Mule Deer and Antler point restrictions

[Husky7mm]

Winter of 96-97 devistated mule deer in the West Kootenays, a 4 point season started the following hunting season and stayed in place for many years. By 2004 I was seeing trophy mulie bucks on a regular basis and harvested what many would consider great deer 5 years in a row, 2 of them scoring in the high 190s(my profile pic is one of these bucks) and the others scored between 165 and 172. I was also passing up and missing nice bucks during this period. Soon the October any buck opened and soon after that everyone from the province was here in the Kootenays to hunt the open Elk season, the result was a serious decline in trophy mule deer in my opinion. Still hunting the same area and the doe concentration is great but all the bucks doing the breeding are 140 at best, I know there are still some big mulies in the West Koots but finding them is a challenge having gone 3 years without seeing a shooter. This answer is easy for me bring back the 4 point restriction, but keep a season for the youths and seniors.

My experience was similar to yours except for actually harvesting the giants, albeit very close at least saw a few, I knew they were around, and others were scoring on them. It was getting slightly better every yr and then the tap was closed. I actually think the decline started a yr or so prior to any buck. I attribute it to very low escapement of legal bucks as the country filled up with hopeful elk hunters attracted by the liberal elk seasons and all the easy info being thrown around on the net.

[Husky7mm]

pretty sure it was 1959.....

Like I mentioned earlier seeing multiple mature bucks per day and or per trip. Glassing hard and turning up decent bucks,hiking and getting into decent bucks every time, every time! Heck I saw 3 giants in different spots all in one day! Good friends and there friends punching tags year after year on really great bucks! Some did not even hunt hard! That's the way it was, certainly nothing to look down your nose at. I still dream about it today!

[Husky7mm]

But....but....but....The internet doesn't have the pictures of the big bucks it used to so therefore they are all dead right??? hahaha. The science is right here on HBC. If you were to have a poll question of how many people killed a 200 inch muley in 2013 you would find the vast majority didn't. There is your science GG. The internet doesn't have big bucks anymore.

That's bull shit and you know it. A quick look on HBC this year shows all kinds of nice bucks that hit the dirt in region 3,(and a bit of this yr and last year and the year before that..... and thats just HBC, never mind those that don't partake, There still other provinces. Lots shot by just average hunters that don't huint hard or often either,so get out of your little crazywater bubble. I wasn't taking about pictures anyway I was taking about a consensus coming out of the regions affected by the regulation changes. ( action and re-action) It comes up very regular nowadays

[jacksondog]

I agree with you Husky, region 4 has never had the mule deer numbers of 3, 5 and 8 to begin with. It was a slaughter here in the WK , in addition to the fact that the WK had never seen the hunting pressure that has come with the GOS on Elk. I understand that the meat hunters are against the 4 point season but there has to be a better compromise than what the current regs offer. Like I said in my original post a senior/youth season is a solution as well as maybe a short any buck season after the Elk season has closed, just to many hunter here in the first 20 days of October. One thing I will add is the wolf numbers are way up and certainly this is impacting the overall mule deer numbers as well.

[dana]

That's bull shit and you know it. A quick look on HBC this year shows all kinds of nice bucks that hit the dirt in region 3,(and a bit of this yr and last year and the year before that..... and thats just HBC, never mind those that don't partake, There still other provinces. Lots shot by just average hunters that don't huint hard or often either,so get out of your little crazywater bubble. I wasn't taking about pictures anyway I was taking about a consensus coming out of the regions affected by the regulation changes. ( action and re-action) It comes up very regular nowadays

You haven't hunted Region 5 in a long time and yet you state it isn't producing big bucks anymore due to the fact you haven't seen any on the internet. You get on me about making comments about Region 4 when I haven't hunted it for years and yet you can make comments about Region 5 when you haven't hunted it for years??? Newsflash, there are still plenty of good hunting in 5. Plenty of big bucks too. People have grown wise to posting pics and locations on the internet. You can't trust any spot you see associated to any buck on the internet. You think there were many from Kamloops because you actually believe the locations. HAHAHA!!! And then there are the bucks that never see the internet. Hell there is a whole big long thread here asking why people aren't posting pics anymore. I totally get why, don't you? Heck, Even though I post up lots of pictures, I don't post them all. I was in on the demise of a big buck this past season and yet I never posted pics of it.

[frenchbar]

i would venture to guess 99% of mule deer bucks shot in BC dont make it onto internet forums ..ive witnessed some asskicker bucks people have shot this past season .

[OutWest]

Geez Frenchie, do you ever get tired of being right all the time?

On another note, it's unfortunate that even in light the science and studies, there are still those out to manage the way others hunt, how they hunt etc. There's 2 paths hunters can choose to go down, one is a positive for wildlife and the other they think will benefit their personal hunting experience. Husky, it's clear which one you're on.

[frenchbar]

Geez Frenchie, do you ever get tired of being
right all the time?

i amaze myself daily...

[RiverOtter]

Geez Frenchie, do you ever get tired of being
right all the time?

i amaze myself daily...

Now that's funny right there.......

[RiverOtter]

On another note, it's unfortunate that even in light the science and studies, there are still those out to manage the way others hunt, how they hunt etc. There's 2 paths hunters can choose to go down, one is a positive for wildlife and the other they think will benefit their personal hunting experience. Husky, it's clear which one you're on.

Trouble is, even though science has identified the 2 major requirements to help boost Mule deer and other ungulate populations, both options are tough sells.

Controlled burns don't always stay under control, especially when fire has been surpressed for so long, not to mention timber licence holders aren't gonna be keen on burning up timber and have a lot of financial(Read that Pollitical pull) to oppose it.

A wolf cull, as in aerial gunning and poison, will likely never get off the ground in this day and age, as the majority of the voting population lives in places with absolutely zero clue about BC wilderness.

So, as is human nature, we HAVE to do SOMETHING, so we manage a depleting resource with regulations.