missed-dumb texas law

[hoebow]

Well things are heating up around my stand. I had a small 8 point within 5 yards but I could not shoot because Texas has a new law that says all bucks have to be 13 inches wide. I let him walk twice and then two Does came by at about 20-25 yards I let one fly only to cut white hair from underneath her. No blood what so ever I think she will have a bald spot for awhile. I think I pay enough to hunt here in Texas why do we have to have antler restrictions? You can't eat horns.  

[dorris]

probbaly trying to get some quality deer in there management program . Its not all bad at least that 8 will be bigger next year and you can have bragging rights then of course any deer with trad gear is worth bragging about come to think if it  .  

[Whitetail Chaser]

What county do you hunt in?  The antler restrictions have been around several years. I guess they are just expanding them to more counties now. Overall, I think your average buck size and age will increase due to the regs.  

Many places need these kind of rules since the average buck gets blasted when he's a year and a half old.

Keep after them.  Maybe you'll kill a nice big buck later in the year.

Brett

[BamBooBender]

I think I pay enough to hunt here in Texas why do we have to have antler restrictions? You can't eat horns.  

I feel ya man. Imo it all boils down to money.    

[hickry]

i'm revising my original post.  i don't disagree w/ a lot of the aspects of "Quality Deer Management".  i do, however, dislike the fact that i'm currently working my way towards building my own selfbow... my own rivercane arrows... my own broadheads (eventually stone)... etc.  i hunt a private tract of land where it's not about "bragging rights" or a competition between hunters.  it's about challenging YOURSELF and about having a good time hunting.  so many have made this a contest between hunters to see who can grow and "harvest" the largest body size/antler sized deer.  i'm afraid, in doing so, so many (including the state) have put less emphasis on hunting, and more on harvesting.  this is not cattle... it's wild deer.  i say, let's keep 'em wild and, as far as it doesn't hurt the overall population, keep the restrictions to ourselves.  just my 2cents...

[Scott J. Williams]

I for one am grateful for the law.  We have a lease in Burnet, Texas(Heart of the Hill Country)and the landowner, a State Wildlife Biologist, has set us up with similar restrictions.

We also hunt in Leon, County where this will be the second year for those restrictions as a county. While it is not a requirement in Burnet, we plan to be on this bowhunting only lease for at least four to five years, so the benefits are obvious.  

You too will see the difference it will make in the next two years.  That will place four good years under your belt working with these rules.  Those 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 year old deer that you are letting walk now, will be in their prime in a year or two, provided you have good genetics, and good browse.  

I have just about gotten the other people on the lease to agree to a "protein" feeding program year around.  This area has a lot of potential, and I am sure your area has too.  If you hunt in the same part of Texas as Leon County, the Managed Lands program has worked wonders, but a lot of landowners didn't get on board, and many of the land parcels were too small.

It didn't make sense for farmer "A" to put his 200 ac plot on the management program when farmer "B" the next farm over didn't join. That often meant that when the deer crossed the fence, they were shot with little or no consideration to the age, sex, or whatever. For this reason I am glad the state stepped in to insure a  game management program would be benefical to all concerned.

Hang tight, you will soon reap the rewards of your patients.

[LocDoc]

I felt the same way. A few days ago I had a real Bruiser run by me at 20 yards in Houston County. This was a Pope and Young type buck. Remember that spikes are still legal as well as does. I believe in a year or two you will change your mind as I did.

[Steertalker]

hoebow,

What part of the state are you hunting?  No restrictions where I hunt and we have the potential for 160+ bucks.  I think in the long run you will appreciate the restrictions because the quality will begin to get better.

Brett

[Kip]

You might have missed the buck also.I would rather shoot a doe than a small buck now b/c I have killed many small bucks.I am not a trophy hunter at all but I think good mang. if you don't kill the easy bucks and take out does.My sons in law havn't killed many deer so I let them shoot one buck of their choice then let them walk if small and we have doe tags.You will see the results soon if you let the small ones walk.Kip

[deepshaft]

I think TPW is trying to increase the average age of the bucks killed.  That is,  trying to lessen the number of 1.5 year old bucks killed.

[allanburden]

Hoebow, I am in agreement with you.  I do not hunt for a mount on the wall.  I hunt to provide sustenance for my family.  I am not above admiring a large rack, however I am much more happy with a tender steak.  Just wanted to let you know I feel your pain here in SC.  Which by the way has antler restrictions on the public land in the game zone in which I hunt.  

