Any point me in the right directions would be greatly apprieciated. Pulled archery for the first weekend of the year.
And looking back on some old threads.... any deer goes except spotted fawn ?
any deer goes except spotted fawn ?
I had the first archery hunt there two weeks ago and that's what I thought. I had two different bucks come in but I couldn't draw back on them cause they were looking at me as they were walking towards me. (I was sitting on the ground).
One was a 3 point (two on one side and a cow horn on the other) and the second one was a 4 point (fork horn on both sides). They both winded me cause the wind was swirling that day.
Anyway, I was talking to the check station guy, Woody, and he said that they were both illegal to shoot. He said they had to be 3 points or better on one side OR the spike had to be less than 5 inches. He said if the spike is greater than 5 inches, then it falls under the 3 point rule.
I'm not fully convinced, so this it the question that I sent to the FWC:
The archery rules for Upper Hillsborough WMA state the following:
Deer with at least one antler having 3 or more points (each point 1-inch or more in length), antlerless deer (which includes does and bucks with antlers less than 5 inches in length, but not spotted fawn)
If a buck has an antler that is longer than 5 inches, is it legal to shoot? Or does the deer then fall under the 3 point requirement?
Hopefully I'll get an answer within the next day or two. I'll post up what they say.
any deer goes except spotted fawn ?
I had the first archery hunt there two weeks ago and that's what I thought. I had two different bucks come in but I couldn't draw back on them cause they were looking at me as they were walking towards me. (I was sitting on the ground).
One was a 3 point (two on one side and a cow horn on the other) and the second one was a 4 point (fork horn on both sides). They both winded me cause the wind was swirling that day.
Anyway, I was talking to the check station guy, Woody, and he said that they were both illegal to shoot. He said they had to be 3 points or better on one side OR the spike had to be less than 5 inches. He said if the spike is greater than 5 inches, then it falls under the 3 point rule.I'm not fully convinced, so this it the question that I sent to the FWC:
The archery rules for Upper Hillsborough WMA state the following:
Deer with at least one antler having 3 or more points (each point 1-inch or more in length), antlerless deer (which includes does and bucks with antlers less than 5 inches in length, but not spotted fawn)
If a buck has an antler that is longer than 5 inches, is it legal to shoot? Or does the deer then fall under the 3 point requirement?
Hopefully I'll get an answer within the next day or two. I'll post up what they say.
I'm no expert, but that same rule applies to Arbuckle and other WMAs. To meet the "legal" criteria it has to be at least 3 points on one side or spikes must be shorter than 5 inches (which includes does). None of he bucks described met the criteria. As it was explained to me 2 years ago by the FWC, Woody was correct. The 3 point rule is tricky and you have to make sure you understand it to avoid any problems.
Had the wind not turned, I would've found out what the fine would be for shooting a buck that didn't meet req's. Glad it turned out the way it did.
Dude upper hills is an awesome place, loads of deer and hogs, i scout there year round for small game season, and always see deer. hopefully one day i can pull a muzzleloading permit for this place.
