ORIGINAL: Pa Trophy Man
This is my annual rant to encourage game management. I see posts on here saying stuff like"Be Proud of What You Shoot" and then I see pictures of 30 to 40 year old men posing with 6 point bucks, jees, enough already! I'd like to outline an argument for game management on this thread.
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[/align]I think the mentality of "Igot my buck this year" isprimitive stereotypical thinking that has no place in modern hunting. Why do you need another 6point skull cap to nail up on yourout buildingfor? Do you really think they impress anyone?I have no problem with meat hunting so if you're doing that, shoot a doe for goodness sake, that's what I do.
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[/align]I qualify my argument with a few exceptions. Ihave no problem with a young hunter or a beginner taking asmall buck, I applaude it and encourage it but after a guy has shot a few, I think it's time to raise up your goals?I also have no problem with a special needs hunter taking a small buck as for them, it can be really hard to harvest any buck soI applaude that too.
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[/align]A whitetaildeer reaches an averagescore of 130" inches of horn at 3.5 years of age. All you have to do is lay off the little guys for a couple of years and the bucks will grow. If everyoneadopted this mentally, we'd all be seeing monster bucks everywhere, it'sjust that simple.Shooting a small buck is likepicking apples before they're ripe, likecutting field corn when it's still green--let em grow!
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[/align]We all know it's pretty darn easy to shoot a little 1.5 year old buck. Half the time, I can shoot one walking outto my stand because they are such easy prey. It's not until 3.5 years old that they even start to get wits about them and with modern archery equipment it makes it a practical cakewalkso let em live and put a mature buck in your pickup bed this year.
Dr. Mr Dopler,
I seldom make posts on this site unless they are congratulatory in nature. However, in this instance i feel i can't let this slide and I will knowingly brake some forum rules in the process. After reading the above attempt to promote "heard management" it is my personal contention that you are an absolute moron.You clearlydo not understand the fiber of the deer hunting tradition and what it means to this country. Everyone hunts for there own reasons - meat, antlers or the thrill of matching wits with a game animal but it doesn't matter why. In order for this sport to continue surviving we need to remember the reasons why hunting truly matters to us as individuals andeducate the non-hunting public.You must recognize that the size of the animal's antlers don't define a successful day in the field. Guys like you who believe "big buck" mania is the future of hunting don't even understand that you are ruining the very thing you are trying to protect. This mentatlity is and will continue to demoralize an individual hunter's sense of accomplishment and turn hunting into a business while murdering the long last traditions that mean so much to most of us. I am not reading any other response to your intial post - this is ment for you and only you...I hope you think long and hard about the message you are conveying to new hunters. You make me ill.
And with that said, and being as antler score means nothing to anyone. We should probably stop the bowhunting contest because that is all based on the "score" of the deer taken. Perhaps if we change it to "Who had the most fun" it would be a bit fairer of a competition.