ORIGINAL: loogout1
Just wondering if I'm crazy or if anyone feels remotely like I do. I live and hunt in a bow only county in southern NY. The potential for what I consider big deer (130+) is real, not everyday common, but is always there. I have 2 nice bucks on my wall and 2 more from last year coming soon, the biggest about 125". I've always shot a bigger buck than the previous one and continue to stick to the philosophy,"Why shoot it if you're not gonna mount it?" That being said, I pass on a lot of nice bucks, 6s, 8s, etc. Most of these deer I never see again probably because the weekend warriors n the adjacent properties will shoot anything they get the opportunity to. Am I wasting my time? Do any of you work like this or something like this? I would rather shoot does than small young bucks.
Sound like like me hunting in Minnesota. I feel that I'm doing MY part in management. I know that there are only so many tags the neighbors have, they can't shoot all the ones I pass on. With that being said, I can only hope the best for them. Cars, and natural causes also take their toll. But I know/think that by passing on smaller bucks, I'm doing MY part in raising the potential in MY area.