big buck?

[G-Man]

What is a big buck to you? I had a friend show me some pics of monsters he has on camera. They are some 2.5 Year olds. Small to me maybe 100 in. But monsters to him. I try and be polite and smile and agree but it gets old fast. I feel like a funeral director trying to look sad at his 1000the funeral. I hear it needs to be a big 6 or I8p before i'll shoot it. But i have seen many 1.5 Year olds with 8 plus points. I like mature deer 3.5 And up on my property. Points and spread dont matter if its 3.5 Or older its a shooter to me.

[Vince1]

anything with a rack for me seeing as how this is my first year and all. only got space for one deer on my wall, as I take more I will move em around to the mancave in they basement.

 

my general rule will be if its bigger than the last, take it, otherwise take a doe. keep hearing doe meat is better anyway.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Its all relative. We have some 2 1/2s on the farm that I would be really tempted to take, but Im really making the effort to stay 3 1/2 and up this year. Maybe try to educate your buddy a bit. The QDMA site has some good aging articles and whatnot on their site.

[First-light]

A big buck to me has to have one of two things, big antlers or body size. Forget about points that doesn't matter. You get both of these things on one deer, you have a deer of a lifetime. To each his own.

[G-Man]

you can only educate those that want to learn...sometimes its better to walk away....

[Doc]

Is there really anybody other than myself who is truly interested in what I consider to be a big buck? I doubt it. It really is a personal decision and boils down to, "I'll know it when I see it". I'm not going to try to impress everyone by listing my qualifications for a shootable buck. Nobody really cares.

[phade]

It's all relative.

 

I target 3.5+. It's certainly not "mature" in the sense of maximized potential. I simply haven't gotten to the point where I have enough quality access, enough time, etc. to hold off on 3.5s.

 

This year, might be my first time passing a 3.5. I'm scared, excited, and probably going to want to hang myself off of the stand when I do, but I have to as I have made that decision personally.

 

If someone wants to take a 1.5 and they are happy, so am I, as long as it's legal and reasonably conducted (i.e. not baiting, etc. in illegal states).

[jjb4900]

if it gets him excited and he's happy with them, that's all that matter's...........it's not about big bucks to everyone.

[BizCT]

if it gets him excited and he's happy with them, that's all that matter's...........it's not about big bucks to everyone.

+1. I've never shot a 100" whitetail, never seen one in the woods or gotten a trail cam pic of one. You better believe I'm going to be pretty pumped up if I ever shoot one.

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[mmkay]

There all big when you get to be 50 yrs old and need to drag the damm thing 1.5 miles up hill to the truck! 

 

But seriously, it a personal choice.  Some guys don’t get out that much, have limited access to good land, just want to eat some venison.  Whatever you or he gets you should be happy with.

[Lawdwaz]

+1. I've never shot a 100" whitetail, never seen one in the woods or gotten a trail cam pic of one. You better believe I'm going to be pretty pumped up if I ever shoot one.

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Time to talk to a Realtor...........................

 

 

You're young and not married yet.  Get the heck outa' that town.  We could use a (whatever your profession is) upstate.  I had a great place in mind for you in Depew but you didn't bite..................

[BizCT]

I'm engaged and hate riding the train longer than 30 minutes, so ill be in Westchester for a while. I wouldn't move to upstate NY just for a chance at 1 bigger buck per year lol. If I was going to move upstate, I would rather move to another state that has a variety of big game.

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[phade]

I'm engaged and hate riding the train longer than 30 minutes, so ill be in Westchester for a while. I wouldn't move to upstate NY just for a chance at 1 bigger buck per year lol. If I was going to move upstate, I would rather move to another state that has a variety of big game.

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Buy some small acreage land up here then...plenty of steals can be had at times to make it worthwhile and you'd easily have 100" inchers running around. That's not hard to do in our area.

 

Lots of people with 15-30 acre pieces taking good bucks each year.

[growalot]

This.....

[BizCT]

Buy some small acreage land up here then...plenty of steals can be had at times to make it worthwhile and you'd easily have 100" inchers running around. That's not hard to do in our area.

Lots of people with 15-30 acre pieces taking good bucks each year.

I hear ya and maybe when xbow is allowed and I have 2 buck tags....but even still I can't justify spending say $50K+ for land I hunt on weekends only. I wouldn't want to drive a couple of hours each way everytime I hunt. It's a bad investment. Id rather spend the $50K on 10 hunting trips to other states OR pay someone $ for access to hunt their land in NY for a few days. Grow - $500 for a weekend?

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Edited September 6, 2013 by Biz-R-OWorld

[mmkay]

I hear ya and maybe when xbow is allowed and I have 2 buck tags....but even still I can't justify spending say $50K+ for land I hunt on weekends only. I wouldn't want to drive a couple of hours each way everytime I hunt. It's a bad investment. Id rather spend the $50K on 10 hunting trips to other states OR pay someone $ for access to hunt their land in NY for a few days. Grow - $500 for a weekend? Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2

You’re from Westchester right? Lots of good bucks on state and city land near us. The tricks I've learned are:

 

(a) Hunt multiple pieces of land...some time I still hunt 4 or more pieces a day

 

(b  ) Get way back in the woods. Find the nastiest cover you can....the pumpkins will move the deer to you

 

© If sitting in a tree on public land, go in a mile or more from teh road. Get to your tree 1 to 2 hours before daylight. Let the woods settle and again the march of the pumpkins will push the deer to you

 

(d) Most important, get out as often as you can.  Whether it’s for 45 minutes after work, during a torrential down pour or blizzard get into the woods. 

