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I just want to throw a little info in here...

Had the Gamecheck system been fully implemented and made mandatory we would have had roughly the same thing as a physical tag system. If I checked someone with a deer they would have had to record it on the harvest record and report it on Gamecheck. I could have, still can, run the hunters name or hunting license number and see if they had reported a deer, what date the deer was taken, buck or doe, ect. Tags, harvest record, physical checkin station, whatever...you will always have poachers. And in my opinion tags are no more enforceable than the Gamecheck system we had/have.

You are right about the Gamecheck doing more or less the same thing as tags. The only downfall to the gamecheck system is 2 things.
1) Not everybody has a cell phone, like my 78 year old papaw. He does carry his license with him so he would have his tags handy.
2) Some places we hunt have no phone service. Technically gamecheck required you to call it in and write it down before moving the animal. Might be hard to do with no service.

I like what gamecheck is trying to accomplish, it's on the right path, but tags would require less technical skills and help the ones who don't carry a cell phone.
No system will ever completely stop poachers.

Just for comparison, this is the Ohio DNR's info for tagging and reporting deer.

Hunters make their own tag. You can print one from the DNR site or make it from a plate of ivory engraved with gold, but you also must call in to report and get a confirmation number. It's very simple.


STEP 1: Every person who kills a deer or turkey must immediately:
Make a game tag with the hunter’s name, date, time and county of kill.
Attach the completed game tag to the deer at the place where it fell.
Fill in the deer permit with date, time and county of kill.

Once finished with Step 1, the hunter legally possesses the deer or turkey and is free to transport it.


STEP 2: For deer, the hunter must complete the game check and tagging process by 12 p.m. (noon) the day after the kill. If the deer is killed on the last day of a season, it must be checked in by 11:30 p.m. on the day of kill. For turkey, the hunter must complete the game check and tagging process by 11:30 p.m. on the same day the turkey was killed.

http://wildlife.ohiodnr.gov/hunting...ing-regulations/deer-hunting-regulations

As a non-cell phone owner, I have no problem with the way you have that written.

What is the purpose of the Tag?

It sounds like they are attempting to phase them out or something.....

Yeah you can still kill one per day. I wish the limit was 5. I wish it was 2-3 actually. I killed one in Alabama and one in Georgia. There are definitely people who kill large amounts of deer. And a lot of times they do get eaten - by other people. We have people shoot deer for other people that don't hunt. Thats ok, to an extent. Its the guy who shoots one with no plan on what hes doing with the meat. The guy who shot it just to shoot it. That guy you see at the gas station showing of his 60 lb doe and asking around if anyone wants the meat.

To have a tangible limit to the amount of bucks you can kill in a year.

Out of tags? Stop shooting bucks

Ohio DNR wrote that, not me. It's clear, concise, easy to do — I did it in 2013 — and they get info along with GWs being able to quickly check to see if your buck (or doe, I guess) is legally reported.

You're more than able to take care of your wishes. Stop at two, or three. Or five. Or one. Or 33. Or none. Making your own decisions without mandatory oversight is a wonderful thing.

I do limit myself. My post explained how others don't and still aren't poachers/night hunters/etc.

Poaching and night hunting are already illegal. And that doesn't stop them.

I don't have a big problem with those outlaws in my area, so my opinion is probably skewed.

This makes the process much easier that the previous way Ohio did it...having to apply the temp tag where it lay and then finding a check station to complete the tag process and get the metal tag.

Like I said.....trying to phase them out.....

So, we do not have a limit now? Or, are you somehow describing it as an intangible element?

And, again....horn porn......another obsessed with buck tags to limit others. Sorry, bud, but that ain't Biology!

We have a system that works for honest people.

You can kill 3 bucks and print off a brand new harvest record right now, you wouldn't be able to print off more tags.

Everything in the world would work fine if people were honest, but they aren't. Best example I can come up with off my top of my head is why they tear the bottom of your ticket off at Bryant Denny or Jordan Hare,... If everyone was honest they wouldn't need to, but they do it because cheaters would pass it back and get someone else in for free

(I realize it's all digitally scanned now, but you get my point)

Honestly i am not a horn hunter. I could care less if you shoot a monster or a smaller buck. I would like to see either doe tags or doe days or something along those lines. Prefer doe tags. Don't get me wrong I am ok with killin a couple does, just not one every single day for the whole season. In my area anyway we just arent seeing many deer period, bucks or does. In the past 2 years i have probably about 50 hunting trips and have seen a total of about 8 deer. Cameras show a couple more but not many.
A whole lot of guys i have talked to that hunt hard have similar situations.
I Realize that is not the same everywhere and so many different factors come into play but there is less deer.
So the motivation for me is wanting to bring the numbers of deer up and ensure the next generation can see plenty of deer and enjoy hunting and eatin some good venison. I could care less about growing monster racks.
I am by no way trying to say tags will solve everything or are the solution that works best for this state. But it is always good to have a discussion about things and see everyones point of view and ideas. I can learn something from everybody.

So let me see if I get this right. Tags would keep honest people honest, but will not keep the dishonest people from illegally killing more deer. So, I think I am catching on, if we can't make the dishonest people honest, then the only solution is to make the honest people honest, right? But wait a minute, does that solve the problem since the honest people aren't the problem? Well, they aren't the problem until more rules and regulations are heaped on them and hoops to jump through to see if they can still meet our subjective ever changing view of how to keep honest people honest so that addressing the problem of dishonest people killing deer illegally never has to be addressed. But we can always threaten the honest people with more regulations and rules or face a penalty because daggumit you just can't trust those honest people. Does that just about sum it up? However, it does sound just like what government seems the be the absolute best at, creating non-existent problems to fix and not having to deal with the real problem.

their tagging system is also based off of an honor system. Some of the folks I know would tag it, skin it ,throw the tag away and never make the call.

OK.....try this on......

Y'all are asking the Government to fix a problem that YOU/WE caused! The solution is easy, really. Slow down the doe harvest. Mature bucks are there, and in slightly higher densities, there will be even more. Learn how to kill them. Their scarcity is what makes them trophies!

That is Biology 101 for today. And, it really is that simple.

So let me see if I get this right. Tags would keep honest people honest, but will not keep the dishonest people from illegally killing more deer. So, I think I am catching on, if we can't make the dishonest people honest, then the only solution is to make the honest people honest, right? But wait a minute, does that solve the problem since the honest people aren't the problem? Well, they aren't the problem until more rules and regulations are heaped on them and hoops to jump through to see if they can still meet our subjective ever changing view of how to keep honest people honest so that addressing the problem of dishonest people killing deer illegally never has to be addressed. But we can always threaten the honest people with more regulations and rules or face a penalty because daggumit you just can't trust those honest people. Does that just about sum it up? However, it does sound just like what government seems the be the absolute best at, creating non-existent problems to fix and not having to deal with the real problem. [/quote]

No, that's not what I'm saying.

I'm saying when Joe Blow shoots his 7th buck of the year (also the 7th buck he's seen this year) and runs into a check point with it in the back of his truck, and doesn't have a tag he gets his ass busted. We need major fines and loss of hunting privileges.

With the current system, when he kills his 3 bucks, he can print off a new harvest record and start all over.