How long will you hold off?

[DirtyGun]

This is a question for those of us who wait for 'The One' to come within range. Sometimes, opinions can get a little heated regarding this topic, so, let's keep things civil.

How long into the season will you wait for a mature buck to be in range? Will you settle on a younger deer, or just leave the game seal in your pocket until the season closes?

I take a lot of flack from a few friends who know that over the course of a season, I'll let a number of young deer walk. I have even had game seals in my pocket after legal time on the last day of the season because I didn't get 'The One' in range. I don't absolutely need to fill a game seal and kill a deer just for the sake of killing a deer.

I have the luxury of hunting in this manner because:

1) I'm not hunting in order to provide sustenance to my family. I have no issues with those who hunt primarily to put meat in the freezer to take a little stress off the pocket book. My freezer is full and there's food on the table every night, so having a game seal at the end of the season instead of meat in the freezer doesn't really hurt. I have other sources for venison, so if I want it, I get it.

2) The areas I frequent have a good population of deer and I can be selective regarding the type of animal I want to harvest. It's rare that I spend a morning or an afternoon afield in any of the areas I frequent and not see at least one deer.

3) In order to make deer hunting exciting and challenging, I need to set goals before the season regarding what kind of animal I'm looking for. This makes the 'hunt' for a mature animal more exciting than just taking the first animal that walks in front of me. I won't kill for the sake of just filling a game seal, because I wouldn't be satisfied with it, which would take away from the hunt and IN MY MIND just make it about the kill and not the hunt itself.

That's just my own opinion.

Let's face it, in modern times, hunting is a privilege and not a necessity, except for a very small percentage of the overall population. I have the view that since I'm not depending on a harvest in order to feed my family, I can be selective and challenge myself.

Is this wrong? I don't think so. But, even a few of my close friends think it's wrong to have deer in front of you and not attach a game seal to them.

Everyone has different opinions on the subject...I've outlined mine.

Now let the 'Trophy Hunter' debates begin...

[one shot scott]

I have alot of respect for those who hunt like you do Dirtygun. Its a type of conservation.

I myself hunt primarily for the meat for my large family, so i dont typically wait to havest a mature buck. Not to say I wouldnt want huge antlers on the wall, but meat first. Antlers have not happened for me yet.(but someday hopefully!)But Im a meat hunter i think it would be unfair of me to bash a head-hunter

I harvested a "small" buck 2 weeks ago. I didnt even post a pic out of fear of receiving neg feedback, so i guess im on the opposite side of the fence.

[sumner4991]

I grew up hunting for food. Everything on the farm was raised for food or money. Nothing went to waste.

Hunting strickly for horns has never really entered my mind. Initially, the only deer I could legally take was a buck. Therefore, the first buck that presented itself was taken because you would be very lucky to see more than one during the two week long gun season. Deer were not plentiful.

Fast forward to today and the large herds we have. I still have a hard time justifying taking the life of one of God's creatures if not for food. Horns to me are strickly a by product. Nice to have on the wall, but, not the traditional reason real hunters hunt.

I give the most of the meat to the needy and I make sure I have someone wanting the meat before I shoot. It's my #1 consideration. No where to take the meat, then no hunting.

Anyone shooting a deer and wasting the meat is a loser in my opinion. So, if you get a monster buck, then make some burger, OK.

[Grizzly Adam]

I harvested a "small" buck 2 weeks ago. I didnt even post a pic out of fear of receiving neg feedback

I'm certainly sorry to hear that.

What a shame it is that you'd even have to worry about what anyone thinks of the deer you choose to take, Scott!

I, for one, would love to see a picture of your small buck. Please PM me one, if you'd like, and tell me the story.

I believe any legal deer, taken according to regulations, is a deer you can be proud of.

To those who prefer to hunt only "big" bucks, I say "Knock yourself out!" ... but don't knock those of us who don't!

[Grizzly Adam]

Anyone shooting a deer and wasting the meat is a loser in my opinion.

You've got that right. Amen and amen.

I've seen too many carcasses on the side of the road with the antlers sawed off. If I were a wildlife officer, I'd live to bust wanton waste cases.

