RE: Let 'em go and let 'em grow
 

I missed all the fun. Away for 5 days and miss 13 pages of one of the tried and true arguments on the board. [8D]

RE: Let 'em go and let 'em grow
 

I really don't care what anyone shoots....there all trophies! For me, in this stage of my hunting experiance, I shoot a doe to eat and then hunt monsters. On our property for 25 years we (our group/party) only shot 1 trophy buck. In 25 years we maybe only ever even saw 3 or 4 trophies. 5 years ago we decided to quite shooting any buck unless it had a huge rack. Lots of disipline! The first couple years we didn't shoot any bucks,but the last 3 years have totally changed our woods.......we see lots of trophy bucks, lots of medium and plenty of spikes and baskets! The last three years, we got4 trophy bucks and see/had numerous encouters with other bruisers. Our hunting has greatly changed. We still take lots of does for meat. Our experience.....let'm grow! If you don't care about big racks...shoot for meat....thats fine too!

Good Luck...enjoy your season!

RE: Let 'em go and let 'em grow
 

I applaud each of you who obey your game laws, practice sound conservation, respectthe land and the animals who live on it, and in every way practice good sportsmanship and ethics. I don't care if you shoot spikes, does, buster bucks or button bucks. If you enjoy the sport and have a truly honest since of pride about who you are and what you do, then I think that is highly commendable.
I also think that with the passion in which you state your cases, probably most or all of you fit in the above criteria. With all of the poachers, "slob" hunters, etc. that there are out there today, I think that guys like all of you deserve a pat on the back!!

PERSONALLY, I love hunting for does and mature bucks. If they are 4-5 yrs. old or older, it does something for me I can't explain. Has nothing to do with ego, but everything to do with respect and admirationfor the "ancient warrior". And score doesn't matter either. Just icing on the cake.It really makes me tick. It's my thing. I don't need anyone's approval for it and I'll never make any apologies for it. Butthat's justme.
All I care about as that we love and enjoy the sport of bowhunting.

My hat'soff to all of you, regardless of your personal feelings on this matter, so long asyou obey the law, and leave it better than you found it.

Good huntin'! - cap.

RE: Let 'em go and let 'em grow
 

Cap'n, I'd say that post deserves an H.R.A.O.P.!! (For the non old-timers, that stands for Honorary Rack Award for Outstanding Post... something that used to be handed out from time to time, and rewarded thought-provoking posts and discouraged those who love to chime in with two- and three-word answers to run up their post count!)

RE: Let 'em go and let 'em grow
 

KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL
THE END

RE: Let 'em go and let 'em grow
 

I'm all for you guys all "letting them go so they will grow".

Good idea, keep up the good work.

Just one question, does it seem like a big waste of time and effort to pack that gun around and just watch 'em walk by?

I hope not but I don't plan on finding out for myself.

RE: Let 'em go and let 'em grow
 

I agree!!! When was the last time we've seen an HRAOP handed out?:DIt's been awhile.

RE: Let 'em go and let 'em grow
 

Hi Cloud nine - Thanks for your post. Your post says it all from my point of view. If shooting the first deer that comes your way is what appeals to you and makes for a memorable hunt then by all means, take your best shot.

Like you Cloud 9, when I first started hunting the piece of property that I now hunt (10 years ago) there were very few if any mature bucks running around. The previous owners and neighbors shot everything they could and most deer never had a chance making it past their second birthday. That has all changed now. The neighbor and I decided to try letting the smaller bucks walk, while at the same time taking olderdoes for meat. The results in only 10 years has been dramatic. Seeing mature bucks during hunting season is almost a given. Of coarse, the property is surrounded by corn fields and the enviroment is perfect for this outcome but could only be achieved by letting the small deer walk.

Not long ago the previous owners stopped by to visit. When I showed them several of the deer we have killed in the last 5 years he said "Man, we never had deer like that when we lived here". Ireplied "thats because you killed everything that walked by and didn't give them a chance to make it to that size". He kinda smirked and said "Ya we killed a lot of deer outa here".

I have tried not to offend anyone with this post. I have just stated what I have experienced first hand. If you want to shoot every deer you see, more power to you. If you want to see and kill mature bucks then you have to let the younger ones walk.

RE: Let 'em go and let 'em grow
 

Here is the part that I don't understand...............I thought it was about the "challenge" and getting close to a elusive "mature" deer??

Read the posts on this page alone..........written by guys who say when they started hunting their land their were no big racked bucks.......for decades in some cases. Now that they don't shoot smaller ones and grow them bigger they are seeing bigger bucks all the time and shooting them on a regular basis. Seems to me it was more of a "challenge" to get a big buck when you weren't passing them up and all you have done is make it easier for yourselves.

Just proves what many people have said here 1,000 times............passing on younger bucks makes it easier to kill bigger bucks.......not harder.......which goes against what drives most big rack hunters (or so they say).......the "challenge" is decreased.......not increased.

Couldn't be a more clear case of it on this page alone........35 years of hunting with the number of "trophy" bucks taken and seen in the single digits........now multiple "trophy" bucks are killed each year and seeing a bruiser is a "given" during hunting season.

Now tell me again which scenerio makes it harder to kill a "trophy" buck??

RE: Let 'em go and let 'em grow
 

The insinuation that big bucks are easy to kill I don't agree with!The fact that they exist or exist in greater numbers increases the liklihood of having the opportunity to kill one.That is a function of probability and can not be refuted.But easy to kill,no way no how!
A buck that reaches 31/2 years old is an entirely differently animal from the rest of the herd and that only is magnified with each additional year that goes by,with their cunning and awareness.
With the logic that you are suggesting to really challenge ourselves we should hunt where very few animals exist.
Any one with any degree of intelligence can make an argument on either side of this topic.My thinking is basedon free ranging public land whitetails.
I believe that killing is the easier part,the finding and putting yourself in position to kill is the much harder part as it relates to big bucks.Any one who consistently kills big bucks on public land is doing a lot of things right to think otherwise is delusional!