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Post by richm on Jan 21, 2024 17:43:25 GMT -5
Buddy is hunting somewhere he hunts a lot. He sees a lot of jumbo 6s and mature 5 pts. Ive heard about a handful of bucks and none were legal.
Rule is 4 pts per side. None of the deer have brow tines. Looks like the genetics have been shot out.
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Post by meateater on Jan 22, 2024 8:41:30 GMT -5
no 10 inch main beam rule there, lotta bucks like that here down south but most times the 10 inch beam makes them legal.
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Post by swampdog on Jan 22, 2024 9:06:03 GMT -5
Agree w you about 10” main beam. Either private club or a Special Opportunity that he hunts a “lot”…
Personally the antler restrictions are a success. The pics I get from folks here in Florida are amazing. They know I won’t post them so they share them.
I’m not a horn hunter per se, but like a typical rack that’s representative for the areas I hunt. I love hunting does during archery and shooting a buck in front of hounds. I also enjoy Muzzy loading and modern gun.
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Post by ogbohica on Jan 22, 2024 9:22:22 GMT -5
Antler restrictions have successfully raised the prices on leases in Georgia, just saying.
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Post by bullfrog on Jan 22, 2024 10:32:37 GMT -5
Mixed feelings.
I agree with the concept of tailoring regulations to encourage more buck survival.
I think compliance with antler restrictions has been low on private land, leading to a degree of inequitable distribution of harvests where the hunter willing to do whatever they can get away with is given a major advantage over the hunter who follows the rules for the sake of ethics.
I am seeing an overall increase in large buck numbers, but its taken over twice as long as it should have to see results. 3-4 years into antler restrictions should
have had high dividends if compliance was high. Instead, because compliance was likely low for several years, we’re only just now seeing results 9 years into the program.
Seems like most everyone I have talked to, and myself, have seen more mature bucks in person or on camera, in 2023 than any previous year on record. That’s been true all over the panhandle and NE Florida.
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capt louie
Junior Member
"You'll get your weather"
Posts: 63
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Post by capt louie on Jan 22, 2024 11:09:51 GMT -5
Tide swamp had 4 points one side rule for a long time. Doesn't produce very many bucks.
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Post by 6thgen on Jan 22, 2024 12:01:02 GMT -5
I passed a legal 5 point this weekend and several spikes. The big boys have gone underground at the places I hunt. I fed them FRM 20 all year and filled the feeders again Saturday. I am hoping it will pay off with some nice bucks next year. I do have the fattest fawns and yearlings that I have ever had, so we will see.
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Post by richm on Jan 22, 2024 12:09:32 GMT -5
It just seems that when the rules say 4 pts per side only that the majority of the deer seen will have 3 pts. Based on the pics and stories over the past couple years by this guy, the bucks without brows are the majority of the breeders and passing the trait along.
Not sure if there is a way to "fix that".
Still a "hunting opportunity" and there is "always a chance" at a legal deer. I'd go elsewhere after 2 or 3 hunts of seeing non-legal bucks w decent racks. Too much potential for a mistake on my part.
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Post by Crkr 23 on Jan 22, 2024 13:05:32 GMT -5
Unfortunately, almost no one including myself is going to pass on the bucks that should be breeding the does especially on public land.
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Post by meateater on Jan 22, 2024 14:06:47 GMT -5
Tide swamp had 4 points one side rule for a long time. Doesn't produce very many bucks. triple n and fort drum 2 special op hunts with 4 point per side, yea a couple big bucks get killed every year but most guys go home empty handed. i take the first legal buck that walks by , after that im a little picky but not because of any rules just because i only need 2 deer a year from florida to keep freezer full. i have not noticed a difference in the south zone wmas i hunt, 25 years ago i seen some monsters and this past year seen a few big ones but really havent noticed a increase. |
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Post by pinman on Jan 22, 2024 19:31:27 GMT -5
Agree w you about 10” main beam. Either private club or a Special Opportunity that he hunts a “lot”… Personally the antler restrictions are a success. The pics I get from folks here in Florida are amazing. They know I won’t post them so they share them. I’m not a horn hunter per se, but like a typical rack that’s representative for the areas I hunt. I love hunting does during archery and shooting a buck in front of hounds. I also enjoy Muzzy loading and modern gun. If you would like to continue to hunt in front of dogs you really shouldn't align yourself with those who favor more antler restrictions..... |
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Post by altuck on Jan 22, 2024 20:29:55 GMT -5
I honestly don't think antler restrictions will overcome poor genetics and nutrition.
