Agree or Disagree?

[TheLBLman]

Absolutely. 5yrs is too long.

Who has been suggesting (seriously) to go 5 yrs of bucks being unavailable for legal harvest?
This is just another false narrative, although I suppose such could be done on private lands if the owner so chose.

In terms of game laws, we really need to trend things towards being simpler. Our game laws are unnecessarily way to complicated. They are so bad that most county wildlife officers struggle to keep them understood.

 

[MUP]

If venison doesn't make a come-back as an appreciated source of free-range, organic meat, the number cause will likely be false-narrative fear-mongering of CWD.

All this CWD fear-mongering has not only caused many people to stop eating venison, but also put out of business many deer processors that made the availability of venison more practical to masses of people.

Couldn't agree more.

 

[AT Hiker]

If venison doesn't make a come-back as an appreciated source of free-range, organic meat, the number one cause will likely be false-narrative fear-mongering of CWD.

All this CWD fear-mongering has not only caused many people to stop eating venison, but also put out of business many deer processors that made the availability of venison more practical to masses of people.

Some years up to 25% of store bought chicken contains salmonella.
Instead of chic filet billbaords of cows telling people to eat chicken, should be chickens telling people to eat deer.

I'd contribute to that cause

 

[Wooden Arrow]

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.

we are infested with does here in Sullivan & Hawkins Co. but most of them are on private property along the rivers and IN Kingsport, Bristol, and Rogersville. so, no firearms, and/or dang near impossible to get permission to hunt. wardens will tell you, if you want to kill a big buck in Hawkins, make friends that own land in/around Rogersville. or, you can hope you get "lucky" and be drawn for a hunt at HAAP. check out the videos at "Holston Wildlife"...

 

[Ski]

Who has been suggesting (seriously) to go 5 yrs of bucks being unavailable for legal harvest?
This is just another false narrative

I don't think anybody is suggesting anything at all for TN. It's just a discussion about hypothetical reg changes because of a proposal in OK. Boredom talk, nothing serious.

 

[HoytDawg]

Who has been suggesting (seriously) to go 5 yrs of bucks being unavailable for legal harvest?
This is just another false narrative, although I suppose such could be done on private lands if the owner so chose.

In terms of game laws, we really need to trend things towards being simpler. Our game laws are unnecessarily way to complicated. They are so bad that most county wildlife officers struggle to keep them understood.

I dont think anyone has, at least seriously. A buddy sent me that post and said he thinks TN should follow suit. I just wanted to see what folks here thought. It seems to have got some folks riled up (@recurve60# even told me to go away?) and somebody sarcastically said we shouldn't shoot bucks for 5 years so they'll get bigger.

 

[Ski]

I dont think anyone has, at least seriously. A buddy sent me that post and said he thinks TN should follow suit. I just wanted to see what folks here thought. It seems to have got some folks riled up (@recurve60# even told me to go away?) and somebody sarcastically said we shouldn't shoot bucks for 5 years so they'll get bigger.

It's the internet. Context is always lost after 11 pages of discussion. And some people get riled up just because they want to be.

 

[knightrider]

It's the internet. Context is always lost after 11 pages of discussion. And some people get riled up just because they want to be.

And some just like to

Im guilty

 

[Wooden Arrow]

you can't stockpile bucks. if you did not hunt them for years, a certain % are gonna die from old age/natural causes each year. what is the average life span of a whitetail, anyway? between 4 and 6 years is as long as most survive. Mother Nature is a mean ol' bat...

 

[redblood]

Who has been suggesting (seriously) to go 5 yrs of bucks being unavailable for legal harvest?
This is just another false narrative, although I suppose such could be done on private lands if the owner so chose.

In terms of game laws, we really need to trend things towards being simpler. Our game laws are unnecessarily way to complicated. They are so bad that most county wildlife officers struggle to keep them understood.

I certainly didnt suggest it. With a 2 buck limit plenty of buck survive. A 1 buck limit would be my personal choice, but i have access to unlimited does that i can kill at any point so I understand that other areas of the state may need that 2nd buck for meat- if their population cant handle doe harvest.


