[Garbo]

I let the largest rack walk I have ever let walk in Alabama on Saturday Morning. It was a 7 Point, possibly an 8 but for sure a beautiful 7. Around 16" spread and fairly tall tines, great looking buck. Last year I would have shot that deer, but I am hunting Central Alabama in January and I would rather have all 3 bucks available if need be. After I left the woods on the way home I thought about the new rule and granted I realize that everyone will not be honest, and will cheat, but that 7 point lived past Saturday Morning, due to the new 3 buck rule/law/limit.

I am glad to see the new 3 buck limit. I have seen the deer heard in South Texas, and if they can produce the type of heard they have there, we have the enviroment and land to do even better than South Texas. I think it is great.

 

[RiverGulfFshr]

I agree 100% with ya on that Garbo...I wish Florida would get out of the spike rule and take it to at least a 4 point and have more doe day's:banghead

 

[Garbo]

It also made me think more about carrying a Camera in my daypack from now on.

 

[RiverGulfFshr]

I have an Olympus with a 10x optical zoom just for going to my stand with me...I need to get some game pics up!

 

[ironman172]

Are you going to Woody's ( primetime plantation) in January Curtis?

 

[Garbo]

Each year I try to plan where and who I am going to hunt with well in advance, mainly because I enjoy the "gettogether" with friends as much as anything. And this year as almost always I don't have enough time.

I will be in one of two places and almost all of my time is booked between the two. One is not far from Guntersville, 1400 acres that belongs to a friend of mine.

The other is just outside of Autugaville Al., I love this place. I have killed 4 of my biggest bucks here. MarkH20 lives not far from there, and I hope to meet him and his boys this year.

I have talked to Woody before and one day would like to see his place, but I don't think I will be able to make it during the season this year. I understand he has a wonderful place to hunt.

 

[Caspr21]

I wish alabama rule was tweaked a little by saying statewide needing like 4 pt or bigger or whatever. I do think it is a good effort, but do agree people will cheat. As far as your camera is concerned, I bought a new video cam before I went trip hunting this year. Then bought a gorilla video arm up at outcast that attaches to the tree and the camera is right there next to you hands free. It is great! I have a ton of video from missouri and Illinois. And have taped all the deer I have shot this year and most of them with a bow. It is pretty neat and I recommend it for all hunting situations.

 

[ratzila]

I'm glad at least there is a decent limit. Before you could get 1/day. You gotta be hungry to eat that much venison.You did the right thing except take a camera:doh

 

[Garbo]

I wish I would have gotten a picture of him, now.

 

[ratzila]

Now you will only have him in your memory:banghead Pray you dont get ahlzeimer's disease

 

[HeartofDixie]

Way to hold off on the that trigger Garbo! Personally, I see no need in shooting a small inmature 7 pt. Whats the point? You need meat...take a doe, or two, or three for all I care. That 7 pt you pasted up, if you see him next year, you'll have something you can really brag about then.

I wish AL would change the new rules to at least 4 pts ON ONE SIDE or better. Still only get 3 per season though. Then we all will start seeing some real trophy deer (after a few years of course).

 

[Garbo]

HeartofDixie (12/3/2007)Way to hold off on the that trigger Garbo! Personally, I see no need in shooting a small inmature 7 pt. Whats the point? You need meat...take a doe, or two, or three for all I care. That 7 pt you pasted up, if you see him next year, you'll have something you can really brag about then.

I wish AL would change the new rules to at least 4 pts ON ONE SIDE or better. Still only get 3 per season though. Then we all will start seeing some real trophy deer (after a few years of course).

I don't differ with you at all, but he would have been a great deer to take by Current Alabama Standards. I say current standards because of the game laws we have always had the standards for trophy class animals is pretty low for what the state has the ability to produce. I meant what I said, I would have taken that deer last year, and been proud of him, but with better game laws producing older, more mature deer, he would not have been as much of a shooter, due to what the potential of seeing a better deer would be. Make no mistake, last year he wouldhave gotten a free ride home, and hopefully in front of a friendlyState Trooper.

The 4pts on one side is on the way. In Barbour Co. Alabama it is already in place for the county. I really look forward to seeing more of that. It will take 3 years to make a cycle to produce the base to begin what would be potentially a better heard.

