Horrible opening day (Deer Mgmt question)
10-02-2002, 03:06 PM
#11
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Fort Wayne in USA
Posts: 71
RE: Horrible opening day (Deer Mgmt question)
Thanks Wolfen and Belle Island. I'm still frustrated but at least it is the only buck he can shoot this year (1 buck rule) and he got a clean shot. I just happened to be looking at some racks of bucks we had taken in the past before I started holding out for mature deer. Most of the bucks we shot back then were big bodied but small racks with small/short tines. I wouldn't have been upset had he shot an older mature 3+years deer with sub par antlers, but this was a beautiful young buck with enormous potential.
AK. I would have been happy as hell if he would have shot a 150" inch monster. Unfortutnately we will never have the opportunity to shoot one if the young bucks keep getting plucked off. I do hunt for the love of the game. To me hunting is not just shooting a deer. To me hunting is watching your game in their element and waiting for that perfect opportunity and take your game.
AK. I would have been happy as hell if he would have shot a 150" inch monster. Unfortutnately we will never have the opportunity to shoot one if the young bucks keep getting plucked off. I do hunt for the love of the game. To me hunting is not just shooting a deer. To me hunting is watching your game in their element and waiting for that perfect opportunity and take your game.
10-02-2002, 03:18 PM
#12
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Logan Ia USA
Posts: 678
RE: Horrible opening day (Deer Mgmt question)
They are only antlers. The time spent in the field with family is much more important. He will not always be around for you to be mad at. Some day you will wish that he was there to shoot that 7 point. I understand your frustration but it seems very miss placed. If he is like my father I would not even be hunting if not for him.
That being said 40 acres is not going to hold a large enough deer population for a number of big bucks to hang out for. Don't worry about an occasional small buck being taken there will be others.
Ask your father if he gets more excitment out of shooting a buck than a doe and you will prob. find out he does and that is why he shoots the bucks. If that is the case he should take what he wants.
The food plots you have planted will have more to do with the quality of bucks in the area than passing them up. If you are getting big deer bodies and little antlers then they are missing something during the antler growing phase. Age alone won't make big antlers.
" Anyone can be a father, but it takes a real man to be a Dad"
That being said 40 acres is not going to hold a large enough deer population for a number of big bucks to hang out for. Don't worry about an occasional small buck being taken there will be others.
Ask your father if he gets more excitment out of shooting a buck than a doe and you will prob. find out he does and that is why he shoots the bucks. If that is the case he should take what he wants.
The food plots you have planted will have more to do with the quality of bucks in the area than passing them up. If you are getting big deer bodies and little antlers then they are missing something during the antler growing phase. Age alone won't make big antlers.
" Anyone can be a father, but it takes a real man to be a Dad"
10-02-2002, 04:14 PM
#13
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Fort Wayne in USA
Posts: 71
RE: Horrible opening day (Deer Mgmt question)
SW IA
I understand what you are saying about him not being around forever. It just pisses me off that he didn't even wait till the end of season. It was the first hunt of the year. In the past even if he was going to shoot a small one he would wait until later in the season to see if there was anything bigger around.
I think a lot of the small antlered bucks in the past were due to bad genetics. We use to usually see 1 large 120" buck a year and then all of the rest were the small racks I was speaking of. My father and I only used to hunt on weekend until last year. Our hunting land is 1 hour away from where we live and I played football throughout highschool and college so getting to the woods was difficult. The last 2 years I have been seeing bigger deer than ever before. I'm sure it's due to the fact that I'm in the woods more.
I know the land size is an issue. The 80 acres to the south is hunted by 2 guys that will only shoot bucks with antlers as wide as their ears. The 100 acres to the east we aren't sure about. The guys sold part of their land so they may not be able to hunt anymore. Between our property and the neighbors there is about 40 acres of thick swamp that is dang near un-huntable and another 20 acres to the north of me that is posted no hunting. This 60 acres is a great sanctuary that most of the deer bed in.
Robert. My neighbors may have shot that buck but that means there would be another that would be able to walk. Now that my dad shot this one the neighbors will have to take a different one. That means 2 dead as opposed to 1.
I understand what you are saying about him not being around forever. It just pisses me off that he didn't even wait till the end of season. It was the first hunt of the year. In the past even if he was going to shoot a small one he would wait until later in the season to see if there was anything bigger around.
I think a lot of the small antlered bucks in the past were due to bad genetics. We use to usually see 1 large 120" buck a year and then all of the rest were the small racks I was speaking of. My father and I only used to hunt on weekend until last year. Our hunting land is 1 hour away from where we live and I played football throughout highschool and college so getting to the woods was difficult. The last 2 years I have been seeing bigger deer than ever before. I'm sure it's due to the fact that I'm in the woods more.
I know the land size is an issue. The 80 acres to the south is hunted by 2 guys that will only shoot bucks with antlers as wide as their ears. The 100 acres to the east we aren't sure about. The guys sold part of their land so they may not be able to hunt anymore. Between our property and the neighbors there is about 40 acres of thick swamp that is dang near un-huntable and another 20 acres to the north of me that is posted no hunting. This 60 acres is a great sanctuary that most of the deer bed in.
Robert. My neighbors may have shot that buck but that means there would be another that would be able to walk. Now that my dad shot this one the neighbors will have to take a different one. That means 2 dead as opposed to 1.
