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Source: Tulsa World, Okla.self storageSept. 29--The bumper sticker's sub-line is "deer management is more than just antlerless harvest."Hunters and land managers who work hard to keep deer healthy already know that, but the new message to hunters in general is contained in the kicker "Hunters in the know ... Let young bucks grow."The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation's new hunter education initiative -- promoted on bumper stickers, on posters at check stations, in the Outdoor Oklahoma magazine, on the television show and on the cover, and taking a full page in this year's Oklahoma Hunting Guide regulations book -- is a sign that Oklahoma is taking a next step up the white-tailed deer management ladder.Decades ago deer were scarce and the message was to let them live and help them spread. Next the message was responsible harvest and following the rules. Then the message was that some areas needed more does in the harvest. Now things are getting more fine-tuned."We had a lot of success 10, 12 years ago with the 'Hunters in the know take a doe' campaign," said Micah Holms, information supervisor for the department.At that time many hunters were not comfortable with the idea of killing a doe. For years hunters saved does because the deer population needed to grow. To many, killing one was considered unethical. The department needed to spread the message that biologists knew the Oklahoma deer population could not only support doe harvest but that it needed it to maintain healthy buck-doe population ratios."We did the campaign and now doe harvest is pretty commonplace and hunters know it's not only OK but it's an important part of deer population management," Holmes said. "The new campaign is modeled off that one, and we hope hunters will recognize it's not a change to the 'take a doe' message, but in addition to it."This refinement in the message is more a hunter-management effort than a population growth effort, but doe harvest along with saving young bucks relates to optimum herd health, according to Erik Bartholomew, big game biologist for the department.The breeding season or "rut" for white-tailed deer can take a toll on individual deer. Bartholomew's explanation is more detailed, but the boiled-down version is that research has shown that, with a good buck-doe ratio of 1-1.5:2 and more mature bucks in the herd the rut period can be shorter and, essentially, more efficient."Deer are going to breed regardless, but it can be a tighter, more intense rut period so they aren't running themselves ragged. ... Younger bucks don't expend their resources in the fall and they go into the winter with more energy reserves."In very simplified terms, an easier rut year-to-year gives all the deer a growth and health a迷利倉vantage over the long haul.The campaign comes more in reaction to public desires than any noticeable population trends. Biologists hear from more people on social media that they want to see big bucks and the state's polling numbers show that most people still want to see a lot of deer when they go hunting, but the numbers of those who would prefer to see fewer but bigger deer is a growing contingent, according to Bartholomew."I get so many calls from people who say, 'I don't have any big bucks in my area,' " Bartholomew said.Three things are required to make a big trophy buck: nutrition, genetics and age. Nutrition can be provided with good habitat management and Oklahoma is loaded with good habitat. Genetics are what they are. "Age is one thing you can control," Bartholomew said. "That buck may have the genetics to be a world record, but if you shoot him when he's one and a half years old you'll never know."A buck's body is mature at 4.5 years. "After that they can put more energy into growing what's up top," Bartholomew said.This is not to say that hunters will not be allowed to shoot any legal buck. The choice is up to the individual hunter, he said. Last year a new regulation was considered that would have reduced a hunter's annual limit from two bucks to one. The proposal was forwarded with the idea that it would lead to hunters being more selective and thus create more big bucks in Oklahoma. It was not adopted."Instead of reducing opportunity, we're trying an education campaign to get hunters to think more about what they're pulling the trigger on before they do it," Bartholomew said. "I'm hoping hunters will see the light and be more restrictive on their own, rather than forcing people down a path statewide."Oklahoma Deer Archery SeasonDates: Oct. 1 -- Jan. 15The numbers: According to state surveys, 89,000 archery hunters killed 23,000 deer in the 2012-13 season.Licensing: Hunting license and deer archery license ($20/resident) required for each deer harvested (unless exempt)Tagging and check-in: Deer must be immediately field tagged with hunter's name, license number, date and time of harvest. New this year, all deer must be checked with "E-Check" online, required within 24 hours at tulsaworld.com/wildlifeLimit: Combined season limit of six, with no more than two antlered deerShooting hours: One-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunsetDouble check: Regulations may vary by county or Wildlife Management Area or other public lands. Check regulations at tulsaworld.com/wildlife or find the Oklahoma Hunting Guide were licenses are sold.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 Tulsa World (Tulsa, Okla.) Visit Tulsa World (Tulsa, Okla.) at .tulsaworld.com Distributed by MCT Information Services自存倉