Harvest record??

If someone kills 3 bucks and wants to shoot some does I assume you still have to keep it with you?? That could get interesting.

Yes have it with you. Don't make a late evening mistake and shoot a spike or other racked buck though...

Why is it so hard to keep a piece of paper on you?

Sometimes simple is hard for some folks....

I heard it was a ticket if you didn't have the form with you in the woods, but I thought as long as you have not moved a deer you can go get the form and then fill it out. One of several questions I would be interested in knowing the legality.

220-2-.146 Antlered Buck And Turkey Harvest Record.
(1) For the purpose of this regulation, “antlered
buck” shall be defined as a male whitetailed deer with antlers
visible above the natural hairline.
(2) Any person hunting deer or turkey, whether
required to be licensed or not, shall maintain and have in
his/her possession an “Antlered Buck and Turkey Harvest Record”
which shall be in the following form:

It serves no purpose. I carry nothing with me because I lose stuff all the time. Get wet from sweat or rain. Haven't seen my hunting license in years...I do need to find them.

The biggest thing is I just have a problem with them. 2 reasons 1). They are too easy to cheat on. 2). They serve no purpose such as data collection. Now, I do NOT have the answer for a solution but most of the rules and regs serve a purpose. Some could argue this does also but I don't see it. Whats best for the herd while accommodating hunters. Somehow this should serve as a data collection point.

It only serves one purpose,generate revenue.

The stupidity of a written harvest record knows no bounds. just give me three stinkin physical buck tags that I can put on the deer horns instead of worrying about whether I'll get a ticket because I forgot to pack my pen that day. I understand the need for a harvest record, I just think having to write it down is dumb. Just my two cents.

I worry about leaving things too. I've been putting all my paperwork in a single ziplock bag and then keeping it in a pant's pocket. All I have to do is avoid sending the pants through the washer with the paperwork still inside. Perhaps the current set up for the harvest record is not ideal, but I can't control that...I can control keeping it on me though. The Ziplock has kept the paperwork dry.

I think I'm on my third or fourth "Harvest Permit" this season.

I have a question for y'all, and I'm not supporting or going against an actual tag system.

What is the difference between having to carry the current harvest record with you and having to carry an actual tag you put on the deer? Both can be washed, get wet, get lost and some of the ones I've seen have to be written on. People can still not tag the deer and get away with it, just like they can now by not writing them down. I'm not trying to argue, just trying to figure out the benefits of an actual tag over a harvest record.

or using a tag that some one else got .

Explain please.

Probably the best material for tags is the Tyvek non-tear stuff that can be written on or something like the tie used for a Hefty bag. Maybe a little wider but something that could be affixed to the antler or thru a hole cut in the ear lobe.

Have had to tag deer in some other states. It's kind of a pain in the ass, to be honest. I think in Ohio two years ago the guy I was with (landowner) put it in a ziplok bag so it wouldn't get washed away or whatever while cleaning, wrapped the tag around the antler then used a zip tie. Have seen others with zip ties, tape, wire, etc. All just to prove that's "your" deer. What a pain in the ass.

Also, in Ohio, I wrote down the telecheck confirmation on the wrong license. So I screwed up my antlerless tag with the info supposed to go on my buck tag. Called the GW to find out what to do; he said I could go purchase another antlerless tag. What a damned mess, because of a simple mistake.

The Telecheck system and just having a confirmation number probably is the easiest method. Making it more difficult - get a tag, keep up with the tags, punch out something, write this down, take a pen, keep up with that, have a tag AND have to call in AND keep up with the tag, etc. - is yet another deal that some hunters will see and say "Naa, don't wanna. I'll just hunt squirrels or go fishing or quit all together."

BTW, the mobile GameCheck app is pretty neat. Haven't used it yet but I have it on my phone.

I've seen the Tyvek stuff too, but if we were to keep a 3 buck limit an you lose a tag or all your tags...then are you just out of luck for the season?

I just don't believe there is a foolproof system to tag or record deer that doesn't put some amount of responsibility on the Hunter to keep up with tag or harvest record. And if someone wants to not tag a deer or record a deer they will find a way to do it.

But officer, don't you think placing responsibility on hunters is an inconvenience?

Tagging works in other states and has for decades. Telecheck or computer check has worked for several years. Hunters have kept up with their tags just like they keep up with licenses, driver's licenses, wallets, whatever.

The biggest thing is why are the tags needed? More accurate data? For what? Management?

