ORIGINAL: mnbirddog
That is one of the more common arguments I hear, and I gotta say that its the only one that I can say: "I see your point, but likely that day will never come for me." Except from my first to my second, each buck was just as satisfying as the last. And I suppose that if I ever began to loose that satisfaction I would chase it or "raise the bar" I guess, just don't see it. I just don't like the idea of laws telling me that my desire to shoot any buck is less valid than other hunters desires to shoot a mature buck only. I disagree with the "skill level" part, though. Skill level has nothing to do with someone prefering to shoot a certain class of deer. Maybe "for some that time will simply never come..."
Let me try to take a crack at this. Hopefully I can effectively verbalize what I am thinking.
Your original question along with the
bold part of your quote above suggests that you really are not much different from the "mature buck only" crowd that you are questioning. The only difference is the minimumage of the buck you desire to shoot. Hopefully I can explain it well....
Forgive me if I am wrong, butyou seem to have a desire to shoot a buck rather than a doe. How is that fundamentally different that someone who desires to shoot a mature buck rather than a young buck? Person A prefers any buck versus a doe. Person B prefers a mature buck versus a young buck. The same question that you are asking of Person B could be asked ofYOU by Person C who huntsexclusively for meat.Person Cdoesn't care...not even a little...about antlers or sex or even weight of the animal. Hypothetically,Person C sees all deer equally and valuesthem all equally. Person C could then askYOU (Person A)the same questionYOU are asking Person B. Person C would ask, "Why do you desire to shoot any buck over adoe? And whydo some areas limit my ability to legally kill a doe? I just want to eat venison,so why is my desire to shoot any deerless valid thanother hunters' desire to shoot a buck only or a mature buck only?"
So really, deep down inside, you know the answer to your question. Some peopleshoot mature bucks because it is more satisfyingto them than a young buck. Just as any buck is more satisfying to you than a doe. Forgive me for any false assumptions and for any flawed logic...I just woke up.