Interesting on the 1,2,3 ......

[Football Hunter]

In general,It seems that people from Mid to west tn,are generaly in favor of a 2 or less buck limit,and people from ETN seem to prefer a 3 or more buck limit.

This was just done in my head,I didnt write down anything,and some people dont have anything but "tn" and I dont know where every small town is,so I could be a little off.But it does seem to be constant in most threads if you pay attention,NOT ALL.

I guess it comes down to meat?Since ETN has few doe oppurtunities?All I can come up with.

In one way its sort of wierd,people who live around the most bucks want to protect them,and people who live around the least bucks wanna kill em.Just what Ive noticed.

 

[102]

And if TWO HUNDRED voters participated, it will represent a WHOPPING ONE/TWO HUNDREDTH of Tn. deer hunters.Pretty small sample.

 

[Football Hunter]

And if TWO HUNDRED voters participated, it will represent a WHOPPING ONE/TWO HUNDREDTH of Tn. deer hunters.Pretty small sample.

Thats true,but all samples are very small.See many threads where BSK explains how small samples are used to determine deer age etc.I didnt say it was right or wrong,just saying there is a difference in regions on opinions.

 

[BSK]

I guess it comes down to meat?Since ETN has few doe oppurtunities?All I can come up with.

In one way its sort of wierd,people who live around the most bucks want to protect them,and people who live around the least bucks wanna kill em.Just what Ive noticed.

Football Hunter,

I think you're inferring "motivation" that may not be there. Some of the best "big/old" buck hunters I know on this site are East TNers, and they have no problem with the 3 buck limit. It isn't about "meat hunting" for them.

Honestly, I think it is disingenuous to assume a hunter wants a 3 buck limit becuase they are a "meat hunter."

 

[Andy S.]

Based on some of the posts I have read here, I too have noticed what appears to be somewhat of a difference in regional hunter outlook with regards to buck regulations and buck harvest by neighboring hunters etc (friends, guys you know, neighboring hunting club members, etc). There are several on here that claim they know this guy and that guy that repeatedly kill three bucks each and every year (which I have no problem with), yet I honestly cannot name one deer hunter in west TN that I KNOW OR TALK TO that has killed three bucks in one season in the last decade (very few I know and talk with have harvested two in a single season). I am being dead serious and yes I do talk with some newbie hunters (less than 5 years in the deer woods and typically very trigger happy). I am beginning to wonder if there is a significant Unit difference in deer hunter preferences and outlooks with regards to buck limits and shooting multiple bucks in a given year, and if so, just how skewed is it among the Units, or not. Keep in mind that I, and most of those around me, have hunted Unit L since it's inception, and most of the others around me hunt Unit A. We can shoot the fire out of does for the most part, so that may be one of the reasons I do not know any three buck killers, or maybe not. I am not implying anything, just stating an observation based on hunters I know and converse with (west TN, middle TN and mostly Unit L) and what others post on here (Middle TN, East TN and not Unit L). It would be interesting to know if there is indeed a difference among Units, or not, in deer hunters preferences and out looks (on buck limits and harvest), mainly since the opportunities to harvest ANY deer (doe or buck) is different for so many throughout the state. In a perfect world, I would like to see a truly scientific poll (randomly sampled throughout the state) titled "Buck Limit Preferences of TN Deer Hunters" and then dissect the data by each unit (Unit A, Unit B and Unit L) to see if such a difference exists, and if so, to what extent. I realize a sample such as this would have a cost associated with it, therefore, I am not implying TWRA move forward with such effort, just stating an interest of mine that would help clear up some of the debates we see on here oh so often, like every six months or so. Food for thought.

 

[Football Hunter]

I guess it comes down to meat?Since ETN has few doe oppurtunities?All I can come up with.

In one way its sort of wierd,people who live around the most bucks want to protect them,and people who live around the least bucks wanna kill em.Just what Ive noticed.

Football Hunter,

I think you're inferring "motivation" that may not be there. Some of the best "big/old" buck hunters I know on this site are East TNers, and they have no problem with the 3 buck limit. It isn't about "meat hunting" for them.

Honestly, I think it is disingenuous to assume a hunter wants a 3 buck limit becuase they are a "meat hunter."

No,not what I meant,just thinking out loud about what I read on here,and what I percieve.Never brought up Big/old deer,just the 3 buck limit,and the only reason I could come up with for the difference,which was the lower doe oppurtunities.

Didnt call anyone out,or say TWRA should do this or that,just noted some regional differences,and a reason I came up with.

Maybe there is some other reasons.

 

[Andy S.]

Honestly, I think it is disingenuous to assume a hunter wants a 3 buck limit becuase they are a "meat hunter."

Would it be fair to say that hunter A may desire a 3 buck limit more so than hunter B if hunter A hunts in Unit B (less doe opportunities, thus less buck opportunities equates to less overall opportunities while afield) and Hunter B hunts in Unit L (unlimited doe opportunitities, thus less buck opportunities does not equate to less overall opportunities while afield). Just a thought and some of the reason for my post above and my interest in a poll to see what the data tells us. I think Wes may have touched on this in the past.

