use the old shoulder mount rule- if you shoot it, then shoulder mounted it ( or at least euro mount).... or you can just write a check to the club for $350 if you decide not to.
It was said above you if you don't want people to shoot " minimum" bucks in your club- raise the minimum points/spread/age ( or raise the dues and the minimal requirement buck killers will usually leave). Requiring shoulder mounts may be extreme, but if you can't provide an incentive( better age class bucks/bigger racks) the you have to provide a deterrent .Some percentage of club members will always seek the path of least resistance( work days/ buying stands/contributing to camp supplies/). They may be nice guys and good friends, but may make bad club members.

People laugh when I say this but you gotta be more careful with who you hunt with than who you marry.

Lot of truth. The problem when people are just trying to meet the minimum standard they usually fall short and shoot a smaller deer. Aim higher than the minimum and "mistakes" will not happen very often.

If not it is a close second for sure.

My suggestion is you won't be able to achieve "shoot only mature bucks of 4.5 or older" if y'all are friends and you won't kick out, penalize or discipline anyone.

IMO your best bet is to have some really, really deep conversations about how and why you want to do this, get some information about what mature bucks look like - body shapes compared to skinny young bucks, and not just antlers - and get everyone on board before Oct. 15 gets here. Otherwise your goals to reduce the number of 2.5 / 3.5 yo bucks being killed won't be as successful.

Man this is tricky. You guys are all buddy's right? And deer huntin is about fun and enjoying time with buddys. If thats what you guys want a buddy club . And it sounds like you guys really get along excluding a short buck now and then. Id say leave it be and enjoy what you have . Or if you want a trophy club Make Rules Enforce them I ran a 12,000 acre club for 10 years we did 15" inside and 4 point on one side. First offence 100 per inch on spread and no hunting for 2 weeks. 2and time you get yer crap and go home for good.. I didn't enjoy hunting anymore and running that beautiful chunk of dirt got disgusting real fast. Its hard to be a buddy to everyone and raise good bucks. Now Im happy shooting deer just whatever I want to clean.

Jughead, surely you aren't being serious?

Uh, no there is not a way to know how old a deer is without a doubt. Fawn, yes. 1 1/2 years old, yes. Older than that, NO!!!!! If you are talking about cementum annuli, then you are highly mistaken. If you are talking about tooth wear replacement, then you are highly mistaken. If you are talking about direct revelation from God, then you are highly mistaken. Many studies have been done and there is no way to know the exact age of a deer older than 1 1/2 unless as described in my previous post.

In the article below, he sent in 2 teeth from the same deer but listed them as different deer and the results came back with ages 2 years apart. I wonder if half the deer was 2 years older than the other half? Cementum Annuli is less accurate in the south because of the lack of severe stress periods.

http://wiredtohunt.com/2017/07/13/the-big-fat-cementum-aging-tooth-test-how-accurate-is-it-really/

The problem with any rules is they literally never get enforced. In my adult life, I've seen rules get ignored 100x more often than they get enforced. Especially if folks like the guy. If they don't like him, he doesn't even need to break a rule.

I can't believe no one else is a fan of managing by total buck harvest. Where is BSK when you need him?

Mman I’m pretty sure all Jughead means is the deer is dead. That’s exactly how old he is.

Maybe, but I don't think that is what he meant. To me it doesn't make sense to fine someone for shooting a buck that is not at least 4 1/2 years old when there is no sure way to age a deer in that age class with 100% accuracy.

IMO the main thing about rules like "Must be 4.5, must have 15/18 inch inside spread, must have x-points, must be x-pounds" is to make you wait and look hard, think about it, watch, examine, contemplate and really consider everything.

Tara Wildlife does this. They have five criterion and you have to meet three, I think, or four. It's designed to make you not say, "Ohhh, good buck!" and pull the trigger but then ground-check and see that it's a spindly 8-point 2.5-yo.

Education and patience is a key. That old "they can't get older if they're dead" really is true, IF that's what you want.

Those have always been our rules too, but after reading this thread I better understand how old and out of touch we are. The current generation of deer hunters LIKES having a lot of rules. I'm starting to understand that the dcnr is just giving them what they want when they think up new hunting regs.

I sure hope that the gotta mount it rule doesn't become the law. I've never mounted a deer and never will. I'm really not sure if I'm in the minority on this, or if I'm in the majority but most people that think like me don't post in deer hunting forums.

Deer hunting is definitely different than what it used to be. Good hunting to all.

yes; when i first came on here PCP, the whole "if you don't have a pic, it didn't happen" rule blew me out of the water LOL ... i still remember a time when your picture got put in the local newspaper only for "special" deer ... nowadays if you don't mug in a selfie on top of the deer's back & pull his head back to his tail, it ain't legit ... to say the least, this thread has been very enlightening

I’m with you PCP. They love rules but hate game check for some reason.

Have fun. Be safe.

Best ones to go by.

That's the only ones on our lease.

Figured you went by the must meet one of the two. #1knots #2 spots must have one or the other.......

Well,,,,, as long as we're having fun safely...