I had no idea AR’s had opponents until reviewing posts on this forum. It prompted a request to the TPWD Big Game Program Director, Mitch Lockwood, for a question and answer type article. To my surprise, he readily and graciously agreed. I tried to ask him all of the concerns posted here. To view the article and Q&A, entitled ‘Do Texas Antler Restrictions Work? TPWD responds to critics’ go to Basecamp Texas,in the special report section.

awesome man thanks

I call on that article. He never answered the questions the opponents have. He blew them off, as if the people in the areas where doe herds are dwindling and mature narrow framed bucks are the norm, like they were just too stupid to know "what's really going on is good for deer and deer hunters." It was condescending, insulting and full of nothing. And I'm an AR proponent. Typical political .

you don't think you have to play politics to get appointed to the position FTR: this sentence is what's completely screwing up mule deer numbers out west... "Buck harvest does not affect population growth:

Needless to say, my position and agreement with his comments are well-known in these forums. No one can get the QDM cult foaming at the mouth any quicker than myself. And I'm sure the comments that were made and which I have given below, are sure to send them reeling.

Thank you for sharing.

"Based on 38 years of solid data from research that was designed to answer these questions, those older “narrow-rack” deer likely were spikes as yearlings. If hunters take advantage of the extra tag and harvest spikes at 1 ½ years of age, this may reduce the incidence of those older “management / cull” bucks slipping through the cracks and contributing to the gene pool later in life."

"In addition to the research conducted by TPWD for the past 38 years, there are many non-TPWD research projects that clearly indicate that, with few exceptions, yearling antler quality is a good predictor of future antler quality. The debate has been over for quite some time. The question isn’t whether spikes “catch up” but rather, how much culling intensity is required to improve antler quality within the population by XX%. That question remains unanswered. Can a spike grow up to be a quality deer? Sure (depending on your standards)! But with very few exceptions, they won’t grow up to be as big (antler-wise) as their 6-point and 8-point yearling counterparts. And 6-point and 8-point yearlings are more common than many people realize. Many mistake those deer as 2.5-year olds."

They lack the research bc less than 20 yrs ago they were saying not to shoot does. Research will continue going downhill with the lazy approach to management, better known as Management Units instead of focusing on individual properties. It's friggin ETX, things change a mile down the rd.

Ok, so I have been dying to ask this question since I am originally from Indiana...Why not just change the regs to limit one buck per season? I was kinda shocked when I moved down here at the number of bucks a hunter can take a year.

That is a pretty tough review of the article. I am by no means an expert on the subject but it didn't seem that political to me. Some of the points made did make sense. On the other hand, I do agree it would be nice if they presented or quoted some hard facts or provided links to other studies/data. I guess bottom line is there will always be some for and some against AR.

Vern actually got copies of their data and it was pitiful.

"Antler restrictions with a 2-buck bag (the second bucks having at least one unbranched antler) is protecting far more young bucks than did the 1-buck bag with no antler restrictions, and total buck harvest is not greater than it was prior to implementing this harvest strategy.

The incidence of spike-antlered bucks is much lower than what many people think. Prior to antler restrictions, 100% of the yearling bucks were vulnerable to harvest. This strategy is designed to protect 60-80% of the yearling bucks (depending primarily on the climatic conditions) in those areas – which happen to be the better quality yearlings.

Our deer survey data indicate stable to increasing populations throughout the Resource Management Units (RMUs) where antler restrictions are in effect."

Propoganda

Saw Dr. Kroll talk about him being the one to get AR's implemented. The next sentence he says that spikes are not inferior!!! What kind of logic is this???

Fuzzy logic

TPW =BULL S#@%T Take the bag limit down to 1 buck and maybe 1 doe and all will be fine.

I thought the article was insightful. But then again in the counties I hunt the age structure and quality of deer has increased significantly.

Is there a link to the information Vernon received or is it posted here?

