earn a buck ?

[Groundpounder]

I was watching a "hunting" show today i use that term loosely . but anyways they were hunting some midwest state i think , the host said he had to take a doe so that he could earn a buck tag. once he shot a doe he then received his tag for a buck.does anyone know what the idea behind that thinking is? I would guess that its the way they control the doe population ?

[jcar315]

I have heard of this in Wisconsin. My guess would be exactly what you said.....kill a doe before you even can think about shooting a buck. Killing bucks doesn't "control" popluation. Not sure if they (or anyone else) still does this now...it might have changed.

[knobby]

Yes, that management idea is fron Wisconsin. It's now on hold for this season, due to its unpopularity among the deerhunters. But it seems that every year, our management tries a new tactic. You can have it if you'd like, I don't think anyone here would mind.

[bentpole]

Just came in after 4 hours in an earn a buck zone here in N.J. I even made history. The first Sunday you could hunt in N.J.  Our early season in the zones that are open are  earn a buck. You have to shoot a doe first then you can take a buck. Yes it is in fact  to thin the doe population.

[frassettor]

That was a HUGE fight with earn-a-buck in our state! I did not care for it personally...I heard we might get it back next year.

[acadian archer]

Personally I think it's a great idea for game management , where necessary.  after all, we as hunters should be concerned with the overall health of the deer herd not just putting big horns on the wall.

it's our responsibility to ensure that a healthy herd is there so that our children and their children can enjoy the hunt as we have. Although, our this generation seems more concerned with "now"

[Jason R. Wesbrock]

WI started using it in the CWD Zones back in 2002, where it is still in effect. Certain public lands in IL were EAB back in the early 90's. I understand NJ has had EAB for well over a decade as well.

[Jake Fr]

i don't think it's a bad idea. i read some where that if 1 doe is shot it eliminates some like 70 or so deer that are reproduced in like a 7 or 8 year span. i kike shootin does just as much as bucks so makes me no diff i guess

[dave19113]

Its here in Va ... Sort of... if you shoot a buck you cant shoot another until you shoot a doe. Its a good thing bc most bowhunters dont shoot enough does. I hunt an area where they give you 2 doe tags a day. Its great to pack meat for the freezer.

[Killdeer]

I agree, I think it's a great idea where there are more deer than there ought to be. If you hunt a zone like that, you should realize the problems that deer present for people and the environment. Controlling the population starts with killing does, and horn hunters do not help in the least.

Killing bucks does not help in controlling the population, and disrupts the doe/buck ratio. Too great an imbalance of does to bucks prolongs the breeding season and causes does to cycle over and over, so some are not bred until February. Late fawns are weak and will die over the winter, and the bucks will be worn to a frazzle and not be able to recover after the breeding season, because the breeding season will last until the worst of the year for finding food. Many will die from starvation.

Killing a doe is a kindness, and is completely 180 degrees from the mindset of the 50's and earlier, when the herds needed building, and the game departments encouraged the linking of taking stately horns with the image of manly competence. Reason, and a love of all things wild should be our guide here, not ego.

Killdeer

[Gottabow]

Heres the deal as I see it.  If your on public land your screwed.  Alot of the public that I hunted is pretty well shot to h*ll. Earn a buck is not just bowhunting but gun as well.  If you have a couple of fellows on personal land well you are not going to get the kill that the so called DNR in wis. wants as the total is taken state wide and somewhat grouped together.  Its a system of managment and like any system some know how to use it.  Wisconsin takes all land public and personal as one..you may  or may not have the population that they say..public next to nill and personal land alot...but it is all counted as one...get my drift?  If ya like that take a look at what they are trying to push through 2010 at the Wisconsin Bowsite..you people that think this is a great idea think again,its a slippery slope and can lead to bad things.

[Running Buck]

The earn a buck concept is nothing new. Here in NJ we have had some form of it going on close to ten years. NJ is a postage stamp compared to most states yet we have over 50 some odd zones.Some are three points on one side, some are unlimited does.( the unlimited doe bag limit during the January gun season has really knocked the numbers down)   The state does a good job at management but does not have the support of a lot of hunters. During the first few years of the earn a buck program state workers were sent out to spray paint road kills orange because some were checking them in as their doe to recieve the buck tag. Its a shame that the shoot bucks only mentality is fostered by the weekly television shows that promote "Horn Porn" where shooting something with large horns is the only reason you go afield.( for someone getting into the sport without a mentor, mass media is the only learning tool) This past summer NJ passed the Sunday hunting bill that allows bow hunting on WMA's and private land but along with it came the inclusion of crossbows. Things should get very interesting on the state grounds this year.

[Jeff Strubberg]

Earn a buck is far and away the best way to bring buck to doe ratios back in line.  Point restrictions are a silly way to address the problem, and leave you with genetically inferior bucks doign all the breeding.  

I wish more DNR's had the guts to implement this management tool.

[Gottabow]

Its a great tool if its used right..If you have a couple of people on a couple of hundred acres of land what good is it going to do..mean while the public land gets pounded...The winters and liberal Antlerless seasons have taken their toll in alot of areas.  Alot of the antlerless are taken from public..even by land owners.  I could see a year or two of anterless only seasons in certain areas to get the numbers down or maybe have our DNR take a more hands on approach.

[Jeff Strubberg]

If your buck to doe ratio is out of whack, you have to kill does.  It's that simple.  Public or private ground isn't a consideration.


Killing bucks achieves nothing as far as management goes.

[LAR43]

IMO Killdeer & Jeff are right on the money in all respects on this issue.

Larry

[trashwood]

I had the pleasrue of hunting for 10 yrs as a guest on a ranch near Mineral Wells, TX.  The rules for me were that I could fill all my doe tags but could not shoot any bucks.  I could take a spring and fall turkey and any pig I saw.  There was no lease fee for me.  Ya think I minded not hunting bucks? Not at all.

Infact I challenge you to take a good 5 or 6 yr old doe.  Does don't go crazy during rut  anywhere near to the extent that bucks do.  A good mature doe in my home hunting range is a tuff hunt. she does not make many mistakes.  She has got a whole dang family with her to act as eyes on scouts.  she know the manufactor and model number of every tree stand made.  she has been hunted from the ground and the trees.  spots a pop up at 200 yds. she has walked the same funnels for 5 yrs and knows then real well. she knows a lot more about staying alive than we do deer hunting.

rusty

[trashwood]

One year I was in hunting stands 75 times to fill four doe tags with does over 2 yrs old.  that was just to see if I could do it.  oldest doe I took was 3&1/2 yrs old.  Old Gamma is just hard to get a shot at on my home range.

rusty

[longbowben]

You can get the doe population in check by giving doe tags for free.But its all about money!

[Gottabow]

It is all about money.  The same Does tags that were $2 last year are $12 this year.  The DNR are not that concerened with Buck/Doe ratios as much as Deer/Car crash ratios..It(DNR) has become more politically motivated than anything else.