[wheelie]

Ussually I wait till the two gun seasons are over.. Let a few walk away but after this week (muzzleloader week) it will be time to go. Get serious next week. Have not even seen a buck this year yet. Let 6 does walk on so far this year. All were within 20 yards in the open for a good shot. Just enjoy being in the bush enjoying mother nature. Seem to do more bussiness when I am sitting in my treestand. Have to start shutting down my company phone when I go out now!! LOL

[Dereck]

Won't wait unless it has spots if a deer comes in range and I have a valid tag for it will get an arrow.So long as I can shoot straight.

I have not even seen a deer this season heard them though, my primary spot just got the corn off so hopefully things will improve.

[raydaughety]

You beat me to it Grizz and I hope that I don't ruffle any feathers but I too feel bad that Scott felt like he couldn't come here amongst his friends and share a harvest that brought him great joy. I won't speak for Grizz but just a tad south of him it isn't often that we see trophy bucks in our area. I have been hunting for 35 years and can count on one hand how many trophy bucks that I have put my eyes on. When I harvested that big 8 pointer in October, and BTW he is big for my area, I had been after something that big for 35 years . I hear guys on here describing bucks that they let walk that would make me drool and pee my pants but that is because not many of these big deer exist around here. Could we have them in our area? I'm sure that we could if harvest and antler restrictions were put into place but for now it's a free for all where I live. In fact, the club where I killed my buck this year has harvested more trophy bucks than in any other year on record. Why, I have to believe it's because no one has hunted the club with hounds in a couple of years and the bucks aren't pressured as much. I could be wrong but that's my belief.

DirtyGun Wrote:

I have the luxury of hunting in this manner because:

Guys, I think that is awesome! The feeling that one must have when leaving the house for a hunt that you may very well have an encounter with a trophy buck has to be a great motivator but for some of us the chance of that happening is very slim so we harvest what we are offered if we choose to harvest anything at all. Of all that I learned in Texas, the most important thing that trophy whitetail bucks are the most fascinating animals that I have ever had the privilege of watching. Seriously, I would absolutely love to just sit in those shooting house days on end with a camera and be tickled to death.

I hope that I haven't offended anyone by naming names and again, you guys are blessed to have the luxury of hunting these trophy bucks in your neck of the woods but it just isn't feasible for a lot of us who live in areas that are "trophy challenged" . It's kinda like the old saying: "smoke em if you got em" .

One Shot Scott, I beg you, please don't ever feel that you can't come to this wonderful forum to celebrate a harvest that God has provided you with. Like some of us, you're doing the best with what you have and you should never have to apologize for harvesting an animal that is legal in your area. I'm so sorry that you feel this way.

OK, fire away .

EDIT: I'm sorry DirtyGun, I never answered your question. I never hold onto a tag because we are given so many here in NC that a fellow could legally harvest 4 bucks in a season .

[Doe Master]

I think we all hunt for the same reason . We enjoy the hunt
That being said , that is where we split up from there . Some enjoy putting organic meat on the table . Some enjoy the challenge of harvesting a set size or specific deer .
All is good .
Get out and enjoy the great outdoors .

[Pydpiper]

I let two does walk opening day, at the moment it felt like the right thing to do, now I am having regrets.
This is as far as I have made it in to the season without a deer hanging in the shop and it makes me a bit nervous.
I don't need the food, but when the family is polled for dinner they always seem to ask for game of some form, we still have a decent variety in the freezer from years gone by, but a surplus is always good too.

[wabi]

I hunt for deer to help feed myself and my family because we enjoy eating venison. I did a very unusual thing this year and let a spike buck walk early in the season, but I knew there were plenty more deer visiting the area daily.
I did kill a couple "antlerless" deer in the first month of season so the pressure is off to fill the freezer. I will wait for a 6 point or larger now, until gun season is over (Dec. 6). If I haven't filled my "antlered" tag by then that spike had better hide.

[xbhntr]

I have 2 tags, 1 for any sex deer, the other for doe only . I was skunked on gun season. My bow hunting area is small, the trail camera pics show only 6 deer using this bush. I sat many a night without seeing a deer, the other wildlife ( squirrels are great entertainment! ). So, as someone else stated; If it's brown it's going down! Ray.

