Tom Venesky: Antler restrictions hinder CWD control in Pennsylvania – Outdoor News
I don’t mind antler point restrictions, but they’re not for everybody.
While the general consensus is larger bucks have increased since the Pennsylvania Game Commission implemented antler point restrictions in 2002, there have been calls to dial them back. Junior hunters, mentored youth, disabled and active-duty military don’t need to abide by the restriction, some say, and there have been attempts to remove them for senior hunters as well.
In 2023, state Rep. Dave Maloney introduced a bill to remove antler point restrictions for senior hunters. The measure passed in the House Game and Fisheries Committee by a 20-1 vote, but never came up on the floor.
In his co-sponsorship memo, Maloney said exempting seniors from antler restrictions would enhance their hunting experience. That’s a good thing. After all, the memory of the hunt is what’s important, and if taking a smaller buck makes for an enjoyable experience, I’m fine with that.
But there was something else in Maloney’s memo that really raised an important question about antler restrictions. According to Maloney, there are studies indicating chronic wasting disease is more prevalent in older bucks. Also, bucks tend to wander farther than does, which led Maloney to the following conclusion: “This of course means that the older a buck gets, the possibility of that buck contracting and spreading CWD becomes higher as well.”
MORE WHITETAIL COVERAGE FROM MINNESOTA OUTDOOR NEWS:
National Deer Association report shows a record level of mature bucks in the nationwide harvest
Joe Shead: Minnesota’s northeastern deer hunting bleak at best
Minnesota DNR discontinues targeted culling in three southeast deer permit areas
Is that true? Is it possible that antler point restrictions could actually be doing more harm than good?
Maloney reasoned that increasing the opportunity to harvest more bucks – young and old – could aid in controlling CWD.
And he’s not alone.
In Missouri, CWD was first detected in deer in 2012 – the same year that it turned up in Pennsylvania. And like the Keystone State, Missouri has seen the disease spread.
Missouri also has taken steps similar to what Pennsylvania has done to combat CWD. In Missouri’s CWD zones, there are carcass transportation rules, a prohibition on feeding deer, voluntary and mandatory sampling (depending on the county) and efforts to increase the harvest.
But there is one thing Missouri is doing that isn’t occurring in Pennsylvania’s disease management areas.
In the counties under the state’s CWD Management Zone, the Missouri Department of Conservation removed the antler point restriction that had been in place.
The reason?
Well, it basically echoes what Maloney referenced in his legislative memo from 2023. Bucks, especially the younger males, leave the area where they were born and travel several miles. Missouri game officials believe it heightens the risk of spreading CWD, so they’re allowing hunters to harvest bucks of any size within the disease zones.
In fact, Missouri Department of Conservation Cervid Program Supervisor Jason Isabelle said last year that the antler point restriction was removed in disease zones because “it conflicts with our CWD management goals.”
At one time, lifting antler point restrictions in CWD areas was on the radar in Pennsylvania. When the Game Commission was revising its CWD Response Plan in 2020, removing antler restrictions in disease management areas was discussed, but ultimately it was never recommended.
If antler point restrictions were lifted in Pennsylvania, especially in disease areas, it would make sense. Sure, the restrictions have had a degree of success in producing some larger bucks, but we need to look beyond our personal desire for a big buck.
Besides, any move to do away with antler restrictions – in CWD areas, for seniors or even statewide – doesn’t mean the end of big bucks in Pennsylvania. For more than 20 years hunters have grown accustomed to passing up smaller bucks, and I doubt many of them will be eager to shoot a spike or four-point if antler restrictions were no longer mandatory.
And even though antler restrictions certainly help put more big bucks on the landscape, they are not the only factor at play. Consider the list of the top eight states for producing entries in the Boone and Crockett record book.
Only one of those states have antler restrictions. Top-ranked Wisconsin, which has produced 1,822 total record book entries, doesn’t have antler point restrictions. Neither does Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio, Kentucky or Kansas.
As CWD continues to be a major threat in Pennsylvania, we need to be open to trying new things to slow it down. Lifting the antler point restriction in CWD areas won’t be the end of the world. There is no harm in trying it for a few years to see if it helps slow the spread of the disease.
Antler restrictions have made big bucks somewhat common in Pennsylvania, and that’s good for hunters. But it should take a backseat to combating CWD.
After all, what’s more important? The chance to bag a trophy buck or slowing the spread of CWD?
