Proposal to extend Indiana's One Buck Rule

[Wanderer]

This just in from Indiana DNR. Contact them to have your voice heard Pro or Con


Public hearing scheduled for proposal to continue one-buck rule

FROM:Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Tuesday, April 3, 2012 10:40 AM



Indiana DNR Fish and Wildlife
Public hearing scheduled for proposal to continue one-buck rule

The Natural Resources Commission will conduct a public hearing May 3 in Plainfield on a proposal to continue the one-buck deer hunting rule.

The one-buck rule currently allows only one antlered deer to be taken during the special youth, archery, firearm, or muzzleloader seasons combined. The rule is set to expire Sept. 1.

The proposed rule language can be viewed at IN.gov/nrc/files/one_buck_amendment.pdf.

Individuals can provide comments at the public hearing at 6 p.m. at the Plainfield Public Library, 1120 Stafford Road, Plainfield.

Comments regarding this proposal can also be submitted online to the NRC at IN.gov/nrc/2377.htm. Click on "Comment on this rule" next to “Deer ‘One-Buck Rule’ Amendment.” The deadline for submitting comments is May 3.

Comments can also be mailed to:

Natural Resources Commission
Indiana Government Center North
100 N. Senate Ave., Room N501
Indianapolis, IN 46204

All comments sent to the NRC regarding this rule change will be provided to commission members and DNR staff and will be publicly disclosed and searchable on the Internet and in a paper docket as part of the final report.

The NRC is expected to vote on final adoption of the rule change at its meeting on May 15.

For more information call Linnea Petercheff at (317) 233-6527.




About Fish and Wildlife Management in Indiana
Fish and wildlife management and public access are funded by fishing and hunting license revenue and also through the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Programs administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. These programs collect excise taxes on sporting arms and ammunition, archery equipment, fishing equipment, and motor boat fuels. The money is distributed among state fish and wildlife agencies based on land size and the number of licensed anglers and hunters in each state. Find out more information about fish and wildlife management in Indiana at http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild.

[Ohio farms]

Ohio has been one buck since forever. What is your opinion on changing the rule in your state Wanderer?

[Wanderer]

Ohio farms,
I've only been here 5 years, but I came from Alabama where the limit was 1 buck per day for 72 days so it was kind of a shock to me. I don't personally believe that allowing a person to kill one with the bow and one with the gun would hurt anything. Wisconsin allows two bucks per year and they register more Booners every year than any other state. I'll abide by the consensus rule, but I'd vote for 2 if I could get my voice heard.

[Ohio farms]

Sorry that I missed getting back to you Wanderer. Ohio has always been tight with shooting bucks, so that is what I am used to, but I can imagine if I came from a one buck per day state it would b e a real shock.

[Bryan78]

Sorry that I missed getting back to you Wanderer. Ohio has always been tight with shooting bucks, so that is what I am used to, but I can imagine if I came from a one buck per day state it would b e a real shock.

Well actually Ohio Farms, under normal circumstances, you are only allowed one buck per season. However, we have reduction hunts at our state parks that are done by lottery and we also have military/ refuge hunts that are also done by lottery and you can take additional bucks in those that DO NOT count against your "normal circumstances". Also, I guess our Urban Deer Zones don't count either. I was fortunate to kill a buck and doe on opening day of our firearm season and went to a state park and military hunt later just to harvest a second buck just because I could.

So really if you think about it we really don't have OBR because you can take extra bucks with special hunts. So if people are that hell-bent that they think they need to kill a second buck, then they can put in for those hunts and do it then.

Besides our OBR was never going away, it had a sunset clause in it that the IDNR is trying to make permanent but they had to go through the process like any other rule change goes. People can send comments in, but in this case, it will probably fall on deaf ears since this a formality thing because the law says they have to do it.

[Gafrage]

For whatever reason, I spent a lot of time reading forums from Indiana today, which lead me to read forums from Indiana on here...

People from Indiana talked about QDM, the soil, hunting the rut peak of the rut (during gun)...

From my experiences and hunting from whatever is brown is down to now being in a big part of QDM the biggest factor to successfully hunting mature whitetails, is simple...

Habitat (cover), food and practicing QDM. I hunt in Waupaca County. People that border my land hunt to the west shoot whatever is brown is down...people who hunt the other side (east) are all about QDM. We all shoot does...we all selectively harvest bucks. From what I read today, everyone on the Indiana forums from an undisclosed website were worshipping WI like some god or goddess...the thing is this...like Illinois, like Iowa...like any other state...the majority hunt the same...its the people that are lucky enough to hunt large tracts of land and letting immature deer walk. I hunt 21 acres, no way I could do QDM if the neighbors weren't...Since there is a tract of 400 acres of people who are practicing QDM, my land I hunt on benefits from that, as the bow buck kill this year I got proves as well as the ratio of bucks to does that I see...