[fdegurse]

your on the ball, it's never wrong to let something pass and it's never wrong to take your "legal" harvest if you decide it's time to take your deer.

It's also about just getting out in the field and woods and not hearing a tv or having the family bug you,

Hunting the deer is 90% the experience. Meat in the freezer should be the main goal and a bonus if you connect... The antlers are just that, a trophy or an over the top type of reward for hard work, studying your setup, location, practice with your gear, patience and persistence.

I enjoy the steaks, pepperettes and sausage and so does the family. Granted it's probably cheaper to watch the advertising flyers and go to the grocery store for meat than all the costs of deer hunting (licenses, gun, bow, gas, camo etc) We all like to see the wallhangers but the pics and stories of doe hunts are just as good... keep em coming,,,

Frank

[Mike P]

Ahhh, the timeless question about deer hunting once again. It happens every year during the deer season here at the forum. Trophy hunting versus meat hunting always brings out a vigorous debate amongst deer hunters.

I wrote an article about this subject for Horizontal Bowhunter Magazine a while back. Those of you that are members of ACF have already most likely read this piece. Those of you that are not members have not.

So at the risk of being accused of hijacking this thread (hope not as this is certainly on subject) I will present the article here for non-members to read. I hope it sheds some light on this subject. I also hope it gets some of you guys off dead center and gives you incentive to join the American Crossbow Federation. If you truely love hunting with your crossbow, you need to join this wonderful organization.

Now allow me to step off of one soap box and ascend another.

Mr. Brown, this Buds for you!:D



Mr. Brown


Brown: it's a great color. But for some reason we just don't get on the brown bandwagon. How many people have you ever heard say their favorite color is brown? Not many I suspect. Brown is not found often in stores and showrooms across the land. No, to get any brown in any quantity, you have to go to a shoe store. We seem to think brown is fine for our feet.

We have sayings about brown. We sometimes describe someone as having "mousey brown" hair. And we all know about that "quick brown fox jumping over the lazy dog." Of course there is the ever popular "How now brown cow?" And just about every evening we turn on a television we are asked the question "What can brown do for you?"

There is another saying that is very popular although not with the masses. But if you're reading this, I am willing to wager you have heard it. It is a saying that only takes place within a small segment of the population, about ten percent from what I am told. And perhaps you have said it as you are probably amongst that ten percent that hunt. It goes like this. "If it's brown, it's down!"

I cringe when I hear it. I feel frustrated and wonder how anyone can subscribe to that philosophy. It violates every principle I stand for regarding our sport of hunting whitetails. I preach that the indiscriminate killing of immature whitetail bucks is the mortal sin of deer hunting. Have a big bite of the apple Adam, go ahead and shoot that little basket six and never see a mature buck as long as ye shall hunt. And while standing on my lofty perch delivering this sermon I hear this tiny little voice rise from the back of the congregation. "What a hypocrite." says the voice.


Blasphemy I say! Me a hypocrite, I think not. Why I am the traveling the road of the righteous. I am the one pursuing all that is honorable and noble about our sport. I am the one chasing the Holy Grail of deer hunting. I am the one that worships at the Boone & Crockett alter and holds aloft the Pope & Young bible. I hunt the book buck. Hypocrite, how dare you!


But for some reason I just can't shake that tiny little voice. I hear it often even though I try to silence it with my rationale. I validate my hunting philosophies with statistics from many states that have instituted the "one buck rule." I quote hunting celebrities from well known outdoor shows saying "let the young ones walk." I nod my head knowingly at hunting shows and expos where this expert or that expert instructs on the proper management of whitetails and antler production. But no matter what I do that little voice saying "hypocrite" keeps whispering in my ear.

I know I am to the far left. I hunt antlers, pure and simple. There was not a week that went by in my childhood that venison was not placed on our dining room table in one fashion or another by my mother. She could disguise it in many forms. I lived on a cattle ranch and eating a steak was a delicacy. You couldn't swing a shed antler without hitting a cow. You could just never find one on your plate. Cows were money. Deer were food. I grew up and found other ways of making money. And I discovered I like beef a lot more then venison.

