ORIGINAL: fingerz42
Why is this guy getting chastised because he believes you should let young bucks walk? Wouldnt it be nice if every hunter would let the spikes and basket rack 4 points walk? I mean if you're just hunting meat, kill a doe. Why continually shoot young immature bucks just for the sake of saying "i got mine"
This is exactly the problem in my area, everyone just wants to kill one so they can say well I killed one. Why doesnt anyone ever want to demonstrate some Quality deer management...?
Question for you fingerz...(and Dopler)....how many bucks do you pass up each year? Seriously, be honest? Do you practice what you preach?
I actually agree with the thought process here...but making an absolute ass out of yourself to do it is ridiculous. You can't judge others, by whatYOU want or feel. The other thing is this...making a blanket statement like that is not even coming close to giving an apples to apples comparison. Where you are (if you actually are) certainly doesn't compare to where others might be.
10 yrs ago, I stopped shooting small/young bucks. I had just gotten sick of it....it didn't do anything for me anymore. So I shoot does, and hold out for one that makes me happy. During the last 10 yrs, I've probably shot 7 or 8 bucks, and 60+ does. ALL the bucks were 8pt or up, and decent specimens for my area. All were shot with a gun or m/l, haven't gotten a decent one close enough with the bow. I can't even tell you how many I've passed up...truly it has been hundreds of bucks. I've passed as many as 12 in one day before. Sothat said, IAMdoing what you say....yet where are all the 130s? You see....its all relative. I'm in an area that just doesn't produce many deer like that, regardless of how many I let walk. I would invite ANYONE to come hunt the land I hunt and kill 130's. Good luck, you can't kill what ain't there.
My personal feelings are this....shoot what makes you happy, period. Yes, do I preach to folks to let the small ones walk and shoot a doe, absolutely. I've converted lots of hunters over to that thought process over the years. BUT, do I really care what they do...nope. Will I put them down because they shot a forkhorn and are excited about it? NO WAY...I was there once, and I'd venture to say even you elitists were as well. I know you were.
I feel like the true deer hunter goes through a maturing process, and begins to put self imposed standards on themselves as time goes by. I know that is what happened to me. Most, but not all will go through similar phases in their hunting career, I believe. Hopefully anyhow. The one thing I can say for sure, passing up deer gives a great sense of accomplishment, regardless of the size. I also learned more in the first couple years of letting em walk than I knew in probably the prior 15 yrs of not letting em walk. What an experience.
To each his own, I hope everyone has a great season.
Oh, and check out the buck below that my son got last year.... aged by a DNR biologist at 2.5...He woulda had a heck of a growth spurt this year, I guess he should have let him walk.
