Who Hunts In a Antler Restriction WMU, What are your thoughts? 3C, 3H, 3J & 3K

[burmjohn]

Rather then get all mixed up in that other AR thread.

PLEASE only post if you hunt in these WMU's...

  I want to know the thoughts of people that are in the WMU's with AR.  WMUs 3C, 3H, 3J & 3K.

Is it working? What changed? Do you want to to stay or go away?

[Dinsdale]

LOL....I tried this one on the old Empire Hunting and got about 3 posts in before it turned to....er......poop.

Good luck!

[burmjohn]

I'm going to try to keep the post relevant, maybe move it over to the WMU 3 section.

[Fairgame]

I think it has been great and should continue.  I have no problems seeing bucks that are legal to take.  Its been a big improvement from before the AR's started.  Since this began I actually got to see my first set of bucks sparing.  I wish I knew how to download my videos I would post the video.

[burmjohn]

I could have sworn antlers posted something here, and it disappeared, am I loosing it?

[ANTLERS]

I dont know what happened to my last post,Anyway,My point was that I support AR,Although I have not seen a huge increase in the amount of and size of bucks on my land.This up coming season will make or break my opinion on AR.

[MountainHunter]

I hunt 3C and I have seen a definite improvement in the number of bigger bucks seen and the amount of scraping activity.

[Doewhacker]

I hunt 3j and just outside of AR in 4t. We have not seen any more bucks and on top of that not much over a 6 in the last ten years. Maybe because I am on the northern edge of it?

I can also tell you that we hunt over by Schoharie where there are no AR's and have seen "big" bucks there on numerous occassions.

[TheHunter]

I hunt in 3J, an area with AR.  As of last year we started to see some of the benefits of not shooting the yearlings.  Although it was not mandated on the property we hunt to not shoot spikes and youngins, it was preferred to allow the bucks to mature.  Now that it is forced to do so, the entire area has improved with older bucks.  Last year we saw the most 8's and 8 +'s in 10 years of hunting the area.  What bothers me is the ones who oppose it are ones that do not have that restriction in their area.  So they are NOT posting from first hand experience, they are posting from the articles written that oppose AR.  And for every article that opposes AR there is one that contradicts it.    First hand experience is what matters, and I have YET to run into someone that does not support it in my area.

[sits in trees]

i have been a 3j hunter for a long time, and i'm seeing a huge improvement in antler size and it seems the overall herd has come back nicely from say 3 years ago, i hunt the southern edge of 3j bordering 3m....i think they should keep it in place. shoot a doe and pass on the 4 pointers and spikes.

[JCTheGC]

3J and 3H, and I am 110% for it, and so are 95% of the people I hunt and converse with in my area.  It works, I have seen it with my own eyes. I see bucks running and sparing and fighting its just phenomenal!  I not only see more deer, they are bigger and meatier.  Everyone in my camp was a little skeptical, however after the 4th year, it was game on.  (3rd year or so in 3H, 3J it was the 4th year I think when we really saw the improvement).

I hope it continues and spreads to other counties, I have family in delaware county and all they see are spikes and 4's, they actually hunt by me when possible now because of the results of the antler restrictions.

[SteveB]

What are the kill numbers - total and by age for the last 7 years?

[MountainHunter]

Are these records kept? I am not aware that they are. I trust my own observations and those of hunters that are hunting in those units. The state played politics with the super majority BS,I guess 2/3rds of those polled wasn't enough!

Did the same super majority apply to crossbows? I guess it is ok to pick and choose what majorities are necessary for what votes!

I am in favor of the use of crossbows just as a matter of record.