No more WMA deer tags in KY

[kykevin]

Personally I think it is a great thing that they no longer allow bonus tags for WMA quota hunts. People might be a bit more selective if they are using their one and only buck tag. Our land borders the back of a WMA and it breaks my heart a little watching all the yearlings bucks be hauled out. What does everyone else thing about this new rule? I admitt I am biased but I love it.

[shaman]

It is probably a sign of the times.  Public land usage is going up as more private land is posted off-limits.  You have to have enough bucks around to keep it interesting for the hunters.

I haven't hunted public land in KY in 10 years, so I really don't have an oar in the water.  What this reminds me of is how disparate the hunting experience is region to region and public vs. private in this state.  Here I am sitting in a Zone 1 county with deer coming out of our ears and unlimited antlerless harvest. Elsewhere, they have to ration the bucks.

[KYdeer88]

I'm all for it. I don't really think the reasoning for the new rule is to protect herd numbers, but rather to improve on the quality of deer on the WMA's. I hunt mainly private land, but one of my favorite places in the entire state to hunt is on a WMA and I try to hunt there at least a few times a year. I can honestly say that have seen some real brutes while hunting there, and have taken some very nice bucks out of there. But for the most part a buck will be lucky to live past his 2nd year come time for a quota hunt. I know there are people out there that wouldn't dare kill a spike on their private lands, but on a WMA they will often shoot the first thing that comes along just because they have a tag to burn. I think this new rule will bring some accountability to hunters. Now there's nothing wrong with killing a spike if that's what tickles you, but for the most part I think this rule will save a lot of young deer...