Your opinion on shooting smaller public land bucks...
 

I just curious as to everyone's opinion on shooting small public land bucks. This is why I ask:

Yesterday morning, I found an extremely fresh set of buck tracks (in my own footprints) so I followed them. I eventually found a rub line and a big scrape that had been rained on the night before. So this morning I set up by one of the scrapes and about 8:45 he came and worked it. He was a pretty large bodied deer, but a pretty small 6pt. It would be kind of rewarding to get a deer that I worked for, but I would like to see the little bucks grow. Of course the only problem is that I'm on public land and most people's philosophy is the "if it's brown it's down." I'm gonna go back tomorrow morning. What do you all think?

RE: Your opinion on shooting smaller public land bucks...
 

if there is no managment program in place, i wouldn't pass on any public land deer. (unless you have pegged one deer in particular)

RE: Your opinion on shooting smaller public land bucks...
 

mines well your "neighbor" will end up shooting it neway..imo

RE: Your opinion on shooting smaller public land bucks...
 

IF YOU DON'T SHOOT SOMEONE ELSE IS GOING TO.

RE: Your opinion on shooting smaller public land bucks...
 

I agree with those guys... if there's no way to ensure that the deer grow up, then it's just left up to your own standards. If you like the buck, would be happy with it being this year's harvest (or part of it) then go for it. If not, let it go... a "if it's brown it's down" guy will love it :)

RE: Your opinion on shooting smaller public land bucks...
 

You have been working hard for him. Kill it and grill it.

RE: Your opinion on shooting smaller public land bucks...
 

Your choice,what I would do does not matter

RE: Your opinion on shooting smaller public land bucks...
 

I see this going the route of all the QDM debates.If it is an animal you would be pleased with if you were to kill it,then kill it.
I am not a big fan of the"if I don't someone else will logic"maybe someone else will maybe they wont,if you kill it somebody did.If that is to be your only reason for taking it then I would think that is a mistake!If it makes you pleased and/or proud kill it,if it doesn't let it walk.

RE: Your opinion on shooting smaller public land bucks...
 

I have always approached this situation as: if I shoot it, then Iknow its dead and has zero chance to get bigger, but if I let him go, he at least has a chance to get bigger.

If you want him, take him, if you dont want him, then don't shoot him just because someone else MIGHT

RE: Your opinion on shooting smaller public land bucks...
 

Is this a 6 point you would mount and hang on your wall? If the answer is no, I would say let it grow. The only bucks I have ever shot were the one's with a rack I would be proud to display. If I don't get the shot, at the end of the season, I shoot a slick head and am done. I think young slick heads taste better anyway.

No matter what I feel though, its your decision to make.

Have a good season.

Then start working on getting permissions for private land and you don't have to worry about this kind of call again.

Good Luck

RE: Your opinion on shooting smaller public land bucks...
 

I agree with MN purple and AF hunter. To shoot a deer because someone else would is not ethical. That is the problem to many people feel that way and you can imagine the problems when everyone does this. Each one must do his part to make this better.

RE: Your opinion on shooting smaller public land bucks...
 

Well,you said you like to see the little ones get bigger. Everyone throws the public land thing in there to justify killing a small one.( the filling my freezer bit is a good one too)Kill it if you want, but don't look for a big one next year, you may not find one. What I am saying is, if you really want to kill a big one you may not want to kill the small one. There is aGREAT FEELINGand alot of satisfation when you could have killed a small buck and you let him pass. WWW.PBASE.COM/MLO3135127

RE: Your opinion on shooting smaller public land bucks...
 

There is also alot of satisfaction in takeing a mature buck when you know you passed on him when he was 1.5yrs old as I have done with a fork horn with distintive marking on his rear end and when I took him he was 4.5 and 141 inches.

RE: Your opinion on shooting smaller public land bucks...
 

a lot of great posts. I've been thinking a lot about it since I started the thread. It is very true that if I do shoot him, he will NOT be able to grow. Soooo... I think that when the opportunity presents itself (God willing) I will shoot him.......
with my video camera:D. I definitely would not shoot this deer to "fill my freezer" as I have 6 tags and will take a doe for that purpose.

RE: Your opinion on shooting smaller public land bucks...
 

Oh I also forgot to mention this would be my first buck with a bow. I have killed A LOT of does and a nice buck that some other guy took, but I've never taken a buck home with a bow.

RE: Your opinion on shooting smaller public land bucks...
 

Same situation (approximately) happened last season. A big bodied, decent 6 point came into shooting range on some heavily pressured public land that I hunt here in eastern PA.

