Pennsylvania's Game Commission has instituted new regulations this year. "Legal bucks" must now have AT LEAST 3 antler points per side. Some other States have this rule in an attempt to increase the size/point count of bucks taken.

What is your opinion/experience?
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11-24-02, 04:29 AM
Beano
It seems to me you would want to "cull out" some of the spikes & 4-pointers from the herd. Contrary to popular belief, a buck usually never grows any more points than he already has by his second year...his rack just increases in size as it is regrown each year.
In Texas (particularly South Texas), many ranchers REQUIRE that hunters use one of their buck tags on a mature spike or otherwise undesirable buck before they are allowed to shoot a trophy buck. The idea is to get as many bucks with undesirable racks out of the gene pool as possible. This isn't just a bright idea some ignorant rancher came up with...it's part of the Texas Parks & Wildlife plan for game-managed properties, has been for many years. And needless to say, South Texas is perhaps the #1 spot in the nation for trophy bucks, people come from all over the world & pay thousands of dollars a year to hunt in the S. Texas Brush Country. Sounds like the Parks & Wildlife boys in your state have their collective heads up their @$$.

11-28-02, 01:08 PM
Rontate
Thank you for your imput, Beano.

While I hunt deer at my hunting buddy's place in the Moshannon State Forest on the High Plateau in north-central Pennsylvania , I live in Ohio and wondered if this "minimum points" rule increased the number of bucks with larger antlers under "real life" conditions or if it was just a bureaucratic "wish-list" item.

Again, thanx for your thoughts...

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