Why do you go for bigger bucks?

[stoneam2006]

 

Ok guys let's keep it civilized but what makes you wait or not wait for bigger deer.

For me I don't wait I fill freezers first and hunt both public and private land that pretty much all will be shot if not by me by someone else. So for that reason I am not picky I try not to shoot fawns but the moment gets me and they end up getting shot to if I have a tag and they taste so good. Someday when I own property ID like to manage it and be able to pass smaller bucks but right now if I have a tag it's dead.

Again let's keep civil.

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[The_Real_TCIII]

I try to wait on a big buck until I've at least had a few good sits in November. If it's coming down to the end of archery I will shoot a 1.5 unless I have a nice doe or two in the freezer. I do this to kill and eat deer


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[BigVal]

Same here I pass a lot of young bucks up until November or the last week of archery atleast then I'll fill a tag with a 1.5, I don't shoot fawns or does with fawns as a personal choice. as far As I'm concerned if it's legal and you are happy with it then shoot it. 

[DirtTime]

If I have a tag for it, and it walks in front of me in range, it's going to the processor. I am not aiming my hunting at a fawn, but, I am getting to the point where not much will get a pass anymore. I have let does pass this season because they had fawns with them. I am not a rack hunter, I can't eat the rack. I hunt for the meat. Last season I let a pretty nice spike get a pass early in the NZ regular season, I regretted it ever since as I didn't see another buck that gave me a safe shot

 

Hunt the way you want, shoot what you want, and enjoy the sport as long as it's legal and you keep it safe.

Edited October 23, 2016 by ....rob

[turkeyfeathers]

Personally I hunt for the freezer. We love our venison. I pay the same $70 per deer to get it processed regardless of size of deer. Big bodied buck with small rack and I'm fine with it , big doe , I've got dmps so if they give them to me I'll do my best at filling the freezer with them. Haven't ever shot what some would say is a small deer but not opposed to someone who does. We've eaten almost all 3 deer from last year . I've never shot a wall hanger , think I've only saw 2 or 3 in my life so I'm surely not waiting on one. 

[Buckmaster7600]

I enjoy hunting. I keep my tags until the last minute unless I see a big buck. I will shoot a spike in the last day and be perfectly happy with my season. To date I have let 13 different bucks go this season if I haven't killed a big one by the last few days I will shoot a small buck and be very happy with my season. I value the time in the woods more than the meat although I enjoy that as well.


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[stoneam2006]

That's a diffetent way to look at it buckmaster...hold off to hunt longer....I like that answer

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[doebuck1234]

Well said guys.i guess the way i look at it on the piece of property i hunt is if you dont shoot ur chances of getting a deer that year are slim.for instance last year i saw a 6pt and a doe that snuck up behind me and busted me so no shot.the rest of the season i saw nothing.been the same every single year.the biggest buck i have ever gotten or seen on the property is the one in my profile pic.by no means am i trying to shoot something "small".but if the opportunity for a well placed shot presents itself im not hesitating.if i had seen more bucks with a range on age and size id probably wait.but thats not the case.motto=if its brown its down

[coonhunter]

I am fortunate in the fact that my hunting areas give out plenty of doe tags, so me and my friends always have plenty between us for ourselves, families, and friends. 

That being said, I have shot enough bucks, and several of them nice ones, that it doesn't bother me not to fill a buck tag. Almost all of my deer have been killed on open land and state land that receive a lot of pressure during gun season, but only light to moderate during bow. So, obviously, most of my big bucks have been taken during bow.

I get most of my deer hunting enjoyment helping others now. What comes easy for me, is not that simple for youngsters, or hunters that have never had someone show them the ropes. I get just as much or more enjoyment watching them shoot a doe or small buck, as I ever will killing another big buck.

For all the hard core horn hunters out there, think about the nice bucks you saw pictures of last year. Now, try and remember the names of the hunters that shot them. All anyone says about me is that if i shot a buck, they know it is a nice one. That is a tiny circle of about 10-15 people. Chances are, it is not going to make you famous. Don't obsess so much that you take the fun right out of it.

 

[stubby68]

         I will not shoot fawns. They are to small to be worth it to me. Other then that I drop the first one that walks in front of me. Big rack little rack or doe ,If I will shoot it at end of season I will shoot it on the first day. I have gotten some nice ones (pics are on here someplace) but not because I waited and gave others a pass. Only time I will eat a tag is if all I have seen are fawns. But I don't  knock someone else for shooting fawns. If I tag out on the first day I will still go and sit in the woods and watch nature just as if I were hunting. Seen more deer when no gun in hand then with.

