For some reason with these posts its always the northern part of east texas vs the southern part. And its always the same arguments.

Maybe, just maybe it's because those two parts of Texas are so different. You can drive around and see over a hundred deer roaming around in a small neighborhood IN New Braunfels and never see that many in 10 years of hunting in the woods of East Texas and that was before ARs. ARs wouldn't be a be a big deal to me at all if I hunted an area like that where it's so easy to be picky about what deer you shoot. Down there, you don't "hunt" for deer, you just wait for the one you want to shoot. A buddy of mine who lives and hunts down there said that.

Curly where in Wood cty do you hunt? My first experience deer hunting was with my Grandfather and his brother around Hainesville. They used to have a great place that had a cabin right on Haines Lake. Used to love hunting the "Big Woods" as they called them.

338 let me ask you a hypothetical question? wich would you prefer? seeing deer everytime you went deer hunting altho most are does and young bucks with the occasional decent deer or not see any deer at all in multiple sittings and the only legal deer you saw was a doe and 3 small bucks in a whole season of hunting cause thats the difference ar has caused in the 5yrs in effect. Couldnt bring myself to shoot the only spike i saw all year, bow and gun combined. Now me being the meat hunter that i am i did shoot a doe in the 4 day season we have thats legal to shoot one. Did i mention the ONLY doe i saw during 4 day season. 5YRS ago i could have easily taken a doe during archery and a young 6 or 8pt with rifle and had lots of tender venison to feed the family and now its just a dream to expect to see more than a deer or to at best in a weekends hunting. Will not ever be happy with ar till the bag limit is lowered and the numbers come back, if they ever will! The worst part of all is my only hunting buddy [my daughter] wont hunt anymore because she wont sit in a stand waiting and waiting for a legal deer and ya know what? I DONT BLAME HER!

Please tell me you are joking.

No I was not....prove me wrong.

There wasn't anything wrong where we are before AR's, I sid then, and say now, it's a poor solution to a non-existent problem...

So before ARs, I guess folks were on here all the time fussing because they didn't have them and that we needed them?

Nope, they were apparently content and didn't come out of the woodwork till ARs were implemented and "we" said we hated them.

it came in the form of folks complaining about the neighbors shooting "My" deer.

Well they need to not let them roam free...they need to keep "their" deer penned up...I mean as long as the neighbors were hunting legally, what's the problem? If the neighbors weren't then ARs or any law won't help.

How about 70% of the users on this forum in favor - poll from last year.

I will see tomorrow if the TPWD can send me the results of their poll they took prior to implementing AR's - rest assured the majority were in favor.

Really????

They ones in favor of AR are like TU graduates. Im sure they exist, but they are few and far between.

Well duh...those in favor, well ARs apparently are working for them...the ones not in favor, ARs apparently aren't. You can poll all you want....I'm willing to bet most won't ever go along with the "majority" as long as the deer hunting in their area keeps sucking.

AR's stemmed from a few groups wanting to impose their ideas on everyone else, and having the right connections/money/voice to get it done. And it may be great where the herd can sustain the kill off. Glad for you. That's doesn't make it better, or right, for us.

I got no problem with it..that's just part of hunting. Our neighbor actually shot one of our feeder frequenters this year, below, but he said that it was the only legal buck he had seen hunting out behind his house.


cpl years ago, he shot this one...



part of hunting on small property...you win some, you lose some.

I just think common sense would have worked better and was working better. I dont need the TPWD to tell me how to manage my deer. I hunt my own land very little and I have fewer deer today than I had 8 years ago. If the people that hunt around me werent trying to kill 4 deer a year it would be better. Make it 1 buck and 2 does during Thanksgiving and we will have deer again.

I honestly think its folks watching TV or reading too much & thinking they need to be killing every doe they see to "help the herd" w/o having a friggin clue what they are doing. Like when one of my buddies that hunts HC came to the inlaws and saw 40 does in the backyard...all he said was "dang..ya'll need to kill some does" w/o knowing anything about the place...he changed his tune when we went for a drive and dropped down in the lower pastures where the bucks hang out.

Sure, there will always be a small minority group that has a problem with AR's due to the increased harvest numbers and/or having the TPWD dictate rules on their land.

So you agree the majority wanted AR's and the majority are seeing more and better deer, correct?

Don't you think "common sense" would tell everyone in your area that filling every tag on your license is wiping out the herd?

I "think" the majority of those who like ARs do not hunt East Texas, have always hunted that way, are mainly horn hunters and have always seen lots of deer and both sides were pretty much content before hand because if you wanted to impose an antler restriction on your place then you did, if not, that was okay too. That's just me and my opinion doesn't hurt anyone.

Take it down to 1 buck and the ones without common sense will leave for greener pastures

Curly, you may right on that front as my experience only comes from Coryell county and years ago in Hamilton. I would like to see the TPWD poll results from your neck of the woods.

Harvesting does is what should be regulated more than antlers. My deer are breed by the time doe days arrive and if she gets popped there goes her, her two fawns, and all that they would have produced down the road.

Lets say 1 buck and 1 doe. there is a novel concept.