I would like to know what the antlered deer limit and what type of firearm: cf rifle or slug gun/ muzzleloader is used in the state or states you hunt. Also like to know if you agree or disagree with the type of firearm that is legal for the state. W Va. has a 3 buck limit in most counties, was 5 when I hunted there last, CF rifle the weapon of choice by most. These two factors is why I believe WV has such a poor showing in the whitetail record books. Ohio "where I hunt now" has a 1 buck limit and slug/ml/pistol firearm season, one of the premier states to hunt if you are looking to bag a 150+ class buck. Needless to say I'm not a fan of WV's DNR. What are your opinions and views?
Bucks And Firearms
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Here is summary of the Iowa deer regulations:
Basically Iowa has a two buck limit: You get two any-sex tags. One any-sex tag is for the bow season and the other any-sex tag is for one of the firearm seasons. Each county has a quota (determined by the DNR) of antlerless tags. This is the DNR's primary tool for managing the size of the deer herd in each county. Prior to Oct 1 in-state hunters can buy up to 3 antlerless tags for the various seasons. For all of the details go to: http://www.iowadnr.com/wildlife/pdfs/06deerhunting.pdf
In Iowa we cannot use centerfire rifles during the firearms seasons with the exception of a special late anterless season in the southern 1/3 of the state. During the gun season slug shotguns, muzzleloaders and handguns are all legal. During the muzzleloader seasons handguns are also legal.
My opinion of the Iowa deer laws: The gun season is way too late, it doesn't start until the first Saturday in Dec. By then the rut is completely over and the big bruisers tend to disappear.
Basically Iowa has a two buck limit: You get two any-sex tags. One any-sex tag is for the bow season and the other any-sex tag is for one of the firearm seasons. Each county has a quota (determined by the DNR) of antlerless tags. This is the DNR's primary tool for managing the size of the deer herd in each county. Prior to Oct 1 in-state hunters can buy up to 3 antlerless tags for the various seasons. For all of the details go to: http://www.iowadnr.com/wildlife/pdfs/06deerhunting.pdf
In Iowa we cannot use centerfire rifles during the firearms seasons with the exception of a special late anterless season in the southern 1/3 of the state. During the gun season slug shotguns, muzzleloaders and handguns are all legal. During the muzzleloader seasons handguns are also legal.
My opinion of the Iowa deer laws: The gun season is way too late, it doesn't start until the first Saturday in Dec. By then the rut is completely over and the big bruisers tend to disappear.
In Missouri, you can take 3 bucks every fall, 2 by archery methods and 1 by firearm. Centerfire rifles are legal during the regular firearms season and smokeless ML's are legal during the muzzy season. You may only take 1 antlered deer with a firearm per year. If you use your antlered deer tag during the general firearms season then you are left with only antlerless tags for the ML late season which directly follows the regular season.
One thing I'd like to see is an early ML season in MO, like the end of October. Ours follows the general firearms season now and the deer get thinned out by then and the remaining deer are pretty skiddish. I'd also like to be able to take an antlered deer with the ML even if I had taken one during the general firearms season. I enjoy hunting with a CF rifle but it wouldn't hurt my feelings if I could only use a ML!
One thing I'd like to see is an early ML season in MO, like the end of October. Ours follows the general firearms season now and the deer get thinned out by then and the remaining deer are pretty skiddish. I'd also like to be able to take an antlered deer with the ML even if I had taken one during the general firearms season. I enjoy hunting with a CF rifle but it wouldn't hurt my feelings if I could only use a ML!
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Here in Louisiana, we were able to shoot up to 6 deer, antlered or antlerless, we had designated days for either sex hunting. The deer could be taken by whatever means necessary for that season.
Bow season started first, but you could bow hunt all season if that was your preference. About 3-4 weeks after bow season opened, muzzleloader season opened for a week, then rifle season opened, but you could still bow or muzzleloader hunt. When rifle season closed, we had another week of muzzleloader hunting, and then bow hunting for another few weeks after ml season closed. I think we have one of the longest deer hunting seasons of all the states.
If you hunt in areas 3 and 6 you could start bow hunting as early as the middle of September, and hunt til the middle of February..
Here is a link to our upcomming season.
http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/hunting/seasons/deer/
This past season they changed our limits for a 2 year trial basis, and now we are allowed 3 antlered and 3 antlerless deer. No physical tags or anything like that, just works on the honor system, and you have to fill out a harvest sheet stating when, where, and what you kill. You are required to fill it out before you leave the woods with it. And after the season closes you mail it into wildlife and fisheries department.
And a yearling buck (button buck) gets listed as a buck on the card, it is no longer looked at like a doe/antlerless deer.
Bow season started first, but you could bow hunt all season if that was your preference. About 3-4 weeks after bow season opened, muzzleloader season opened for a week, then rifle season opened, but you could still bow or muzzleloader hunt. When rifle season closed, we had another week of muzzleloader hunting, and then bow hunting for another few weeks after ml season closed. I think we have one of the longest deer hunting seasons of all the states.
If you hunt in areas 3 and 6 you could start bow hunting as early as the middle of September, and hunt til the middle of February..
Here is a link to our upcomming season.
http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/hunting/seasons/deer/
This past season they changed our limits for a 2 year trial basis, and now we are allowed 3 antlered and 3 antlerless deer. No physical tags or anything like that, just works on the honor system, and you have to fill out a harvest sheet stating when, where, and what you kill. You are required to fill it out before you leave the woods with it. And after the season closes you mail it into wildlife and fisheries department.
