Originally Posted by
RUNNOFT
This is typed completely out of respect, not to down any of your opinions or to say that i'm right and your wrong...
Well, I guess i am the exception to the norm. I can't stand to see grown men shoot spikes, or any buck for that matter that isn't outside the ears.
I do believe that children and young men-women, should enjoy taking deer of any size, age, so that they enjoy it and develop a love for hunting. However, there comes a point and time in which all hunters need to become better managers of land and herd. Its better for the herd to let the immature bucks walk and to thin the doe population.
I consider myself a hunter for meat first, trophy hunter second. Every year I shoot plenty of does, and pass on lots of bucks that are not mature, I enjoy watching these smaller bucks walk around in nature almost as much as shooting a mature doe and filling my freezer. I've shot only three bucks in five years, and trust me, I have enjoyed it just as much any of you who shot the immature bucks.
Lastly, all of you have children, parents, friends, (and yourselves) that would enjoy hunting a little more if there were bigger bucks walking around your woods whether you would like to admit it or not. I'm not talking about the "Bucks of Tecomate" size, but nice ones.
I just wanted to post the other side of this topic. Ultimately I have good friends that I hunt with and hang out with that will shoot 4 6 and 8's that I disagree with, but I respect their decisions, they just don't hunt on my land! lol.
I guess my thinking boils down to this... why shoot a young buck when the doe population in any area is more than plentiful, and has just as much quailty meat???? Why????
I agree with this pretty well.
I'm not gonna label anyone for what they shoot. If it truly makes you happy...then by all means, shoot it.
I think most hunters go through stages, and eventually get to the point where getting "a" buck doesn't really matter. I know I went through several stages over the past 30yrs. It started with just getting "a" deer, then "a" buck, then "multiple deer" in a year, then "multiple bucks" in a year, etc.
At some point, shooting a young buck just didn't do it for me anymore and I gave it up. Passing them up has been the norm for the last 15yrs for me. I personally would rather shoot a doe, than an immature buck. In the areas where I hunt, the does are too many anyhow....so its good for the herd to do so. Of course, my area doesn't hold "big" bucks by some folks standards - a good one here is 100" - 110", and typically 3.5-4.5 . A 120" buck around here would be a monster. I have two properties we've been passing bucks on for over 10yrs, and its gotten better for sure. Unfortunately where I am in the mtns of VA and WV, they just don't get very big.
I hunt with guys that are in all stages of this cycle, regardless of their physical age. In fact, my wifes cousin is almost 50, and this will be his first year hunting ever. He's in a TOTALLY different place than I, and probably will be for a long time. If he gets a deer this year, he'll be stoked. If its a 3" spike, it will probably be cloud 9. On the other hand, my son just turned 13 last week, and has been shooting deer for the last 5 yrs. He's starting to want to pass up the smaller bucks, and try and hold out for something a little nicer - and shoot a doe or two also. I'm not sure he can....but I was impressed that he even thought about it at this point.
