Is the wind blowing like this all over Wv right now? It has been blowing so hard I have been leaving the rattleing horns and my calls back at the house.
James
JR you ask me a question in the thread about the big buck - I don't want to take that thread over and do anything to take away from that buck - holy cow what a deer. So since I started this thread I will answer your question here. To be truthful with ya I have never had any of my animals scored - it really does not make a big deal to me what they score because to me it is just glorifying the hunter and not so much the deer in my opinion but that is me and I don't look down to those that do (of course I shoot a whopper like the guy did in the other thread and I would probably take a tv ad out!). I have two bear that I killed - one measuring over 18 and 1/2 and the was pushing 19 3/4s if I remember correctly (guide measured them). Killed them both back in 88 or 89 up in Alberta. One of the caribou I kill was suppose to have scored enough for P&Y. I posted several pictures of the deer I have hanging on my wall - I have 8 on the wall that would be either close to 125 or over it - all from WV and I have 20+ more from WV, VA and MD an addition that I did not get mounted but are out in the shed or in my garage that are the same or close to being the same. So I have killed a few nice ones and I am not try to brag but just answering your question.
The one I killed early this year - the 6 in the meatpole thread - I have watched that deer for at least 3 years - he was shot with an arrow 2 years ago (he was like a 15 inch wide 8 then and fairly thick) and has walked with a limp ever since and his rack has went down hill each year but he was the stud around here - he ran every other buck out of my food plot - ones with better racks but I don't think they were as big body-size as he was. He put a show on for me the evening I got him - first time I have ever heard the clicking leading up to a grunt or bawl or whatever it was he did - I always thought the buck roar or growl was a gimmick to sell calls but this fella did it! Last year the basket rack buck I got had most of its left front leg shot off by a rifle hunter and he was suffering. If it were One and done - I don't know if I would have shot either of those bucks - because I do try to hold out for a nice buck - I believe it was just 4 years ago I shot two 10 points. This year I have seen quite a few nice bucks while hunting but have not got a trail cam picture of one of them - saw a nice ten point this morning about 40 yards off but it was to thick and I don't shoot too much over 25 yards. Last year the buck stolen from me - would have been the widest buck I have ever killed - he had to be pushing 21 to 22 inches wide but had short tines - I don't think he would have score all that well. There are deer out there like that and more than we think.
I know you say not in Pendleton county - I know you must love that place but if it were me I would be selling it and finding a little land in Jefferson county because you could shoot a nice one there with a little bit of work - but that would be me. I am sure you like the setting of the mountains of Pendleton county and that is fine.
My problem with one and done is there is nothing that protects the young bucks with it. Everyone says hunters will become more selective - some will but the majority will not. NY and PA both had one and done and both still do I believe- they did not start seeing bigger bucks until they put in place AR's. Before AR's were put in place both states said 75 to 80% of the buck harvest was 1.5 year bucks! To me that means you are pretty much wiping out your 1.5 years olds! With AR's you save almost an entire age class 1.5 year olds for the next season. How many of those 2.5 year old bucks will survive the next seson because they are wiser and have lived through a hunting season?
I think WV differs so much from some of the other one and done states and more resembles states like PA and NY because we have a lot of hunters for our small state. Gosh you know how Sleepy Creek is with the on-slaught of the red-clad hunters from PA. Some of you think that one and done will save all these bucks and I am sure it will some but you cannot say that some of those youngs bucks passed over by the selective hunter will not be killed by a hunter who has not been successful before. Yes the multiple kills by some hunters should go to 0% for the law abiding guys but you cannot sit there and think that once a unsuccessful hunter always an unsuccessful hunter - some of those passed over bucks will still be shot!
And then with the tele-a-check system starting - who here believes there will not be an increase in the number of wives and children harvesting bucks????
And again I will state the only reason we are seeing a possible new state record buck is because it came from a bow only area - did one and done help probably some but I bet you would still have quite a few big bucks in those 4 counties even if the limit was 2 bucks.
Now would things beget better quicker if you made it one and done with AR's - more than likely - how much better than if it were a 2 buck limit - myself personally I don't think it would be that much difference - and not a big enough difference to say yes make it one and done with AR's that in turn will cause quite a few hunters to hunt in other states instead of continue to hunt WV for does- to me that unleashes additional problems as to revenue and will there be enough does harvested then? Maybe I am all wrong but these things need to be taken in to consideration and not blown off because we have some hunters with big rack envy going on and they don't want to look at the whole picture.... JMO
Sorry that this was so long but this darn wind is driving me nuts!!!!! LOL
Back to the post about the wind and weather - 74 here in Hedgesville yesterday and now the possibly of 8 inches of snow tomorrow! LOL just incredible!