Fine. But show why that management is needed in Alabama (or any state) before just saying "we're going to tags" or "this is the new X limit."

We have a successful deer "harvest" every season. Hunters are happy, right? We see big bucks killed, smaller bucks killed, does killed or not killed. For all the yammering about "trophy" deer and "money lost in other states" and such, managing for "trophy" bucks shouldn't be and I don't believe is the main goal of the agency.

So what is going to be gained by knowing, with a small +/- percentage, that 219,023 bucks were killed this season? Or that 184,302 does were killed and that may be 10 percent fewer than last year? By looking at the "harvest" totals from 10-15 years in Ohio, what does their DNR see that having tags and specific numbers each season give them?

What is the specific outcome of knowing that data? To manage better? How? By tinkering with doe-buck limits every few years? Or to just have more data?


Trying to learn, not trying to argue.

I wouldn't say that tagging systems and telecheck systems have "worked" in other states. I'm sure hunters from other states lose tags and also fail to report kills. Some folks just are not going to do exactly what they are supposed to do.

As far as what data can be collected and its use, there is a lot of knowledge that can be gained from a dead deer. Granted much of that data the average Hunter may not be equipped or able to collect, like jawbone aging or carcass condition(deer health/fat). But even simple things like if the deer was a fawn(legal no spots), yearling, or adult can be useful in deer /resource management. When a calendar date and approximate location is associated with a kill you could get an idea of what season dates are most productive for hunters. Sharp declines in total harvest numbers of deer in certain areas could help with adjusting season dates and bag limits or could help identify areas that may have been hit with EHD. But again, Even more in depth data like age, weight, antler measurements and body condition would be great data to have, but I don't think hunters should be made to collect very in depth data, as the accuracy would vary and complicate harvest reporting too much.

This is not to say I'm for a telecheck system. However, I do think hunters should want to volunteer that information though, as it helps with conservation efforts and is a very simple way of helping.

I bet Alabama is in the top 5 most relaxed hunting rules and regs.

If you have a problem with what is required and requested of you now, go hunt in some other states then come back and let me know tough you have it.

Just copy cat TN,MS,GA or KY it's really not that hard to figure out.

TN license is some kind of tough Tyvek like material that can be washed/dried/abused and still be readable. Oh yeah, it has 3 tearoff, big game, tags at the bottom. Oh yeah, and they have a bonafide check in system that most hunters abide by and they use the data for setting seasons/limits. It's simply amazing.

I don't know about those other states but GA is just like Alabama other than the limit is different.

They used to have tags in Georgia but got rid of them years ago. Guess they didn't find them to be all that useful.

Ga also has the harvest info to fill in directly on your tyvek license.

Yes, but from what I hear/read from some folks is that that would require hunters to be responsible for something else to keep up with and cause undue hardship to check deer in. What we are looking for here is some kind of system where hunters do nothing and yet benefits/data are collected....

I purchased and printed my license and my son's TN licenses from the internet. I saved it as a PDF and could print multiple copies if I wanted. There are places to fill in kill info on the license but no tags. We checked all of our deer in online via an iPhone app and wrote the confirmation number on our license. Seems pretty much like the voluntary system in Alabama. Going to a physical check station is still an option but I don't personally know any TN hunters that used that option. Most use an app or the TWRA website to check their deer in.

Some people just like to bitch about stuff.

If the initial proposal to implement GameCheck had been handled better from the start down on Goat Hill, we might have it in place now instead of it being strangled and still voluntary.

I started this thread because Coosa stated he had killed his limit of bucks and it got me to thinking what if he wanted to continue to hunt for does. I should have just looked it up myself. Then some with reading and comprehension disabilities asked why is it so hard to keep up with a piece of paper which had nothing to do with the question. It went down hill from there.

I buy mine on line and it prints out on a regular piece of paper just like in Alabama. If you lose it (or want to cheat), you can print another copy.

I answered your question. Yes he has to have it with him. Then you went into how the harvest record serves no purpose...it was at that point that the topic went downhill.

Who has the reading and comprehension disabilities?

"(2) Any person hunting deer or turkey, whether
required to be licensed or not, shall maintain and have in
his/her possession an “Antlered Buck and Turkey Harvest Record”
which shall be in the following form:"

I don't see why people act like this piece of paper weighs 45 pounds, scares deer away due to being soaked in saber-tooth tiger piss, and continuously sings the Auburn fight song.

I just keep it in my wallet. There's no cash in there anymore so there's plenty of room.