A. If you have habitat that will support deer, where they can hide and they can mature, you're in a good situation.
B. If you have food that will support deer, where they can eat, and the sanctuaries are close to their feeding areas, you're in a good situation.
C. If you have a good football team that people are willing to get out of the woods and miss out on a 2.5-4.5 year old buck on Sunday because they are watching a football game during lunch time or afternoon primetime, you're in a good situation. (So many of Wisconsin hunters leave the woods because they get their deer on opening day or Sunday, and never push the woods around them again because there is a football game on and their group got a couple deer already)
D. Look at the top 6 counties since 2000 in Wisconsin, all have 3 things in common. 1...Lots of food, 2...Lots of cover, 3...Lots of deer...all of these are common because they have lots of QDM in those counties...They aren't as good as they could be because most of the land is privately owned and there isn't much land that is greater than 240 acres...in addition to this...hardly any of this land, minus Buffalo County has any sort of Guides or Outfitters or whatever else...so these other counties are doing it all on their own, 99% of the population owning less than 240 adjoining acres...that is key...
E. I've bow hunted in Waupaca County for several years, more than I want to admit, but one of the big issues I still deal with is neighbors...I hunt 21 acres, I shoot a deer (doe or buck) and it crosses property lines, guess what...I can't retrieve that deer, because it is a P&Y buck or its a doe, and the neighbors are that way...in Wisconsin we have a long ways to go but many hunters are at fault here, making things more difficult by not asking permission, or having some sort of agreement. I've shot plenty of deer, but the number or deer I shoot are far more does than bucks...and I've had my chances at plenty of P&Y bucks including 2 B&C bucks...the main thing is you need to get that ratio as close to 1-1 as possible. Don't shoot fawns, let them walk unless you know for sure they are a doe fawn, and you absolutely need the meat. What's the point in shooting an 8 point buck that is 1.5 years old? If you need the meat, shoot a doe, or doe fawn.
F. People might disagree with E. however the point is this...if you need meat, you can't eat antlers, right? So why shoot a 1.5 or 2.5 year old buck? You can't eat those antlers...did you shoot it just to tell your buddies you got a buck, or how many deer you shot? Then the next year complain about not being like Wisconsin, Illinois or Iowa and not seeing mature bucks or deer in general?
G. People in Wisconsin shoot 1.5 year old bucks, and 2.5 year old bucks, but the majority of them are gun hunters, people who are first time bow hunters, and kids during the youth season. Could Wisconsin be better? Absolutely. Over time, I've found that most hunters across the nation are the same, they will shoot a deer because they are licensed to do so, bow hunters should be encouraged to keep doing what they do...if they shot the first or every buck they saw, there would be a lot less bucks during gun season for the casual and most of the deer hunters (a lot of bow hunters eat their tag because they hold out for a mature buck)...I would be shocked if you interviewed every bow hunter in Wisconsin or any state and they didn't say they passed up at least one buck. Many bow hunters get the right to hunt the rut where gun hunters mostly do not. Most bow hunters also don't shoot the first deer they see, and get to know the herd via trail camera pictures, time on the stand and close encounters. The time put in bow hunting vs gun hunting is drastically different, and the percent of bow hunters that succeed vs gun hunters is usually beneficial towards the bow hunter. Most gun hunters on the other hand will shoot the first buck they see, and if there is another doe or buck within ear shot, most of them understand that noise is bad, and go and hide.

After all of this, my point is this...to compare Indiana to Iowa, Illinois, Ohio or Wisconsin is not a good comparison. Iowa is more liberal for bucks than WI. The thing is this...Depending on the habitat (good woods and thick cover to hide in), food sources, hunting pressure (QDM) and overall winter snowfall those are the keys to growing big bucks. Bucks have to have a place to relax, and get old, and stress (pressure) has a big part of that.

Good luck to your current and future hunts, the way I look at it, if I pass up 12 bucks during bow season (2.5-3.5 year olds) if half of them make it through the season, even a quarter of them, I have choices next year. I bow hunt pretty hard, I have trail cameras set up, I pick 3-4 deer that I want to hunt, this year I got #2, and #1 made it through the year...next year I'll have more to look at because those 2.5's will be 3.5's and those 3.5's will be 4.5's and especially #1 who was a 4.5 will be a 5.5, just like the age of the buck I shot this year was....

I don't speak for all of Wisconsin, but Wisconsin can handle 2 bucks per year, but not many people in Wisconsin shoot a buck during bow season, and gun/muzzleloader season, and if they do, they are typically complaining next year because there aren't any mature bucks around them.