Could it be that as a confirmed trophy hunter I was indeed that hypocrite as proclaimed by that tiny little voice? And does that mean that every hunter that killed any animal for that animal's adornment, be it horn or hide, was also a hypocrite? All of a sudden Mr. Brown packing meat off to his freezer to feed himself and his family is starting to look a little more "righteous" from up here at the pulpit. And that tiny little voice seems to be growing just a bit louder.

I suppose it's time to face the facts. I kill whitetail bucks. I kill them because I enjoy the chase; the chess match if you will that takes place hunting a mature buck. And the antlers are my report card. I process the meat myself. I give it all away. So I suppose you could make an argument that to some degree I am a hypocrite for bashing Mr. Brown. At least he or she is killing the animal for a much more noble cause. But is that really the case?

I have yet to find one of my "brown is down" hunting brothers who truly stick to their philosophy of hunting should they successfully take a mature buck. None of them are saying "you can't eat antlers" while they discard a ten point rack along with the bones of the carcass. No, they eagerly display their new trophy. And along with it, they display their hypocrisy. One might argue that they are no different then me. And it makes me wonder if they also hear a tiny voice in their ear.


Mr. Brown and I are at opposite ends of the pew. That much is obvious. What should be obvious, and seldom seems to be, is that we are both still in the same church. Yes sir, we are there together singing those deer hunting hymns. We just keep accusing each other of singing off key.

If the truth be known, I think the harmony is to be found somewhere in the center. And I'm pretty sure that's where you will be found. You're the guys and gals sitting right in the middle of that pew. You are the hunters that hope against hope that just once in your life you will have a big mature whitetail buck present you a broadside at twenty yards. You enjoy taking meat for the freezer and if a young buck is the only deer that comes within your range, you kill him. If you are able to fill your tags with doe's, you give the young buck a pass knowing that one day he just may be that buck you have been waiting for your entire life. And you tolerate me and Mr. Brown.

The next time you hear the question "What can brown do for you?" I hope it makes you think of this article. I also hope you think about it the next time that two year old buck walks under your tree.

And Mr. Brown, you know what you can do for me.

[DirtyGun]

Just to clear a few things up...

I would NEVER cut horns off and leave a deer to rot.

I only purchase two and sometimes three game seals in a season, for specific WMUs and I only plan on taking one deer out of each of them. This year, my plan has been to hunt a mature buck in one of them, take an antlerless in another (just haven't had much time to get out there) and the other one is a wild card, because I have yet to secure any properties in the area, yet, it's where I live. I'm working with a local guide on that one.

On a set of properties in WMU 85, not only have my father-in-law and I seen a drastic increase in the number of mature bucks spotted (Dad usually sees them on his way to work and during his fieldwork in the Spring...but they of course dissapear into the thick stuff and the corn until it comes off in the Fall) since we have been hunting in this manner, but we have seen an increase in the number of deer frequenting the properties as well. We keep the pressure low and let the little ones walk and it seems to be working. I can't wait to see the type of deer this area will offer in another year or two.

I used to attend my Grandfather's hunt camp for the rifle season and there were years that I would be the one who would drop five or six deer during the season for the group. I just had better eyes and was a better shot than the old boys. One day I was talking with my Grandfather, being a blowhard young punk and talking about how exciting it was to shoot that many deer and he said: "Someday, you're going to want more out of it. It won't be about how many."

I guess he was right.

As I said...my freezer is already full from the cow my in-laws and I usually purchase in the Fall. I also have a friend who raises deer on his farm, so, venison isn't really a problem if I want it.

We all hunt differently and as long as no one is breaking any laws, I have no issue with it. I guess that in terms of hunting deer, it has become more about the 'challenge', regarding hunting a mature animal than it is about the meat. The meat is nice to have, but in modern society, it isn't a necessity.

I should also add that I'm no expert on hunting mature bucks and only chose to go this route a couple years ago. I'm still learning. It has been a blast watching many deer walk away. That alone has made me feel successful, to have that many deer in shooting range and then let them walk.