How many pick a buck...

[Four Season Whitetail's]

We all will take a gift if it walks into our lap's but how many actually go out and scout and find a couple bucks to hunt and then kill nothing less than those bucks? End of season and no meat im sure would change our plans but for the most part?

We are heading down to camp this week for a few days to get some chores done and i will be down on the Park and the Farm to start the look for my couple to chase this year. No Cam's so it will be tree stand sits and long range field glassing.

[growalot]

Nope...for one thing I'm Irish...with that comes certain superstitions...no need to be out there jinxing myself...

[BizCT]

I've held out for bucks I have pics of (but never shot). I have also shot bucks I have pics of, but they weren't my top choice.


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[Jeremy K]

Where we hunt ,its buck not bucks . Every year we hope to see THE buck even if we don't get a shot . We have doe ,sometimes 15 at a time but they don't issue doe tags which is a real kick in the pants.

[Buckmaster7600]

I usually pick my buck when I have about 2lbs of pressure on the trigger.


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[Nomad]

I only shoot management bucks, any buck I can manage to shoot !

Farm has rules about buck size, I stick to that , but don't Walt for certin ones .

[stoneam2006]

Yep...I have enough freezers to fill as long as I have to drag it home and not carry it and I have a tag it's dead if I do my part.

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[Tughill Tamer]

If its early season I may let a small buck walk as long as I have meat in the freezer the farther into the season the less picky I become. I have never hunted just one particular buck.

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[turkeyfeathers]

Just set out 2 cams for first time in long time. Will I wait  on a slob ?  Nope. Big body and good eating the hammer is getting dropped. Ate 3 from last year already for the most part. Deer don't get big racks where I hunt. The trophy for me/us is pounds in the freezer. I've seen only maybe 3 wall hangers in 30 years of hunting deer and have enjoyed my non wall hangers in the skillet along the way. Buddy who routinely shoots huge bucks is asking every year for venison that ain't so tough lol. Jealous yes , envious no. 

[grampy]

image:1357image:1357We don't have too many huge racked bucks here. So I'm happy for a mature deer no matter how big or small the antlers are. And there have been years where I was happy to shoot any deer, just to fill the freezer. But I  am going to target this guy this year.

Sorry can't seem to get the pic attached. image:1357

Edited August 23, 2016 by grampy

[Buckmaster7600]

My problem is it's hard to judge a deers weight by a trail cam pic and I don't shoot a buck unless I guess it's over 180lbs, does are for steaks bucks are for sausage.


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[G-Man]

I have a target list i wait for . It's usually the top 3 or 5 I have on cam out of 30 plus different bucks. I share it with the other guys I hunt with so we all have an idea if whats available.  Age and size are usually bigger but the us no set humber if a 120 is all we have on cam that the target,  some years it all 130 plus inch deer.. you can't wait for a 160 in if there isn't one in your hunting area..

[Zag]

My rule of thumb is shoot doe for the freezer. That's the first hurdle then I an afford to try chasing a nice buck. I wont shoot the small bucks, they have to be 8pts or higher and ill pass them up waiting for the hit list for a short while during bow. I run cams all yr and know I have multiple small to midsize 8pts and a couple in a higher class. Gun seasons a game changer in our area. I'm yet to find the oasis they migrate to but I'm sure there is one.

[WNYBuckHunter]

I usually have a handful of bucks between the farms that Ill hold out for the last few years. Im trying to hold out for a 3 year old or better at this point. I kill my fair share of does to fill the freezer though.

[landtracdeerhunter]

We have also set some farm rules that we stick to. A big boy harvest is an added bonus. We're about due again.

[Core]

I hunt public land, so that's your answer 

[wolc123]

Because venison is our family's primary source of protein, meat is usually the main objective when I hunt.   I pass on 1-1/2 year old bucks early in archery and gun seasons because they add a lot of body weight over the next several years.   You can't eat the tags however, so late season, the 1-1/2 year bucks are in trouble if I still have mine.   I do expect to be a little more selective than usual this fall for several reasons.  First, I am hoping to get a crack at a big Adirondack buck that I missed a chance at late last season (I spooked him on my walk into the woods in the dark) and second, our vacuum-sealed venison supply is still pretty good.    

[Doc]

I only target the very old bucks. You know, the toothless ones with the sway back, and bowed legs, where you can count every rib. A bit of blindness and deafness helps too. No buck is harvested before its time. If I can chew the meat, it was probably too young.

Yeah .... right .... You believe all that, I've got this bridge that I will sell you. Actually, any deer that comes along, without any spots, is the one that I will try to take.....lol.

[gfdeputy2]

I only target deer without spots or a milk mustache. It is all about Venison in the freezer to me. 

I get just as excited when I take any deer no matter the rack or size

[adkhunter71]

Last year we had a nice wide 8 and a 10 with stickers off of his beams on trail cam while they were still in velvet and in bachelor groups.  I would like to say that I was targeting one of those, but they were nowhere to be seen when the velvet peeled. 

If I am lucky enough to see a buck that I have had on trailcam, I will certainly shoot it, but I don't hold out for anything in particular.  My main objective is to put meat in the freezer and I will fill my doe tags or archery tag on a doe first.  

[moog5050]

We always have target bucks, but I will shoot the first buck that I think is 3 years or older when the opportunity presents itself.   So I definitely don't have the nothing less than the target bucks approach. 

[Four Season Whitetail's]

3 hours ago, moog5050 said:

We always have target bucks, but I will shoot the first buck that I think is 3 years or older when the opportunity presents itself.   So I definitely don't have the nothing less than the target bucks approach. 

Right..So you pick out a couple that you know are there and scouted out and go hunt THEM.. If another of the same size or age comes thru then yes we would take him but you wont take the first young 6-8 point that walks thru opening morning?

[moog5050]

2 minutes ago, Four Season Whitetails said:

Right..So you pick out a couple that you know are there and scouted out and go hunt THEM.. If another of the same size or age comes thru then yes we would take him but you wont take the first young 6-8 point that walks thru opening morning?

That's about it.  I shoot plenty of doe for the meat.  Just my preference.

Edited August 25, 2016 by moog5050

[Four Season Whitetail's]

9 minutes ago, moog5050 said:

That's about it.  I shoot plenty of doe for the meat.  Just my preference.

Thats what i call hunting at this point in my hunting life. Find them and go get them on thier turf and not settle for less. Equal or bigger yes but not less...Does are a givin and dont even really come into the picture here.

[NFA-ADK]

For me I just set a bar for the day.  EX:  Any 10 pt or better today is on the list.  If I find a big track in a area I usually will not settle for anything less but it causes me to pass many deer.  Usually for me any decent 8 or better is good while stalking and in the tree on private my standards are set to 140 ish or better.  (I get one free pass but can't pull the trigger knowing what is available.)   My standards do not change whether it is opening day or the last day.  8 pt or better.