 

[Grassflatsfisher]

I hear you Garbo. I have talked with several people who have done the same thing this year. I haven't taken more than 3 bucks in a season in I don't know how long...just no need to. We have always had buck rules and standards in place at our farmsand leases that I've been made to follow since I began hunting 20 some odd years or so ago as a 12 year old. It wasn't a very hard concept to grasp back then nor is it now...if you let them grow they will get bigger. Yea the neighbor will kill a few of them but if you are killing them and he is killing them also then none get by to be bigger. I hope they change things up a little and give you an actual tag that has to be attached to the deer or create check stations of some kind. I know we are way out from that but with the license $ increases they should be able to fund a more agressive law enforcement division and keep things in check. My biggest problem right now is combating the baiting going on around us.

 

[Matt Mcleod]

Alabama deer hunting will not change any with these new rules, if anything the class of bucks will get worse. To have true trophy class deer you must pull the trigger! Cow horns, spikes, 3 points, all worthless bucks that will polute your heard. with that said you must let the good bucks walk to breed and become great bucks. A buck you want breeding does has 6 points as his first set of horns. The 2.5 year old nice 8's are the ones you want in your heard. Do cattle farmers let any bull breed cows, hell no! They pay big money for a couple good bulls so they can control the process and outcome. I have hunted places where you wereexpected to shoot anything less than a 6 point, but if it was bigger than a 6 pt it better be huge.

 

[Nascar03]

Matt Mcleod (12/3/2007)Alabama deer hunting will not change any with these new rules, if anything the class of bucks will get worse. To have true trophy class deer you must pull the trigger! Cow horns, spikes, 3 points, all worthless bucks that will polute your heard. with that said you must let the good bucks walk to breed and become great bucks. A buck you want breeding does has 6 points as his first set of horns. The 2.5 year old nice 8's are the ones you want in your heard. Do cattle farmers let any bull breed cows, hell no! They pay big money for a couple good bulls so they can control the process and outcome. I have hunted places where you wereexpected to shoot anything less than a 6 point, but if it was bigger than a 6 pt it better be huge.

How in the hell do ya figure that, do younot think that any genetics come from the does? Yes, the sub standard bucks will most likely walk, unless you show some self discipline and leave that 1 buck for the "Trophy" , good management will also include intelligent management. I know that we are going to take any so called "sub standard bucks" off our property, and if you take your child, hunting, you get 6, I know that I have never killed that many! Just remember Ugly people can have pretty kids.

 

[Nascar03]

Good for you Garbo, that was an intelligent and educated descision. It will not haunt you, remember it takes a long time to grow an old friend.

 

[Caspr21]

Matt Mcleod (12/3/2007)Alabama deer hunting will not change any with these new rules, if anything the class of bucks will get worse. To have true trophy class deer you must pull the trigger! Cow horns, spikes, 3 points, all worthless bucks that will polute your heard. with that said you must let the good bucks walk to breed and become great bucks. A buck you want breeding does has 6 points as his first set of horns. The 2.5 year old nice 8's are the ones you want in your heard. Do cattle farmers let any bull breed cows, hell no! They pay big money for a couple good bulls so they can control the process and outcome. I have hunted places where you wereexpected to shoot anything less than a 6 point, but if it was bigger than a 6 pt it better be huge.

That is the most off base opinion I have ever seen about quality deer management. How in the world will immature bucks that are 1.5 yrs old polute your heard???????? The odds are they aren't going to breed and I hate to tell you but in most to all of alabama, the does don't pop them out as 6 pts. Just doesn't happen.I have been a part of probably one of the best deer managements in the state of alabama and for the first 6 yrs on the property, NOTHING was shot under 18 inches wide! Now you can go to the property, and see all sorts of 10's 12's 8's ect. You can't just blast a deer because he is a cow horn or a spike. For instance, because as you might know, the ruts are getting later and later with even evidence of a 3rd rut last year, what if the deer is dropped late, and his first year he is a spike, then year 2 when he has had a chance to get the proper nutrition, he is a nice little 6 pt. But wait that deer didn't make it cause you freaking blasted his ass. Last thing if you are shooting all your immature deer, where is your brude stock coming from?????? I would imagine your buck to doe ratio is horrible, and within a couple of years of doing that, the numbers of even quality bucks seen would drop off tremedously

 

[HammerTime25-06]

Why in the World would anyone shoot a Spike thinking it's not going to make anything ? There is no way you can tell what potential he has ... I hunt in La Floresta and grantedwe are Lucky that all the clubs combined have 50 thousand acres that are strictly managed with a 7pt or bigger rule and the Biologist determines the amount of Does to be shot every year . Not everybody has these strict guidelines that are enforced but i can promise you that if you shoot Tomorrow's Trophy's Today that is all that you will ever shoot . I have see it first hand that if you can just let the small bucks meaning the 2.5 - 3.5 year old's go and shoot the does it pays off . It takes time there is no doubt . I get tired of shooting does and there have been many times i let young 8 point's go hoping like hell that someone else doesnt shoot them but when you see 100 + inch deer coming out of Escambia County weighting 160 or bigger on average you know you are doing the right thing . We all sat down as a club 5 years ago and said ok we have to be 7pt or bigger but were going to raise the bar and put a minimum on width , base & weight and it has worked GREAT . I'm not trying to ruffle anyone's feathers I have just seen first hand how well it can work with a Little Patience a lot of Hard Work and dont forget to give them all the Protein they can stand all Spring and Summer long .

