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Lease rules and kids.

motorbreaker

*Supporting Member I*
1,542
63
North of Toledo
We lease a nice farm and have a 125" rule. We decided that we would wave this rule for the kids. Most of the kids that hunt the lease have killed a 100" or bigger deer last year. My son killed a 146" buck. I told the kids they were all going to have to follow the 125" rule now that they have killed nice bucks. I don't want them to loose interest but were going for mature bucks on the lease, And if we keep killing the smaller bucks then we will never get there.

I was hoping to get some imput from you guys on what you would do.

My son said he would be happy to shoot a doe this year. But im not sure about the other kids.
 

"J"

Git Off My Lawn
Supporting Member
56,738
274
North Carolina
Seems like your goal wouldn't be met if too many little ones were taken.... Have a lottery and say of there's 5 kids two can harvest smaller bucks and the other three abide by the rule of 125" then it'll make it more interesting and fair....
 

bigten05

*Supporting Member*
3,675
151
knox county ohio
just keep it fun and exciting for them, as long as there having fun i think you will be fine. i hunted for 6 years before i shot my first deer. but my family kept it fun so i stayed into it.maybe add some other hunts in instead of just deer. rabbit dove tree rats always kept me busy when i was younger. make sure they understand what you guys are trying to do so they can kill big ones in a few years.
 

motorbreaker

*Supporting Member I*
1,542
63
North of Toledo
last year we had 6 kids hunting the youth season. 2 are young girls that haven't killed a deer yet so they can shoot a small buck. The rest are boys age 11 to 15 and all but one of them killed a 100" or bigger buck.
 
That's a hard decision to make for your lease. JMHO would be if the child has not killed a buck yet, or perhaps even a second, then they should be allowed to continue to hunt for what ever they wish. Once they have met that goal of 1 or 2 then that could be a good time to start them on the program. I'd say take a vote and see, remind them all of the goals of the lease too.
 

bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
48,879
274
Appalachia
That's a hard decision to make for your lease. JMHO would be if the child has not killed a buck yet, or perhaps even a second, then they should be allowed to continue to hunt for what ever they wish. Once they have met that goal of 1 or 2 then that could be a good time to start them on the program. I'd say take a vote and see, remind them all of the goals of the lease too.

I agree with this. If the boys are 11-15 and have killed bucks, they are old enough to understand and get with the program.
 

runhunter

Junior Member
323
38
I think if they already broke the 100" mark, or shot something decent, it's time to put them on the management program also. I think it's good to teach them what it takes to grow and kill mature deer. Most people, let alone kids, still get pumped laying down an old slickhead. I know I do. Bottom line, they can still enjoy the outdoors by thinning out the does and passing on 1 1/2 year olds. If they know they are helping the herd, by thinning does out, and letting young bucks walk, they'll feel part of the program and enjoy the hell out of it. Maybe they get skunked this year, maybe next year TOO, but when one of you kills a 160-170" 6 1/2 year old, they'll understand real quick, and all the sacrifices will then make sense. IMO, doing that should help them tunderstand it's not always about the kill
 

MK111

"Happy Hunting Grounds in the Sky"
Supporting Member
6,551
66
SW Ohio
Tough one. Easy for us to say for some young kid to wait and shoot a bigger one. Presented correctly I would think most will except the plan.
My grandson had no problem. He shot a 9 point for his 1st deer and a broken 7 point for his 2nd deer. Now he passes on anything smaller than his biggest deer.
The other grandson took a doe for his 1st deer and wanted a nice buck for his 2nd deer. I almost had to beg him taking a doe as a gift for a neighbor who can't hunt due to health. But he did and now he's after his 1st buck.
 

bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
48,879
274
Appalachia
I think if they already broke the 100" mark, or shot something decent, it's time to put them on the management program also. I think it's good to teach them what it takes to grow and kill mature deer. Most people, let alone kids, still get pumped laying down an old slickhead. I know I do. Bottom line, they can still enjoy the outdoors by thinning out the does and passing on 1 1/2 year olds. If they know they are helping the herd, by thinning does out, and letting young bucks walk, they'll feel part of the program and enjoy the hell out of it. Maybe they get skunked this year, maybe next year TOO, but when one of you kills a 160-170" 6 1/2 year old, they'll understand real quick, and all the sacrifices will then make sense. IMO, doing that should help them tunderstand it's not always about the kill

Well said.
 

