I`ll let you guys fight away about shooting young deer or not. One thing that Bowfanatic pointed out about the "land mongers" though, I will address. I guess I am a land monger according to this new definition, anyway, a substantial sized farm next to my lease in Illinois leased out this year to a group from South Carolina. Now these are only the bucks that came onto my lease, who knows what went the other way? Five, count them, five gutshot bucks came across onto us(we watched 3 of them come over)they are all lying dead on my lease. The biggest buck was maybe 110". Lousy, unethical hunters to say the least, but obviously NOT trophy hunters.
So I guess ALL land mongers are not like me, they don`t all feel the need to let small bucks walk.
Last year I got involved in the never ending debate concerning letting young bucks walk, and soon realized it was like beating your thumb with a hammer! It feels better when you stop.
Last year I did ask one question, that I have yet to see a legitimate answer to.
If you are a full grown man, with several smaller bucks under your belt, why would you possibly WANT to shoot smaller bucks?

I will add something that wolfen said, it went something along the lines of young bucks are so dumb, its like throwing them a stick and telling them to fetch it.
He is not that far off.
Young bucks are that dumb, at least in the dozen or so states that I have hunted whitetails in. It is no big feat to shoot one. If that is want someone wants to do, you won`t get any slack from me. Unless you want to hunt on one of my leases!<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>
I forgot to add this....BOWDACIOUS, you did the right thing bud. If, and when hunting for only big bucks turns into no fun for me, I will do whatever it takes(within the law) to bring the fun back into it!

NRA,UBP,BASS Member
New Stanton,PA

Edited by - Big Country on 11/29/2002 20:56:46