And a yearling buck (button buck) gets listed as a buck on the card, it is no longer looked at like a doe/antlerless deer.
Here we have a one buck limit for white tail, regardless of what season, archery, ML or rifle. I should say that the tag you buy is either sex, so if you shoot a doe, you're done. Some management zones allow a 2nd antlerless tag. If you're lucky to get drawn for either sex mule deer, then you can take another buck. Antlerless mulie tags are numerous and in the zone I hunt you get 2 tags for the price of one. Only restriction as to firearm used in a couple of management zone that surround the bigger centers where acerages abound and there it's muzzle loader, shot gun or archery only.
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Arkansas - By zone, but basic limit is four deer, not over two legal bucks. Not more than two does can be taken with firearms. A legal buck has min of three points on one side.
Archery season starts Oct 1 and runs thru Feb 29. Have a 10 day ML season in late Oct then gun season starts second weekend in Nov for 3 to 6 weeks depending on zone.
In zone where I live limit is three deer. Does are by permit only, but at the camp the basic statewide limit applies. But there ain't no limit on hogs!
Archery season starts Oct 1 and runs thru Feb 29. Have a 10 day ML season in late Oct then gun season starts second weekend in Nov for 3 to 6 weeks depending on zone.
In zone where I live limit is three deer. Does are by permit only, but at the camp the basic statewide limit applies. But there ain't no limit on hogs!
Just my opinion but I believe that in addition to genetics the soil has certain minerals that feed the plants and in turn the deer. A daily diet of plants that contains desired minerals will probably produce not only trophy size racks but a big difference in animal weight. Here in the hill country of Arkansas a buck that weighs 200 pounds field dressed is a monster regardless of rack. As for antlers, I took only one 150 class buck in Arkansas and it field dressed 205 pounds. It should have been left to spread genes but like Chuck says; there is no limit on hogs here. To me it looked like it had a rocking chair on it's head.
IAhunter said:
IMO, NOT having the gun season during the rut is what has made Iowa such a whitetail trophy mecca. It protects the bucks when they are most vulnerable to hunting. I wouldn't be in favor of moving the gun season. For the record, I hunt early muzzle loader (landowner tag), archery and shotgun season. So I'm not a bow hunter railing against gun hunters or vice versa. I love every season.
The secondary rut, does coming into heat if they didn't get bred or were too young in November, occurs during the shotgun seasons. Most people do deer drives, so they generally don't captialize on this rut activity.
I live and hunt Ohio. The slug gun season is after the prime rut, that combined with no rifle season and excellent food sources IMO has helped Ohio with several top deer in the last few years. Now most of those special deer were taken with bows but the type and time of the hunts permit deer to have a better chance to reach full maturity.
I hunt in a one deer county, alot of deer continue to make it each year to continue to grow.
Just my thoughts.
I hunt in a one deer county, alot of deer continue to make it each year to continue to grow.
Just my thoughts.
Georgia Season
In Georgia the limit is 2 bucks and 10 anterless deer - that includes archery,centerfire and muzzleloders. Deer taken on some of the Wildlife Management hunts do do not count toward your 12 deer limit, so you could kill more than 12 during a hunting season. We have about 4 weeks of archery starting in early Sep then a week of muzzleloader and then centerfire rifles from mid Oct to about the second week in Jan. Legal weapons are: any 22 centerfire rifle up to a 700 Nitro using an expanding bullet(no solids allow) - bows must be 40lbs min with no restrictions on top lbs or let off - cross bows are legal for all hunters - muzzleloaders have to be 45cal or and scopes are legal. Shotguns must be 20 gauge or larger(I think)/ hold no more than 5 rounds/ scopes ok/ #1buck shot or larger and slugs OK except on WMA's where buck shot is not allowed. Pistols are legal too but I am not really sure what the critera is. You can use a bow, muzzleloader, pistol or shotgun in centerfire rifle season. Some say we don't have enough deer and some say we have too many. I have been hunting deer in Ga for about 35 years an can remember when seeing a track was a big deal. I say the DNR are trained professionals and do a great job.
In Georgia the limit is 2 bucks and 10 anterless deer - that includes archery,centerfire and muzzleloders. Deer taken on some of the Wildlife Management hunts do do not count toward your 12 deer limit, so you could kill more than 12 during a hunting season. We have about 4 weeks of archery starting in early Sep then a week of muzzleloader and then centerfire rifles from mid Oct to about the second week in Jan. Legal weapons are: any 22 centerfire rifle up to a 700 Nitro using an expanding bullet(no solids allow) - bows must be 40lbs min with no restrictions on top lbs or let off - cross bows are legal for all hunters - muzzleloaders have to be 45cal or and scopes are legal. Shotguns must be 20 gauge or larger(I think)/ hold no more than 5 rounds/ scopes ok/ #1buck shot or larger and slugs OK except on WMA's where buck shot is not allowed. Pistols are legal too but I am not really sure what the critera is. You can use a bow, muzzleloader, pistol or shotgun in centerfire rifle season. Some say we don't have enough deer and some say we have too many. I have been hunting deer in Ga for about 35 years an can remember when seeing a track was a big deal. I say the DNR are trained professionals and do a great job.
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