1 tag left

[Meat Manager]

At noon my awesome wife surprised me with the news that I could go hunting around 1:30.

I took a long way around to scout for tracks and didn't see a ton of real fresh but a good deal of lightly covered tracks which gave me some encouragement that deer had moved thru the previous pm.

I was planning on going to another stand, but I decided since it was already 3pm I would try a stand I had yet to sit at any pm sessions all season.

Heard some nearby shots right away but did not see any movement...then right around 4:25 a good doe limped in the pine/swamp edge parallel to the corn field.

50 yards right in front of me i stopped her with a "mah" aimed a bit high to compensate but hit my exact mark...she dropped with a spine and I put another in her chest for a quick finish.

When i got up to her i saw the front right knee was broken and about 3 times the size the healthy knee.

6 tags filled including a 3 yr old 8 point archery buck...just 1 regular season tag left before I get forced to hunt DMFA and New Jersey thru February.

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Edited November 26, 2013 by Meat Manager

[MACHINIST]

Great job!! Question...do you cut off the front legs before dragging? In the last pic I see no legs,never thought of doing that.I am sure it would make for a easier drag though

[Meat Manager]

Great job!! Question...do you cut off the front legs before dragging? In the last pic I see no legs,never thought of doing that.I am sure it would make for a easier drag though

Thanks!

Actually that was just before I hung her in the shed...I do that because my bigger deer barely have enough room to hang in my lil shed. So I do it with all my deer....the head also came off right after I snapped the pick.

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Edited November 26, 2013 by Meat Manager

[Meat Manager]

This is the difference between a big one and a little one in my shed, you can see the lil one has about a foot of ground clearance, while big mature deer the neck and shanks nearly touch the ground:

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Edited November 26, 2013 by Meat Manager

[CuseHunter]

Congrats!

[cdmckane]

Nice

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[Five Seasons]

sweet pics

[wooly]

6 tags filled including a 3 yr old 8 point archery buck...just 1 regular season tag left before I get forced to hunt DMFA and New Jersey thru February.

 

 

Congrats..., but I gotta ask...... exactly how many deer do you really need to kill in one year?

Don't take this the wrong way. I'd really like an honest answer. I know there's plenty of guys here that do the same.

If you've got the tags then by all means knock yourself out. Just seems like a little bit of "overkill" to me when guys feel they "need" to fill every tag issued. 

I'll be honest here, I even get a bit annoyed when I hear guys killing in excess of their own needs just to donate the rest. If they were really feeling generous, they would sacrifice one of their own. JMO

[Meat Manager]

Congrats..., but I gotta ask...... exactly how many deer do you really need to kill in one year?

Don't take this the wrong way. I'd really like an honest answer. I know there's plenty of guys here that do the same.

If you've got the tags then by all means knock yourself out. Just seems like a little bit of "overkill" to me when guys feel they "need" to fill every tag issued.

I'll be honest here, I even get a bit annoyed when I hear guys killing in excess of their own needs just to donate the rest. If they were really feeling generous, they would sacrifice one of their own. JMO

4 is usually good enough for me for the year...this year my grandfather has cancer and isn't able to hunt much and he uses 2 or 3 a year easy.

Not too mention I like to break off a piece to my farmer and neighbors who let me hunt their properties.

Beyond that I hunt my ass off and pay for the tags...not too mention how many guys buy doe tags with very little intention to fill them.

I also give away meat as I get it, so that is my meat and I have to hunt more to get and give more...I don't stock 4 up and then start hunting for pop, he had half of my 2 nd deer.

I feel like some of you guys would rather see does on windshields than legally taken and in a freezer.

Only 17% of dmp's get filled...Im a meat hunter and a herd manager under the regulations of wherever I am hunting. I also dont shoot yearling bucks...No apologies here.

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Edited November 26, 2013 by Meat Manager

[Meat Manager]

I've taken 3 now and feel glutted out. My freezer will be bursting (its a small freezer) but I had so many requests for venison I felt the need for the 3rd. It's also my third season so I need the experience and got to test-out my bow, gun and tracking/stalking skills. It's been a big boost versus my rubbish year last season.I finally feel like a Hunter.

My remaining doe tag however will be left unused.I'm done.I hope to see the same level of deer activity next year, if not better in fact. Feeling pretty drained now also. I put in a lot of hours. I am already planning next year tho! lol

i think it's totally right to only harvest what you will use. I would never waste.

That said I have a lot of family who hunt their butts off and it's nice to hook them up to when work or kids keep them from getting it done.

Finally I love whitetail hunting and start in September in NJ and finish up in Feb in NJ...I feel like this is my mid season.

