Antler restrictions a bad idea
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Antler restrictions are rules set by state game managers or private landowners on deer hunters, defining what is a legal buck by a measurement of the buck’s antlers.
Some antler restriction systems are based on counting points on the antlers, such as in Pennsylvania. Other systems are based upon antler spread.
One of the main reasons that antler restrictions have gained momentum in the deer hunting community is that the proponents promise to the larger deer hunting community that by shooting larger antlered bucks, the process will produce larger bucks in the future.
Despite anecdotal evidence, the premise that the regulations will produce better deer hunting is another case of a noble and worthy idea being ravaged, if not murdered, by a ruthless gang of facts.
One of the main stumbling blocks with the notion of antler restrictions is the fact that it creates a phenomenon called “high grading.” High grading is when hunters, in effect, skim off the best of the young bucks, leaving the poorer quality animals to do the breeding.
In populations with antler restrictions in place, such as Pennsylvania, the superior youngster, such as a yearling eight-point buck, is legal, and yet a four-year old four-pointer is not legal.
So the young, best bucks are continually removed from the herd, leaving the buck with the smaller headgear to do the breeding.
An answer has been proposed to remedy this problem of high grading: Culling.
Culling is a theoretical practice of creating balance in the buck population by cutting out the inferiorly racked whitetails from the herd after the best and biggest racked, especially those precocious youngsters that have made it physically to the minimum antler restrictions threshold, have been taken out.
However, culling of whitetail bucks as a means of relieving the impact of high grading is also built on a faulty and incorrect premise.
Anyone who has experience in the breeding of animals for a specific quality knows that there is a large element of mystery and magic surrounding the right formula for success in improvement of individuals.
Old bird dog breeders, with much experience in the breeding and training of champions, speak of finding “a good nick.”
The “good nick” could be found between two individual dogs, or it could be between lines, or families.
But breeding bird dogs for superior qualities would seem much more complex than breeding whitetail deer. Bird dogs are bred for qualities of scenting, style, bid-ability, intelligence, conformation and intensity, to name a few.
Whitetails are bred for one quality, and one only: a large rack.
However, the dynamics of real game management are the same, whether breeding bird dogs or whitetails.
The culling of bucks only, as a way to improve the size and points on subsequent antlers, by shooting those with smaller antlers does not take into consideration the importance of the female into the genetic mix.
Does are as important as bucks in determining the trait of larger racked animals. Like bird dogs, horses, racing pigeons, dairy cows, beef cattle or any animal for that matter, the female has as much to say about genetically determining the offspring as the male.
So culling bucks to balance out high grading is as faulty an idea as antler restrictions itself is to create better bucks in a wild deer herd. Further, maybe the gene for the large-racked buck is carried in the doe, not the buck.
Though bucks carry distinctive racks so that individuals can to some degree be tracked and graded, does are very similar in a given population and extremely difficult to identify as individuals.
Most hunters have a difficult time correctly judging the age of a whitetail deer, especially does. Deer vary little from one another in a geographic area in size, color, markings and physical qualities. Only hunters and game managers with tremendous experience are able to determine the age of a deer with 90 percent verifiability.
So selectively culling out does with genes programmed to produce bucks with small antlers, or with few points is even less practical, doomed to fail at attaining its specified goal, no matter how worthy, fashionable, and popular, than the attempt to improve antler quality by taking out certain bucks.
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This guy obviously knows nothing about raising deer and/or quality deer management. The reason that deer hunters from Michigan, Georgia, Pennsylvania, New York, and the rest of the country like to come to Illinois to hunt is because we have a higher percentage of our deer herd with large antlers. I’ve heard the hunters from Michigan complaining about hunting for years up there and only seeing 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 year old bucks with small antlers, and no mature deer. The hunting pressure wipes out those younger deer with antlers. The “if it’s brown it’s down” hunting ethic is alive and well in Michigan. QDM’s “Let him go, so he will grow” mentality requires a discipline that a lot of hunters cannot buy into. But the facts and research shows that is exactly what has to happen for those young deer to become “big bucks.” Mature deer are deer that have been allowed to grow old enough to have completed the growth of their skeletons and have put muscle on that frame. The older, more mature deer can then have a chance to grow a larger set of antlers, especially if they have good nutrition available throughout the year. Illinois provides that nutrition through its agricultural component as well as wildlife food plots. Pennsylvania is starting to see an improvement in the quality of deer that their deer hunters are seeing and harvesting. Their antler restrictions are working, but like many principals in deer management, it takes several years for results to show. Patience is the key in wildlife management.
Aren’t you kind of making his case: “The reason that deer hunters from Michigan, Georgia, Pennsylvania, New York, and the rest of the country like to come to Illinois to hunt is because we have a higher percentage of our deer herd with large antlers.” We don’t have an antler restriction, and we have a higher percentage of large-antlered deer. Thus, people from places that have an antler restriction, like Pennsylvania, want to come here. His point seemed to be that antler restrictions are counter productive.
I won’t claim to know the truth on this subject, but the notion that an antler restriction would subject the young bucks with the best racks to harvest and let the inferior racks grow to breed is persuasive. I do disagee with his reasoning about does. While its true that does contribute 50% of genetics, in the long run, if you could alter the population so that only great bucks bred, it would have an effect on the population. It would just take longer than if you could somehow manage does too (though how you could manage does for rack size of future offspring is beyond me).
QDM is a farce! Qdm turns neighbors,friends,states and even family against each other. It has locked up a lot of ground that was ounce hunted by resident hunters and has allowed outfitters to proliferate. A “quality” deer is a healthy deer of either sex, young or old! Lets call QDM what it really is - BBM or big buck management.
If QDM fanatics would truly follow their mantra, they would not shoot any bucks until after the second rut! This way the “superior” deer could pass their big rack genes to more does. But wait - that would put outfitters out of business because it would eliminate two thirds of their business season!
I believe that there are enough hunters in our state who are letting small bucks walk that we needn’t worry about running out of big bucks. Most of us were happy to shoot the first deer we saw when we first started our deer hunting careers. We slowly worked our way up to holding out for bigger bucks. How dare we snub our noses at any deerhunter as long as they take their deer ethically? It is easy to pass up small bucks when you already have a doe or two in the freezer or you you hunt ground that has so many deer that you know you could harvest one every time out! It can be an entirely different ball game if you hunt public ground or land that has few deer. It’s a much bigger challenge to hold off on these small bucks. On the other hand, a big buck taken on these lands are true trophies compared to: “here’s my money, I want that one!”
There was a skillful traditional bowhunter from somewhere out west who died in his mid thirties a few years ago. This man had several huge whitetails,mulies and elk hanging on his walls. When asked why he never had them officially scored and get his just recognition in the record books, he replied ” The deer grew the antlers, I didn’t!”
This man was just grateful to be alive and have the opportunity to hunt these great animals. If only we could all have this mind set.
We all need to quit whining about this last season and savor the moments when we were able to be outdoors enjoying nature. Isn’t this the message we try to convey to the anti’s? That hunting is not just about killing.
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