Harvest Guidelines Discussion

[SD51555]

Getting to be that time of year again hey?

How do you have a harvest guideline discussion with your group? What are your guidelines for this year?

We're in that spot right now, Marvin and I. We're trying to lay out our game plan for this year. Do we personally hold back on all deer? Let Omaha Steve and other brother shoot something? We're also considering not hunting our property for the first day and a half to allow a refuge in an otherwise heavily hunted area. That seemed to work fairly well last year.

 

[biglakeba$$]

Gun season
4 hunters this year on our 120 acres.
Had to break the news to my best friend that this year that we are cutting back on hunters. Him and his son are out of a place to gun hunt.

No does will be shot except if my 14 year old daughter wants to take her first deer.

 

[bat man]

I am letting 2 lamas go night before season and letting all the neighbors know they have escaped and should be shot on sight.

It will give them hope as they won't shoot does or small bucks.

 

[Jameson]

How do you have a harvest guideline discussion with your group? What are your guidelines for this year? .

Me, "Who is only hunting opening weekend this year?" 2 guys raise their hands. Me, "ok, your tags get filled first." :D

Restrictions will be any legal buck that offers a good shot. No doe permits in the group.

We will probably get 1 spike buck for 4 guys. Catch glimpses of a couple other decent bucks and watch a few does with fawns.

 

[Freeborn]

Deer numbers seem better the last couple years on and around my place. Two guys hunting 105 acres, I'm mature buck only (score does not matter) and my buddy can take what he wants (buck or Doe). Two deer only and I have always liked the rule of 50 acres per hunter.

When it comes to setting the rules allot depends on the acres you hunt, the number of deer you hold and the number of hunters you have. For me, in an area with low deer numbers I would work on a harvest of 1 deer per 50 acres at most. That's if the deer numbers are decent. Of course this is what I am interested in and if your goals are different I would do what you want.

Good luck!

 

[biglakeba$$]

I am letting 2 lamas go night before season and letting all the neighbors know they have escaped and should be shot on sight.

It will give them hope as they won't shoot does or small bucks.

I could use some Llamas to protect my deer from the coyotes.

 

[sandbur]

I am letting 2 lamas go night before season and letting all the neighbors know they have escaped and should be shot on sight.

It will give them hope as they won't shoot does or small bucks.

MnFish is turning loose two pigs so his neighbors can make venison sausage, good neighbor that MnFish.

 

[sandbur]

My youngest daughter is 17 and has her last youth tag. I don't want her to fill it where I live, but to use it up in zone 172. My cousins have some hay fields up there with quite a few deer on them.
My wife, oldest daughter, and I will only be hunting bucks. Shoot a buck that makes you happy or else don't shoot it is my rule.

 

[SD51555]

For me, in an area with low deer numbers I would work on a harvest of 1 deer per 50 acres at most. Good luck!

You know, when you think about hunters per acre, ours is ridiculously high when you consider the 40 to the east of us, us, and the 10 to the west. I bet there are 14 people with tags that will be hunting those 90 acres at some point this season. :oops:

I suppose it does help a little that we've only pulled the trigger on one deer in three years on our property. All bets are off when they cross the line though.

 

[biglakeba$$]

Many of us are in the same boat SD...... We have passed deer for years now in hopes we can make an impact in a positive way. Our neighbors have used a pallet of bullets in those same years..... :(

 

[bwoods11]

I am letting 2 lamas go night before season and letting all the neighbors know they have escaped and should be shot on sight.

It will give them hope as they won't shoot does or small bucks.

:D
One of my insurance clients is selling his alpaca herd and has yet to find a buyer. He is dropping in price and if anyone needs one or two let me know!!!

 

[Satchmo]

I could use some Llamas to protect my deer from the coyotes.

