Antler Restrictions

Let'em Go
Antler Restrictions Should Produce Older Bucks In The Herd

By Charlie Burchfield

Pennsylvania, along with a number of other states across the nation,
has made changes in the manner in which they manage their whitetails.
Today the quality of bucks harvested hinge on a variety of management
practices. In the majority of cases antler restrictions are the means
which bucks are protected, allowing a number of them to reach an older
age class. And various forms of protection have contributed to seeing
bigger and better bucks.
Several years ago game managers in Pennsylvania initiated a form of
quality deer management, which has hunters looking at the buck they are
about to take differently.
The fact is, hunters are the primary tool in the management process.
Older deer produce better trophies --but how does the average hunter
really know if the buck that succumbs to the squeeze of the trigger is a
mature deer?
That's a question that can be elusive but not impossible to answer;
that is if you know what to look for.
AGING DEER
Rapid growth of deer populations coupled with the over harvest of bucks
and the under harvest of antlerless deer has been counter productive.
This has been the case in Pennsylvania for decades. Conditions such as
this result in a large number of females and a limited number of
older-aged bucks. Harvest data confirms this situation existed in the
Keystone State and still does in some areas of the state.
In the recent past PGC harvest data proved that more than 70 percent of
the overall buck population was taken on an annual basis. To confirm
those figures deer processing teams aged deer that had been taken to
meat processing facilities. The check documented that only a small
number of older bucks were being taken annually.
So to improve the overall deer herd in general, and bucks in
particular, it was decided to restrict the age class of bucks taken and
increase the annual antlerless harvest. And, over the past two hunting
seasons hunters were bound by antler restrictions and encouraged to
harvest mature does. In only a short time frame of two years hunters
are beginning to see impressive results.
Hunters are eager to learn more about whitetails in general and bucks
in particular. And with a growing number of hunters taking nicer bucks
with each year that passes more than ever hunters are giving the buck
they have in the crosshairs an extra look.
A mature deer is what they are after and they are willing to wait. But
knowing what to look for is the key when it comes to taking a mature
buck.
Antler development in whitetail deer increases dramatically with age.
That's because a whitetail deer does not fully mature until it is four
years old. It is at this point when a buck's antlers begin to show
length and mass. Yes, bucks in lower age classes may, and often will, be
legal, especially in areas where there are point
restrictions.
HOW TO TELL?
But it is the older bucks that really stands out from the crowd. So
how can you tell the difference between a mature buck and one that is
younger?
The answer to that question may not be as elusive as you might
think.
You can bet that a buck's antlers are the first things to catch a
hunter's eye. Decisions are made hurriedly. A hunter might mistakenly
harvest a young, immature buck -- you know the kind, legal but with a
pencil thin rack.
When it comes to determining the age of a buck in the field rarely do 1
1/2-year old bucks exceed a 12- to 13 inch inside spread. And there are
times when a young buck will have a respectable inside spread and
sometimes it can be difficult not to squeeze the trigger on a buck like
this.
But by letting a buck of this type "walk" there is a good chance he
will carry over to next year. If more hunters would let bucks such as
this go the result would be to effectively protect the yearling age
class of bucks.
In Pennsylvania, for some hunters it was bad enough going from taking
any buck to counting the number of points, but now you're saying to
estimate the age of a deer before squeezing the trigger?
In most cases the size of a buck's rack is a dead giveaway as to the
animals age. And it all begins with measuring the bucks rack. Okay, so
how can you measure a buck's rack without walking up to the deer and
checking it with a tape measure? Simple, here's how:
The length of a buck's ear from base to tip is six to seven inches.
Use the ear length to estimate
antler tine length. Beam length can also be determined by looking at a
side view of the rack.
The tip- to tip distance between the ears of a buck is about 15
inches. In the alarm position the deer moves its ears forward. This
ear position reduces the tip-to-tip measurement to about 12 inches.
A side view of the buck also provides clues as to rack size. When
viewed from this angle if the antler
projects forward beyond the midpoint between the eyes and the tip of the
nose, the beam length of the buck
likely exceeds 20 inches.
The number of points on a buck's rack can be difficult to count. The
number of antler points is almost
impossible to see from one perspective. Use frontal and side views to
get a full count of antler points. Often it is not possible to see a
buck's full rack. So how can the point count be determined at a
glance?
Here's a good method to make a determination on the buck's rack. It is
difficult to see brow tines, except from the frontal position. So if
you see two visible tines on each side, the buck will likely be an
8-pointer.
Remember that we're not counting the beam, just tines that extend off
the beam. If there are three points projecting up on each side, the
buck will likely be a 10-pointer.
Keep in mind that a 2 1/2-year-old buck, even sporting a nice rack, has
some growing yet to do. Bucks in this age class have only about 60
percent of the size of what they will be at 5 1/2 years of age. Bucks
that reach the 3 1/2-year-old mark have reached only about 75 percent of
their maximum antler development. Also in older age-class bucks antler
mass will increase as well.
Rack size and configuration offers insight to the age of a deer, but to
fine-tune your observations there's a few more tips on what to look
for. Young bucks are just that, young deer that have a few more years
to reach maturity. Bucks in the 1 1/2 year age class have a body
similar to a doe, with seek and slender lines, and their bodies have not
yet filled out.
Bucks reaching the 2 1/2-year age class will most likely exhibit a nice
rack, which can fool the untrained eye.
Here again the body configuration will offer the clues as to the
buck's age. Bucks in the 2 1/2-year age class exhibit a thin neck, and
the area of the chest just in front of his front legs is thin, while the
waist remains
narrow.
In general the buck has a "teenager" look. A buck in this age class is
often hard to pass up, but it's worth it since this deer has only
reached about 60 percent of his size when compared to a mature buck.
At 3 1/2 half years bucks are becoming impressive. Bucks in this age
class have a deeper chest, and their bellies begins to sag a bit. The
buck's muscles are thick and show form -- however his neck still appears
to be separate from his shoulders. And there the animal still appears
to be sleek in appearance.
At 4 1/2 whitetails mature and provide an unmistakable appearance which
is magnificent.
The bucks' neck muscles are fully developed and blend into the body
like a well-trained boxer. The belly begins to sag. The buck has a
blocked off appearance from front to rear and his muscle mass is
unmistakable. As bucks continue to age their legs often look shorter and
the belly sags even more.
And to think in Pennsylvania hunters use to harvest about 80 percent of
the total bucks each year. Of that number about 70 percent were 1 1/2
year-old bucks.
LET 'EM GO
It should be noted that the 70 percent figure varies from one area to
another, but is a general overall figure of yearling bucks harvested
across the state.
Just think of the potential to see and harvest larger bucks now. But
it takes restraint. That's why there's a growing number of sportsmen
who are willing to pass on young bucks. As the older-age classes of
animals begins to grow so will the frequency that we'll begin seeing
nicer bucks in the years to come.
As the folks from the Quality Deer Management Association say, "Let'm
go so they can grow."