Nothing grabs the attention of a deer hunter or any wildlife observer more than the antlers of a whitetail buck.

Pennsylvania has been a major location for deer hunting for many years and has one of the most significant populations of deer and deer hunters in the country. Butler County in Western Pennsylvania is in the heart of deer hunting country and has been designated as a trophy buck antler point restriction area.

While most of the hunting areas in the state allow hunters to harvest bucks with three points to an antler, WMU 2-D Butler County and WMU 1-A Lawrence County have been designated as an area that requires four points to an antler.

This change was commonly called the 3-up rule, which meant three points had to be up on the main beam of an antler (not counting the eye guards), so we basically became a western count for our antlered deer.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission started changes in antler restrictions back in 2002 in order to harvest an antlered deer. Prior to 2002, the antler guideline was that deer had to have at least two points to an antler or at least a spike that was three inches or longer in length. That did not give any buck that was showing any glints of antler growth much of a chance to grow to maturity.

Many spikes and 4-points were harvested by hunters and the occasional 8- or 10-point bucks drew much attention on the game poles. For many years, most Pennsylvania hunters could only dream of harvesting a large antlered buck.

My personal goal was to harvest a 10-point buck in any of the deer seasons that the state offered. My first chance came after the 2011 point rule for our area took effect. I was involved with many hunts that a decent trophy buck was harvested, but none were filled with my tag.

That all changed when I was given a tip of hunting a good location on public hunting lands on GL-95 in Butler County. My brother-in-law, an avid archer, played cat and mouse with some bucks all during the archery season and he was sharing his knowledge with me and our nephew who was just starting out as a hunter.

Sure enough, on the opening morning deer were moving in our location and I was able to connect with what I thought was my dream buck. When I approached the buck after making my shot, I saw clearly 5 points showing on the antler, when I flipped it over the other antler was buried in the leaves and proved to be only 4 points for 9 total points.

He was a fine buck, but not my dream deer. It wasn't until a few years later that I finally broke the 10-point barrier and harvested an 11 point. With the cost of taxidermy, I am happy to have a legal deer that can be decent table fare these days. But plenty of my friends and neighbors are still on the search for a Pa. Trophy Buck!

The primary goal of antler point restrictions was to increase the number of adult bucks (2.5 years of age and older) in the population. The Game Commission decided that it would need to protect younger bucks with the point restriction being put in place.

Some states use a different method by using the spread of the antlers as a rule for a legal buck. Generally, the deer had to have his antlers go out past his ears and be a set number of inches in spread. As hunters age in Pennsylvania, the plan to count points has its detractions as many hunters' eye sight diminishes.

I know that I have passed on likely legal bucks for this reason. So, if I follow the 3-up rule, you can be sure that I have harvested a nice buck for my tag.

The areas designated for the 3-up rule include the areas of Western Pennsylvania while the rest of the state has a lesser standard of just three points on the entire length of the antler, including the brow tines.

Prior to the Antler Point Restrictions about 80 percent of bucks (mostly yearlings) were harvested by hunters each year. This led to a buck survival rate of 20 percent for deer to become mature bucks. It takes about 2½ to 3½ years for a buck to become mature and five-plus years to become a trophy buck. Many more bucks are reaching the 3½ age range, thus more significant racked deer.

One of the best bits of advice that I can give to all hunters is to give yourself a hunter's edge by having good optics at your side. Having good light weight binoculars in the field can help you quickly determine if you have a legal buck or one that is just close to being a legal deer.

It is your responsibility to make sure that your buck is a 3-up rack or not. I haven't seen the mistaken game excuse defense being put into play very successfully for those unfortunate hunters.

Until we meet again, may you fill your tags with the deer of your dreams!

Jay Hewitt is a hunting columnist for the Butler Eagle.

This deer is a clear example of a valid 3-UP rule for hunting in WMu_2D and 1-A. The photograph was recently taken in Butler County and is prime example of the deer available to Pennsylvania hunters.