Can you transfer a doe tag in Mass?

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My son is going hunting with a buddy on Wed. His buddy got 2 antler less tags, my son doesn't have any. Can his friend give him one? Is this legal in MA?
 
My son is going hunting with a buddy on Wed. His buddy got 2 antler less tags, my son doesn't have any. Can his friend give him one? Is this legal in MA?
No.

Cut and paste from mass f and g website


"Bear, turkey, and antlerless deer permits may only be used by the hunter to whom they are issued. They are not transferable."


If your son is telling you anything different he and his buddy are misinformed......or plan on "cheating".

Tags are not transferrable.....

Now.......Do hunters in mass "share tags"......ie......one guy in a group has an antlerless tag and another guy shoots a doe and the guy with the antlerless tag puts his tag on the deer? It happens all the time. Is it legal? No it is not.

Also......if your son takes a buck...... legally it has to have one antler at least 3 inches long or it would require an antlerless tag. To be legal your son needs to shoot a deer that a visible antler 3 inches long.


What zone are they hunting in? Zones 10-14 may still have surplus antlerless tags for sale.
 
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Wouldn’t there be some record if you bought one or not though.
He's asking if his son can shoot a doe and have his friend tag it for him.....

The answer is legally no. Unfortunately hunters do this all the time.
 
Oh I thought by transfer he meant give the tag to the other guy. Not just tagging it. I know it’s still illegals anyway.
 
No.

Cut and paste from mass f and g website


"Bear, turkey, and antlerless deer permits may only be used by the hunter to whom they are issued. They are not transferable."


If your son is telling you anything different he and his buddy are misinformed......or plan on "cheating".

Tags are not transferrable.....

Now.......Do hunters in mass "share tags"......ie......one guy in a group has an antlerless tag and another guy shoots a doe and the guy with the antlerless tag puts his tag on the deer? It happens all the time. Is it legal? No it is not.

Also......if your son takes a buck...... legally it has to have one antler at least 3 inches long or it would require an antlerless tag. To be legal your son needs to shoot a deer that a visible antler 3 inches long.


What zone are they hunting in? Zones 10-14 may still have surplus antlerless tags for sale.


He’s 18 and did the right thing asking me. He looked and didn’t see the regs and asked me to check with the brain trust at NES.

They will be out with their bows. He really doesn’t care as he’s shot a lot of animals over the year.

We checked last night and only place with surplus tags are on the islands.
 
He’s 18 and did the right thing asking me. He looked and didn’t see the regs and asked me to check with the brain trust at NES.

They will be out with their bows. He really doesn’t care as he’s shot a lot of animals over the year.

We checked last night and only place with surplus tags are on the islands.
Good to know he's checking the regs.

Tags are not transferrable and can only be used by the hunter that purchased them.

Legally......he can only harvest deer with at least one 3 inch antler.
 
The answer is legally no. Unfortunately hunters do this all the time.
Educate me please. I assume Fish & Game issue a certain number of tags based on their herd management plans. What is the issue with one hunter tagging his buddy's otherwise legally taken deer?
 
He’s 18 and did the right thing asking me. He looked and didn’t see the regs and asked me to check with the brain trust at NES.

They will be out with their bows. He really doesn’t care as he’s shot a lot of animals over the year.

We checked last night and only place with surplus tags are on the islands.
I didn't think a doe permit was needed for bow
 
Educate me please. I assume Fish & Game issue a certain number of tags based on their herd management plans. What is the issue with one hunter tagging his buddy's otherwise legally taken deer?
1. The deer would NOT have been legally taken because the hunter didn't have a tag for it.

2. The antlerless tags are not issued with the expectation that all the tags will be used. They are issued with the success rate in mind.....ie......the biologists have a target number of antlerless deer they want to be harvested to support the plan.......and allot antlerless tags above that number with the expectation that a certain number of antlerless tags will not get filled. By cheating and using someone else's tag you are not properly supporting the management plan......and it would of course be illegal.
 
Clearly I guess I do, when I used to bow hunt, a doe was ok without a permit
That must have been a long time ago. Currently......more deer are taken with archery than with a shotgun or muzzle loader.......archers don't get a pass on having proper tags that's for sure.
 
Another point.....notice I am using the term "antlerless deer" rather than "doe". The sex of the deer has nothing to do with tag you use. The hunter needs to identify the deer targeted by the presence of 3 inch antlers. If you shoot a "button buck" your requires to have an antlerless tag to put on it. Wether the deer has balls or not doesn't matter and won't help you out if it's a very young deer with under 3 inch antlers.
 
Wow, I just figured out it was around 1982-84 last time I bow hunted. Time sure does fly by.

Yes back then you could take a doe with the bow without a doe permit.
Back then when I started hunting there were many deer out west and barely any east of 495. Now its gone 180

Probably about 10 or more years ago all seasons are regulated by permits.

This was done because archery accounts for a lot of deer in the east now, as previously shotgun was a higher percentage or most of the kill, now its not. Due to deerbeing more present near people and lack of shotgun hunting land in the east.

If you dont have a doe permit for the zone your hunting you cannot shoot a doe with any weapon.

If you have a doe permit you cannot tag for your buddy who does not have a legal doe tag.

They are given by lottery for a reason, not so they all get used up.
Worst problem we have in the central and west is people getting permits for the east and tagging does taken from the west with them. That throws all herd population stats out of whack. And we cannot have high doe kill in the west. We have few deer to begin with.
 
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Worst problem we have in the central and west is people getting permits for the east and tagging does taken from the west with them. That throws all herd population stats out of whack. And we cannot have high doe kill in the west. We have few deer to begin with.

Yup, those “any zone” tags are an issue.

Bob
 
Just sayin' the deer needs to be tagged before it is moved. Friends were needed in the search party to find the down deer. Tag it online. If it needs to be brought to a check station the person who tagged it needs to be with it. After that who cares.
 
Just sayin' the deer needs to be tagged before it is moved. Friends were needed in the search party to find the down deer. Tag it online. If it needs to be brought to a check station the person who tagged it needs to be with it. After that who cares.
Im actually not sure what your saying.

The hunter that killed the deer needs to tag the deer with his tag per mass hunting regulations.
 
Just sayin' the deer needs to be tagged before it is moved. Friends were needed in the search party to find the down deer. Tag it online. If it needs to be brought to a check station the person who tagged it needs to be with it. After that who cares.
Who cares? People trying to manage deer herd might care.

Because if you are talking about tag trading, or someone shooting a deer they dont have a tag for, that is called Poaching.

My question is why would you even bother to check a poached deer?
 
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