11/23/2022
Nothing wrong with shooting a young buck but if a person does this (instead of harvesting a doe) then they shouldn’t get a second one. And conversely, the guy who shoots a 189” 7 year old; he also shouldn’t get two! In fact nobody should get two buck tags and the state should immediately move to a one buck limit across the board! Here’s unarguably why.
The one buck limit decreases the number of young bucks being harvested. This in turn allows more bucks to reach maturity. This is critically important for the social structure and health of all deer herds. In unhunted populations, buck age structure is balanced and varied with all age classes represented. In contrast in poorly managed states with outdated regs like Oklahoma, Louisiana, Nebraska and so on, the herd is badly skewed towards young bucks. When young bucks aren’t even done growing yet (bucks aren’t skeletally mature until 4) this hurts a young bucks’ growth and future potential when he is forced to do the brunt of the breeding (and isn’t sidelined by older more mature bucks). It’s a vicious cycle of poor quality and poor herd dynamics decade after decade and it’s all tied back to bag limits, season lengths and dates and arms allowed that causes some states to be great (Kansas Ohio Kentucky) and some to suck or be mediocre (Nebraska, Oklahoma, Louisiana).
“Well our land HAS mature deer and they’re all 120”. Yes and you know why your mature deer are d***s? Because you have a half dozens neighbors who have 12 buck tags and they are shooting the very best of your deer at mid age. Your 200” deer are dead at 3 scoring 145 because your neighbor has two bucks tags. And then they shoot a second mid age 140 with their muzzy or rifle and pass those d**k 7 year olds that weigh 240. If they don’t know enough to pass a 3 year old then they don’t know enough to realize that 115” 240 pound mammoth chasing all the other bucks off is 7 or 8 and needs to be shot. Because he is mature. So the two buck limit causes young great deer to be shot too early and old small deer to live a long time. One tag causes the average “Shoot young bucks and pass a doe, Joe” and the 24/7/365 QDM nut to all be more selective. And that 140” 3 year old gets to 180” at 6. Now the 120” mammoth May still be running around but you would have 180”s alongside him. Genetic manipulation “culling” isn’t a thing so what difference does it make what they score. Shoot whichever you like. Or take a youth or new hunters to shoot that mammoth 120” buck if you want to shoot the 180”.
Plenty of doe tags for the freezer in Oklahoma. A family of 4 in most western zones with lifetimes can shoot 32 (thirty two) doe for the freezer. Most serious deer hunters have lifetimes; how many serious deer hunters do you know still buy annual licenses and tags? Therefore, the drop to one buck statewide won’t hurt revenue for the ODWC if those licenses and tags are already sold via lifetimes (that lifetime trust fund was around $75M back in 2014/15 and likely is $100M now (if anyone knows what that lot of money is now, post in the comments).
People Today want to see bigger bucks. That’s unarguably true. Every deer hunter wants this but many are still misinformed to the facts and are unwilling to give a little to get there. Under the one buck limit you can have your cake (see lots of deer) and eat it too (shoot big bucks). Big buck posts on this page get reads, clicks and views of tens to hundreds of thousands (100,000s) in most cases (Facebook spits all this data out for every post). While a small buck or food plot post might get 1,500 to 2,000 views. You cannot say, with these data points clearly shown, that people “don’t care about big bucks” because in 2022 we now know without a doubt that this IS what people want. The data is clear. So the ODWC and the Commissioners need to get in gear and give the people what they want. ODWC staff can say all they want about their canned and loaded surveys from back in 2007 but the data points on social media are blindingly evident and there is a huge amount of support for the 1 buck limit. The legit deer people who KNOW their s**t, know the 1 buck limit is the answer.
