed a seven last year.  But will take a decent sized doe for the freezer. (And I try to take another on one of my other hunting spots) And I still get more deer than them. Lol

But the neighbors are all gun hunters and it seems all brown and down.  So us setting AR doesn't really make much difference.  I would think you would need quite a bit more land for that unless you have neighbors that would practice the same.  

 

[nyantler]

Shooting mature bucks is a much better idea than a point restriction. A good rule of thumb is... if you are questioning whether it is mature enough to shoot... don't pull the trigger.

[TACC]

Yeah true, hopefully I can fill it with a doe or 2. We'd just like to have some kind of program to see bigger bucks each year

Where I hunt in 3H and 3K, we have antler restrictions, but before the state started it we started. We have been doing it for over 15 years now, the bucks (both horns and bodies) have grown tremendously. We have now started voluntarily no one shoots anything unless they can positively see 4 on one side. Anyone wanting venison shoots a doe, and the results have been overwelmingly positive.

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[moog5050]

21 hours ago, The_Real_TCIII said:

All seasoned hunters? Make the the rule if you kill it you get it mounted


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I like this one Tacks