Meat or Antlers

[TreeGuy]

I love lamp

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[Hugaman]

Both are good but I prefer Meat

[landtracdeerhunter]

Helping the DEC manage the herd would be a good answer. It's "what's in it for me attitude" that motivate people to hunt. Nothing more!  Like everything else, these days.

 

[chrisw]

I eat 3 deer per year so meat is my main priority, that being said I am picky on what I shoot, I will not shoot a Fawn and most of the time will not kill a 1.5yr old buck. I hunt public land and do pretty well but it's an hour drive both ways and it's not easy sometimes. You guys that have easy access to killing your "meat" deer should be grateful, it's something some people have to work a lot harder for. As far as antlers go, I LOVE antlers, they've always fascinated me, I usually try to get 2 adult does down then focus almost entirely on bucks. Which is more important to me? The meat, but I do love meat with big antlers attached also.

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[WNYBuckHunter]

15 hours ago, wolc123 said:

Button Bucks with lots of chest girth.

 

Fixed it for you...

[wolc123]

It looks like two more jumped in who say that meat is more important to them. That cancels out Buckmaster finally deciding on antlers, so we are still 2:1 in favor of those who say the meat is more important.   I really do appreciate the "antler" folks, because without them and the deer they pass, it would be a little tougher for those of us who try and live a subsistance lifestyle, off the fat of the land.    I really hate getting meat at the supermarket, or worse yet from raising domestic livestock.  I do like a little lamb once in a while though.   Is that what you were talking about Treeguy ?  

[Bowshotmuzzleloader]

17 minutes ago, wolc123 said:

It looks like two more jumped in who say that meat is more important to them. That cancels out Buckmaster finally deciding on antlers, so we are still 2:1 in favor of those who say the meat is more important.   I really do appreciate the "antler" folks, because without them and the deer they pass, it would be a little tougher for those of us who try and live a subsistance lifestyle, off the fat of the land.    I really hate getting meat at the supermarket, or worse yet from raising domestic livestock.  I do like a little lamb once in a while though.   Is that what you were talking about Treeguy ?  

I don’t only shoot antlers but I prefer cold weather if Im going to harvest a doe and usually pass because I don’t need to live off deer meat,, I also don’t want to do the work most the time,,, so seeing does and knowing you can kill them is like a successful hunt in my mind and I guess its all where you are in your life and your hunting...

Its like the old candy bar commercial some days you feel like nut,,, some days you don’t..

[hugedogleg]

Can't eat horns

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[Bowshotmuzzleloader]

4 minutes ago, hugedogleg said:

Can't eat horns

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Last I checked you could eat what they are attached too...

[hugedogleg]

Last I checked you could eat what they are attached too...

Yeah nothing like the taste of an 8 year old mossy nutted buck. Ha. Hey man it don't matter to me. I hunt horns too but when it's time to put deer meat in the freezer I'm not opposed to killing some doe. Or skillet heads as we call them here in Texas

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[Doc]

I guess there was a time when I measured success by using antlers as some kind of gauge, and I still appreciate a good rack. But over the years, I have begun to look more at the quality of the hunting experience than trying to reduce my hunter satisfaction to some arbitrary scoring system and competition with other hunters. I look at what some people do to get antlers, and I guess a lot of it doesn't really have a lot to do with my idea of "hunting". So, given my version of "hunting deer the way I find them" without manipulations of their patterns or diet or habits, I suppose that I really don't pursue the antlers thing with any kind of fixation like so many do. I guess we all look at our hunting with different attitudes and different goals. It's kind of a personal activity that extracts whatever it is that we individually need or want to get out of it.

By the way, meat is not a huge motivator for my hunting either. It all gets eaten, but I could get along just fine if I never had another helping of venison.

[Robhuntandfish]

On 4/25/2018 at 8:32 AM, WNYBuckHunter said:

Both for me. Meat hunting is not really much of a challenge in my areas, but its fun. Is it to the point of I can go and guarantee that Ill put one on the ground at any time I choose? No, but give me a few days and I will. Hunting mature bucks (Ill define this as 3.5 y/o and up) is a whole different ballgame though, and that is where the challenge comes in for me, and the most satisfaction. There are many other aspects to hunting that I enjoy more than the actual kill. Simply asking "meat or antlers" is too black and white to give a real answer IMO.

This ^^^^   .....        except not as easy as that for me to bank some meat.  But i will get at least one deer in the freezer by the end of season!  I usually get one shot in the season but I have had years that i didnt get a deer til mid gun season.  But a big doe coming into range still gets the adrenaline and the shakes going.  Hope that doesnt change , ever. Me and my hunting buddys are all pretty happy when we take a doe or a buck.  Never gotten a monster buck but of course would like to someday but if that meant makes or breaks my season i wouldnt enjoy hunting as much as i do.   I also think it depends on where you hunt.  If meat is a layup then i might say a nice buck too.  But if its either/or ..... I choose meat.  

[Tughill Tamer]

Meat is first for me but I still like a nice Rack!!!

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[Five Seasons]

wow we haven't this discussion before either 

it's not a simple solution for me. Ultimately I hunt to enjoy the outdoors. I guess first and foremost I like to have meat in the freezer, which means eventually I'll shoot a doe or even a smaller buck to do so. I wont eat tag soup. But my ultimate goal is to shoot a nice buck. There are different levels of importance and value in both. This past year I shot a small 4 point with my bow and then put a wounded doe down with my mz. I have meat in the freezer and feel good about that, but I don't look back on last year as a success. 

