Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk Serious Deer Talk Forum Attempting to stop the accidental shooting of button bucks!

Button Buck =$500. club catching you not reporting button buck kill $1000

Just remember, too restrictive or costly will be counterproductive as well.

I'm pretty easy going if it's an honest mistake and I'm not into hell, fire and damnation. My frustration comes when simple precautions are not adhered-to and a blatant disregard for the common goals. I've seen my share of "lone does" only to have them get close enough to ID them as BB. BF is right... first deer in the field is often a BB.

Bring in a 70 lb BB, well... any of us can make such a mistake. Bring in a 40 lb BB with a short little round head and short snout and shrug your shoulders, you're disrespecting all involved in the club trying to do the right thing.

You're right N2TRKYS. Thanks.

Hiding a deer? Oh, that's a major character flaw and that would prompt an immediate dismissal from club. I'd trust and respect a member much more if he faces his mistake.

Bucktrot - what percentage of your unantlered harvest are button bucks? I think that could go a long ways towards determining if it is a perceived problem or a real problem.

As far as weights, I think those can be hard to judge too. Year before last, I gave my son the green-light to kill a lone deer that came out in a food plot and fed for a while. I had glassed it pretty good and was confident it was (1) not a button buck, and (2) a decent-sized doe. I was right on the first, but it turned out to be a 60# live weight doe.

As far as guidelines, many years ago I was in a club with the following rules/penalities:

For deer under 70# the fine was $50 + $1 per pound under 70 pounds. 2nd offense, $100 + $2/pound, 3rd, you gone.

Oh it happens.I had some lifelong friends hide bucks from me on a new property i leased years ago.I found out a few weeks later by someone not affiliated with the club.I was PISSED!Needless to say they werent invited back the next year.

At our place in Monroe co. we have penalties for shootin BB. You don't get hit in the wallet. You get hit in your pride. You shoot a BB you have to put on an old house coat and get a mop and bucket and mop every floor in every building on our place while everyone watches and laughs. Grown men don't like this and it works for us.

Never Shoot that 1.5 YO doe in the front of a doe train.

Never shoot that lone 1.5 YO doe from pre-rut till end of season.

In both cases, bout 99 times out of 100, they'll magically turn into a button head.

I had the speech with with club members 15 yrs. ago on how to identify and not shoot BBs. Guess who was the first person to shoot one.
I paid the fine. It was in a group of 8 or 9 does and one cowhorn spike.

Later on kinda figured out the years we fined for BBs we killed them, finally quit the fines and we quit killing them. Go figure.

I did this once, even after putting the binoculars on the deer for what I thought was a good amount of time and studying its head.

Never saw the knots. All the times I heard 'never shoot the first deer into a plot in the evening ... never shoot a lone deer, esp in a plot' went out the window because of ego and wanting a doe in the freezer.

Now when one walks in, I just watch and study it without giving my gun or bow a second though. IMO the more education, photos in camp, discussions in camp and helping hunters try to learn with reinforcement, the better.

Then if they bring in 35-pound deer, chew that ass IF that is what you and/or your club doesn't want shot.

On more than one occasion I've watched a lone deer for a while pondering if I ought to shoot it for a doe. Then another (real) doe steps out and dwarfs it. I'm learning that it is really hard to judge scale in the field without a reference mark. Without other deer around you just don't know. Size (weight) is so tough.

Of course, a fawn has a different body type than a grown doe, but toward the end of season, under hunting conditions ... You just never know.

Most of our lone deer and first deer in the field are does, until January.

No doubt about this...

I also don't see instituting a weight limit when everyone's judgment is going to vary.... At 150 yards you can't tell 100 from 110.. Or a 100 from 90... That's a 20 pound difference you expect someone to just guess at.... Same for 90 to 100..and 90 to 80... It's all a guess...

Another effective approach may be education. Maybe print this poster large size at Kinkos and post at sign in board

https://www.outdooralabama.com/hunting/hunterresources/tips/Alabama%20Poster.pdf

I like to let that ole mule headed hunt ruining thinks she's the queen beeotch step out. There isn't any mistaking her.

Sounds to me like some of your members just want to shoot something!

There really isn't much meat on a 50lb deer, so if meat is really what they are after then why shoot one that small?

cause it tastes good and it's there

I like the 70 lb. weight limit....I've also seen two 110 lb. button heads killed in Jackson County. One was killed by my nephew at about 10 yards and I specifically told him to shoot that one because it was the biggest of the 4 does. Mistakes like that shouldn't be punished, but 50 lbers are ridiculous.

and with low light at 50yards you aint gonna see them