Anyone else notice the Northward shift of the winning bucks. It is not normal to see some of the counties that had winning deer. Any have an explanation? Could it be acorn related?
Maybe all the northern folks have been coming south and neglecting what was in their own back yards!!
Could it be the more restrictive harvest regulations in the northern part of the state allowing more bucks to reach maturity?
Without a reg. book in front of me could you explain why you would think that? I mean how are the harvest restrictions any different?
I know--am sure of this--NO DOGS allowed in north part of state. Now we can kick this around on this thread! :wink:
soarkrebel, the only difference in harvest restrictions I can think of is the doe limits but I don't have a book in front of me either. I doubt the acorn crop had little to do with it unless there hasn't been any down south for several years now. Lack of dogs being ran? Could be I guess, that would let us greedy still hunters keep a deers head in the feed bucket a little longer and in the food-plots more often.
I would not believe dogs would have a thing to do the better bucks. I think it is an AGE factor or Nutrition. I think maybe a look at the last few years of registered buck kills in these areas might shed some light on this. Low buck kills could have allowed many bucks to attain the age of trophy status. But I will bet dog running had NOTHING in the pot.
That post had just a little sarcasm, but, on the other hand, posted private land that is not covered by dogs allows some local bucks to live longer and get more age. They wander over onto someone elses land during the rut and you have a trophy buck. Those little pockets that are not pressured is where you have mature bucks. Dogs do increase pressure. JMO
I think they are a small part of pressure. Coyotes, hogs and lots of other things are pressure. But deer aren't stupid they live with these pressures year round and apperently in some areas deer dogs. But I know the deer around my house live with dogs every day. You might be right about large leases but if that was the case I think you would see it in the south also. I have seen much better deer in the south in the last few years but I attribute this to the three point rule. I think deer are just as pressured by increased activity in the woods as fall nears. I know the deer in my areas see me year round and just don't seem to be as leary. They do change their patterns to nocturnal but this is just a natural reaction IMO.
My guess, and it is just a guess. The hard freeze this spring in the Northern counties led to a sporadic at best acorn crop. Lack of food in the woods meant the deer hit the fields and feeders more often and earlier. Lack of acorns made them more visible, and thus easier to harvest. Or it could just be a coincidence.
A possibility for sure.........you can't shoot what you can't see. The allure of love is strong but hunger is just as strong
"A possibility for sure.........you can't shoot what you can't see." That's my point. Private posted land leaves areas undisturbed by hunters. Bucks can and do find a small core area where they bed and usually become nocturnal and live to a ripe old age. A trophy. Dogs invading these areas move the bucks onto other lands during daylight and they get "harvested". A 6 pointer down. I don't know of any trophy states that allows dogs. I know soil fertility and genetics are important. I believe age is most important. I think more bucks get to an older age if dogs are not used. Again JMO.
Don't need any excuses. I just believe that the more efficient hunters are the less the chances of bucks reaching maturity. I think deer dogs make hunters more efficient. Again JMO
Quote from a post by Kenn in '05...interesting. "The Arkansas Trophy Club consists of deer that score above 150 typical and 175 non-typical. Bucks of that size are trophies anywhere, anytime, in Arkansas or elsewhere. Also, this list is fairly accurate, because it contains the larger deer that attend the Big Buck Classic, Sportshow, Expo and other smaller events. There are a total of 634 deer listed in the Trophy Club, 523 typicals and 111 non-typicals. Here are the counties that have produced the most: Arkansas 64 typ/9 non-typ for a total of 73 Desha 33 typ/3 non-typ for a total of 36 Cross 18 typ/14 non-typ for a total of 32 Monroe 21 typ/5 non-typ for a total of 26 Prairie 20 typ/4 non-typ for a total of 24"
