Antler Restriction Questions

I'm curious about two things:

1) What score would a deer have that just passed the restrictions, assuming a typical 8?

2) Do you think they'll ever be expanded to all of the white tail counties of Texas, and if not, why not?

The buck I shot this year was a little wider than barely legal. Typical 8. He wouldn't get close to 100.

Width and antler restrictions have very little to do with score. Width on average is only 10% of the final score on a deer. Age and genetics effect a score more than air space in between the mainbeams.
Unless than can revamp the AR program to satisfy every single person who hunts or owns land then no I do not see them in every county.

Why your last sentence? ARs have never had the approval of every single landowner in any of the counties they were implemented in.

Maybe talking about the MLD....???

AR s do not effect mld 2 or 3. No they will never be expanded to south Texas, more than likely never reach very far west either. As Stx said width plays very little part in score.

too many variables to generalize on score. The buck currently leading the big buck contest in Goldthwaite was barely legal, about 14", now it was a 10 pt., but ended up scoring ~156. The tines looked like flag poles!!

Yep, this seems to be where the points add up most often. An eight point with an 18-inch spread, can be easily put in the dust by a ten or twelve point with a more narrow width but good length on those additional tines.

While some people like them, and just exaggerate the point, I've seen photos of slicked beam bucks with 20-inch spreads that scored very little.

Spread on average is only 10% of a final score. While tines are 40% and it don't matter if the buck is an 8pt or 14pt it is still total inches of tines.

I was actually thinking of the Hill Country, not South Texas. Do you think they will ever adopt the ARs in the Hill Country counties?

I still just wish they would have just left it alone not that i would shoot a little basket rack unless it needed to be , to me it was a step to make more money like all other laws for the most part .

I think they will only look at 1 buck counties, not sure what most of the hill country counties are.

The Hill Country especially counties around here already have way too many deer. Putting AR's in place here would only make it worse. IMO AR's were put in place not to get larger Bucks but to cut down on the amount of Bucks shot during a season. In AR counties before AR's every Buck on most places was taken or at least tried to be. They could have instead of AR's said that a Buck needed a certain amount of points to be legal. They could have said only spikes were legal. They could have made up any rule to limit the amount of bucks taken and in the long run accomplished the same result. As I said earlier this is only my opinion. So don't jump on me about it. Especially you NP.

All point systems have proved to high grade the harvest. Many states have dropped similar systems after science and better data proved them wrong. Texas chose to go further, and decimate the yearlings and females in some counties just for good measure.

Points-based restrictions, like those initially adopted in Mississippi and other states, were the worst at high grading the herd. They had the exact opposite impact of what you want to achieve and made the young, basket-racked deer free game, while protecting the worst bucks. While there is never a silver bullet, width-based restrictions appear to be the best way to achieve the target goal, to let the young bucks with the most potential grow older.

Of course there is no changing the minds of those, who for some reason, believe that even though there's no denying that not all young bucks will grow up to be equal, they should all allowed to do so.

They said it was for the age structure of the herd... if that was true, it should have accomplished it's goals by now, and there'd be no need for it anymore. It's not, it's about controlling others, and imposing the will of some on others; the need to be in control.

Their own scientific review told them it was bad science, based on poor data, and poor data collection systems, that was made worse when extrapolated way beyond the scope of the original study. They have no reliable data stream whatsoever, none, and they know it.

They have looked at 8 animals, 8, in Fannin County since it began. And used a quote from a high fence landowner to justify it works here.

not trying to steal your thunder or anything but since you brought up AR's what do yall think the age on the first one is? Are 1 and 2 the same buck? I'm in an AR county and hes probaly not legal to shoot, i wouldnt anyways but just curious on age. And lastly, whats going on with the last buck? I never got a good pic but he looks mature to me? These are on a small tract of land behind my house I use to dove hunt on. Ever since i put up a camera ive realized how off the buck to doe ratio. For every doe im literally getting 4 different bucks on cam. Good problem to have I guess!

Looking at the antlers, I'm pretty sure bucks 1 and 2 are not the same animal.

No, they are different.

i think this is a little harsh, lol....i dont know of many areas where guys arent seeing deer, and i've always heard that fannin county never had good numbers of deer to begin with.

Nope,not very many deer in Fannin, what is here are very small. Move along

i hunted fannin last year, i know whats there....or whats not there i mean...

Lol well played

Mills county is at the top of the hill country and has the AR's. GW carries the skull of an 8 pt. around that measures 12 3/4 to help educate folks what an illegal deer looks like. I know Lampasas cty has them also.