Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk Serious Deer Talk Forum Club rules on antlers

Dang Matt, beat me to saying it.

It’s not just AL happens everywhere I have ever hunted.

We do our best to shoot 8pt or better and we shoot does. We try to shoot big mature does. I say we do our best and try because it doesn’t always work out like what you want. Sometimes a doe is a spike. We had a 6pt that was 200 pounds that the guy thought was an 8 but it didn’t have brow tines. I looked at that deer a few times through my scope thinking it was an 8 until it turned its head. There is no regret if we shoot a spike or a young doe. These deer travel so all I can do is try. Shot a nice doe this morning. She was full of corn, and we don’t have any feeders or corn piles. Someone near us apparently does. You can only do so much. We hunt because we enjoy it, and love to eat venison. All of that to say I would encourage rules that reflect what you would enjoy. I passed on a 6 and 2 spikes for the doe and am perfectly fine with that. Guy on the next proumay be fit with a spike. I’m fine with that.

But you better have a lot of acres. One property can ruin a huge number of surrounding acres. We’re dealing with right now on multiple properties. Hunter’s get pissed when high fences go up but it’s because many folks are tired of pissing money away on trying grow deer top end AL deer just for their neighbor to high grade out the superstar 2 year olds year in and year out.

High fencing is going to continue to explode in this state because of it.

The last one I was in it had to be outside the ears, no point restriction, unless you were the president or one of his buddies of course.

Our neighboring club is 13” but I think I’ve only seen one that they’ve killed that met that criteria. Mostly 2 year olds, a few that were 3 and a few old deer that were called culls...

yep, I've killed lots of 5+ year old deer that would never make the cut with antler restrictions. Many bucks just don't get that big.

Kill what makes you happy. I'm not happy killing one I will not mount. But I know others are happy with a basket rack. I've also killed mature deer that had smaller racks. Hell killed one with one long spike that did not have a tooth left in his mouth before, probably oldest deer I ever killed. He even walked like an old man lol....

Just shoot spikes and does and don't worry about antler restrictions. According to a bunch of y'all.... can't have a Monster Buck with all those does and yearlings hanging around eating in your food plots. Right?

100% Stupid.

And Coyotes still only eat mice.

We are in a similar situation. Roughly 3k acres in a good area for producing big deer. The problem is, our land is not in a square block. It strings out over several miles, and there is not any one point on the property that you are more than 1000yds from a property line. Even though we have a lot of acreage, we are completely at the mercy of the hunters around us. Last year we killed 3 bucks and 5 or 6 does, this year 2 bucks and 4 does so far. I have 20-30 100-125" 2 and 3 year olds on camera, just like every year, but somehow almost no mature deer. I've gotten pictures of 1 deer that I would kill this year, and killed him. The quantity and age structure seems to be rapidly deteriorating the last few years, despite us being more selective than ever. I believe legalizing corn has a lot to do with it. Corn has allowed small plots of land to account for a lot of dead deer. Somebody with 10 acres next to 1000 acres, can do a lot of damage with a big enough corn pile.

I've been on here 10 years probably saying the same dern thing like a broken record. This State is the armpit of deer hunting because of the above. If someone wants to blast deer near you.... you are screwed. Big time.

Corn and cameras has been devestating in a lot of areas. Entire age classes are being removed and no amount of trigger restraint from even large properties can stop it. Deer have large Home ranges and they’re getting smoked on adjoining properties. It’s quickly becoming increasingly more difficult to hold members when they have nothing to shoot year after year due to the actions of neighbors. I’ve seen it first hand. One neighbor not on board can ruin hunting for a lot of people around them. It’s just what it is.

3 year old or older for us at our club.

We let a bunch of bucks that are 3-4 years old walk every year and 90% of them disappear never to be seen again. This is on a property where all of the adjoining properties do the same thing. I know some of them die but a lot of them are traveling a mile or two across two or three different properties and getting killed. I had a picture of a buck that someone killed approximately 2 miles from where I had the picture and this was not during the rut. Not very much you can do about it except let them walk and cross your fingers.

I think the need for social media inclusion plays into it also. How many times have you seen a pic of a 40" 6 pt. followed by "I know he isn't a trophy but I thank God for meat in the freezer". Then the 100 likes that follow.

What happens if you shoot a 140" opening day? You then have to pass up a 5 yr old 130" 8 pt? I didn't get into a club because of such a rule. Seriously, if you kill a 140" buck opening day, your season is probably over under that rule.

There are a lot of buck harvest rules not based on science or any input from a science standpoint. Not all mature bucks are going to score 140". Not even 120". Aging mature bucks is not that hard if you commit yourself to learning to age bucks. My club shoots 4.5 yr old bucks or older, no matter what the antlers look like. Are there mistakes? YES! Is the offending member crucified for it? NO! But, you only get one mistake per year and nobody's mad about it as the offending member hates that he shot a 3.5 yr old buck... but it happens.

On our property, there are several 4.5 yr old bucks and older that really need to be killed and our hunters were not shooting them because the bucks' antlers were not big. We had to place an "Old Man Buck Rule" which a 5.5 yr old buck or older with less than 100" of antler would not count against a member as one of his allowable bucks.

This system works for us and the opportunity to kill a really nice buck each year is highly likely... if you put some time in the woods.

We shoot some does but not that many, but we're not covered up with deer.

Oh, our bucks are aged by a certified biologist using the buck's jawbone, weight, antler base circumference. If there is a question in the biologist's mind if the buck is 3.5 yr old or 4.5, other factors (weight and antler base circumference) with historic data points regarding the property's previous harvested bucks are used to swing the decision one way or the other.

Looking at the buck Shaw posted... Shaw is right... that's why antler restrictions are not feasible... for the most part. If you have unexperienced hunters, it's hard to restrict buck harvest by age only.

Also, before I'm roasted about making exceptions - first-time-hunters can shoot anything they want and we celebrate!! We always suggests to the dad for his son's/daughter's first buck, to wait on a nice 3.5 yr old as there are plenty of them out there... but shoot what you want.

Thank You Lord for allowing me to hunt managed land. Imma a mature buck hunter with zero apologies. If I want meat, there are MANY does I can shoot.

My family eats 4 deer a year. Married with one child living at home. I also cook a bunch for my older son and my grandkids. My hunting property is state law, so much easier to manage and less stressful.


If you want deer to eat, spikes and 4 points are the way to go.

90%+ of Alabama hunters high grade kill their best 2.5 and 3.5 year old bucks every year.
Year in and year out.
People need to learn how to low grade and wait for 5.5+ yo bucks.