A couple of remarks on the "top end" buck thread got me to thinking, and we all know that is a dangerous thing. What I was wondering was, if you have set your standards to shoot no less than X, but in all of the scouting you are doing and everything you are seeing on all of the properties you have not seen one buck that meets X what do you do? That is, there are still plenty of good bucks around, but none that reach that standard that you have set.
Do you go after the biggest and best buck available that is below your self-imposed limit but still the biggest around, or do you relegate yourself to filling the freezer with does and hold out for that "phantom" buck that could be out there knowing it will likely lead to tag soup?
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RE: Standards. Do they change season to season?
first you got to realize the biggest buck from the public land areas of northern Arkansas are going to be a lot smaller than the biggest public land bucks from norther MN public lands - many inches different
also, knocking down a big buck at 300 yards is way different than shooting one at 40 yards with a compound, and in turn thats way different than shooting any deer at 15 yards with a traditional real bow
perspective ......... don't ever get caught up in the love of horn porn, its ruined hunting too much already
BD, agreed, but I think you are missing the point. The point is a lot of guys set limits for themselves on what they want to shoot. If they aren't seeing any bucks above that limit in all of their scouting would they take the next best buck they are seeing given the opportunity, or hold out in hopes that there is a buck out there that meets their limits that has yet to be seen, however unlikely that may be.
That's why I say I dont think I'll be a good teammate, this year. I'm gonna hold out for one of top end (my definition.....which mirrors yours) bucks in my woods.....OR....what I "think" that "should" be.
This may be the first season since I started taking them......that I don't kill a buck.
I normally don't shoot for points, I target mature deer every year, I look for 4 1/2+ year old bucks. If I don't see one, I am ok with that as I always get my doe's and am fortunate that we have a lot of exotics that I can spend my hunting time on as well. Two years agoI did not get a buck but was fortunate enought to get a nice Sika buck. This year I am really focusing on some huge Axis bucks that we have been seeing. Don't get me wrong, last yearI had a hard time passing a whitetail that was 3 1/2 that would have been the best whitetail that I had ever shot (inces wise) but I chose to hunt a property that they shoot mature deer on and I don't regret it as it will pay dividends sooner or later...
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"LUCK-is where opportunity meets preparation"
and "P.E.T.A. Sucks"
Year to year I don"™t see enough variation in my current hunting spots that would affect my standards of what I"™ll shoot. HOWEVER, should something happen that would turn all my hunting spots upside down, and leave me searching for new places to hunt, I would re-evaluate things and go from there. It would be a far reaching desperate situation for me to lower them to shooting year & ½ old bucks ever again though. I can"™t really see that happening.
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Just a regular guy who likes to hunt
I changed mine last season after mother nature killed alot of my deer []I decided given the chance at an at least 2.5 -8 point that i would shoot it and just go back to my roots. It happened This year im back holding out for 3.5 or better
When you're this awesome, you set the standard. Always. If his Majesty shall issue a Royal Decree that the standards shall be raised, then be it that they shall. Conversely, he may petition for a reduction in standards. This is the power vested in the King.
It's not uncommon for whitetail bucks to approach His Majesty in the woods and do headstands, tricks, displays of dominanceand various feats of agility to amuse his Highness, trying to earn his praise and his buck tag.
You Are Not Worthy
Jilted and dejected, they leave, wondering what it is that they've done wrong to deserve such treatment. Sometimes they seek therapy in peer groups. Others simply commit suicide in nearby highways.
To warrant the King's Royal Arrow, it is an esteemed privilege.
Great posts guys. Some very interesting, and bizarre (in at least one case)perspectives.
Generally in my spots I'll see 2.5 year olds and a few 3.5 year olds each year. The 3.5s become ghosts once the season opens. They'll taunt me by showing up in my headlights as I leave, but they are rarely on their feet during daylight before the rut. So what I target are the 3.5s in hopes that they slip up in the rut and the bigger 2.5s.
If something happened and there were only a few 2.5 year olds and most of them were about the same size I'd try to go after the biggest 2.5 out there, even if it was smaller than the 2.5s I normally go after. The reason is, that is the best buck available and that is what I'm after is the best buck out there on the properties I hunt.
I must have some of the King's mojo, becuase I too will have small 1.5 year olds parade around my stand begging to be shot. One even returned to my stand at the sound of my urinating from my stand hoping to drink the nectar of the next KING! (true story except for the drinking part)
Standards. Do they change season to season?
) bucks in my woods.....OR....what I "think" that "should" be.
]I decided given the chance at an at least 2.5 -8 point that i would shoot it and just go back to my roots. It happened 
This year im back holding out for 3.5 or better 
