Recently, I have been doing some research on this topic and asking my friends on Twitter if they have restrictions like this where they hunt. If so, do they think it is an effective method for growing and creating a healthy herd.
Here are some of the comments:
Kentucky – No but if it’s less than 3 inches, u can check as doe if I remember the regs correctly. Never been as issue for the guys I hunt with.
Idaho – No, we don’t have any restrictions like this.
Georgia – Ga. allows counties to set antler if they desire and those that have service pt. and/or restrictions have much better bucks ! Point & spread restrictions are best. Erin, there are only a couple of Counties that i know of. I’m sure there are some i don’t know. Dooly County has min. 8 pt. & 15″ spread. It has made an incredible difference in their herd but is difficult to bring in more areas because we have more killers than trophy hunters.
Oklahoma – No. There are no antler restrictions like “must be 3×3 to shoot”. I think it would do a lot to help there be more mature deer on public land if there was a restriction. Private land hunters hold themselves to their own standards where I would never take less than a 3×3 due to maturity others might.
Missouri – The APRs have definitely increased the number of quality bucks in some areas, but I can also understand why the APRs frustrate some hunters.
Tennessee – Not here in Tn. It’s still important law or not to harvest appropriately to ensure future game
This interactive map shows the deer population per square mile across the United States. I don’t know about other States but it looks pretty true for Maine. In the winter of 2007-2008, the northern part of the State received more than 15 feet of snow and had severe flooding that wiped out towns along the Big Black, St. John, Allagash, Fish, and Aroostook Rivers. As a result, the deer were incredibly vulnerable to coyotes and had a harsh winter of dealing with the lack of food and habitat in the area.
Since then, there has been significant efforts made to rebuild the population across the central, western and northern parts of the State. Last season, we harvested 18,839 deer in Maine which is about average. But, the herd is still small and being threatened by the booming coyote population.
So, here is my question:
If you are not in Maine: Are there restrictions where you hunt and are they effective?
If you are in Maine: Do you think this would help us rebuild our herd?
Yes, it will help. Any law, rule or regulation that ultimately mean we can kill less deer will obviously increase the size of the deer heard. However, by doing so what will you lose and what will you gain related to hunter numbers, etc.
To me it makes more sense to limit the destruction of deer yards and the clear cutting of our forests. Let us start snaring coyotes again and I think you can start to make a big difference without putting more limits on the deer we can shoot.