Takes time to photo shop a buck correctly.

90%??? That's a bold statement. I'm just not seeing this overwhelming support for AR's anywhere but on this forum.

I think way too much credit is being given to the effects of antler restrictions. Any noticeable impact is from increasingly better overall management practices from landowners and hunters alike.

Most LO I know mainly make money off of farm/ranch leases rather than deer so they could care less what happens on it as long as they get paid.

There are no deer in East Texas....move along.

I do not usually, get involved in AR debates, but I will give my $.02. I can see both sides, people who like the AR, probably never shot the type of deer they are protecting anyway, but they believe the restrictions are protecting those deer from their neighbors. I truly believe larger deer are being killed due to better management. Now let me explain, better management comes in many forms, but I believe peer pressure has played a huge role. Every thing in deer hunting is publicized more these days, just like people posting pics on this forum. Most hunters now want a deer they can be proud to show off, now before you purist jump down my throat and say horns do not matter to you, remember you are arguing on " Antler Restrictions" thread. Maybe AR's have made the difference or helped, or have done nothing who knows for sure. Also,I do not agree with the state telling you what to kill, I believe that should be left up to the hunter, but there is a lot of things that I would argue with the state over not just hunting. Plain and simple why do y'all argue over something you can't change?

I'll stand by it. Read the recent TPWD article/studies. Read past threads on this forum (there are dozens). There are about 3-4 anti-AR guys who post and that's about it. The responses are overwhelmingly for them. It's not even close. I consider this a pretty good sampling.

The bold statement is that, in the face of overwhelming support, logic, and evidence- some people will still say they don't think they helped anything.

The "IBID" crowd is just whining at this point IMO....

60 acres between Tyler and Palestine my neighbors land, his father shot this yesterday never saw this buck until yesterday:

So you think it's just a coincidence that all these big East Texas bucks we're seeing on this forum over the last 3 years would of happened anyway without ARs?

So I guess whatever TPWD writes up is gospel. I could give a rats butt about what they write up, I go by what I see. An article aint growing horns any bigger on my lease. Maybe I should nail articles in the woods for the deer to read. We've had 1 legal buck taken off lease so far since AR's, that was last week. So not ready to give any cudos yet.

there was a nice buck killed right down the road from us and within a few days I had 12 different people text me pics of the deer. About the time ARs went in everyone started walking around with cameras & the www in the palm of their hands. It's not like good deer weren't around and getting killed prior just a little more difficult to advertise it and a lot of folks opted not to.

I think just reducing bag limits would allow more bucks to grow to maturity and you would see the same results as we're seeing now and you would be able to kill some older narrow rack bucks that have a lifetime pass to breed now!!!

How long you had the lease

RM I'm not buying the "cameras saved the big deer" theory. There were some big east TX deer killed before ARs-but most of them were in the years just after the seasons opened. A biggun would pop up now and again, sure. But I had a pretty good handle on what guys were killing (we even had cameras back then and the east TX "internet" was pretty broad and fast) and we have been living in the best days ever overall in the last 5 years. By far...

Are those folks still killing a buck

Understand this and that's were some counties need to be looked over again.. I really don't get why they increased some counties to two doe in general season. Ours didn't change a bit as far as doe goes and im glad it stayed that way. always were a one buck county and could take doe in archery and thanksgiving. Now only difference in numbers is you can shoot an un branched antler deer if you want.. good way for first timers and kids to get a deer on the ground pretty easily

Its funny you hear all the people talk bad about AR's and say they don't care about growing big bucks that that doesn't matter to them, but if you take that same person and put a mature 5 YO 150 inch 10pt and a 2.5YO cabbage head 8pt in front of them which one do you think they are going to blast?

They want both

So I have a question. If certain areas reproduce a gene, of let's say split g2's, is it possible to create genetics that produce narrow frames?

Exactly. And I grow weary of the anti-AR guys basing their arguments on the premise that every hunter's goal is to fill every tag they have. That simply is . TPWD AR studies clearly show that spike harvest decreases dramatically once ARs have been in place for 2-3 years. For the very reason you state.

I would say it is possible to cultivate them into whatever you want within reason given extensive control of culling etc.

I actually feel like a few not all but some posting against ARs are all about managing a deer herd and not wanting to shoot the first young buck that comes out... its more of they feel they have the right to shoot what they want.. I agree in the thought of this and would love to see everyone in the same boat. But the cold hard truth is you turn everyone loose and they will not have the same mindset as yall... they will just shoot the first thing that comes out just like some still shoot the first legal thing that comes out. Its not hard to see that some of yall against ARs are wanting to run your place right but the majority of hunters against it are not with you no matter how it seems.

Irrelevant, any sane person would shoot the 150. Want to go that angle then put a 160" 3yo in front of someone and a 140" 7yo and see if that spirit of letting deer get older fades away. Old, big deer are not a new fad.

Most east TX bag limits in my area were 1 buck pre-ARs. Can't reduce them much more than that-and it still wasn't working......

No doubt. But I don't see it being a strong enough gene to make a difference and your not going to change the genetics with or without ARs

Yes. The vast majority of the folks were NOT managing-they were IBIDs. That why we were in the fix to start with.