Let's Talk Antler Restrictions

What are your opinions on antler restrictions in certain counties in the state?

I think the restrictions were very helpful initially and still are to an extent but my concern is the number of dear that should be culled that are illegal in these counties now. I am all in on letting bucks with good genes mature and taking them at 5 1/2 or older. I would like to be able to take some of the cull bucks that are not going to amount to anything. I hate nothing worse than seeing 3 by 2s or 5 by 3s that are under the 13 inch minimum and have to let them go and potentially breed does and spread their genes even more.

Our ranch and the surrounding 5 ranches combined (4,500 acres or so) may take 3-4 mature bucks at most per year and it is usually more like 2-3 tops. I would much rather see the culls as mentioned above be taken out and let the big boys "sow their oats."

I think it may be beneficial to reverse the restrictions for a year or two to clean up some of the culls in the overall herd. Or perhaps, during the youth weekend, let kids shoot any antlered buck to help clean the herd up a bit. Thoughts???

Does anyone know if there are any plans for TP&W to make changes to the restrictions in the near future?

That's what MLD is for. Have to put a little work in to earn it.

https://tpwd.texas.gov/business/permits/land/wildlife_management/mldp/

i agree with Txduckman, get the ranchers together and file for the proper permits.

I like AR's, but the issue will always arise in pockets within counties where over-population is an issue. My county addresses does with MLD permits for the county WMA members. I am in an area where I can only kill does in archery season. But with the MLD permits it allows me more time and more tags to control numbers.
Some questions for you- What is your buck to doe ratio? What is your CC? What is your fawn survival like over the past 3-4 seasons? Do you do surveys every year? Do you kill all the does need to be killed as per survey? Do you have good records of harvest deer and an annual survey for the past 5 yrs? How many hunters on that total acreage around your and on your lease? As and example, will you be okay with MLD when they limit your buck harvest to 10 bucks total on the 4500 acres and you have 20 hunters due to buck to doe ratio?
For me, I would concentrate on what I have to work with now. If I needed to shoot bucks off due to a good buck to doe ratio, then I would shoot spikes and a trophy. I would shoot all the does needed to get the ration in line if needed. You can do more on a ranch shooting does at first than culling bucks. Letting the better bucks live to mature ages increase the amount of desirable bucks breeding.

When I first started hunting East Texas before AR's came along, you might see one or two big bucks taken during a given season. Now they're commonplace.

Just wished there was a solution for taking mature bucks with tall, narrow racks.

They're not perfect but they are better than any alternative I've seen.

I think it's very rare that a mature deer isn't atleast 13 inches wide

The most common answer from biologists is to take spikes since these are the ones most likely to develop narrow racks in subsequent years.

Gotta remember, the AR's isn't designed to grow trophy deer. It is set up to help age structure and balance the herd over a large area. MLD's will help with the other. Managing a deer herd is easy, managing hunters is the hard part...