 

Sorry to be preachy, but we live in some of the best deer areas of the state…just way too many pumpkins in the woods

Edited September 6, 2013 by mmkay

[ncountry]

Except for the last five years , most of my hunting grounds consisted of lands where a

2 3/4" spike isn't safe. You can drive around and spot the fields at night and count 20 does to one buck if your lucky.. A 2 1/2 year old buck is hard to find. I know plenty of guys who've hunted their whole lives and never shot anything over a 1 1/2 year old buck..

Now... if it is before my southerntier trip I will pass up a 2 1/2 year old buck because there are decent odds of seeing an older buck down there. If I fail at that the 1st 8 point walks in front of me when I get home gets it...lol

[BizCT]

You’re from Westchester right? Lots of good bucks on state and city land near us. The tricks I've learned are:

 

(a) Hunt multiple pieces of land...some time I still hunt 4 or more pieces a day

 

(b  ) Get way back in the woods. Find the nastiest cover you can....the pumpkins will move the deer to you

 

© If sitting in a tree on public land, go in a mile or more from teh road. Get to your tree 1 to 2 hours before daylight. Let the woods settle and again the march of the pumpkins will push the deer to you

 

(d) Most important, get out as often as you can.  Whether it’s for 45 minutes after work, during a torrential down pour or blizzard get into the woods. 

 

Sorry to be preachy, but we live in some of the best deer areas of the state…just way too many pumpkins in the woods

 

I don't bowhunt, so I can't hunt Westchester.  Regarding your other comments, that is how I hunt.  I get a buck almost every single year, just nothing giant yet. My Dad has several over 100" from Putnam County. He hunts more than me though, he hunts for 30 minutes before work, etc....That's not feasible for me.

[RangerClay]

 I feel like a funeral director trying to look sad at his 1000the funeral.

 

I feel the same way when people tell me that mature bucks are the only way to go.

 

 

When I look at other peoples trail camera pics, whether its a spike or the turty point buck, I'm excited with them because they are happy.  Why rain on their parade?

Edited September 6, 2013 by RangerClay

[mmkay]

I don't bowhunt, so I can't hunt Westchester.  Regarding your other comments, that is how I hunt.  I get a buck almost every single year, just nothing giant yet. My Dad has several over 100" from Putnam County. He hunts more than me though, he hunts for 30 minutes before work, etc....That's not feasible for me.

 

 

Good luck to you....you'll get a large 8 or 10 soon.  its just a matter of time!   try the NYC properties in Kent....get near fawnstock

[BizCT]

Good luck to you....you'll get a large 8 or 10 soon.  its just a matter of time!   try the NYC properties in Kent....get near fawnstock

 

Thanks, same to you. I got a basket 8 in 2007. I mostly hunt a private piece of property in Carmel, but I do hunt the watershed properties in Carmel and Kent as well.

[G-Man]

i dont rain on anyones parade, but its hard not to hear a story of the monster 8 pt someone got to see it in person and its a yearling.. perhaps buck fever is more to blame than anything. but i always take a sighting of a big buck by someone with a grain of salt until i learn/get to know what he considers big. Imagine a friend who harasses you to come hunt his property and get a monster and all you see are his monster 1.5 year olds. you gave up a good spot that held 120 cals bucks to hunt this buck that must be b&c to see it score 100 in. you cant get what doesnt exist in that spot.

[phade]

To me, it sounds like your expectation setting needs to be clearer. Just because they have different expectations and it being a downer to you is your fault. You need to qualify it imo.

[Doc]

Oh for crying out loud, what is all this concern about what other hunters are seeing/getting. Who the heck am I trying to impress .... lol. If somebody else is telling me about their deer, I simply nod my head, slap them on the back and congratulate them for getting a great deer (regardless of what it looks like). And I want to hear the entire story in as much detail as they want to supply. What business do I have doing otherwise.

 

Man, I do miss the days before scoring became such a big deal. Now-a-days when you tell somebody you got a deer, the first words out of their mouth is "what did it score". If you don't come back with a number that they are impressed with, they will do there best to wreck the whole experience for you. And if your answer is that it was a doe, they immediately walk away or change the subject .... lol. The whole hunting experience has been reduced to numbers. I really don't get it. I really don't have any need to impress anybody by listing some numerical value that serves as my goal. And by the same token, I am not really all that impressed by anyone else's numerical goals.

[bruno1]

I understand that a trophy is in the eye of the beholder but with that being said "for me" I won't shoot unless it's a 130 or better. I'll go 2-3 years hunting a particular deer without shooting a single deer in  those years. I actually enjoy getting trailcam pics and having a cat and mouse game with which deer I'm after.