GMMAT

I know. It's inevitable. It sometimes seems that most all threads head that way....especially this time of year.

have a great weekend, BBM.

HuntingBry

Earn a buck sucks when you have that monster walk out on opening morning and you don't have a doe. BUT earn a buck is most likely the reason you are able to see monster bucks. I have seen it put into practice first hand in NJ and I can tell you that it works. Last season the no. 2 biggest buck in state history was taken from public land, and then surpassed by another buck in the same season. When I started hunting there 6 years ago there were a lot of 120" and lowerbucks being shot. Earn a buck has contributed to this improvement.

wihunter402

That is what I think as well. The problem I see is that thinking a big "buck of a lifetime" might come out some guys take REAL bad shots at does just hoping to get it so they can have a buck tag. WAY too many poor shots taken and the result is wounded deer. Take the entire year to get a doe or two with good clean shots to earn your buck tag(s) for next year is a much better way to do it.

I have also seen the taking in of road kill. Where I go they cut the ear of the doe so that others know it has already been registered. Problem is not every station will check for that or even do it.

IL-Cornfed

From a guy that calls himself "buttonbuckmaster" I wouldn'texactly expect a strong support of ANY restrictions. []

I never said that it should be mandated in IL but in certain areas it probably woud be a good idea though. I know we personally try to take atleast 4 or 5 Does for every buck harvested on our own properties. I think overall, most landowners I know here in west-central IL do a great job of keeping Doe numbers in check but it's certainly not like that everywhere.

buttonbuckmaster

Ouch

Killer_Primate

This reminds me of...

"better to have it and not need it - than to need it and not have it..."

I wish that were the case in VA...

Stupid redneck hunter' "I sat there and watched 35 starving doe pass by before seeing that one little forkhorn... But I kilt that sumbich... I don't shoot doe..."

quiksilver

No need for it here in PA. These guys just shoot at every deer they see anyway - willy nilly wanton gunfire. If it weren't for the residential areas where the deer can hide and be relatively safe and unmolested, I don't know if we'd have any stinkin' deer left.

These guys will shoot a fawn right off the tit, wipe the milk off it's face, and take it to the taxidermist for a full body mount.

HuntinGUS

I am on the fence on this. There is certainly a need ot reduce the does where I hunt, but having to shoot a doe first just does not make sense. I like the idea of having to shoot a doe before a second Buck can be taken. That makes a little more sense to me.

HuntingBry

Reminds me of an old joke:

From PA Hunter's Handbook: "No shooting at random."

Redneck PA hunter, "Who the heck is Random and why can't we shoot 'im?"

Hiawatha

Seeing a monster without having your doe down yet does suck i agree. I had it happen to me on a cwd mulie hunt down southwhen we saw a group of 2 180 plus bucks hangin together but no buck tag yet, hurts a bit but you know you are still doing the right thing. For us here does are not difficult to kill at all,they could be taken with a hammer if it were legal so i do not think anyone would have much difficulty filling a doe tag within the first hour of the season. I guess it is different for everyone as we live in different areas and have different deer ratios.