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Post by ogbohica on Jan 23, 2024 9:12:05 GMT -5
I honestly don't think antler restrictions will overcome poor genetics and nutrition. Along with absolutely ZERO predator management |
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Post by bullfrog on Jan 23, 2024 9:45:11 GMT -5
I honestly don't think antler restrictions will overcome poor genetics and nutrition. Along with absolutely ZERO predator management I recently saw a study that says that whitetail deer make up 40% of a coyote’s diet in the east during some seasons. Compare that to the panther, which consistently rely on deer for about 25% of their diet, but cause 72% of all deer mortalities in south Florida. If 300-500 panthers kill 72% of all the deer that die for any cause, and deer are only 25% of the panther’s diet, imagine what the hundreds of thousands of coyotes do all over Florida where deer are 40% of their diet. |
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Post by meateater on Jan 23, 2024 9:49:43 GMT -5
I honestly don't think antler restrictions will overcome poor genetics and nutrition. Along with absolutely ZERO predator management i try to do my part but really tough shooting coyotes with a shotgun since most wmas dont allow centerfire during small game which is when i do most of my coyote hunting, have only gone 4 times this year targeting coyotes using the fox pro call. keep the scoped 300 blackout on the ground and the shotgun across my lap and will continue that till i get a warning or ticket. so far 2 with the shotgun 2 with the rifle. got 2 on 2 hunts and skunked on 2 hunts but seen dogs everytime. |
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Post by richm on Jan 23, 2024 12:04:58 GMT -5
I shoot coyotes whenever able.
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Post by ogbohica on Jan 23, 2024 14:04:02 GMT -5
ourfwcc only cares about the turtles,dolphins,manatees,gophers,some small birds n such...... and new restrictions every quarter.
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Post by walkerdog on Jan 23, 2024 22:17:52 GMT -5
It just seems that when the rules say 4 pts per side only that the majority of the deer seen will have 3 pts. Based on the pics and stories over the past couple years by this guy, the bucks without brows are the majority of the breeders and passing the trait along. Not sure if there is a way to "fix that". Still a "hunting opportunity" and there is "always a chance" at a legal deer. I'd go elsewhere after 2 or 3 hunts of seeing non-legal bucks w decent racks. Too much potential for a mistake on my part. Sounds like the 4 points on a side antler restriction being used is high grading the harvested bucks in the area you are referring to. It’s an indication that that particular antler restriction isn’t well suited to the herd that’s being managed. If designed correctly, an antler restriction should protect few if any of the bucks that have reached the target age that the management program is trying to achieve. They do work well, if designed correctly. |
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Post by ogbohica on Jan 24, 2024 8:32:01 GMT -5
How do you know how many of these deer in any area, should be harvested yrly?
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Post by walkerdog on Jan 24, 2024 16:11:42 GMT -5
If you want to know the price of tea in China, you’ll need to ask someone else. 😉
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Post by james14 on Jan 28, 2024 18:44:05 GMT -5
I'm guessing this is a spec opp hunt. Most regular WMAs (the ones with which I'm familiar) have a 14" main beam rule in addition to the 4 on a side rule.
Ultimately, I feel like predation, poaching, and habitat are problems that have to be addressed to make the necessary difference.
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Post by meateater on Jan 29, 2024 10:30:21 GMT -5
if i was to bet the only reason fwc has antler restrictions in the south zone is to limit harvest. a couple wmas still have a very limited doe harvest but the second a non hunting he/she/they biologist says numbers are low that will be gone. antler restrictions in the south zone has zero to do with improving hunter satisfaction or increasing the number of big bucks. they will never blame cougars or bad land management so hunting is the scapegoat.
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Post by ogbohica on Jan 29, 2024 12:36:32 GMT -5
they have collecting data down south for decades and haven't done sqaut with it other than restrict and shut down... PERIOD
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Post by One Man Gang on Jan 29, 2024 18:03:01 GMT -5
Deer are a great source of protein for mountain lions. To hell with you guys and your needs.
I was basically told that by two ex fwc biologists who now work in a more hunter friendly state.
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Post by JS84 on Jan 29, 2024 18:28:12 GMT -5
Gut punch
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