How do you restrict buck harvest?

[shaman]

ORIGINAL: ranwin33

With a lot of hunters on limited acreage, many deer will die, most likely even those you let walk.  So you have to be willing to let the deer walk because they are not something you personally want to shoot, not because you are hoping to see them next year - that can be hard sometimes.  Because most likely you won't see them next year, although there is a small percentage chance you might.

However, if you too shoot any deer that walks by, then that deer definately won't have the opportunity to make it to next year.  Knowing it only has a small percentage shot at making it anyway, you have to decide what it is you hope to get out of deer hunting and make your decision on that.

Myself, I've come to a point where I will let a deer walk, not because I hope to see it next year, but because it's not one I want to shoot.  Don't get me wrong, my first two years if it was brown it was down.  But having shot a few deer now I don't have quite the same desire to "just shoot something", I tend to try and take more away from the hunt then just a deer.

I couldn't agree more.  It's just nice to think that maybe the deer I'm passing on has a chance.

On the front end of picking up the 200 acres, I was pessimistic about ever seeing good antlers.  Everything I saw indicated that my end of the county was a "brown-n-down" sort of environment.  I was resigned to taking young basket racks.  I was amazed when i started to see measurable racks showing up in only a couple of years. If your hunting land has no way to control access or it's too small,  or you have no like minded neighbors, there really is very little hope of influencing antler growth among your herd.  In my case, I was able to control access to my place. I had some new like-minded neighbors, and in aggregate we seem to have amassed enough acreage that we can start seeing results. The only thing lacking in this is active cooperation between the landowners.

Still, it goes back to the original question: antlers, or age, or weight, or what? 
I shoot what I feel like shooting, and so far, I have seen about half a dozen bucks this year and only one would be anything I would want to shoot.  My kids can do what they want, but I'll hold out for a shot I can put my heart into.

[cannycorn2000]

When the QDMA gets its influence into your local DNR, then everyone will suffer. People can shoot whatever buck they want, while following the local hunting guidelines.  Antler size, B&C score, Antler points and age should not determine what people can hunt.  Most of the record book bucks are feaks of nature and are lucky to have lived long enough.  I don't care what kind of headgear my deer is wearing.  If I can tag it, I will try to bag it.

[dougdeweydutchmen]

ORIGINAL: cannycorn2000

When the QDMA gets its influence into your local DNR, then everyone will suffer. People can shoot whatever buck they want, while following the local hunting guidelines.  Antler size, B&C score, Antler points and age should not determine what people can hunt.  Most of the record book bucks are feaks of nature and are lucky to have lived long enough.  I don't care what kind of headgear my deer is wearing.  If I can tag it, I will try to bag it.

 
Sure hope you never hunt by me!

[msbadger]

Ya know I let a whole lot of deer pass this fall and found out that nearly every single one of them were shot the opening weekend of gun....now I don't hunt the "Big racks" per say a nice 8pt is a nice 8pt....but I'll shoot a big 6pt given the chance....I let a few 6's walk this year and they are in ppls freezers.....but the chance that I'd see any of the small deer I passed on were slim any ways....the younger bucks disperse...so my best hope is that the guys a few miles away from me are a bit more choosy in what they shoot...so I'll have a chance at a nice 8pt...or perhaps better next season....see when those weekend warriors are out there shooting every thing that moves...I know the smart ones are hold up waiting for things to cool down...and I have a chance during the week...This years weather fouled that ...but with this last weekend snow ....I've had a chance to see the rather lrg tracks of the guys I'll be hunting next year during bow[;)]

[Stickman]

I and the others who hunt on our area shoot bucks 4 and older, but our kids and grandkids are not restricted especially on their first deer.

[jsjandro]

id say age on my land. nothing less than 3 gets a ride in a truck for being a buck! a two year old around here could be 65" up to 90", that ive seen. three year olds are on average 110, but have seen 130". so antlers arent a great indicator being a two year old could be at his ears, we have exceptionally wide racks at 14" average, where in most places a 13" inside spread restriction will protect 90% of 2 year olds. since i bought my place, and stopped the free for all'n, yearlings are starting to show a chance at surviving. my land used to have drivers galore, but now the whole area is mostly standers thanks to me![:)]
 
some neighbors still kill twos at will, and some still shoot yearlings, but the hunters who generally set the bar that low arent very effective at herd decimation when they are the minority. turn that around and whole different game. so far this post season ive seen two surviving yearlings that should be here and biggger next year, so yeah!!
 
as for qdm i say its a concept, for harvest, more than anything. yes i too practice land mang. but the fact is that if all hunters paid caring attention to the herd where they hunt and harvested accordingly, no food plots need be planted and good deer are entirely acheivable. but since most hunters dont play the same card game, the best we can do is make our land a sweet spot and hope for the best.  thats why i want ars in wi, balance and good conservation efforts by everyone who buys a license and the results will speak for themselves. and for the funny on enviro's earlier, nice.