Joe kurz

BASS1FUN

Senior Member
I've heard it has been slow in that area, I plan on coming down and bow hunt next week, they were laying down fresh sign last week before all of this weather came in
 

1982ace

Senior Member
yeah some buddies and I are coming for the bowhunt. Hopefully the rain is gone this weekend
 

Back40hunter

Senior Member
Regulation change??

I hunted the 11/5-7 hunt. When I left Saturday at lunch I think there had been 13 bucks checked out. I got a 3.5 year old seven point with a messed up rack. It was not big but it was legal under the current regs. When I was there in 2012 the regs required a 15 spread or 16 inch beam length. I killed a 130 class nine point that trip. It seemed like all the deer on the 2012 hunt were higher quality bucks. This past week most deer killed were 2.5 old deer with 4 points on a side, which is the current regs. Saturday at the check station a region biologist was there and when I questioned the change he slammed me pretty hard. Stated flat out that they would not change the regs back. What do you guys all think? Do you prefer 4 on a side with lots of young deer killed or do you like the. Spread rule that may even protect a 3.5 year old buck?
 

Dustin Pate

Administrator
Staff member
I hunted the 11/5-7 hunt. When I left Saturday at lunch I think there had been 13 bucks checked out. I got a 3.5 year old seven point with a messed up rack. It was not big but it was legal under the current regs. When I was there in 2012 the regs required a 15 spread or 16 inch beam length. I killed a 130 class nine point that trip. It seemed like all the deer on the 2012 hunt were higher quality bucks. This past week most deer killed were 2.5 old deer with 4 points on a side, which is the current regs. Saturday at the check station a region biologist was there and when I questioned the change he slammed me pretty hard. Stated flat out that they would not change the regs back. What do you guys all think? Do you prefer 4 on a side with lots of young deer killed or do you like the. Spread rule that may even protect a 3.5 year old buck?

I don't agree with it either...not on Joe Kurz. It should be managed in whatever way necessary to turn out mature deer. That WMA has as much genetic potential as any in the state.

I'm not slamming the guys that shot the deer on your hunt. I am sure they were proud of them but with some heavy management that place would turn out deer that would make your jaw drop. I have hunted down there on a couple of hunts under the old regs and even then I was amazed at the number of 40 lb field dressed does/button heads brought in during a hunt (was anterless all days then). I never pulled the trigger on any of the hunts and had legal bucks on both but not the class I was looking for.
 

Back40hunter

Senior Member
Yep, that is my thought too. Joe Kurz has the potential to be a special place. I wished they would look at it that way and not try to make it the same as every other WMA with quality deer regs for four on a side.
 

buckshed

Senior Member
I wish the 15 inch spread or 16 inch beam was still in place also....but I heard in previous years there were so many bucks found dead after the hunts that would not have qualified...people just shot them and left them to rot...so I think was the justification for the change...I hunt private property within 1 mile of Joe kurz and yes great potential in the area..there's been one booner and several other 140 to 160 class killed in the area over the years
 

toolmkr20

Senior Member
I don't like spread length rules for the simple fact that spread lengths don't dictate maturity of deer nor does point count for that matter.
 
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Back40hunter

Senior Member
I guess there isn't a foolproof way to have the average hunter judge age from the stand. Some say spread & beam length does it better than point count. But I had not thought about the number of deer shot and left laying when they didn't measure up. I'm sure that happens some on point count hunts also. I just know that I saw a lot of smaller 2.5 year old deer on the check sheet. I killed a deer that would not have made the spread-beam length rule but it was 3.5 with a messed up rack. One side was basically a forked beam just past the brow tine. The other side was a nice half to an 8 point. It would just be nice to know a place was being managed to generate a greater chance for hunters to encounter a mature 4.5 or older buck.
 

mattech

Deranged Throat-Puncher
I hunt a mile or so from Joe kurz, it's an amazing area. I've hunted Joe kurz and on the quota had several people tell me the carry a rope cut 15" long. If they shot a buck they would use the rope to guage the beam length. If it wasn't big enough, they let it lay, and kept hunting. In my opinion, if you want better results, they need to just keep it 4 points on each side, and reduce the amount t of people on the quota hunt. Less people= less deer killed=more deer. More deer and and more points it takes to get picked for the hunt usually makes for a person to be a little pickier before pulling the trigger.
 

1982ace

Senior Member
I would be fine with them closing the quota hunts down for a few years and let some of these younger bucks get some age on them. There is roughly 40 bucks killed every year on the 2 gun hunts with very few mature
 

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