Jimimac

Here in PA we have new antler regulations in place as many of you know. While I was outside making some beer can chicken I was trying to think of something to put on the BBS to spice things up a bit. Just sittin there sipping a beer on my porch(not in my stand by the way) wondering what to post when I came up with it. Some management units have a four point requirement on one side while other units only require three. So here is the deal. You are hunting in four point land and the biggest buck you have ever seen on the hoof starts to walk in. You heart starts racing and you realize the deer may give you a shot. He gets close enough where you can get a good look at his rack and it is just massive. Good mass, nice and wide and the deer is also about 200 pounds to boot. In other words...quite the stud. As you are trying to figure out a way to get a shot you suddenly realize that the deer has no brow tines, so what you are looking at is a gigantic six point. Only three on one side and you are in four point land. The deer is not legal even though it is obvious this buck is the biggest thing that has ever come your way. What do you do? Shoot and claim that you bagged him in a unit that allows 3 to a side? Pass on him so you can obey the letter of the law? I' m sitting here being honest with myself and I' m not really sure how I would handle it. What about you? I realize this is pretty far fetched because almost all mature deer will sport some sort of brow tine or another, but I' m just playing a little devils advocate.[>:][>:]

Kanga

I would let him walk there is no way I am going to break the law and end up in jail labeled as a poacher.

Danny45

Me too. No deer is worth it in my opinion. I value my time in the field too much.

Hopefully, I' d have a camera with me, snap a few of him, and take it to the DNR or whatever it is up there and say " look what your stupid rules did to me!!!"

huntnma

some of ya' ll might have heard this before, but i' ll say it again....

ethics is like your virginity, once it' s gone and you' ve crossed that line , you can never go back......anyone that really loves hunting isn' t going to cross that line.....
it' s just not worth it......

AKDoug

Hell, I have to live by that all the time. Here for moose it' s spike fork, 50+inches or three brow tines on one side. I pass on LOTS of illegal moose. No moose or deer is worth breaking the law for, no matter how huge.

Rob/PA Bowyer

If you read the restrictions, that would be a legal deer.......I believe it is written that antlers of that make up are assumed to have brow points...I' ll check into it and I doubt a commissioner anywhere in the state would doubt it' s age. Same thing could happen in 3 pt land.....I' ve witness some huge mature 4 pts.

brucelit

I don' t know your regs but if it is as you stated in your scenario, He gets a walk and I get upset that I have to pass on such a great buck[:' (]

Angus74

The deer that was described isnt that far fetched, last fall I had a big six come to my food plot, great mass, barely wider than his ears, G-2s about 10 inces long, but NO eye gaurds, still a great buck. He never got closer than 50 yds, so no shot, and we dont have point restrictions, but if we did I guess hed have to walk, maybe next year hell have more points.

jasonthehunted

we dont have that rule here in Texas, but rules are rules I guess, its not a bad idea, keeps the younger bucks a little safer, but they re are gray areas, big mature 6 points arent a rarity and 1.5 year old 8 points arent either, heres a pic of an mature old 6 point my cousin bagged opening mornign of the 97 texas rifle season.

JimPic

Rob,they changed the language this year--a brow point must be at least 1" to be considered a point.