[ATbuckhunter]

I have and will shoot one any day as long as I have a tag for it and haven't gotten a deer already. I got a doe this year already so I don't have any pressure to fill the freezer. At this point fawns will probably get a pass this year, unless im hunting on LI. 

[stoneam2006]

Good posts...everyone some different perspectives here

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[Nomad]

I hunt a large farm ( acres in the thousands ) we have rules so I can only shoot certin size bucks. Ok sometimes it seems to be a sliding scale , for many years(  in my 29 year  there ) I was happy to shoot a 1 1/2. A few years back my little piece of the farm got placed under the rules.

So basically in bow  even or outside the ears , if I score in bow , I'll wait for bigger in gun ( wait not score .... Lol ).

So some years I don't take any bucks ,  although I can't remember the last one ,most I take a doe and buck. That's more then enough meat for two of us.

Coonhunter well said ! Tonight as I parked a young guy was there waiting , he wanted to use our posted land as a route to the field on the next farm to shoot one of the 20 turkeys that were In that field . I said sure even tough I was hopping in a stand near to that spot . We walked In together . I was in my stand , when bam bam and my woods went silent .

But I smiled as I knew he got his bird, even if it may have effected my hunt.

Edited October 24, 2016 by Larry302

[chrisw]

I will not shoot fawns, anything else can be fair game depending on how my season goes. Typically I let does with fawns go, I let many young bucks go but the last 10 days or so of archery the gloves come off, I'll kill a 1.5yr old buck if I haven't gotten at least 2 deer yet. If I get 2 deer, I get pickier the rest of the season. Although I have had instances where everything just feels right and I'll dump a 1.5yr old buck.

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[Four Season Whitetail's]

I myself will never shoot a small buck again. I dont see the excitement in killing the dumbest deer in the woods. I will take any yearling or older doe but never a fawn. I believe we all go thru stages and at this point my stage is to try to find and kill the biggest smartest buck i can find, Nothing less will do and i have no problem not filling my buck tags any givin year.

Does all taste the same!

[BizCT]

I used to shoot any legal buck, now I pass and wait for bigger. Many years that means nothing. I don't shoot does.

This year my rule is 4pt or better with Xbox, 6pt or better with shotgun. Only exception would be something freaky or a piebald doe.


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[wolc123]

I am very thankful for a wife and two daughters who love venison.  That is the main reason meat comes first with me.  At this point, 3.5 average sized deer gets us thru a year.  Some years, I kill all we need myself but friends usually give us one or two every year (a neighbor dropped off a big doe today).   I also pick up road kills if they are in good condition.  I definitely get more selective early in the seasons or when the meat supply is good.   With about 3 average sized deer in our supply now (two fresh ones, and a leftover-just roasts and chops from last year), all 1.5 year bucks will get a pass from me until the end of the seasons (crossbow, gun and late ML). 

I have only used my own antlerless ML tag up in the NZ so far this season, and I still have two DMP's for the SZ DMU that includes our farm and that of my folks.  It is not easy filling those DMP's around here as they seem to go nocturnal after a few weeks of archery season.  I will take any opportunity I get on antlerless deer, regardless of size, but wont start hunting again until crossbow opens a week from Saturday.  I have never been selective with my DMP's, always going for the largest bodied deer that presents a good shot.  That has resulted in 25% button bucks and those are definitely my wife's favorite.   Since we are well stocked now, I will probably target the BB's before their mother's this year. 

We have been going up the my in-laws Adirondack camp for the long Thanksgiving weekend the last few years and that has made me a bit more selective with my gun season buck tag at home.  Two years ago, if I had killed the scrawny little four pointer that walked under my stand on opening weekend, I would not have been able to take my largest bodied buck ever up there in the Adirondacks, on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  I probably would have shot that little four pointer, if I did not already have my own Archery buck and another from a friend in the freezer that year.   

Last season, I passed up a small, 1-1/2 year buck while still-hunting on my early ML season trip to the NZ.   That turned out to be the only chance I had on any deer that year.  Fortunately, friends came thru with 3.  Still, we would not have ran out of grind a week ago had I killed that little buck when I had the chance, so yes there was some regret.  There is definitely more excitement going into a hunt with my buck tag unfilled, and for that I am willing to accept a little regret, and eat a tag every few years.         

Edited October 24, 2016 by wolc123
typo

[wooly]

I pass up a lot of bucks under 200" every year.

I wont shoot anything over 200" because I like to have them around to pass on their good genetics!

 

[DirtTime]

Ya know, the problem with threads like this, and the dumb ass that spewed his BS in another thread, is people forget the true heritage of hunting and being a hunter.

