speyrjb

I think that AR is just a start. Ultimately we need to educate ourselves on becomming more proficient at aging deer on the hoof. A deer that is 1 1/2 yrs old can easily have 8 points or better. Setting AR will not ultimately solve the problem, but hopefully it will allow some young bucks to mature a little and bread before they are harvested.

I, myself, am for anything that will improve the quality of the deer I am hunting.

I listen to all these folks saying that they will quit hunting if certian states adopt AR. I think these people are just spouting gas. If you are willing to quit something because of a few added restrictions, then you were never that passionate about it in the first place.

TURKEY FAN

I agree, and on some other points i disagree. I would like to see more big bucks.................who wouldnt? I am not a trophy hunter to the extent that a trophy buck is all i would kill. Last night i let a guest of mine on a evening hunt kill a small doe, for freezer meat. I think we as hunters know what bucks we would or should kill becuase we have killed plenty of deer in the past. As for a new hunter, i tell them shoot the first deer they see as long as its not a fawn, but just a good first deer. Me personally i do not kill small bucks becuase i have killed enough of them when i was younger, and i would like something a lil bigger becuase where i hunt to drag a deer out is quite a chore, so it better be worth the work, not to say no deer is worth the work, i never waste my game. I think if a youngster kills a lil 4or 6pt, then great!! But if a veteran were to kill one where i hunt i would look at him kina funny. I believe in qdm, and have 130 class bucks in my area like its kewl, due to 15yrs of harvesting the right deer and managing the herd from a 8-1 doe to buck ratio to a 5-1 doe to buck ratio. I say kill more does and shoot a buck that is a trophy in your eyes, not someone elses. I would still hunt if they had antler restriction, i do my own antler restriction anyway, wouldnt make a difference in my book!

Stump_MN_Hunter

Coastie...that's a great example of why "telling" people what to shoot is a good idea. Having that many deer in your area isn't one bit good. And obviously leaving it up the hunter isn't probably the best way either. Thus guys refusing to shoot doe and shoots buck right off the bat. People never want to have another person tell them what to do and what they can shoot and what they can't shoot, but in this case they do. For areas with an overwhelming deer population "earn-a-buck" is a great way to do it. It's used here in our special draw bow hunting areas for parks and such and it's a great concept. AR obviously can't work everywhere depending on the overall deer herd. But in most states something needs to be done. Hunter numbers are declining and a healthy deer herd just isn't going to evolve into what it needs to be by itself. It's our efferts that need some tweeking. If more and more people refuse to do the right thing for the environment and/or the deer herd....we all are going to be forced to shoot what they tell us to. Either that or watch your taxes go up because sharpshooters have to brought in to take of the buisness we can't seem to do.