I don't think there is a mule deer population problem in West TX but maybe a problem with the quality of mule deer available to harvest especially in the counties where they are establishing themselves.

I have been hunting at my deer lease for the last 12 years right outside Comanche county in a little town called Energy. When I first got on the lease the guys that leased before shot everything that moved. Over the years things have gotten ten times better and that is because of the antler restrictions, I have seen better quality bucks and the antler restriction gives the younger bucks a chance.

The buck/doe ratio is so out of whack, you can't do that Hoytman"TPW =BULL S#@%T Take the bag limit down to 1 buck and maybe 1 doe and all will be fine." Maybe once that ratio was fixed you could possibly changing it. I walked from my stand Sunday night and literally saw 60 does within a ten min walk to my campsite. The guy that owns the property next to me always have special permits to shoot at least 40 extra doe tags every year. The ratio is so messed up and I believe the antler restriction has only helped.

Jlambe - I've been hunting in southwest Comanche County for the past 6 years, and I too have seen a very noticeable improvement in our buck quality. Because the quality has improved, I have found myself waiting to see the better bucks! In fact, last year I did not take a buck off our lease - saw two very nice 130-140 class bucks, but could never get a shot at either. But at the same time, I did see several younger bucks that will develope if they made it through last year. And unfortunately, I was also never able to get a shot at the one lone spike we saw!

But, we also have the issue with the over abundance of does! We must take our does this year - 4 hunters = 8 does! We've gotta do it this year for sure. Between the does and the hogs, we should have full freezers this year!

Here's the real problem as I see it. For the most part, the majority of us on this forum are fairly adept at determining a buck's age or maturity level, regardless of his rack. Most of us on here are conservation minded and only want to take mature bucks. However, we are but only a small minority of the hunters in Texas.

I think that there is a greater majority that is not of the same mindset. Either they don't know or they don't care. Go to any processor on a weekend and watch them roll in, one after the other, with their 2 and 3 year old eight points and 10 points. Or their yearling 4's and 6's.

Too many of them are out to get "their buck". To them, a buck is all that matters. Listen to their stories and they'll talk about how big the body of this deer or that deer is. But one look at the deer in question by someone with a little experience will tell a different story altogether.

The hunting public must become educated if you want to get TPWD (government/bureaucracy) out of our lives. Instead worrying about what camo is gonna hide me best, they ought to pick up a booklet on aging deer.

If they'd be patient and wait for the mature buck instead of blasting the first thing with horns, and shoot a few more does, this topic wouldn't exist.

I think it's up to lease managers, land owners and TPWD to do a better job of this. Fix this problem and the AR issue will be moot.

The original intent of our sport was to provide meat for the table, rather than something to hang on a wall. For that reason, I will never take issue with those who refuse to get caught up in the "horn porn" that has all but taken over our sport. IMO, the current AR's have appeal to both groups. They increase the average age structure of the herd, while also allowing hunters good chances to fill a tag. And if that means allowing them to shoot a spike that some pure trophy hunter wants to protect just to see how big his rack will grow, I have no problem with it at all.

I really don't give a rat's butt about how many hunters can accurately age a buck. If they can judge one well enough to stay within TPWD guidelines, that's all that matters.

That was no where near a tough review. And by the way, I think I pointed out I'm a proponent of the AR process.

I'm still of the mindset that they should get their public land under control before trying to extend advice to the private sector.

Yea we are getting as many people as we can to just shoot does this year. Surprising enough I don't have any hogs on our property. The guy next to me has killed about 100 in the last year but for some reason we don't have them. I am for sure not complaining about not having hogs.

I agree with a lot of what you say to a certain extent. However, the next to last sentence doesn't work for me. I believe in personal responsibility. So, for me, it is not up to the lease managers, land owners and TPWD to do a better job of educating. If you're going to participate in the sport, take the time to learn and grow your knowledge so that you become an asset.

We can't all be STXRanchman, but maybe we can get to Rifleman's level.