So this conservation area I am thinking about hunting this coming season has a 4 point rule for deer. Does this mean that the deer here should be pretty decent or that there are few bucks and not many can be taken from here?
I think that it is mostly state wide and has been for several years, maybe since about '04. Where is here by the way? Theoretically it should allow more bucks to reach ages of 3 years or older, therefore yes "pretty decent". This would produce a deer population with a more normal age and sex distribution. A population with more mature bucks should have more, better antlered deer. The majority of hunters or maybe meat hunter don't much care for the rule from what I've gathered. Me personally, I'm not sure yet. Sometimes I think its just another money maker for the state/DNR. Last year during gun season, I had to pass on two 4 pointers. They were both very large bodied animals, but they both had little racks. I was okay with it though and I've read that a good population of four pointers is supposed to be a good thing to have on your land.
"Here" being Reform CA...I've read that this place gets hunted kinda hard, is that true? I saw 3 deer there yesterday when I was out looking for a place to put my trail cam up in the middle of the day and 1 was a buck for sure but he ran off too fast for me to get a good look at him.
I am undecided on this as it seems like a good idea but takes out younger bucks with great potential if they have 4 points on one side.
good thing i like about Reform it is archery only. bad thing is it is near Callaway and owned by Amren.
I do like that it is archery only so it weeds out a few bozos, but wish it wasn't so close to fulton. no one was there on saturday afternoon when i went.
I would kill to have a four point rule here in Northern NY. So many spikes and four points get killed in my area each year its hard to believe there are any bucks left to grow to a decent size. If it was imposed this year it may take a few years to see any benefit as you may not be able to tag out, however the hunting will most likely get better. I think that in general antler restrictions for high pressure areas will definetly help the buck:doe ratio and improve the quality of any future bucks you may take. This is just what I believe though.
^^ Ya I don't mind it at all. Definitely glad that anything with bone on its head doesn't get mowed down.
We've had that rule since they implemented it here in NW Missouri. Here's the way I look at it. I'm wouldn't have been shooting those small/young deer anyway, so that rule just keeps my neighbor from shooting them too. I know there's always going to be that one huge 6 pointer running around out there that doesn't meed the standards, but I they are few and far between. I have seen a dramatic difference in the quality of the bucks on my property. I see way more mature bucks than when I first started hunting about 10 years ago. We have family up on the Iowa line, that's where I started hunting. Saw tons of small bucks and spikes, but hardly ever saw a quality buck. This year they took 8 nice mature bucks off that same property. One of the other benefits, is that it forces the hunter to be sure of their target before they shoot.
i agree that many do not try to age before shooting, although many people do not care either they harvest deer for meat only, and many hunters are delighted to shoot a spike or a little 4 point, for me it come down to if you have your own land, and if you manage the deer on your land.
Here in Central, IL...some "State Parks" have a "4 point rule" well a list of rules. 1) you must take a doe before a buck can be taken 2) all bucks taken must have 4 points on at least one side of the rack I think this is a different rule than the discussion here, but I think it is a good one. I have heard countless stories of the monster sized buck roaming the park grounds that nobody can take. The park has a huge population of deer and the park only allows bow hunting and black powder hunting. Those rules apply to both types of hunting. Seems like a good idea?
Theres a park on the St. Lawrence where I icefish in the winter and perch fish in the spring that is riddled with big mature bucks. There is no hunting allowed and its basically a giant sanctuary for big bucks. A group of friends I icefish with have pictures of two stud 8s fighting along with another 10 that would go 140 easy. I think it would be a fantastic idea to open up state parks like this for bow hunting only after the camp grounds close though.