2 is a great compromise and TWRA got it right. Im done after 1 anyway

 

[redblood]

you can't stockpile bucks. if you did not hunt them for years, a certain % are gonna die from old age/natural causes each year. what is the average life span of a whitetail, anyway? between 4 and 6 years is as long as most survive. Mother Nature is a mean ol' bat...

You can stockpile to some degree. Some bucks that people would have killed if they had additional tags, will survive and return the next yr as more mature and usually, more impressive animals. No doubt some will survive the season and stake out areas that have less mature bucks in that range - but even in that scenario, another hunter a few miles away is benefiting from our decision to pass.

 

[FlaBoy]

I feel I'm an outsider here and don't know everything and don't intend to upset anyone but having hunted in Florida for 30+ years where we had no annual buck limit only daily (1), I see some advantages to TN's restrictions. A few years ago, FL did put in a restriction of five bucks a season (2 daily) and some antler restrictions. To me those who want a one buck limit are thinking only about big racks. Big racks are not the "all everything" of deer hunting. My opinion is that TN's herd is growing larger and are healthy and the day may come when we would want to move to three bucks a year.

 

[RedDawg]

but i have access to unlimited does that i can kill at any point

I'm in Decatur County and on my farm I thought the same thing. Let a lot pass early while buck hunting. Then when that was done about Thanksgiving Day, the does disappeared. Had one shootable doe in 5 weeks. Lots on camera at night but nothing in the day. Finally took one 2 days ago. These critters will frustrate you.

 

[FLTENNHUNTER1]

Aggressively go after and prosecute poachers and the deer numbers will increase substantially.

 

[Ski]

In the deer harvest report thread it's hard to look at the report and not notice all but one county killed more bucks than does. A big portion killed nearly twice as many bucks as does. In a natural herd the ideal sex ratio is 1:1. If TWRA sets regs according to biological factors, then shouldn't the harvest report reflect a more balanced harvest like Henry Co. where it's statistically even? The record is what it is and it clearly shows a significant discrepancy in harvest between antlered bucks and does. Hard to point fingers at "antler chasers" for wanting a 1-buck limit when the record shows apparently a gross majority of the hunters in the state are chasing antlers. Is the pot calling the kettle black?

 

[preachermantom]

2 is where is should be in my opinion.

 

[redblood]

I feel I'm an outsider here and don't know everything and don't intend to upset anyone but having hunted in Florida for 30+ years where we had no annual buck limit only daily (1), I see some advantages to TN's restrictions. A few years ago, FL did put in a restriction of five bucks a season (2 daily) and some antler restrictions. To me those who want a one buck limit are thinking only about big racks. Big racks are not the "all everything" of deer hunting. My opinion is that TN's herd is growing larger and are healthy and the day may come when we would want to move to three bucks a year.

we used to be 11 and then 3.

 

[mike243]

A lot of the state was never 11 bucks, unit B was 1 for a lot of years and no doe unless you bow hunted, we probably still shouldn't be shooting doe in a lot of B. Not all of us can look out the window and see 100 deer.

 

[redblood]

A lot of the state was never 11 bucks, unit B was 1 for a lot of years and no doe unless you bow hunted, we probably still shouldn't be shooting doe in a lot of B. Not all of us can look out the window and see 100 deer.

fair enough. This is a unique place. But much of that is due to not shooting these fields up and keeping pressure extremely low until a buck of interest is killable. i know east tn is tough hunting. But that is why we have zones. My question to you is how many bucks do you think your area should be allowed to harvest?

 

[redblood]

I'm in Decatur County and on my farm I thought the same thing. Let a lot pass early while buck hunting. Then when that was done about Thanksgiving Day, the does disappeared. Had one shootable doe in 5 weeks. Lots on camera at night but nothing in the day. Finally took one 2 days ago. These critters will frustrate you.

weather is the biggest deterrent for me and a close second is time. last time i went i took my bow and could have killed 3 bucks and not a single doe- i wouldnt have though that