 

[James Fink]

Caspr21 (12/3/2007)

Matt Mcleod (12/3/2007)Alabama deer hunting will not change any with these new rules, if anything the class of bucks will get worse. To have true trophy class deer you must pull the trigger! Cow horns, spikes, 3 points, all worthless bucks that will polute your heard. with that said you must let the good bucks walk to breed and become great bucks. A buck you want breeding does has 6 points as his first set of horns. The 2.5 year old nice 8's are the ones you want in your heard. Do cattle farmers let any bull breed cows, hell no! They pay big money for a couple good bulls so they can control the process and outcome. I have hunted places where you wereexpected to shoot anything less than a 6 point, but if it was bigger than a 6 pt it better be huge.

That is the most off base opinion I have ever seen about quality deer management. How in the world will immature bucks that are 1.5 yrs old polute your heard???????? The odds are they aren't going to breed and I hate to tell you but in most to all of alabama, the does don't pop them out as 6 pts. Just doesn't happen.I have been a part of probably one of the best deer managements in the state of alabama and for the first 6 yrs on the property, NOTHING was shot under 18 inches wide! Now you can go to the property, and see all sorts of 10's 12's 8's ect. You can't just blast a deer because he is a cow horn or a spike. For instance, because as you might know, the ruts are getting later and later with even evidence of a 3rd rut last year, what if the deer is dropped late, and his first year he is a spike, then year 2 when he has had a chance to get the proper nutrition, he is a nice little 6 pt. But wait that deer didn't make it cause you freaking blasted his ass. Last thing if you are shooting all your immature deer, where is your brude stock coming from?????? I would imagine your buck to doe ratio is horrible, and within a couple of years of doing that, the numbers of even quality bucks seen would drop off tremedously

And your statement is not off base? And I quote "all sorts of 10's 12's 8's ect." I'm gonna throw the BS flag on that! I have seen many property's through my years and have NEVER seen that. EVEN on videos! number 1, 18 inches is WIDE ass for a deer....I dont care who you are, a large majority of mature deer will never be that wide. I can honestly say I would be much more proud of a mature 6 point over a 115# 8 point. POINTrestrictions are NOT the answer!!!!!!! That is the worst rule there is without a doubt. Even honest QDM'ers will tell you that. Trophy managment is what people try using on hunting clubs with point restrictions and there are a lot of deer that will only be 7's....6's even. Your "normal" deer will have an 8 pt rack....just as nature intended. Your above average deer will have more "normal" points if you will....but a lot of deer will have less. Honest QDM is about haveing a healthy herd, not scores of your damn bucks! I have seen studies where "high grading" over years has dropped the antler score and have seen studies that shoot what you want to provides the biggest antlers. I think the best answer lies somewhere in between. Well, I gotta hit the sack...I'll hit more on my thoughts if there are intrests tomorrow.

 

[Caspr21]

well James Fink, this pic should put your post to rest. This deer was killed last year off the property, with a bow, I would say a pretty damn nice deer, WITH 14 SCORABLE POINTS, 17 total points. Measured inside spread at 18 3/4 inches. So, I would take your BS flag down, and quickly. It is never unusual to go to one of those food plots, and see 50+ deer, with 8-10 MATURE rack bucks, and I mean 8's and larger, which would include 10's, and well I guess 14's if you want to be specific. If you took just one second and said, maybe they did some things right on this property, spent over 12 yrs of YEAR ROUND nutrition, only took inferior bucks off,like crab claw mature 6 pts, or mature deer with bad genetics then, it is not unlikely that I could happen.

The point of this thread was never to debate who's property was better or whatever.I know what is on that property, and other forum members have been there an can attest to it.The thread was stating that Garbo made a GREAT decision to pass an immature deer and how the alabama rule affected him. And how he wishes he had a camera. So, good luck hunting. Like the other thread, you shoot what you want, we will shoot what we want and best of luck to you.