Monster Raxx

Junior Member
716
0
Minnesota
We have the same situation with a number of kids that hunt the lease. It is hard to keep a management plan and let the kids keep shooting small bucks. We let every kid shoot whatever they want for there first buck then it is supposed to be a big buck, an older buck or one we want out of the herd or they are supposed to shoot a doe. My son has followed this so far and so has one of the other daughters but one of the guys daughter who is now 20 has shot 5 small bucks and not one doe! The others on the lease are starting to get mad especially the ones who do not have kids because of her attitude. She actually said after she shot the last buck with great potential I plan on killing bucks every year and I am not shooting does. The lease is mine and I have already told the father if she shoots another small buck they are both out, it isn't fair to the others or I said she has to pay just like the adults (we don't charge for the kids). If I wanted to just let the kids shoot anything I would look for another property close by that the kids could just as they want.
 

finelyshedded

You know what!!!
Supporting Member
31,855
260
SW Ohio
I think if they already broke the 100" mark, or shot something decent, it's time to put them on the management program also. I think it's good to teach them what it takes to grow and kill mature deer. Most people, let alone kids, still get pumped laying down an old slickhead. I know I do. Bottom line, they can still enjoy the outdoors by thinning out the does and passing on 1 1/2 year olds. If they know they are helping the herd, by thinning does out, and letting young bucks walk, they'll feel part of the program and enjoy the hell out of it. Maybe they get skunked this year, maybe next year TOO, but when one of you kills a 160-170" 6 1/2 year old, they'll understand real quick, and all the sacrifices will then make sense. IMO, doing that should help them tunderstand it's not always about the kill

Ditto for me TOO.
 

runhunter

Junior Member
323
38
I wish I had access to be a part of a management plan like that. In NJ, you can kill 6 bucks a year and the state/insurance companies want as many dead as possible, so seeing a 3.5 year old, isn't a common occurrence. Anything over 100" is basically considered a nice deer, and 90% of hunters here have the "if I don't shoot him, someone else will" mentality. It's sad...
Last year was the first time I hunted the farm OH, my girlfriend's family owns it, and I made 2 trips out there to hunt. Opening week of bow, and late muzzleloader, not to mention 3 other trips to scout, check cameras etc. Not trying to get off track, or hijack the thread, but my point is, Im not physically close enough to put a management plan into place, and it sucks. I have no idea who else is on the property all year, what was killed, etc. I just know there are good deer #'s, great genes and plenty of food. With that combo, it's only a matter of time before a real bruiser walks under me. May take 10 years... but eventually it will happen. So if you guys are able to teach a 14 year old to let a 115" walk, I applaud it and think it's the best lesson a kid can learn. That's the buck of the year, sometime's life, for MANY hunters in NJ. Just something to think about ya know
 

bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
48,879
274
Appalachia
It certainly is a matter of perspective run. What works here in Ohio for some might not fly any where else in the country. When I first started "managing" our farm I set some unrealistic expectations. Even in Ohio and in good deer country, not all things are possible. So any management plan needs to be realistic based on several mitigating factors. In most places in Ohio, a 125" deer is a 2-3 year old that needs time to grow. We are lucky that the culture of deer hunting here leans towards letting those kind of deer walk and I think it is very important to pass that on to the next generation. My daughter will follow the same plan assuming she wants to hunt with me. I will get other properties for her to hunt if she just wants to shoot deer, but when she hunts on the farm, she will need to understand that after her first buck she will be required to be selective.
 

Jackalope

Dignitary Member
Staff member
38,841
260
Do like a lot of leases back home in Mississippi do. A child of a lease member who has never shot a buck may shoot what he or she wants. For family members under 18 who ate not a child of a member may shoot a buck smaller than 120 inches for a fee of $100. All others to include members who harvest a buck under 120 inches the fee is $250. All fees payable to the lease kiddy for improvements. What this does is still provide people the option to shoot a smaller buck while preserving the investment of the other members. Each 100 or $250 fine that is paid goes directly into improving the lease to attract / grow/ maintain better bucks. In this way the harm that is done to the lease by shooting a smaller buck Is offset by the improvements. This protects everyone's investment in the lease
 

runhunter

Junior Member
323
38
Jesse, there's no doubt.. it's all relative to where you are and what's realistically possible, and that's what makes it so enjoyable. It's why I want to leave NJ for good and move to OH haha. It will happen one day, hopefully sooner than later. That's another solid point though... don't discourage kids from shooting deer, just let them do it on another property, or in state woods.