 

[Buzzard Breath]

I'm a unit B hunter and several of the guys I hunt around only rifle hunt. They like the option of being able to shoot the first two bucks they see for the freezer, and still have another buck tag so they can concentrate on shooting a big one. I personally don't think any have ever shot three in a year, but they like having that chance. We do have doe days, but they change per county and some WMA's encompass several counties. It's hard to keep track of so most of them just shoot bucks.

 

[muddyboots]

Thats what i say buzz when we are told noone kills 3. Alot of people shoot the first two bucks they see and hold the last one for a trophy. If the limit was 2 then alot of people would just shoot one and hold the last one for a trophy.

 

[Buzzard Breath]

Thats what i say buzz when we are told noone kills 3. Alot of people shoot the first two bucks they see and hold the last one for a trophy. If the limit was 2 then alot of people would just shoot one and hold the last one for a trophy.

Actually, what I'm implying is that if those of you that are pushing for a reduction in buck limits were to push for leniency in doe regulations, you would accomplish as much, if not more, with a whole lot less resistance than pushing for more restrictive buck limits.

For starters, I would like to see the type 94 license requirement to shoot does during rifle season done away with. There are lots of deer hunters that just buy the rifle license and casually hunt. It's more of an oportunity to get out of the house than a chance to shoot a big buck. If a legal deer walks in front of them, they shoot it. Since they didn't want to spend the extra money on a type 94 license, that restricts them to bucks only.

Next, I would like to see unit B go from being able to shoot 3 does with a bow, 1 with a muzzleloader, and 1 with a rifle but only on certain days; to 3 does per season, only 2 can be from WMA's. That would give the folks filling the freezer with small bucks during rifle season the option to shoot a few does without having to worry about wether they are hunting during a legal date for that county or not, and it would give landowners with extra deer the option to remove some. If some WMA's can't support the killing of that many does, TWRA could either close hunting to antlerless deer in those WMA's, or restrict harvest in other ways.

IMO, and I have absolutely no evidence that I am correct, so don't even ask for me to prove it; there are far more immature bucks being killed by "casual" deer hunters because that is all they can legally shoot, than there are bucks being killed because we have a three buck limit.

There's not a single soul out there that would oppose the type 94 to not be required to shoot does with a rifle. Very few people would have a problem with just setting a flat #/season in unit B, actually, most would support it.

Why keep beating your heads against the wall by pushing for a lower buck limit, when similar results could be accomplished by pushing for something far more people would support?

 

[Boone 58]

I dont understand anyone thinking they need a 3 buck limit, however i practice shooting 2 and would only shoot a third if it exceeded the 1 & 2......since we can shoot all the does we want in unit l..3 per day.....i have little comprehension in the psche of understanding the need for 3. I know of almost no one who takes 3 nice ones and few who even shoot 3 small ones....still it seems to me that 2 decent bucks is fair for everyone if we really gain ground on growing them bigger. I ascribe to most of what Bsk says because he understands it from a much more in depth level and i can see that if people shoot them when they are all 1.5 to 2.5 years old it wont matter what limit whether 2 or three.......i thinks the best practice is self discipline to let the 2.5 and younger walk......my goal is a 3.5 and older buck with the kind of horns that reach about 8 pts and 16" spread. sometimes a 2.5 hits that mark pretty close but a 2.5 here in our area seldom impresses....the 3.5 mark does much of the time.

 

[BSK]

I dont understand anyone thinking they need a 3 buck limit, however i practice shooting 2 and would only shoot a third if it exceeded the 1 & 2......since we can shoot all the does we want in unit l..3 per day.....i have little comprehension in the psche of understanding the need for 3. I know of almost no one who takes 3 nice ones and few who even shoot 3 small ones....still it seems to me that 2 decent bucks is fair for everyone if we really gain ground on growing them bigger. I ascribe to most of what Bsk says because he understands it from a much more in depth level and i can see that if people shoot them when they are all 1.5 to 2.5 years old it wont matter what limit whether 2 or three.......i thinks the best practice is self discipline to let the 2.5 and younger walk......my goal is a 3.5 and older buck with the kind of horns that reach about 8 pts and 16" spread. sometimes a 2.5 hits that mark pretty close but a 2.5 here in our area seldom impresses....the 3.5 mark does much of the time.

For me, it has nothing to do with "need." Very few of us actually "need" to deer hunt (considering the total cost per pound of venison when it's all said and done). I simply see it as freedom of choice when no harm is being done. Our buck age structure keeps getting better under our current system, so why limit hunters freedom of choice when there is no biological need to do so?

Now as I've said many times, I personally prefer a 2 buck limit (primarily because of the "message" that sends to hunters instead of the physical limitations), but I'm also in favor of providing maximum hunter opportunity that doesn't do harm to the resource.