I guess in 45 years of Bowhunting I have changed my views on what I shoot. If it is something I have taken I usually wait for a " ADULT" animal-not always the MALE of the species & IF it is a 1st time animal-I try for an adult. I take what the good Lord sends to me. I specifically TROPHY Bowhunted Black Bears-in 15 Bowhunts I passed on 7, missed 2 P&Y & took 2 P&Y thou I do not enter animals in the Record Books-That is a whole new BOOK for me on my thoughts about that.
I guess I am just a Bowhunter & use all the meat I have taken over the years.
good luck in whatever you hunt & why...

Well, I have always considered myself to be purely a meat hunter. Interestingly though, when I put in for my first ever elk hunt draw this year, I' ll be putting in for a bull tag, as opposed to the antlerless, which has near 100 percent drawing odds. Hmmmm............

Well, if I had the good fortune to live in moose country, or elk, I would make sure that I fill the freezer. If I had alot of time and lived in these areas, I' d hold out a bit, because I truely would like to score on a true trophy of either of these species (moose more so). But before too much time passed, I would make sure I take " something" for good eating!!

The reality is that I live in Wisconsin (and love it) and spend most of my time chasing whitetails in fall. Venison to me is nothing special. I do like to get one animal in the freezer, but if I don' t it' s no big deal.....I will 9 times out of 10 wait for a decent buck before I shoot my bow or rifle. If I want to, I' ll take a doe during the late season, providing I don' t score during the regular season. Last year was good to me. I took a nice 10 with the bow in November, and passed a few during rifle season, one which was an 8 that by buddies said I should have taken. I had one in the freezer and really didn' t need any more venison, and he wasn' t a buck to mount, so I let him go and hope for next year. I exclusively hunt in the far northern part of the state and really don' t see alot of deer, but the one on one experience and little pressure is what it' s all about to me.

So I wouldn' t necessarily say " trophy" hunter, but definitely not a " meat" hunter. I just love being in the outdoors, and scoring on a quality animal is a true bonus....and a nice one at that.

I will say I am a meat hunter. I have applied for an either sex or a cow elk tag for our trip to Colorado this year. If I don' t draw either, I will probably not go. I have killed two cows in my previous trips, we LOVE the meat.

During our deer season here in Missouri, we usually will fill some any deer permits to make sure we have some meat for sausage, steaks etc. then spend the rest of our week hunting horns. Don' t usually do so great but this year my dad got a very nice buck. No record book but a super deer just the same.

KC

I drew a High Demand/Quality hunt in the Gilla here in NM where some of the biggest bulls are taken in the country. I killed a Spike Bull the first evening of the hunt. God wanted me to have that Bull so I took it. Good luck.

MEAT, MEAT, MEAT...yummmmm never pass up a nice rack though!!!

I love the meat but it' s the bone that keeps me going! Moose hunting is the exception were I will gladly take any legal animal. I have ample opportunities to kill a couple of does for the freezer in bow or ml season and hang on to my either sex tags for a trophy only...I ain' t affraid of tag or track soup. My min. for whitetails is a mature buck that would net 160 & Mulie' s 180.

I do enjoy the meat but the decision as to whether or not I kill an animal is dependant on the trophy quality.I have however helped to start new hunters out by taking them on antlerless hunts due to easier to get tags and higher success rates which are more important to new hunters than trophies.

Meat.

By the time I start hunting caribou in the fall they are already starting to drop their antlers. The last two seasons I managed to take a decent sized stag. Neither had a horn on its head.

A rack would be nice but I wouldn' t trade steaks, roasts, sausuage or jerky for one.

Meat, id shoot a doe as soon as a buck.