Antler Restrictions - What are your thoughts?

[Pat Rockets]

This was the first deer i ever shot off the ground...ive always stalked..walking and sittin in a tree stand for hours lsnt far off of what your saying nyantler..i hunt in a transition area where the deer move quick. I would love to sit over a natural feeder but the apple trees didnt do well around me so like i said ..you scout all summer for a few moments of glory..only to have the deer come in just short of runnin..bleatin didnt stop him and a moment of decision makes you pull the trigger..it hasnt sat well with people around me but its water under the bridge..you also make it seem like that would be the only place to hunt..deer are gonna move at their own speed..you would still have to get in and wait for deer to show up..and whos to say theyre gonna be there..just an option

[nyantler]

the key word there is "wait".. waiting is not hunting in my opinion.. it's waiting. To each his own, but not my cup of tea and honestly I don't think a waiter is much of a hunter.. but he may be a very good harvester.

[Pat Rockets]

Like i suggested..there are other advantages to a feeding system besides the hunting aspect..im in favor for antler restriction but if im restricted  then give me a better chance to harvest the biggest deer i can "wait" for..seeings how i dont eat the rack..even the doe ..would be nice to compare them so when i do take one i dont find faded spots on it..i hate that..you are looking for improvement in antler averages..id like to see maintenence of all deer improve..if possible

[nyantler]

picking out the biggest buck in the woods is easy.. he's the one with all the horn!

[Pat Rockets]

Kansas and indiana i believe have a one buck all season..how do you look at that as an alternative to restriction

[nyantler]

Not a bad idea, but it doesn't protect young bucks

[Pat Rockets]

Its odviously working for them regardless as ive had pointed out to myself

[nyantler]

I didn't say it didn't work at all.. the one buck rule isn't designed to protect young bucks.. just lessen the number of bucks taken... which will leave some young bucks to get older... most of the outfitters in Kansas and Indiana have a mature buck only policy in place

[Pat Rockets]

[Pat Rockets]

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Was doing a little recreational reading and came across this. I am not sure if in the 73 pages this was posted before but was pretty good reading. It is on teh DEC site and includes their evaluation of the expansion of AR into the 8 other WMU's and the public comments and the DEC reponses.

http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/wildlife_pdf/arcomment09.pdf

http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/55768.html

[Larry]

OH NO I THOUGHT WE GOT THIS OFF THE FIRST PAGE. But it returned like a bad case of hemorrhoids .

[Culvercreek hunt club]

LOL...sorry Larry...the topic has never gone away...just spilled into every other thread .

I had not seen the public comments and DEC responses befor enad thought it was pretty interesting reading. It is amazing how much the comments sound just like converstions here...either the talking points are very well published....the public is as split as some of our members here or everyone here was at the public meetings...it sounds like the same as our posts

[nyantler]

I feel if the DEC feels there is no need for AR's then there is no need for them... I'm sure when they think there is a need they will implement them. Although I have always liked the idea of increasing the age structure of bucks..I have never found it a problem to find a bigger buck that I could kill..

[Culvercreek hunt club]

I feel if the DEC feels there is no need for AR's then there is no need for them... I'm sure when they think there is a need they will implement them. Although I have always liked the idea of increasing the age structure of bucks..I have never found it a problem to find a bigger buck that I could kill..

I have never found it a problem to find a bigger buck I would like to kill...finding one I could kill has not always worked out as I wished...lol . Have a great New year Joe.

[wztirem]

Take into consideration that the DEC has instituted deer hunting seasons to control deer populations to preserve habitat, protect the public etc. Protecting a certain age group may well increase (for a time) the overall deer population, increase competition for available food resources, damage the habitat, put the general public at risk etc. For every dink buck that one has to pass up, an equal number of older deer, be it bucks or does need to be removed to meet the DEC's state wide deer kill objectives. With AR comes other problems, which need to be addressed.

[nyantler]

I feel if the DEC feels there is no need for AR's then there is no need for them... I'm sure when they think there is a need they will implement them. Although I have always liked the idea of increasing the age structure of bucks..I have never found it a problem to find a bigger buck that I could kill..

I have never found it a problem to find a bigger buck I would like to kill...finding one I could kill has not always worked out as I wished...lol . Have a great New year Joe.

Touche'... you have a great New Year too Culver!

[wztirem]

I have been hunting for over 35 years and elect to let the legal runts and dinks to walk for in years past I have taken my fill. But I do not begrudge anyone from killing any legal deer of their choice. Deer management in NY is at at crossroads and I hope that those in charge (based upon sound science and not political influence) make the correct decisions for the future of deer hunting within the state.

[nyantler]

After looking at how the type of research they do and the criteria they have for making any changes.. I wouldn't count on it

[gjs4]

Any state that cannot give you an accurate number of deer killed/living in a na area couldnt manage anything beside urinal pucks in the mens bathroom

Most folks have no idea on that big deer exist here....but the number is so miniscule..and NYers tend to think big deer are solely by property location...rather than learning theyre partially right as in the habitat portion of that..they'll sneak on posted ground or view the whole thing as luck...hard work kills bucks...and self control by NYs hunters would reduce the amount of work expended to bag them. 

[Larry]

It looks like you have never talked with anyone from the DEC; I don’t mean talk at them.

You would know only about 45% of us report are harvest. So they use statistical modeling that includes the 45% harvest reporting, going to deer processor‘s and deer check station to come up with a harvest number. You can get accurate numbers though modeling as well as six sigma accuracy. They would tell you they are at 3to5% accuracy.

So if you or I don’t have any numbers that we can prove are right or prove there’s are wrong. then we have no proof now do we. Remember IN GOD WE TRUST ALL OTHER BRING DATA.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

hard work kills bucks...and self control by NYs hunters would reduce the amount of work expended to bag them.

So that is the basis for your opinions....you want it EASY? Kind of takes away the special nature of bagging a great buck ....doesn't it? Where does it stop....if everyone could go out and kill a 120 buck....then a 140...then 160...what next...genetic manipulation to grow bigger racks?

[nyantler]

I think we already have manipulation with hybrid food plots and mineral supplement blocks.. even by those that are against AR. And although there are those that claim the food plots aren't being used that way.. we all know better. As for having 120, 130, 140 class bucks, thats the way it's suppose to be..every other animal has natural age class structure in both male and female.. except the whitetail deer in NY. Lets just say we hunted bald eagles the way we hunt whitetails in NY... you'd never see one with a white head...because very few would grow to maturity. The fact that NY hunters won't allow for a reresentative age structure in whitetail bucks is all about hunters only caring about themselves not the deer.

[nyantler]

One minute the DEC is doing a great job with the numbers .. then the next it isn't... which is it?.. the numbers will only be as good as the guy doing the figuring... what difference do the numbers mean anyway when the DEC will squash a regulation if they can get only 20% of the hunters to strongly disagree with the regulation.

[nyantler]

One more thing and i'll be done with my rant.. why is it that hunters believe the whitetail numbers but don't believe the coyote numbers? ok I'm done..phew!