Where do we draw the line?

[georgiaboy]

I was watching a hunting show last night and this guy is in a ground blind with his son who is maybe 10-12yrs old. The young fella had never killed a deer and wouldn't you know the first deer in the field is a small buck, 6pt about 12-14 inches wide. When the boy raised his gun his dad scolded him saying "we don't shoot deer like that!" Later in the show he compromised and let him shoot a doe for his first deer.
Have we become so obsessed with horns as a hunting society that we won't even let a boy kill his first deer if it doesn't meet certain "guidelines"? Now don't get me wrong i get the QDM thing, if that is what you won't to do god bless you, but just because i take an animal that doesn't meet your standards don't look down your nose at me!! I hunt because i enjoy the outdoors...not killing animals, when i have to start legitimizing the animals i harvest it's time to give up the sport.
Any legal animal taken with any legal weapon should be considered a trophy...to do otherwise dishonor's the animal.

[LongCarbine]

My son and I have taken our fair share of deer .We hunt on public land mostly. None of our deer are on the wall, but they are all trophys to us. We do get razzed by some people, when we bring in a doe or small buck. But thats their problem ,they just don't get it , or they watch to many hunting shows. Anyway I'll just keep on shooting the one's that taste good in garlic and butter!

[Sandman]

You will find little to no limits here in my hunting zone .. Getting out in the woods is the pleasure harvesting and animal of any type is the bonus.

[DirtyGun]

I don't care if folks shoot immature deer to put in the freezer if that's what satisfies them. That's all well and good with me.

However, when those same folks complain about never seeing any mature deer or never having a shot at a mature buck...then they had best realize that if they let the young ones grow up, they may just get that chance.

The same conversation comes up all the time. Hunt how you want to hunt...but if you want to shoot mature deer without needing that 'lightning strike' of one showing up out of the blue, then you may want to look into managing the areas you hunt a little better.

[bcmuledeer]

when i started hunting like everyone else i'm sure, size did not make any diff wether or not it got harvested, just as long as the freezer got full and i got one!
after 30 years of harvesting moose and deer you realize very fast that the big old bull or buck don't taste very good, the deer in my avatar is proof, nice mature 185 class buck that tasted like, well not very good!
I wish we were allowed to harvest some does here, i'm sure they taste fantastic and would take the pressure of the bucks a bit.
it's funny because i got ribbed for shooting an old rut fever buck by most of my friends, i can't think of anybody up here that frowns at ppl who take small bucks or bulls, maybe it's because we live in the sticks.
when you guys and gals talk about anti hunting ppl, it's something i never see up here, all the farmers are happy and the rest of the ppl are asking if you share!
so since i'm rambling on, I have no problem with those that shoot big bucks or those that shoot does. it's all good.

[georgiaboy]

I don't care if folks shoot immature deer to put in the freezer if that's what satisfies them. That's all well and good with me.

However, when those same folks complain about never seeing any mature deer or never having a shot at a mature buck...then they had best realize that if they let the young ones grow up, they may just get that chance.

The same conversation comes up all the time. Hunt how you want to hunt...but if you want to shoot mature deer without needing that 'lightning strike' of one showing up out of the blue, then you may want to look into managing the areas you hunt a little better.

I totally agree...don't complain about not seeing the big one if your shooting the little ones!! But to some of us managing our herd is not an option. I hunt public land and we all know how that goes!! It's just that i'm sick and tired of this horn obsession being crammed down our throats, especially by these so called tv experts!!! When's the last time you saw a hunting show where instead of killing a "mature buck" or a doe they took a small buck?
Uncle teddy excluded!!!

[Dash]

Hi Goergiaboy, whats the general consensus with most people over there with hunting Deer ? No shooting Doe's at all ? or just no young Doe ? Is this law ?
I would have thought that taking too many bucks would give the same problems for breeding anyway. But I don't know anything about Deer so my opinion isn't worth crap on this subject.
But all animals I've eaten are more tender and taste better when taken before they're too old.
As far as most game animals here go, I won't hesitate in taking females or the youngish "as long as they're not obviously carrying young". In saying that, none of the feral game numbers in this region have ever been low.

[muskyman454]

here in kentucky we are allowed 1 buck and 4 does and there are some big bucks here my best was an 8 pointer and while i was cutting it up the neighbor kid came over and and asked what i was going to do with the antlers and i said nothing and i gave them to him.big bucks are nice to look at but i live in mountains and they are not fun to get out of mountains!!last year i killed a 5 point and mt buddy said i would not have killed it.it was to little? a week later he called and asked if i had any backstrap he could put on his grille? i guess all those does and little bucks he seen didnt taste as good as his tag?? like the song says (if its brown its down!) and i have also found as many have these big buck guys some not all! kill them before season after season and after dark!! to much put on points and not time in the woods spent with friends and family!and i am old enough to remember thats what it is all about!! well thats my 2 cents! take care and have a great day!

[badredbird]

kill more does than anything else here in wv, let alot ofnice bucks walk to breed , the does grind well try to keep the ratio good

[georgiaboy]

The law in the southern zone of Ga. is 10 does and 2 bucks, one of the bucks must have atleast 4pts on one side. No limit on hogs!

[Pydpiper]

The parcels of land here are too small to even consider trying "deer management", mix in other hunters or trespassers and the chances of "letting a deer mature" drop drastically. Top it all off with our shotgun hunt, which shuffles deer all over the map and the whole concept of "management" goes right out the window.
For me and most people that I know, it is just about the pleasure of being able to be there in the first place, our personal choices as to what we hunt are just that, personal.
I think in order to actually manage a deer herd you would have to do a whole lot more than pass on a deer or two. It would involve a tremendous amount of property, and a full time job of watching them from a far, not a luxury most of us are afforded.

[one shot scott]

There's different motivation for each of us to get in the woods. For me Its deer and not just big racked deer. it's sad to see a kid denied a deer cause it doesn't fit someone elses standards.

[j.krug]

I'm not gonna toss my hat into the deer management debate but I will say that for a young hunter to be denied a crack at his or her first deer because it wasn't big enough is a shame!
If regulations (minimum size, etc) come into play that is different as all hunters must abide by the regulations.

[ninepointer]

The early years should be all about building basic skills, gaining confidence and getting the young hunter "hooked" on hunting. That's why we take them perch fishing before we take them for trophy muskie.

How many of you as youngsters shot your first duck while it was sitting on the water? You probably wouldn't shoot that sitting duck now, but back then as a new hunter you needed that duck. Nothing wrong with that.

[Boo]

I'm not gonna toss my hat into the deer management debate but I will say that for a young hunter to be denied a crack at his or her first deer because it wasn't big enough is a shame!
If regulations (minimum size, etc) come into play that is different as all hunters must abide by the regulations.

I could not agree with you more!