It wasn't about the biggest rack or the score. It was about feeding your family! You killed game to put food on the table.

What would you do if there were no grocery stores?

 

To pass judgment on someone who kills wild game for food and not the score the animal gets is kind of....Well,,,,Stupid!

[stoneam2006]

That's kind of the point rob is no one here really "needs" to hunt to eat we all want to. Some more than others and I think that plays a major factor in what each will kill. I just wondered what caused some to wait longer or be more choosy than others. The littlest deer in the county gets my blood pumping the same as the biggest buck.

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[DirtTime]

14 minutes ago, stoneam2006 said:

That's kind of the point rob is no one here really "needs" to hunt to eat we all want to. Some more than others and I think that plays a major factor in what each will kill. I just wondered what caused some to wait longer or be more choosy than others. The littlest deer in the county gets my blood pumping the same as the biggest buck.

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I get that. But, many don't get what hunting is really about. You should still stay true to the heritage. I am not trying to argue, but as a hunter, I still try to hold true to the reason I hunt. For food, not a rack. 

[noodle874]

Sorry if this is long winded. 

 I am from long island and have property near hancock. It is really tough for me to get time away from work and family to hunt. Long island hunting doesn't interest me at all. For me it's all about getting away. Getting camp all set up, having a few cold ones by the fire, breaking each other's balls, eating some good food, strategizing over where to go and the anticipation of the hunt. Then once in the woods all that comes with it. Seeing the woods "wake up", so many species of animals that I am fortunate to have watched. Then culminating with actually harvesting a deer. How many points is really inconsequential. The whole experience is special to me. Every small racked buck is a trophy to me.

I think it comes down to why do you hunt. 

Whatever your reason is it should be respected and not questioned. 

Just my 2 ¢

[Hang Em High]

Thanks for starting this thread, this seems to be a very heated subject- I love it ! 

I can't believe how defensives some guys are getting, and how many names I have been called. My prediction is is you're hating on my comments you are a FAWN KILLER hah

Once again I am going to state my point- I seen first hand opening day last year, some  S.O.B.  pulling out a deer 1 handed, said he couldn't tell how small it was until he got up to it. That is unacceptable to me, no excuses ! 

People keep commenting about rack sizes, you can't eat racks blah blah blah - my point is its not that hard to harvest a MATURE buck or doe. Guess what ?!? You get even MORE MEAT. If that is so important to you, only makes sense to shoot a bigger more mature animal.

If you want to be the man known as a yearling killer, and fill up half a grocery bag full of meat, good luck with that. I will continue judging with disappointment ! LET THEM GROW !
 

[QDM4ME]

I consider myself very fortunate to (finally) own my own piece of heaven..
Going on 14 years of managing my land for mature bucks and constantly striving for that healthy buck to doe ratio. I plant food plots and love learning about and creating deer and wildlife habitat. I attend as many deer management, habitat management seminars as I can to better my land.

When I first purchased my land I would see 9 or 10 does to one buck, and that one buck was usually a yearling. After years of harvesting does and letting yearling bucks walk, I have noticed a stronger more intense rut, with bucks on their feet looking for hot does most years during the rut, and now I'll see 1 buck to every 3 to 4 does.
I start my bow season filling my freezer buy shooting as many does as I legally can to keep the ratio in check as my neighbors do not harvest does they only hunt for horns. After I harvest does for my freezer I start horn hunting.
I have absolutely nothing against any hunter who wishes to shoot the first deer they see to put meat in their freezer, as someone else said if it's legal and they are happy with it then sounds good to me!

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[Hang Em High]

1 hour ago, Larry302 said:

I hunt a large farm ( acres in the thousands ) we have rules so I can only shoot certin size bucks. Ok sometimes it seems to be a sliding scale , for many years(  in my 29 year  there ) I was happy to shoot a 1 1/2. A few years back my little piece of the farm got placed under the rules.

So basically in bow  even or outside the ears , if I score in bow , I'll wait for bigger in gun ( wait not score .... Lol ).

So some years I don't take any bucks ,  although I can't remember the last one ,most I take a doe and buck. That's more then enough meat for two of us.

Coonhunter well said ! Tonight as I parked a young guy was there waiting , he wanted to use our posted land as a route to the field on the next farm to shoot one of the 20 turkeys that were In that field . I said sure even tough I was hopping in a stand near to that spot . We walked In together . I was in my stand , when bam bam and my woods went silent .

But I smiled as I knew he got his bird, even if it may have effected my hunt.

To bad you're inlaws rules are so strict on you Larry G , Must have been tough not shooting that fawn earlier !