Get donkeys......they are way meaner and know how to fight, but don't try to pet 'em. ;)

My buddy, my oldest son, and I are hunting mature bucks only by choice. My younger son usually gets to take whatever makes him happy, but he filled his buck tag earlier while bowhunting so he'll be restricted to trophy hunting only now. No doe tags to throw away.

 

[biglakeba$$]

When do we do a land tour NoFo?

 

[wklman]

Getting to be that time of year again hey?

How do you have a harvest guideline discussion with your group? What are your guidelines for this year?

We're in that spot right now, Marvin and I. We're trying to lay out our game plan for this year. Do we personally hold back on all deer? Let Omaha Steve and other brother shoot something? We're also considering not hunting our property for the first day and a half to allow a refuge in an otherwise heavily hunted area. That seemed to work fairly well last year.

Since I'm the only one who hunts my property the discussion is usually pretty short. Sometimes I'll invite a friend over and tell them to shoot whatever buck they want. I try not to put restraints on anyone but myself. That way if they shoot something small I don't get disappointed. Life's too short.

 

[Satchmo]

When do we do a land tour NoFo?

November 21st!!! :p

Should add that we hunt WI for meat. Plenty of deer where we hunt there.

 

[biglakeba$$]

One word.... ugh....

 

[JFK52]

I am in Portage county, which is adjacent to and North of Waupaca county . I have two friends who have an 80 and a 160 near the Waupaca - Waushara county line. I can definitely attest to the fact that there are a lot of deer in Waupaca county.
My hunters are there for meat for the freezer. As such, we take out 6-8 antlerless deer every season. No drives, just stand hunting covering apple trees, soy bean, alfalfa, and corn fields. Any buck must have 8 points and a 16 inch spread that reaches the ears when they are on alert. Any wounded deer is dispatched promptly and no harvest rules apply to wounded deer. It is the humane thing to do for the animal. Small rack bucks and nubbins are left alone. Mistakes do happen and that is an accepted fact of life.

 

[yoderjac]

Our general guidelines have been to let bucks under 3 1/2 walk for our experienced hunters. We let kids and novice hunters shoot what they want. For does, our policy was to shoot all we could even if it meant accidently harvesting button bucks. No matter how many female deer we harvested, it seemed more immigrated during our summers when our beans are the only quality food for about 3 miles and they stay. Two years ago, we hit the perfect storm. First, we had a mast crop failure so our food plots made harvesting does an easy task. We doubled our average annual female harvest. Then we had an unusually hard winter (with no acorns). While coyotes have been in the general area for a number of years, they started using our property on a regular basis that winter as well. The result was a significant decline in our population. Last year, we limited our female harvest to 6 does total on about 400 acres.

Anecdotally, it seems our population is starting to rebound this year. Our survival survey show we are back to above our average. I'm seeing quite a few twins this summer. Our recruitment survey is just beginning. I won't have final number in until the end of the month. My thinking right now is to lift female harvest restrictions but not to actively encourage our hunters to shoot females. I'm thinking of leaving it to their discretion but asking folks to do their best to make sure they are not shooting button bucks. This could change when I get the hard data from the recruitment survey.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[j-bird]

My rules don't change.

Rookie hunters can shoot any deer they want.
Experienced hunters shoot does for the freezer if they have the need and bucks for the wall (required to be wider than the ears).
Avoid shooting fawns/button bucks if possible.
State only allows a single antlered deer to be harvested per hunter so I don't have to fight that.

I will have as many as 5 different hunters but it won't be all at once. Possibly two kids so they will be supervised and hunt on a limited basis. My son, but he has his girlfriend up his butt and controlling his every move now.....that's his problem! My buddy will hunt when his wife lets him and I will hunt come closer to Halloween and then thru November and into early December if needed.

 

[Bill]

My rules are similar. Except for this one......

Avoid shooting fawns/button bucks if possible.

You can't actually eat the spots, but I find what's under them very tasty.

Jack
I'd wait another season before hitting the green light. Unless field sightings say otherwise.