[Bodork]

I can understand your frustration but honestly, it's hard for me to feel real sorry for you guys that live/hunt in south Texas when the whitetail season in my county and  most surrounding counties is archery Oct 1st - Nov 2nd then general season Nov 17- Dec 4. No anterless without a permit in regular season. That's right two whole weeks general season(longbow for me.) The rut is just getting into full swing and season is over up here. You guys see more deer on your way to church than we see in an entire season of hard hunting. Oh yea, my license costs the same as yours!  Thankfully, at least on occasion, I'm able to go down south and hunt now and then. I still love Texas.

[draco]

I`ve lived in Texas all my life and have always thought the Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept. Has their head up their a$$. We were one of the last states to allow doe harvest and that was only after the hill country had buck/doe ratios of one to forty. Then there was the spike kill program and then there was the spikes ar`nt all bad program. I live in Williamson county,the fastest growing county in the nation. Growth equates to habitat loss and weve been shorted a tag for the last ten years,now antler restrictions.Sun Citys deer trapping budget is 40,000 dollars a year. Subdivisions are on WM permits and the Corp Of Engineers propertys are giving out tags like candy to take care of the over population that the T.P.and W. caused. And in the big buck countys of south Texas where they have worried about doe over population for decades you get an extra buck tag-go figure. And as for antler restrictions on spread that means you leave the narrow spread bucks in the herd to bred your does and pass those narrow spread genes on and in the years to come you have more narrow spreads than ever. I`ve always said they make more regulations to make people think they are doing something,maybe not good but something.

[oneshot1]

Sillly, silly law's...these antler restiction's have never worked in the long run, 5-10 years alls great, after 10-to 20 years of targeting the cream of the crop, the gene pool is washed out by the smaller/poorer gened bucks, EVERYWHERE trophy management of this type has been done long term results are the same...BAD FOR THE OVER-ALL HERD HEALTH...And how many 11"-12" bucks are left in the field????or one's that are a point shy of "legal"??? I found 3 4 pointers last year here in NY left in the woods to waste because they didnt have "at least 3 points on one side" per new regs... Your deer tag is something you have worked for and earned, a priviledge. And you should be able to take any sized deer YOU want, it's your hunt... Sorry for the rant...Back to normal now hehehe

[Kingstaken]

Restrictions for fish OK. Fish in one hand and rule in other. 17.5" fluke's back in water. Imagine that? But this is a good thing due to overfishing.
I doubt Texas is over hunted.
How the hell can one determine between a 12" and 13"? I guess I have to add besides a bow mounted range finder a gauge to thats shows a 13" spread.
Wonding how to mount with a cant.
Probably fine for gap shooters who hold long, but how can us poor instinctive shooters shoot instinctively with this law. :confused:
Thanks the Lord I'm in N.Y.  No crazy laws and still great deer hunting.

[bm22]

kingstaken, most of east texas and part of central texas IS over hunted, there are way to many "good ol boys" left in texas that think hey "i have been hunting on this land for 40,50,60 years i am going to shoot what i want". and they kill everything they see day or night

i think most of texans landowners believe this is a blessing, they are seeing huge deer in places they were lucky to see deer,
the only thing i think they should change is put an age limit on the deer, like you can shoot any deer 4.5 yr or older that would eliminate the culls hopefully one day they will not require the limits and they will be removed

[hickry]

i have to disagree.  we do need laws to help keep deer populations in check... not too few... not too many.  but for the state to implement an "Antler Management" plan is just sticking their nose somewhere it shouldn't be.  this is HUNTING... not farming...
i'm one of those east texas good ol' boys.  i don't, however, shoot anything i see day or night.  i happen to like hunting for a bigger buck, but i don't think it needs to be forced down people's throats.  how many wonderful hunts are there in this forum that ended up with bucks that wouldn't meet this minimum???  to rewrite those stories to would, in my opinion, be a shame...

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Of all the states I've lived in, Texas is the most expensive for residents to hunt.

We don't have the antler restriction out here.  I personally like the younger bucks for the better quality of MEAT.

[hoebow]

Thanks Tradgangers. I felt like I got alot of good feedback. I Hunt in central Texas, Bell and Coryell counties. I want to let you know some of the drawbacks to the antler restictions. On Fort Hood one of the places I hunt if you kill a small buck it is a automatic 500.00 fine, confication of pretty much what they want to take and being banned from hunting on post for the remainder of the hunting season. I have a hunting buddy that stuck one the second day of bow season. When we got to him my buddy put the tape measure on him 11 and 1/8 inches wide. He said it looked 13 inches to me in the tree. Well needless to say the coyotes ate well that night. He was not going to risk the fine so the deer went to ruin. How many times is that going to happen this year with those so called "good for you antler restrictions" Whether you think my buddy should've past the buck or not, This will happen alot and no one will ever know how many.

[wingnut]

13 inches is outside the ears.  If it's close, let it walk.

I've hunted under these type of restrictions on our place and have never had a problem.

Mike