Your 8 neighbors have 16 buck tags. REPEAT Your 8 neighbors have 16 buck tags. Think about that. And it doesn’t matter how many of them actually use all 16; the fact that matters is that they can shoot 2 bucks. And that’s the issue; nobody needs to be management minded with a second tag. Please stop arguing this point as it’s absolutely ridiculous. “Well 38% of 42% of Jon Does in Oklahoma 26% of the time don’t shot two bucks”. Really? With online check is that really the argument? You think the stats are real? If you seriously don’t think the one buck limit IS THE Silver bullet, you should be better educated to what creates a balanced buck age structure.
2 buck limit is harder for law enforcement to police than 1. If a person shoots 1 buck they are done. It’s crystal clear. Evident. They don’t shoot another buck until the next year. Shoot a yearling or a 7 year old with whatever legal arm you want and then that’s it. You’re on doe patrol. And thats easy to police and track.
People having a second buck causes people to have a “I can always get a “bigger” one later with my 2nd tag” mentality. And that’s the problem. Thousands of promising 130/140 three year olds are hammered every year because people are not as selective as they could be with 2 tags in their pocket. They’d pass those deer if that was their only tag. Or if they didn’t, they’d be done for the year. And any “second” buck they would’ve shot, lives another season. And this plays out on every property in the entire state. YOUR neighbors would pass those nice young deer and so would you. Think about it. And that plays out in Ohio and Kansas and Indiana every year. That’s a fact. Why does Kansas have big deer? Because every hunter in the state has 1 tag. They also have draws, rifles in December and no gun whatsoever in the month of November when most bucks are so vulnerable.
Just remember quality deer managers (people who allow bucks to age to maturity and shoot plenty of does) BENEFIT the traditional guys next door who do just the opposite. Yet, the traditional guys next door HURT the efforts of the quality deer manager and that’s all totally legal under the currently s**t regulations in Oklahoma. There’s no equality in that. So, the only way to change that behavior is to change to a 1 buck limit. Then, every hunter is on a level playing field. One and Done. And thousands of bucks live another year. In every county. And that’s a good thing. Period.
Think about how impactful it would be to your management efforts if ALL your neighbors had one 1 buck tag. Think about how many bucks get passed and how many bucks live another year! A huge and dramatic shift in mentality, hunting opportunities and great bucks to pursue; overnight. Truth! No negatives to that fact.
Your neighbors are hammering your young bucks right now. The 3 year olds you’ve been passing will jump fences today and many will not return. Many will be harvested by a hunter who has already shot a young buck with their crossbow or muzzleloader making today’s harvest their 2nd buck of the year. Multiple neighbors doing this across 77 counties and it’s no wonder it’s such a challenge growing bucks to maturity in Oklahoma. It’s disheartening and terrible to even try in most places and that IS why so many people are leaving to go hunt Kansas.
1-Buck Limit changes all this. Unarguable.
Everyone benefits from the 1-buck limit. Bring this up at deer camp today and talk about it. Time for some positive improvements to the deer hunting in Oklahoma and this is the simplest and most effective way to start.
As said; 32 doe for a family of 4 for venison across much of the state so this 2nd buck tag doesn’t move the needle.
The 1-buck limit is a game changer. And it’s a great idea.
Let’s set these wheels in motion. 12,000+ of you now following this page. Call and email your commissioner today. Just takes 5 votes. Tell them we need their vote for the 1 buck limit.
Ignore the naysayers. Tune out that noise. Those people don’t know what they’re even arguing against. Anyone who argues against the 1 buck idea is missing the forest for the trees. Focus on getting the state to one buck and even the naysayers will be super happy it was implemented. They’ll benefit too. Everyone wins under the 1 buck limit. Public land and small land hunters most of all!
If you don’t have big mature bucks where you hunt, you can blame the 2 buck limit. Your problem is not habitat, soils, crops, genetics, or anything else. It’s the fault of outdated regulations like the rut rifle season and 2 buck tags.
One Buck Limit Is the Answer. Lets do this.
One Buck Limit For Oklahoma. ✅
Hunt Age —- Not Antlers.
