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11-29-2002 | 11:02 AM

#72

Tazman

Boone & Crockett

Joined: Feb 2003

Posts: 13,672

Likes: 0

From: Fredericksburg Virginia USA

RE: Trophy Hunting?

RICHIE and all others, I see RICHIE has acknowledged that in certain instances taking dink/scrub bucks is beneficial to the overall herd in QDM standards, there are some other reasons posted here that justify the taking of lesser bucks.

I will only speak for the area I hunt when I say the following, we need to thin the does, no matter what age(except fawns)drastically simply due to over population, but we also need to take inferior bucks from areas where known larger bucks reside to keep the inferior bucks from breeding.

I do and will allow basket bucks walk that are immature, but I have no problems with someone else taking them just due to the shear numbers of deer we have here. I will say this though, if next year I notice a big increase in basket 8's I may just take one.

Oh and one more thing, if in a year or two when my twins start hunting I will encourage and praise them to take any buck they see. As they get a few deer under their belts I will encourage them to let the smaller ones walk, but if they decide to take a small one I will not discipline them as long as the venison is not wasted.

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I have one for the QDM folks, you know there is a 7-8 year old monster 6 point on the property you hunt, 23-24 inches on the inside of the beam with 12-14" tines, he has never had brow tines or he would be a real brute of an 8 point, you also know there is a nice 3.5 year old buck that was a nice basket 8 last season. Now you see a scrub buck that is an easy shot, do you take him to stop him from mating, knowing that the other 2 nice bucks are still on the hoof? Mind you there is a huge amount of does in your area. You are to your knowledge the only person to hunt this area and you can kill 3 bucks a year and 100 doe. Do you cull him or let him walk, knowing he will breed and may get to be a bit larger, but still be a scrub buck passing on his genes?

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If I had three buck tags? Even if I had only one, I would most definately try for the 6 pointer right off!!! That buck you describe is a true trophy due to its rarity. Kind of like the 3 anltered buck I harvested a couple of weeks ago. It is a rare find in the nature of a piebald, albino, ect.

Now, Do I shoot the scrub buck while having 3 tags? Most definately. If I have done my homework, and have seen the same buck, year after year, and no significant growth has occured, I will do my part in removing him from the herd. If I am not 100% sure of it, I let it walk and take my chances that his offspring will load up on minerals and develope their own superior gene pool year after year.
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The Tazman aka Martin Price
Founder and President of
Virginia Disabled Outdoorsmen Club

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