You Want Big Buck/Harvest an Antlerless Deer/Missouri Kansas Illinois Nebraska Deer/Private Land

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If you switch on any one of the outdoor related channels you will notice much of the hunting being focused on the whitetail buck – mostly large antlered whitetail bucks.

For a buck to get to Boone & Crockett proportions a deer needs three elements; nutrition, genetics and age. Simply put, he must remain alive long enough to realize this potential.

According to the Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA), 1999 was a landmark turning point for deer hunters. It marked the first time in United States history that more antlerless deer were harvested than antlered deer. Since then, many states have imposed antler restrictions on antlered deer in an attempt to harvest older mature deer.

Just what are antler restrictions and what is their goal? Antler restrictions are a strategy to protect an age class of antlered deer namely 1 ½ year old bucks which at one time made up over 60 percent of the overall deer harvest, nationwide.

Presently, 22 states have adopted antler restrictions in some form. Antler restrictions vary from state to state and are not a one size fits all blanket restriction. What works for Illinois might not be a good fit for Kansas.

Antler restrictions, along with liberal bag limits of antlerless deer, have paid off for hunters. For example, in Missouri, a four point restriction was put into place in 2004, after a five year period there were 40 percent more Boone & Crockett bucks harvested and recorded than any other five year period. Missouri does not impose a statewide four point antler restriction.

The antler restriction helps accomplish two of the elements needed to grow big antlers. By harvesting antlerless deer, the carrying capacity (The number of deer that can be supported in a given area within natural resource limits to include food and habitat) increases in regards to available food and available habitat. It also protects 1 ½ year old antlered deer. The degree of antler restrictions is usually controlled and decided upon by each respected state's division of wildlife. For example, Mississippi has the most progressive antler restrictions using a combination of antler points, antler spread and beam length; while others utilize a simple spread measurement or point restriction.

Many states offer an "Earn a Buck" tag which requires a hunter to harvest at least one antlerless deer before they are allowed to take a buck. These states have had reasonable success in reducing deer populations. Without the Earn a Buck program, some hunters choose not to take a doe and harvest an antlered deer instead. Without the Earn a Buck program in states with a deer population problem, there are more does which in turn means more fawns in the spring and the cycle continues.

So if you are ready to harvest a Boone & Crockett buck for yourself… Take an antlerless deer, first.

Looking for a place to harvest an antlerless deer or a record book buck contact Hunting Sports Plus at 1-800-341-3444.

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