with the relaxed deer hunting laws the last 3 years and all of the doe tags that was availble how many of you hunters ended up taking button bucks instead of does and do you feel there has been a drop in 1 1/2 to 3 year old bucks this year. just wondering i know i have taken one button buck this year and i haven't seen as many younger bucks as i use to. i was thinking with all of these doe tags if we are hurting the population of bucks for the future ?
Baby-G
PMA Member
Unfortunately, you are right on target. This is one of many factors that really cut the odds of seeing older bucks. It's really bad here in KY, because you can shoot as many does as you want (for the past 3 years its been like this). I hear of people all the time shooting button bucks thinking they are does. Only the experienced hunters can tell the difference between a doe and a button buck. It wouldn't surpise me if 35 to 50 percent of the yearlying bucks get killed during doe season. I never try to harvest the young does or bucks. I only shoot the old does, mainly because they really have ruined some of my hunts in the past. The people that shoot a button buck most times could careless, its a deer attitude. I fell your pain, but unfortunately educating people is all we can do and that can be pretty difficult, because some people all ready know it all.
wibirdhunter
New Member
Great topic guys. I to use to worry about this. D & DH magazine had a great article about this last year I believe( can't find the issue, must be at deer camp). It basicly said that most button buck harvests compose 20 to 30% of total anterless harvest. This data was from several states for multiple years. One thing to remember is that button bucks have a higher natural mortality than does. Also remember yearling buck dispersal. Bucks that are born in your area will often leave and other yearling bucks will take their place. I think that taking button bucks is not the right thing to do but if only a few are taken it should not hurt buck numbers for years to come.
muddy
Well-Known Member
i totally agree on this too. not very many hunters can distinguish a button buck from a doe in the heat of the moment, so to speak. i know that i whiffed big time on this and shot what i thought was a doe but turned out to be a button with extremely long hair on it's head. i was bummed out that i took a potential buck out of the herd but boy, when i grilled up the loins, i thought a little different.
like livtahunt said we'll definately know for sure how all these antlerless tags being filled will affect the population, but unfortunately it will probably be a little late. i guess we'll all have to learn to be a little more patient and look at the deer closer from here on out, i know i'll try to.