Change in antler restrictions

[JeepSteeler]

Saw this today - I'm not sure if this is good or not or if it will just confuse hunters, but basically the "4 on one side" WMU's are now "3 on one side" BUT - the brow tine does not count as a point. So it is not identical to the rest of the state. Somewhere in between. I hunt mostly in 1B so this may make an extra buck or two legal that otherwise would not have been.

http://www.nrahuntersrights.org/Article.aspx?id=4867

Really long thread over on HuntingPa.com about this too: http://www.huntingpa.com/forums/ubbt...213760&fpart=1

What do you guys think?

[YZEATER]

I like it. No more trying to grow a brow tine.

[PaMountianbiker]

I think it just means more small bucks go down . I personally won't be affected because I would not shoot a buck that young.

[JeepSteeler]

Up in Venango where I hunt, large racks are there but very few and far between, unlike the parts of Allegheny Co. that I hunt where legal bucks are pretty much everywhere. I do see a good bit of mature 6 point bucks every year, if I see any bucks at all up there.

I can remember at least 2 mature bucks that had 6 point racks that were massive, both in spread and antler girth. They appear to be the sons of a deer I had on my property who grew very old since he never developed brow tines and ended up being probably an 8 or 9 year old 6 point. These would now be shooters.

So, this might yield a few more legal shooters up that way, and I am inclined to take them and try to get a better gene pool in the area, and they are mature deer.

[ridgerunner97]

I think it just means more small bucks go down . I personally won't be affected because I would not shoot a buck that young.

Age of Deer has no reflection upon Antler growth or size...

I'm indifferent anymore to all this regulation hullaballoo. I personally don't take bucks smaller than an 8pt, and even then i'll pass sometimes. Doe, I normally take 2 large one's for the freezer. I'm a meat hunter. Antler's come second. That being said i've shot some nice deer

[BUZZINHALFDOZZEN]

I'm not too worried about it. Passed on about 5 or 6 eight pointers last year.

[mangotango]

I'm with RR. I've seen little or no real, scientific evidence that a 6-point is gonna be anything but a 6-point no matter how long it lives.
Antler growth is largely dependent upon 1. Genetics; 2. Available food.
That's why you tend to see big racks clustered in geographic areas.

What concerns me more is the expansion of the split season for most DMUs. For the northern tier counties and the little towns up there already hurting from the game commission's epic fail at deer management, splitting the season is economically about the worst thing they could have done. They should have left it alone or gone back to separate seasons. Pushing doe to the second week of the season just means even more hunters won't bother heading to camp this year, opting instead to hunt near home.

[JeepSteeler]

Ridgerunner - you are a meat hunter but pass on some 8 points and smaller? LOL....I think I know what you are sayin though. I will shoot a mature deer up in 1B even if the rack isn't massive. I get picky in 2B though.

Looks like 1B (Erie - Crawford, Venango) and 1A (Mercer - Lawrence - bit of Butler &Beaver) are the same as last year, no split season. The split season WMU's look to include the southwest too - Green/Fayette and then wrap up around toward the north to 2F (Warren/Forest).

I really only hunt archery anymore and that all looks the same.

DEER, ARCHERY (Antlerless Only) WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D: Sept. 17-30, and Nov. 14-26. One antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

DEER, ARCHERY (Antlered and Antlerless) WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D: Oct. 1-Nov. 12 and Dec. 26-Jan. 28. One antlered deer per hunting license year. One antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

DEER, ARCHERY (Antlered and Antlerless) Statewide: Oct. 1-Nov. 12 and Dec. 26-Jan. 16. One antlered deer per hunting license year. One antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

DEER (Antlered and Antlerless) WMUs 1A, 1B, 2B, 3A, 3D, 4A, 4C, 5A, 5B, 5C and 5D: Nov. 28-Dec. 10. One antlered deer per hunting license year. An antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

DEER (Antlered Only) WMUs 2A, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 3B, 3C, 4B, 4D and 4E: Nov. 28-Dec. 2. One antlered deer per hunting license year. (Holders of valid DMAP antlerless deer permits may harvest antlerless deer on DMAP properties during this period.)

DEER (Antlered and Antlerless) WMUs 2A, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 3B, 3C, 4B, 4D and 4E: Dec. 3-10. One antlered deer per hunting license year. An antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

DEER, ANTLERLESS (Statewide): Oct. 20-22. Junior and Senior License Holders, Disabled Person Permit (to use a vehicle) Holders, and Pennsylvania residents serving on active duty in
U.S. Armed Services or in the U.S. Coast Guard only, with required antlerless license. Also included are persons who have reached or will reach their 65th birthday in the year of the application for a license and hold a valid adult license, or qualify for license and fee exemptions under section 2706. One antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

[ridgerunner97]

I guess I should've clarified what I meant, basically boils down to I don't get my panties in a twist over shooting a buck, so I wait for a nice one, and I don't care if I shoot one or not, you can't eat antlers no matter how much you boil them. I'm in it for the meat more than antlers hahaha

[MemorEsto]

If the game commission wanted to start harvesting larger racks which was the intention of this whole thing. They should start planting soy on game land fields, or renting out fields for farmers to plant it. I have never seen larger clusters of racks than I have where there are abundant soy fields with lots of protein.

They never grow larger than 8 in my neck of the woods because of mostly wooded area's are farmers only plant corn, which really has no nutritional value for the growth of their antlers.

Secondly, Junior hunters and apprentice hunters shouldn't be allowed to take smaller racks than the rest of the hunters. Because for the most part, fathers are just shooting spikes and 4 points and letting their kid tag it.

I also hate that doe and buck season run together, I liked it better when I heard a shot, I knew there was a buck in the area. Not WWIII on Deer Monday.

[MemorEsto]

you can't eat antlers no matter how much you boil them. I'm in it for the meat more than antlers hahaha

Grind that shit down to a powder for some chinese viagra!!!

[ridgerunner97]

^ speaking of that its ****in disgusting the poaching that goes on in this country of bear and deer that gets sent over to china for their ****ed up oriental healing potions and shit. What a waste of good game that could be feeding an American family

[JeepSteeler]

Getcha some of this velvet stuff and be like the pro's: http://www.southerncrossvelvet.com/

I saw an article where a bunch of pro football players like Ray Lewis use this stuff like mad and swear by it.

As for racks, same for my woodlot in Titusville - just corn around for the most part. I quit doing first day of rifle because I couldn't take yahoos shooting everywhere and it isn't really a hunt much anymore up there.

[MemorEsto]

I started buying feed for them around our camp. I mix deer food high in protein with soy beans and corn <---- just for filler.

[JeepSteeler]

You set out troughs or do you have a feeder system? I put out a salt block out there in the summer only.

I've done the food plot thing a few times on some logging trails with mixed results - the soil is really full of shale and isn't real nutrient rich. I have so many oaks that there is usually a ton of mast and I don't think they care much about the clover and stuff. Going to plant a block of apple trees this year and try to protect them from the deer for a few years.

[MemorEsto]

I just dump piles along their paths... I only do it in April and May.