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[Culvercreek hunt club]

 I even get a bit annoyed when I hear guys killing in excess of their own needs just to donate the rest. If they were really feeling generous, they would sacrifice one of their own. JMO

What do you think our role is in this sport we take part in? Our role first and foremost is population control. There are still WMU's where the permits have not all been issued to this day. Buddy of mine just went in the other day and picked up more for 8H. Last year the season finished without all the tags being issued for that area. (I believe there were others too). There is a program to donate venison....there are tags to fill.... sounds like a win / win to me.

 

Let's face it, that majority of hunters do not fill their tags for what ever reason. I am very much against wasting any of the deer and that is one thing that burns me about nuisance tags. but if you have a tag and it is going to be used, I say burn 'em up.

[Meat Manager]

What do you think our role is in this sport we take part in? Our role first and foremost is population control. There are still WMU's where the permits have not all been issued to this day. Buddy of mine just went in the other day and picked up more for 8H. Last year the season finished without all the tags being issued for that area. (I believe there were others too). There is a program to donate venison....there are tags to fill.... sounds like a win / win to me.

Let's face it, that majority of hunters do not fill their tags for what ever reason. I am very much against wasting any of the deer and that is one thing that burns me about nuisance tags. but if you have a tag and it is going to be used, I say burn 'em up.

It was also a wounded deer with a broken knee...the likelihood of her surviving this upcoming winter was slim. I was actually waiting on a big deer but this choice seemed obvious.

I do agree there should be a throttle on those nuisance tags...instead of so many red tags they should issue dmaps for hunters to force the farmers to allow hunters to take more ag deer in season.

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Edited November 26, 2013 by Meat Manager

[Five Seasons]

4 is usually good enough for me for the year...this year my grandfather has cancer and isn't able to hunt much and he uses 2 or 3 a year easy.

Not too mention I like to break off a piece to my farmer and neighbors who let me hunt their properties.

Beyond that I hunt my ass off and pay for the tags...not too mention how many guys buy doe tags with very little intention to fill them.

I also give away meat as I get it, so that is my meat and I have to hunt more to get and give more...I don't stock 4 up and then start hunting for pop, he had half of my 2 nd deer.

I feel like some of you guys would rather see does on windshields than legally taken and in a freezer.

Only 17% of dmp's get filled...Im a meat hunter and a herd manager under the regulations of wherever I am hunting. I also dont shoot yearling bucks...No apologies here.

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I dont feel my $10 to doe tags are a waste if I dont use them. Keeps me in the woods and I only rarely fill them, but the cost goes towards conservation and that's always been ok with me. I don't feel the need to fill them just because I paid my money.

 

people hunt differently so I wont criticize if you're eating them all. But me personally, it's not about the number of deer, it's the quality and sometimes I do not meet my standards but need to fill the freezer. As long as I have 2 in the freezer I'm good.

Edited November 26, 2013 by Belo

[New York Hillbilly]

At what point does a person feel they killed enough deer for one season?

 

I don't think there was anything wrong with Wooly's question, and in fact find myself wondering the same thing. I doubt like heck anyone on this site would rather see a deer on anybody's windshield, and see that comment more as a knee jerk, emotional response to an honest, poignant question. By the same token I don't think it requires a list of explanations or excuses about why someone kills a pile of deer if it is done legally.

 

To answer Wooly's question though I think is really pretty simple. It's a very personal thing we all need to ask ourselves, and  to know when the little voice in our head (conscience) tells us enough is enough, it's time to stop for the year. 

[Five Seasons]

well said hillbilly. Only you as the hunter know when you've crossed the line from ethical useful hunting to wasteful killing. The sticking point in the topic is always population control. Honest question: would shooting a deer in the woods and leaving it to rot in an overcrowded area better than risking that deer causing a fatal motor vehicle accident? Or what about ruining a farmers crop? A lot of what if's in that question and the only point in my opinion where someone not killing for food might be ok. I'm not sure how I feel.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Honest question: would shooting a deer in the woods and leaving it to rot in an overcrowded area better than risking that deer causing a fatal motor vehicle accident? Or what about ruining a farmers crop? A lot of what if's in that question and the only point in my opinion where someone not killing for food might be ok. I'm not sure how I feel.

I could take you to a couple farms and a nursery and show you deed deer in the woods that are shot and have no portion of the meat taken. That is a thorn in my side. If it is being eaten or donated to hose who will I have no issue with any number legally taken.

[shawnhu]

I could take you to a couple farms and a nursery and show you deed deer in the woods that are shot and have no portion of the meat taken. That is a thorn in my side. If it is being eaten or donated to hose who will I have no issue with any number legally taken.