I believe a good many of us who aren't squarely on one side or the other fall into a similar bucket.

[Five Seasons]

On 4/24/2018 at 8:39 PM, steve863 said:

Meat.  If antlers were somehow the only thing I was allowed to keep from deer hunting I would not bother to hunt.

i don't hunt anything i can't eat. So i agree with this. Otherwise it's simply killing for sport. Heck even in africa they eat the meat of what they kill. 

It's probably why I never got the motivation to yote hunt. 

But I'm still a horn hunter. If that makes sense.

[Five Seasons]

On 4/24/2018 at 9:03 PM, moog5050 said:

Obviously it’s more challenging to kill a mature buck.  Not only are they good at avoiding hunters but they make up a very small part of the total Deer Population.  No idea if people would fold.  That said FSW, we both hunt pretty good areas.   Not sure I would be as motivated if I hunted an area where I saw 2 deer a year.  

 

On 4/24/2018 at 9:07 PM, Four Season Whitetail's said:

No doubt but that said if I was going to be a hunter I would make sure I put myself in the best area possible or I would not bother.


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some hunt for the love of the outdoors. I haven't killed a turkey in 4 years and still go at it, because i just love being in the woods. Too often FSW, you imagine we all think and do the same. We're all different. I saw less than 8 deer in 2 years in MS public land. Killed 2. Still loved it and still hunted. I would venture to guess that the first doe I shot was harder to kill than any deer I've ever killed.

Edited May 2, 2018 by Belo

[chas0218]

I'm a sucker for a nice rack....

[GreeneHunter]

11 hours ago, Tughill Tamer said:

 I still like a nice Rack!!!

 

Don't we all ! 

[Five Seasons]

On 4/25/2018 at 9:33 AM, Four Season Whitetail's said:

Really it would'nt. Because people would not be honest. I know not one hunter that does not wake and walk in the woods without the hope of killing the biggest buck possible in their area. They may settle for less but their hope is the biggest. You ever hear many say they let a nice big 8-10 walk so they could try to get the little 4 coming in behind ??


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there's a guy on here and i dont want to get it wrong... want to say stubby that is adamant he doesn't feel a thing and doesn't care what deer he shoots. There's also wolc who wants to shoot bb's. But generally I agree that they're most likely full of it.

[jjb4900]

On 4/25/2018 at 9:33 AM, Four Season Whitetail's said:

Really it would'nt. Because people would not be honest. I know not one hunter that does not wake and walk in the woods without the hope of killing the biggest buck possible in their area. They may settle for less but their hope is the biggest. You ever hear many say they let a nice big 8-10 walk so they could try to get the little 4 coming in behind ??


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I would say that's pretty accurate.

[Four Season Whitetail's]

7 minutes ago, Belo said:

there's a guy on here and i dont want to get it wrong... want to say stubby that is adamant he doesn't feel a thing and doesn't care what deer he shoots. There's also wolc who wants to shoot bb's. But generally I agree that they're most likely full of it.

Yeah so Stubby says yet he throws up some pics of bucks he calls big?  And Wolc..He has always said he would like to kill a big deer just does not seem to get it done.  Prob cause he is busy shooting the first deer that walks out...The dumb Button head.

But in both their minds as they start out their day of hunting they are both wishing for the biggest beast in their area...hence its the antlers that drive most hunters.

[crappyice]

Yeah so Stubby says yet he throws up some pics of bucks he calls big?  And Wolc..He has always said he would like to kill a big deer just does not seem to get it done.  Prob cause he is busy shooting the first deer that walks out...The dumb Button head.
But in both their minds as they start out their day of hunting they are both wishing for the biggest beast in their area...hence its the antlers that drive most hunters.

FSW sounds like Sarah Huckabee trying to cover some of Trump’s missteps. Spew the same message over and over; louder and louder; until no one cares. Hahaha. By the way, she’s way better at it!


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[moog5050]

6 minutes ago, crappyice said:

FSW sounds like Sarah Huckabee trying to cover some of Trump’s missteps. Spew the same message over and over; louder and louder; until no one cares. Hahaha. By the way, she’s way better at it!


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LOL - he is probably right that most hope to kill a big buck, but I believe meat is the first driver and antlers are secondary.  Not sure how many would hunt deer if they were inedible.

[chrisw]

LOL - he is probably right that most hope to kill a big buck, but I believe meat is the first driver and antlers are secondary.  Not sure how many would hunt deer if they were inedible.

I think your spot on. Coyotes are inedible trophies and I bet only about 5% of hunters target them, so it seems the "edible" part is a major factor and arguably the primary. I wonder if coyotes grew antlers if the percentage would change at all....

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[Five Seasons]

1 hour ago, moog5050 said:

LOL - he is probably right that most hope to kill a big buck, but I believe meat is the first driver and antlers are secondary.  Not sure how many would hunt deer if they were inedible.

hunting originates from our primal need to feed ourselves. Inherently most of us were taught not to kill without need, and food is a need for all of us. As far as antlers and furs, I believe they also date to the caveman era, and were more commonly used as a means of attracting mates. Like look at the size of these horns, I can kill big beast for you and kids, now bend over  

In 2018, those horns have been replaced by houses and cars. In the end it's all the same.