Lilhunter

Rob

There is absolutly nothing wrong with letting bucks live to be hoss's later in life.

However there is a HUUUUGE difference between QAM and QDM! Its a shame from a wildlife biology standpoint to see them take the QAM route on a whitetails! Almost a joke considering the amount of animals out there most states would rather see them shot to reduce the numbers as a hole. Even to the tune of preCWD days in WI of having automobile insurance agencys suing the state fish and wildlife biologists for not doing there jobs.........and "we" as hunters are only concerned with scores this, number ofpoints etc etc......What a shame it is to see a state follow such ludicrious reasoning!

parker1

I think that it worked great and I hope that they continue the restrictions in the future. This is the first year that our group saw bucks every day while driving deer. The last 10 years you were real lucky to see a buck after the first day of rifle was over. I only heard of one three point found in the woods in our area. I'm sure there were a few small bucks shot and left in the woods but still there were alot of young bucks that survived deer season and that is great to see.

bear72

the local paper reported 1900 off limit bucks were reported taken taken with a $25.00 fine but 24 people were fined $500.00 for not identifing their target I don't see how some were fined $25.00 and some were fined $500.00???

Rob/PA Bowyer

Lil,

This is a thread about the antler restriction PA has imposed this past season and will continue next season. PA is practicing QDM, not QAM. Doe license allocation was about doubled so the herd could be reduced to suitable numbers but at the same time, the buck/doe ratio need improved thus the point restrictions. Reduce the overall herd number by taking of does, allow bucks to mature and give a better buck to doe ratio for herd balance....sounds like QDM to me.

<font color=blue>Good Luck and Good Shooting</font id=blue>

<font color=red>Rob</font id=red>

vc1111

I agree with Rob. The verdict is still out on its effectiveness, but I cannot see how it could produce anything but desirable results over time.

If you don't hunt PA its hard to fathom how many hunters turn out for the rifle season. Before, if it had antlers it was a target. Translation: about 4 out of 5 bucks were killed most years. Many years doe tags were not sold out in some counties...no so with the new restrictions. Those doe tags sold pretty fast.

SnoBall57

Rob, You hit the nail right on the head!

vc1111, I agree completely!

Dale/PA

Rob LIl has it right QAM quality antler mangagement. The way Ar was used this year by Dr. ALt and his people was ridiculous. It was a smoke screen to get herd reduction thru.Do you honestly think that the hunters of Pa would have bought into herd reduction without the thoughts of big bucks running thru their heads? How many people would have even bought Ar without the good Dr. using the antlers as props.Hunting is an individual sport. I am not saying that people dont hunt together but the majority hunt alone.If a person is happy with what they shot why should anyone else care? I am not for Ar dont think it is neccessary.There is no hard scientific proof that it s needed.As the way its being done now it is one big experiment.If and when there is sufficent proof to sway my opinion I dont feel it is needed.

WorthlessNut

I hunted Pa the year before and got my first deer ever. The deer wouldnt have been legal this year though. (Good thing too it was a poor rack and would have spread his poor genetics around)I wanted to go back to another friends to hunt but the doe tags would have been sold out and I would have had a almost useless antlered deer tag. If I could have just a doe tag I would have went. So I went to Kentucky instead.

But I hope it all works out for the best for you Pa residents. Hopefully my friend from Pa will come here to Ohio where he can take whatever his pleasure is.

mhogan

Many of us, and many WCO's reported the same, have been asking that people tell us exactly where they saw the bucks laying and they can never do it. It usually goes to, &quot;Well it wasn't actually me, but a good friend that saw them.&quot; Okie-dokie there Red Ranger.

This is the first year I didn't find any dead deer while hunting. Same with many of my friends. Our safety record improved also. Maybe forcing people to take a hard look is helping.

There is no $300.00 fine. If everyone that reported they knew someone that got the other than $25 fine were right, there would be thousands of them, not just 24.

I think we have to recall the actual situation we were in before we started this AR journey. We were only carrying over about 25% of our total bucks. Very few of these are mature bucks. Our herd is composed of 90% yearling bucks in many areas and probably 80% statewide. So they really had a poor management program with this high of a harvest and that much of it composed of yearlings. So it would be hard to argue for doing nothing, as you had very little to lose. How could you make it worse than what it was?

So now we have a program that should allow about half of our normal harvest of yearlings to get at least another year older. And once they make it there, they become harder animals to harvest. So we are significantly adding to the number of 2.5 year old bucks.

I have seen some concern that it really can happen that when we pass on the yearling, many will harvest a older deer later on. We should of known this before! I'm hearing we did in fact harvest bigger deer this year. Did that happen, or was it because of the low harvest the year before, the great mast crop and mild winter just made our bucks better racked?

Let's study it and take a hard look at the research. But let's do something!

Dale/PA

Mark you keep saying let the research dictate what we do. I ask you what reasearch?There is no HARD scientific proof to back up what Dr.Alt and his team say is necassary.The way things are being done now is just a big expeiment with nothing to back it up.How much longer are we going to have them experimenting on the deer herd? As for other things that are being done herd reduction is not needed state wide certain areas yes but not all over.As for the new WMUs. I am nt sure about them yet as they stand I dont like them. My county gets cut into 4 differant units. To hunt the places i hunt now I would have to get 3 differant tags.