No different than those that set out to break a world record in deer harvest and boast about their count for the year, in every thread. Same people usually ends up wounding deer, then claim they still have tags to fill. IMO,

If you wound a deer, you should burn your tag.

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[wooly]

What do you think our role is in this sport we take part in? Our role first and foremost is population control.

 

I understand that. I'm by no means new to this hunting stuff and what my purpose is out there. I'm struggling with typing this in my most civil tone possible, so if anyone takes offence, it's either unintentional or you have a guilty conscence for some reason,lol

For one guy to take 6 antlerless deer this year, kinda puts him at least 12 deer behind the 8 ball heading into next year already.

If you take a look around the site, there's no shortage of posts here about decreased deer #'s.., and fewer than usual sightings..., and it's so quiet out there this season. Heck Meat Manager himself has been involved in many of those posts. What do you expect we're gonna be reading about the same time next season if we kill every deer that shows us it's vitals. That's just not good sound management no matter if you're a meat hunter, a trophy hunter, or even one of those guys in between who supports AR's and has big dreams!

 

I'm no biologist, but lets get real here people. If your not seeing the deer on your property like you used to, you might do good to give a few of them a pass to replenish what you've already taken instead of starting in a hole for 2014. All the food plots and land management you can come up with in the off season wont make a shit bit of difference if you don't have any deer left to benefit from it.

 

We've also seen the quite a few topics about how DEC issues more antlerless tags in certain areas than they should. Some will say this is due to their innaccurate method of calculating deer populations over smaller areas instead of a broader assumption over a WMU.

You guys that are out there every day know what's going on in your particular woods better than anyone else and need to recognise and adjust your harvest goals accordingly.... not just shoot 'em up because you can. As always JMO!

[TeeBugg]

Two is usually good for me. But i have alot of friends and family who dont or cant hunt. I try an get them some meat as well. As for the comment of burning your tag because you wounded one...just a bit extreme.

[shawnhu]

Extreme because a hunter screwed up and wants a second chance? Or extreme because the hunter probably didn't practice enough to respect the game?

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[Culvercreek hunt club]

Doc1.pdf

 

It appears that even with all this senseless slaughter going on out there the numbers seem pretty up.

[TeeBugg]

Extreme because a hunter screwed up and wants a second chance? Or extreme because the hunter probably didn't practice enough to respect the game?

X-Calibur Lighting Systems

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Both. Stuff happens and you cant control what game does or how they react...theres too many variables. Yes we can only control our end of the variables and most hunters do. Heres a thought...i wound a deer for whatever reason. I then burn my tag...deer walks by and i cant shoot it because i burned my tag. So instead of making it right the deer walks around wounded. As i said its a bit extreme

[Elmo]

Let's be honest with ourselves here.  None of you are thinking about car accidents when you're out hunting deer.

 

A show of hands.  Which one of you was sitting at home, relaxing on your couch, and thinking about how perfect the world is when all of a sudden the news comes on.  Car hits deer, swerves into traffic, causes a three car pile-up.  And you jumped out of your couch.  Pumped your fist and scream.  "I don't like to hunt but this is the last straw!  I will raise war against these deer for the good of man kind!  I will now take up hunting to ensure the safety of all Cadillacs in Ah-merica"?

 

If Civil Engineers designed elevated roads or if Mechanical Engineers designed cars that can hover and thus eliminate all accidents that resulted from deer, how many of you will put your bows and guns away, dust your hands, and say "Well, my job here is done.  Now I will sit back on the couch and think the world is perfect once again."?

 

We all hunt here because we enjoy the hunt.  Let's not kid ourselves.  Sure, there are all these extra side benefits that result from our hunting but that's not why we do it.  We do it for our own selfish reasons.  Let's just admit it.  It's how you hunt that's the moral question and only you can answer that for yourself.

[Meat Manager]

You guys can come up with whatever arbitrary number you feel good about...mine is the max number I can use or legally take, whichever comes first.

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[shawnhu]

TeeBugg, on Today, 05:20 PM, said:

Both. Stuff happens and you cant control what game does or how they react...theres too many variables. Yes we can only control our end of the variables and most hunters do. Heres a thought...i wound a deer for whatever reason. I then burn my tag...deer walks by and i cant shoot it because i burned my tag. So instead of making it right the deer walks around wounded. As i said its a bit extreme

Never heard of a wounded deer walking right back to were the wound-er shot it. Now THAT's extreme!

If such an anomaly should happen, then you can explain to the DEC officer that you had to put the poor animal out of its misery, I'm sure he/she would understand.

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Edited November 26, 2013 by shawnhu