CurtisWalker
Well-Known Member
Be interesting to see what the study behind the new main beam measurement reporting is.
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New Iowa Regulations
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Matthewfox_45
Well-Known Member
Love your new profile pic
tall@wide
PMA Member
I've seen this reporting type information in other states and I'm not sure it's real accurate. Usually, people do it in the dark after harvesting a buck and don't take the time to do it accurately. What do you think his main beam lengths are......Then a guess is entered into the system. In Illinois we had to take base circumference and measure from the eye to the nostril. Hopefully Iowa's will be more accurate than what I've seen from other states.
meyeri
PMA Member
Main beam length is generally a decent indicator of age compared to other antler characteristics. I was thinking about it, the DNR will know if people shoot a giant buck with these numbers, most 180- 200" class bucks have very long main beams.
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CurtisWalker
Well-Known Member
Your mouth breather comment had me rolling. People’s minds really went to the worst. Like saying this is to create point restrictions. How does main beam length go into that thought lol.
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CurtisWalker
Well-Known Member
Your mouth breather comment had me rolling. People’s minds really went to the worst. Like saying this is to create point restrictions. How does main beam length go into that thought lol.
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24" main beam, what's the guess on the score?
meyeri
PMA Member
2-bucks
Well-Known Member
24 + 24 + Guess 16 spread = somewhere between 64 and 264
meyeri
PMA Member
You're right. Huge variation. All I meant was a buck with 30" main beams will very likely be a 200" deer or close to it. Average main beam length of B&C bucks is like 25.63". No guarantee though and plenty of exceptions to the rule for sure.
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Rous14
PMA Member
I’ve always wondered why IL wants to know the distance from the eye to the nostril? Must be some sort of age indicator I assume?
That's kind of what I was getting at. A single measurement doesn't give a lot of info. I was hoping to set a trap, it got sniffed out well.
24" main beam, 18" of mass, sheds off a 6 point buck, he'd be about 120 after spread credit. Certainly hoping he's still six point next year, would be quite the sight to behold
Ishi
PMA Member
Excellent points ^^^ with whitetails there’s always exceptions. My guess they’ll do it like turkeys on spur lengths and have 4-5 categories on beam lengths. I’m curious what ages they think associate with different beam lengths. Good question to the deer biologist at the next IBA Spring Banquet. It will make interesting and debatable data
TheMadCatter
Well-Known Member
Came on here just to comment on this because I knew someone would post it. This doesn't make any sense without baseline age data via tooth aging. You need total B&C score PLUS age data, so, main beam information doesn't make any sense. Here's one example from Tennessee (Page 5) "
Collecting the circumference at the base of the antlers, main beam lengths, spread, and number of antler points provides baseline data that can be used as an index to compare antler size by age class over time."
Seems sloppy on the DNR Biologist's part who is conducting the research to me. They could be trying something new?
I highly doubt Iowa would make point restrictions due to the fact it's known to decrease B&C scores, ruin age structures, and remove your most genetically desirable animals.
Collecting the circumference at the base of the antlers, main beam lengths, spread, and number of antler points provides baseline data that can be used as an index to compare antler size by age class over time."
Seems sloppy on the DNR Biologist's part who is conducting the research to me. They could be trying something new?
I highly doubt Iowa would make point restrictions due to the fact it's known to decrease B&C scores, ruin age structures, and remove your most genetically desirable animals.
TheMadCatter
Well-Known Member
Why not be accurate with your data and figure out actual age via tooth sampling areas/specific counties at a time? Sounds lazy because they could easily be doing more to gather better data.
Muddyrem
Active Member
I don’t think this new regulation has anything to do with age of the bucks being reported. I think it’s merely another checks and balance for hunters to be monitored. Say you shoot a 16” main-beam buck on October 16th and then all the sudden your Facebook picture on November 1st is you holding up a giant 190” buck, going to appear fishy. Same thing goes for turkey licenses. You make a post bragging about the 2 Toms you killed but when Mr. Green Jeans checks the harvest reporting page and you’ve only reported 1; well you’re going to have some explaining to do. Anyone who has deer hunted long enough knows main beam length tells absolutely nothing regarding the age of that deer, so I just don’t see that being a player in this discussion.
I personally think it’s great. Another way to hold law breakers accountable.……..
I personally think it’s great. Another way to hold law breakers accountable.……..
sep0667
Land of the Whitetail
Agree 100%. I think it will help with putting the puzzle together into possible poaching cases when someone reports a smaller main beam, but then pictures are floating around of a much larger buck with that hunter.
I like this new regulation. Bunch of babies crying on the facebook pages about it.
I think it could help them maybe study how many 1.5 year old bucks are being shot though.
RinggoCy
Well-Known Member
Agreed. This is definitely another "checks and balances" measure for the most part but there are general assumptions that can be made about the age of the deer with measurements that land on the extremes. It would be reasonable to assume that a deer with a reported main beam length of 26" was not a 1 year old. And it would be reasonable (although slightly more likely than the other extreme if the buck was a psycho that broke off most of both sides) to assume that a deer with a reported main beam length of 4" was not 3+ years old.