How do I feel, its POACHING. If you can't play by the rules, laws, regulations then don't play. Thats the way it is sorry if you don't like it. You have a choice, hunt, don't hunt, or poach.

Agreed

I wish they would change them back to the way it was before a year long doe season. But I agree that they will probably leave it aloe. Too much money out there. Just think about the lease prices for land in this state. The timber companies alone are tickled to death.

Back to my question.....

Why do people also think that people can self-impose reasonable limits on does but not bucks??

The line of reasoning is very flawed.

Northern and midwest states to Alabama and the South in general, Apples to Oranges. All ya got to do is treat Alabama's long season like on in the midwest. Bow hunt a couple weeks then wait till the rut in your area, problem solved. Hunt for one buck. Folks would be amazed at deer they saw and killed I'd bet.

I like the liberal harvest regulations. There are still locations in the state where harvest of does isn't hurting the herd. We kill a few does on multiple properties. Restrictions are not necessary and I certainly know when & where trigger restraint is needed. Around crop land, the harvest of a few does helps immensely with landowner relations. Other areas won't see a deer harvested.

The areas with low herd density don't get pressured. Food is readily available & bedding areas are thick. Deer shouldn't feel the need to leave the property.

On crops the does get hammered. Farmer is happy, kids enjoy shooting & I enjoy eating backstrap.

I don't feel a need to impose my standards on my neighbors. Just happy managing my areas within the law.

Everyone has the mindset to shoot for horns not floppy ears.

I don't know but I would think that the state takes poachers into account when setting limits. What percentage of people killing game poach? 30% 40% 50% I hope not but would not be suprized.

[quote=RiverWood]Turn him in [/quote

X2. There are rules for a reason. If he can't abide by them then he needs to pay the price, or find another hobbie.

How much meat does an average family of four need for a year? I would assume 5 deer would be sufficient for most. How about a tag system where each licensed hunter gets 5 tags, 2 buck only tags 2 doe only tags and 1 either sex tag.

My question is who gets to decide how many deer is enoug? The biologists should make this decision based on data. The reality is the decisions are often based on politics. The more pressure hunters apply, the more politics is inserted in the decision process. The biologists don't seem to be of the opinion that we are over harvesting deer yet.

Now there's a thought. Tag system, only issue is kids that are not licensed yet.

Talked to a game warden the other day and he said we won't ever have a tag system. Said it wasn't cost effective.

No.

5 lasts us till about the beginning of bow season

How many of you on this site are dye hard turkey hunters, probably alot of you.most of you go to all these different states to kill a turkey.I can not drive 10 miles from my house and limit out in less than 2 weeks ,my point is were I hunt ,theres not no hunting clubs or that many people who hunt,deer or turkey.so what im trying to say is,people who hunt deer as far as 10 miles away can affect your deer hunting.turkey,s dont travel near as far as deer.so if you have a couple hunting clubs within 10 miles of your land does affect your hunting.if you have a club with 15 members,they all kill say 2 bucks and 4 does each well that is around 90 deer thats around an average number for a 2000 acre hunting club.that really can affect your hunting .

I have a married friend with two daughters. They put up at least a dozen or more deer every year because they do not eat store-bought meat. They also have chickens for eggs and a giant garden along with fruit trees/bushes. They do as much as possible to live off the land without buying store-bought foods.

In the 2014 season he put up I believe 11 deer -- bucks and does -- killed in multiple states. They ran out of deer meat in late summer before his deer season opened. This year he already has killed at least a dozen, again in multiple states, and will kill at least 3-4 more to put in the freezer. If he's not hunting today then I'm sure he will be at least 2-3 days this week.

He's an extreme example but I'm sure there are many others like him. I have another couple of friends in Nebraska, Wyoming and Montana who each kill several antelope, elk and mule deer (or whitetail when possible) for their families for the year. One is single, one is married (no kids) and one has two teenagers. What they need and put up probably would make some hunters think their rabid slob killers who "don't need that much!" To them I say take care of your own house.

I hear some people say they "need to put my one deer in the freezer and that's enough." One? Maybe 35-40 pounds of meat is "enough" for them? Well, OK. That wouldn't be for me but that's fine. Maybe they don't eat a lot of meat.

Let's say you get 35 pounds of meat from a deer (just for a number) and the assumption that "5 is enough" gives you 175 pounds in the freezer(s). Is that enough for a family of four, or five, for a full year? I wouldn't think so if they regularly eat meat 2-3 times a week, be it chili, sausage, burgers or whatever, and especially if they eat it more often.

But whatever. I don't care if you need 15 deer or 1 deer in your freezer. It's not on me to assume what someone "needs" or doesn't within the current regulations.

If I thought everyone "needed" to only drive 55 mph or "needed" to keep their yards in Bermuda and cut at 1.5 inches, I'd be told to STHU and MYOB. But when it comes to hunting and fishing, everyone's slap-hap-hap-happy to dish out what THEIR needs are on everyone else.


As for "shooting more bucks than allowed," if you had reasonable certainty that someone was over the 3-buck limit currently in place in Alabama then contacting the proper law enforcement authorities (game wardens) would be a viable option.

If they're stupid enough to brag about it with photos on social media then they deserve whatever comes their way. Several state wildlife agencies keep an eye on social media sites.

2 last me a year I will gladly give you my other 3 if you need them.

Always going to have cheaters no matter what .. A general guideline is needed .

Your unlicensed hunter can kill up to 5 deer if that is how many tags you have available. If you are with them your tag gets filled out.