- Deer Harvest Rules -
Updated:
November 09, 2005
No deer should be taken by any adult hunter
unless the deer has 8 or more total scorable points
and each antler is at least one inch outside the ear. (See "high rack" exception
below) While this
might seem like the deer would have a wide spread, most young deer span only 14"
from ear tip to tip.
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This is a young forked
antler deer which is probably only a year and a half old. Some
deer this age will not have any bifurcation at all and are
considered spike deer. It was once a popular belief that "once
a spike, always a spike", but that has been proven to be untrue.
"By the third year, data from our wild-trapped bucks seems to agree
more with the results of Dr. Jacobson and the Mississippi State
study. Yearling bucks with small antlers seemed to have just as good
a chance of turning |
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| If the young deer above is given a chance to mature, he could possibly be as large as the one pictured at the right! |
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This is a picture of a young 8 point buck that is only 2 1/2 years old. As you can see, his rack is about an inch short of matching his ear span. If this buck is given a chance to mature, he could easily be a 10 or 12 pointer in a couple of years! This picture was taken at the ranch on opening weekend, November 2005. |
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High Rack Exception: This deer (photographed on the ranch in October 2005) could be considered an exception to the "outside the ear rule". A "high rack" like this could score as many or more points than some wider spread antlers. (Picture taken in October, 2005 at the Big G Ranch) |
- Exceptions -
Exceptions to these rules may be made
by Al Guerra to accommodate younger
hunters who have never harvested a buck deer. All adults are
expected to comply.
If you have questions, click here to email Al Guerra.
If you are hunting at the Big G ranch and would like to see what other hunters in that area are paying for the same privilege, click here.
