Big bucks and their effect on hunting

[wvmntnhick]

I get where you're coming from.  Not long after I sent the message about the spike this doe came through. The picture doesn't do her justice. She was quite large and I was pleased as punch to bring her home.


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[WNCTracker]

Congrats!


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[wvmntnhick]

Thank you kind sir.


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[chadly]

As said each to his own.  I personally will shoot a Jake out of a blind using decoys and grin ear to ear.  However, deer are different.  I will not shoot a buck unless he is pretty good sized.  All 2 1/2 and most 3 1/2 will get passes.  Most years I do not get a buck.  A doe will get shot early and often.  I need about 5-6 deer/year to feed my family.  One thing I love about Iowa is out gun season does not start until December.  This letting the deer go through the breeding season with no gun hunting.  Our quality of deer IMHO is superior to many states for this reason.  As an avid deer hunter I've witnessed most big bucks move at night with the exception of a couple of weeks during the rut.  If I could use a gun during these times i would harvest a big deer every year as opposed to every 3-4 years.  I spent 22 hours in a stand the last 4 days with my wife.  I left my bow at home and just sat with her.  We saw 19 bucks and 28 doe during those 22 hours.  We saw 2 mature bucks but neither in range.  We could have tagged out early if we just wanted a buck.  My ending thought is this.  What am I going to do with a set of small antlers.  Nothing so why harvest the animal as opposed to letting it walk and grow another year.  Shoot a doe.  I do also hunt public land so the deer that we let walk very much might be harvested by the next hunter.  No guarantees they make to next year.  In the end do whatever makes you happy and have a bunch of fun doing it.  Good luck and shoot straight!

[boatpaddle]

I get where you're coming from.  Not long after I sent the message about the spike this doe came through. The picture doesn't do her justice. She was quite large and I was pleased as punch to bring her home.


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CONGRATS.......

     Enjoy the meals....

[dejake]

"I personally will shoot a Jake out of a blind using decoys and grin ear to ear.  However, deer are different.  I will not shoot a buck unless he is pretty good sized"
I'm just the opposite, won't use a blind, and won't shoot a hen or jake.  I used to be a rack hunter, but at this point it's for meat only.  I'm not going to mount any more deer, so really don't see the point in taking a big buck and have the horns go to waste.

[nativeks]

First deer I ever shot with a bow was a buck this year. Had a chance at a smaller buck that I have let walk and couldn't get drawn on one I said I would shoot when he came in. Worked out well for me with my first deer scoring 163 1/8. We will see after the drying period what it is. Also stuck a doe.nlooking for another doe but all I see are bucks.

[chatterbox]

I shot a 106 lb field dressed spike on the rifle opener, and was so excited!
In NH we don't get many opportunities to shoot does in my hunting spots, so the first legal deer that walks by, gets shot.
I hunt deer for the meat, not the horns. It gives my family high quality meat, and we all get to enjoy the harvest!

[trkehunr93]

In 23 years of hunting I've killed 2 good bucks, I have missed several and laid eyes on a few more with no shot.  My doe kill well out weighs my buck kill, I have passed alot of small bucks up throughout the years but at the end of some seasons I have kicked myself for doing it as I like to put as much wild game in the freezer as possible.  As we roll into the late season I know I will be picky because something in me wants to see what that basket rack, fork horn or spike will become but providing my family with protein thats as organic as it gets just seems more important.  I think it's these inner struggles we have as hunters that keeps us going into the woods anytime we can.

[SteelerFan]

It all depends on where I'm hunting.  On our club/lease we only take "shooters" and we let decent deer walk for another year.  I am always eager to shoot a doe there and if a big boy walks out then that's a bonus.  On the other hand if I'm hunting in the National Forest, on public land, I will shoot anything within the regs.  I like horns but I like bacon wrapped backstraps and country fried venison cube steak better!  As hunters mature and cultivate their own experiences we have a tendency to refine our habits to our own liking and personal challenges.

^^^ This

Hunting bigger, mature bucks where bigger, mature bucks live makes sense. Shooting the "standard" buck for the area also makes sense, when that's the realistic expectation. Making it fun for you is what it really comes down to.

[RutnNStrutn]

I hunt for meat and for antlers. Back in the day, I'd shoot any legal deer that walked by. As I started to kill bigger and better bucks, I was not satisfied with shooting small bucks. I liked the challenge of shooting older, wiser bucks that also sported much better racks. Since I used to hunt strictly public land in FLA though, I still continued to shoot any legal deer because I wanted a full freezer.
Then my Dad moved out of state, and I got to hunt with him a couple of times a year. I started shooting bigger and better bucks. Then I started leasing out of state, where we get to whack enough does to fill the freezer. So me and the 2 guys I hunt with don't shoot little bucks. We're not crazy "trophy hunters" though.
Our minimum buck is a 7 point with his antler spread right at the ears. Every buck you shoot has to be better than your last one. We've been doing this on our property for 6 years now, and it's starting to pay off. This year, the 3 of us shot three 8 points, a 9 point and a 10 point, along with several does.
So we're not trophy hunters per say, but we don't shoot little guys, we still fill our freezers, and we're growing bigger and better bucks.