Agree or Disagree?

[TheLBLman]

i'm still waiting to see a buck outside of a fence with a drop tine.

For whatever reasons, drop tines don't mean as much to me as long side kickers, forked tines, etc.

Drop tines are relatively more rare than other non-typical points (at least all the places I've been).

 

[dhpro]

I wonder how many comparing tennessee to the midwest has even hunted the Midwest. Completely different deer. It surprised me how different they were when we went to Illinois and North Missouri.

And Missouri is totally different from Illinois from what I've seen and been told by buddies that hunt both. ?

 

[Ski]

Most of the mature bucks I specifically target have lower scoring antlers than many the younger bucks I give pass.

Same here. Maybe not most but at least close to half. Most generally old age equals big racks but there's the lower end of the spectrum that never grow big racks and often times they're the ones allowed to get to old age because of their small racks. They're still wily, old, experienced bucks that are hard to hunt so I enjoy hunting them. But a big portion do have smaller racks than younger bucks.

 

[FLTENNHUNTER1]

Disagree

 

[TheLBLman]

They're still wily, old, experienced bucks that are hard to hunt so I enjoy hunting them. But a big portion do have smaller racks than younger bucks.

Very true.

Speaking of "trophies", many my most memorable targeted trophies have been old does. One of the most challenging I ever killed was an 8 1/2-yr-old doe. Ultimately, I killed her by stalk hunting in heavy cover. She had become more or less un-killable from a tree stand.

From a pure hunting perspective, a specific old doe is often a much greater challenge than a specific old buck.

 

[Ski]

And Missouri is totally different from Illinois from what I've seen and been told by buddies that hunt both. ?

Both states just like TN have regions where deer get really big. In MO the NW corner is where the giants are at. Down south they don't generally get as big. Illinois is flip flopped. Down south along the river they get big. Up north they also get big but nothing like the river bucks. If you pinned each county that regularly produces the biggest deer in the country, regardless of state, there will be a major river system nearby. Illinois was king of bucks for a long time and no coincidence it borders both the Mississippi and Ohio. Pretty much any area with rich river bottom ag will produce big numbers of big bucks.

 

[Ski]

From a pure hunting perspective, a specific old doe is often a much greater challenge than a specific old buck.

Absolutely. The hardest part of killing a mature buck is finding one to hunt in the first place. A mature doe on the other hand will give you fits.

 

[Hawk103161]

So I'm hearing that a shortened gun season with Archery taking up the slack. Same length of season just change in weapons allowed to be carried. Just a rumor......

 

[MUP]

And it has to have at least one drop tine of 3" or greater.

Bc two would just be ridiculous.

 

[knightrider]

So I'm hearing that a shortened gun season with Archery taking up the slack. Same length of season just change in weapons allowed to be carried. Just a rumor......

I certainly hope not

 

[Ski]

So I'm hearing that a shortened gun season with Archery taking up the slack. Same length of season just change in weapons allowed to be carried. Just a rumor......

I'd guess rumor is all it is. I've not heard of any changes at all. Seems CWD is currently consuming the bulk of TWRA's attention, and rightly so.

 

[megalomaniac]

Let me say one more time: I do not want a 1-buck limit in TN.

But, it is interesting that many hunters, like myself, may have somewhat a 1-buck limit on their own private hunting lands.
Why?

Part of why may be because not allowing any one hunter to take multiple bucks annually, in turn, provides all hunters more opportunity to take "a" buck annually?

The 1-buck limit is not always mainly about growing more older bucks.
It can be as much about promoting the prospects of 11 hunters taking "a" buck,
instead of 1 hunter taking 11 bucks.




To add to what TboneD has stated, anyone want to explain the irony of a 1-buck limit state, such as Kentucky, having less than half as many gun-hunting days (as TN), yet the percentage of KY hunters killing "a" buck is higher in KY than in TN?

This Exactly...it just wasn't fair to have a 2 buck limit on my farms, as the most skilled hunters would always kill 2, thereby limiting the opportunity of the less skilled hunters to just kill 1.

And with a 1 buck limit, most skilled hunters kill ZERO now, because they don't want to tag out opening weekend of ML and be done for the next 60 days without hunting. My friend that shot a 140in buck in velvet actually regretted it. Because he couldn't hunt Sept, Oct, Nov, Dec, early January. There is a HUGE difference between a 1 buck limit and 2 buck limit... WAY more than just 1 buck.

 

[yellalinehunter]

I agree with the reasoning. I don't agree with telling landowners what they can and can't do on their own land.

 

[Rakkin6]

How about a slight compromise, 1st buck is a freebie 2nd buck you have to earn by killing a doe and improving herd quality, and all Non Resident hunters have to take a doe first. Not tied to the idea it's a thought. Personally I am fine with two but would not be upset if it dropped to one either. Private land is a different story.

 

[Bell3wv]

Antler restrictions are a must! 7 points on each side, 22" inside spread, and/or 200". Must have 2 of 3. Or gotta have no more than 3 on one side, under 10" spread, or total gross less than 50". No deer from 2.5 to 8.5 in age. What we need are just more restrictions.

I didn't mean to offend anyone. I know there are a lot of 6yr old spikes that need to be culled

 

[Jcalder]

I didn't mean to offend anyone. I know there are a lot of 6yr old spikes that need to be culled

 

[Bell3wv]

Ok...make it a 4pt restriction, shoot that goofball as your first and put your 2nd tag on the one in front of him. Maybe it's different in Cookevegas, but in NE TN there's a lot of folks happy to shoot Chupacabra-looking spikes all day instead of taking a doe.

 

[yellalinehunter]

mandatory class to learn to age deer. Apply to hunt wmas and get in a drawing to see what age deer you can kill. Each wma managed for the deer heard health. Does included. For private you manage the heard as you feel is appropriate. Just a theory.

 

[Jcalder]

Ok...make it a 4pt restriction, shoot that goofball as your first and put your 2nd tag on the one in front of him. Maybe it's different in Cookevegas, but in NE TN there's a lot of folks happy to shoot Chupacabra-looking spikes all day instead of taking a doe.

That's not a cookevegas deer lol. And most NE TN folks probably don't have the population to kill does. Same as the area I hunt.

 

[MUP]

That's not a cookevegas deer lol. And most NE TN folks probably don't have the population to kill does. Same as the area I hunt.

Ed Zachary. Having to kill a doe on my place in order to kill another buck would not improve "herd quality", it would actually be detrimental to it by taking 1 doe out of the 15-20 max in my area out of the breeding pool, and I use 15-20 count loosely, as I saw 12 this season that I'm pretty sure were different deer.