The Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission is enacting a new set of rules determining what is considered a buck, and what is not, ahead of this fall’s deer hunting seasons.
Among other changes to hunting seasons and regulations, the Commission changed the definition of what constitutes an antlerless and an antlered deer. Previously in the state of Tennessee, a deer holding less than three inches of bone atop his head was considered an antlerless deer and was not counted against each hunter’s annual limit of two bucks.
The newly enacted regulations now state that any deer with bone protruding above the hairline is legally considered a buck and will be used toward each hunters limit.
The new regulations, however, have come with mixed reviews.
Some hunters feel that the new regulations add a little more guesswork to their hunts and that mistaken identity might become more of a problem, losing more does accidentally. In situations such as low light, it can often be difficult to ascertain if a deer does in fact have a half inch antler on its head without the right optics.
In days past, spotting a deer with a three inch antler was a sure-fire indication that the animal about to be taken was in fact the correct sex to be added to a hunters annual buck limit.
Many others believe the move to be detrimental to the future of bucks in the state. By harvesting young bucks at will, it will be more difficult for the herd to establish mature bucks, a sought after prize by many hunters across Tennessee.
The other side of the argument is that hunters in the state will now have a greater opportunity to fill their freezers, with hunters on TNDeer.com stating they no longer have to guess on the amount of antler on an animal.
“The new antlered definition makes it easier for me to fill the freezer. I live in Unit D [deer hunting area] and have limited doe seasons and bag limits. There’s no longer a worry about whether its antlers are three inches long or not. If I see antlers, I can shoot it.”
In addition to these changes, the Commission also approved two additional deer hunting units and made a change to the fall turkey hunting regulations. The Commission reduced the fall bag limit to one for each county currently offering a fall turkey season.
H/T: NewsChannel9.com
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