Special late season question

Special Late Season During the Special Late Season, harvest is restricted to antlerless deer and unbranched antlered bucks. An unbranched antlered buck is any buck deer with an antler having no more than one point.

This is what is written in the TPWD booklet. It reads "an antler having no more than one point". I always thought it would be for No branched antler but reads as if it only needs one unbranched. Does this make a 3 point legal or what about a buck with one side broken at the base but the other has multiple points?

This became a topic with a guy and it got both of us wondering. I know to call GW if I had plans on shooting such an animal. I sure wouldn't risk any trouble but figured I would see how you guys interpreted the wording.

I think if on the one side it's broken at the base or has already she'd that's not one unbranched?

Yes a three point is legal. Can have several points on one side as long as the other antler is unbranched. And yes a broken side would be legal but definitely not the spirit of the law.

Chris what if it's shed one side? Theoretically there is not one unbranched.

Shed antler is not legal. There must be a point. Some GW will give a ticket for a broken side that only has part of a main beam left.

I for one wouldn't be shooting a deer with a broken beam and claim it has an unbranched antler. I wouldn't want to deal with the questions from the GW and wouldn't want to be accused of breaking it off to make it legal.

I was curious how everyone else interpreted the wording sincere and my buddy got bogged down in the minutia of "an unbranched antler."
It makes for an interesting discussion.

The 'book' actually states;

" During the Special Late Season, take is restricted to antlerless and "unbranched antlered" deer. An unbranched antlered deer is a buck deer with at least one antler that has no more than one point."

So if it has one antler no matter what happened to the other, the one remaining must be 1 point.

Yes, I copy and pasted directly from TPWD website the first part of the OP.

That's why I pose the question.

So did I, clear as can be.
Maybe youre using an older book.
Plain as plain can be on TPWD website.

An unbranched antlered deer is a buck deer with at least one antler that has no more than one point."

If the deer only has one antler it must be 1 point only.

The question only came up because I have assumed it was a doe and spike season. I'm not sure why I always thought that or maybe when they first started maybe it was. Our copy and paste quotes are the exact same from this years book. It just made me and the buddy start wondering if it just had to have 1 unbranched antler and the other side did not matter since it states "AN unbranched antler". I've never hunted The late special season so I never really worried about the wording. I was thinking of taking my dad out to see if he could connect and read the regulations to make sure I was clear and it made me think but only because of what I thought the special late season was.

Yep, they changed the wording of the late season regulation the beginning of last season, not this past season, last season.

Rustler, where did you get that definition from???

I raised the same question a few days ago in another thread ... but copy and pasted directly from the TPWD website for Crockett county (where I am going this weekend) states:

Special Late Jan. 8 - 21, 2018
Special Late Season During the Special Late Season, harvest is restricted to antlerless deer and unbranched antlered bucks. An unbranched antlered buck is any buck deer with an antler having no more than one point.

which still raises the question whether "UNBRANCHED ANTLERED" versus "AN ANTLER HAVING NO MORE THAN ONE POINT" ... on if a 3 point qualifies???

I'm not arguing, just going on what I have found under the TPWD county I am going

Directly from the online version of the outdoor annual, It is also in the newest printed outdoor annual.

I'm sorry, I'm having a hard time understanding what it is you're confused about, not at all trying to give you grief or be flippant about it.

Late season, must have at least one unbranched antler= can be 2 or 100 points on one side as long as the other side is 1 one point / unbranched.
So theoretically it could be 101 points as long as one antler is unbranched. One side 100 points the other side 1.
If the buck only has one antler it must be unbranched = An unbranched antlered buck is any buck deer with an antler having no more than one point.
unbranched antler = no more than 1 point.

One expert I quoted was for a person that specifically asked about hunting in an AR county, regs are different in AR counties, AR regs apply to all hunters & seasons - youth, general, early, late, archery, muzzle loader etc.

Crockett county isn't an antler restriction county.
Directly out of the annual, for Crockett county.
Special Late Season
During the Special Late Season, harvest is restricted to antlerless deer and unbranched antlered bucks. An unbranched antlered buck is any buck deer with an antler having no more than one point.
An antler / singular, 1, one.
If the buck only has one antler still on top of its head the remaining antler must be an unbranched antler (1 point) as the above states.
If it has two antlers one of them must be unbranched / one point.

I see what your saying and I guess I am getting wrapped up with one or both sides ... didn't it used to be unbranched one side for general season and unbranched both sides during extended?

Yes, A couple years ago in at least in AR counties that's how it was.
The regulations can change every year or not at all for years and individual counties can change or not just as well.

Good idea to at least read " what's new this year " and your counties regulations every year.

So regardless of late season or regular season, how do you tag a deer that has shed its antlers?

I don't / wouldn't kill shed or broke off bucks to begin with, except for maybe a buck with a single unbranched antler.
Are you in a county where you can't take doe?

You only have 2 types of whitetail tags on your license, whitetail deer antlerless only or whitetail deer buck or antlerless.

If I accidentally killed an antlerless buck I'd use the tag that seems most appropriate to me, buck or antlerless.
My reasoning is because it is both, a buck and antlerless.
Or send a question to TWPD to GW / law enforcement or call the local GW.

good info

I would tag it as antlerless. And would consider it legal during antlerless season. It’s not female deer season. If it had shed one side, I wouldn’t shoot it during late season unless he side remaining is a spike.