I finished off what was left of him in the freezer this past summer.

;)

Seriously, I believe the antler restrictions imposed in our area over the last few years have done wonders to increase rack size and the overall number of bucks being seen. However, shooting any buck on heavily pressured public land is not an easy thing to do regardless of rack size.

Case in point, I shot a nice 8 pointer on opening day of this season,saw two otherbucks ( a high4 and another8) and two does while I was gutting the buck.My wife's cousin who hunts about a half mile away on a piece of private property between the gamelands and local game preserve saw a total of9 bucks that morning, all of which he passed on, and another7 doe. His two buddies that were also hunting the same property saw a combined total of 42 deer that morning..... 20 bucks and 22 doe...including one 150class brute.

I guess my point is that location is everything when it comes to hunting and we all have to set our own standards asto what to take and what not to within the legal limits.

RE: Your opinion on shooting smaller public land bucks...
 

Not every public land buck gets shot while it's small. Some do get bigger even on public land. Shooting any buck just becuase it's on public land will only ensure that the number of decent bucks on publlic land will always be small.

RE: Your opinion on shooting smaller public land bucks...
 

If you've killed your share of average bucks and are looking for meat why not let this guy walk. You"ll be surprised how many make it through the season even on state land. Kill some baldies! You can't kill a big buck if you don'tgive thema chance to get big.

RE: Your opinion on shooting smaller public land bucks...
 

DWD2001, I have taken hours of video of deer, it's a blast. I hope you get him on film. www.pbase.com/mlo3135127

RE: Your opinion on shooting smaller public land bucks...
 

all upto you and what you feel you will see in the future.....if its your main or only spot....or all you have to hunt is public land as i do...id take what feels right...if you know or think theres bigger wait out the season...might eat your tag.....but them small bucks you passed CAN live another year....they dont ALL die....public land deer are smart and tough to hunt.....public land i usually take the first legal deer.....im also only 18...and dont have TOO many deer under my belt...7 does and 2 6pts....most from public land........if not public land its land that alot of other people hunt....so its tough hunting...but if you know theres bigger bucks around and have the time to put in wait it out......its all upto you in the end.......your right....someone else may take him in a heartbeat....i know the first lega buck i see will hit the ground......but its also 4pts to a side here now......and a whole lot of herd reduction....thats where the 7 does come in my harvest....i love venison....and love hunting....and the areas i took the does had TONS of deer.....i dont mind taking a doe for the freezer....actually i love it....i work hard for them and even though i dont have horns for the wall i have pics, memorys, and a freezer full of fresh venison....

RE: Your opinion on shooting smaller public land bucks...
 

If it were me I'd take the 6pt. They're all trophies in my book. ;)

RE: Your opinion on shooting smaller public land bucks...
 

One of the things I like best about hunting open public land with no antler restrictions is the freedom to hunt as I like under state laws.
I don't have to worry about lease rules or clubs rules..etc. 99.9% of legal bucks that step in front of a hunter get shot at and if I feel like shooting one I will and if I don't I won't..I've done it both ways realizing that the ones I let walk might not make it..but that at least got what we all got..a chance.

RE: Your opinion on shooting smaller public land bucks...
 

I agree.
I'd shoot the deer but not because I was worried that if I didn't someone else would. Thats the wrong reason for killing any thing IMO

RE: Your opinion on shooting smaller public land bucks...
 

I would take it, you did the work in scouting it take it for yourself. Good luck with you decision.

RE: Your opinion on shooting smaller public land bucks...
 

You're dead wrong--It is not unethical--This is hunting public land. I'm happy you waited for the 1.5 to grow to 141, maybe you should have waited until it was 5.5 or 6.5 and maybe 160+. Come to Pa and hunt where I, and many others do.

RE: Your opinion on shooting smaller public land bucks...
 

Around here if it has a hard horn its dead on public land so I would probably shoot just to justify the money spent on gas to get there.

RE: Your opinion on shooting smaller public land bucks...
 

I grew up hunting Public Land in Northern MI. There was a lot of hunting pressure 15-20 years ago. My Grampa told me to "shoot when you have a shot, because you never know if you're going to get another". As long as you had a doe tag we followed this simple rule.
"If It's Brown It's Down"
Now I have my own land I like to practice QDM, but I go north to hunt still and the first legal buck I get a shot at I take it!

RE: Your opinion on shooting smaller public land bucks...
 

Personally, I don't hunt for survival, or because my family is going to starve. I hunt for pure enjoyment, and for me that is shooting the deer I want on my terms. It has absolutely nothing to do with whether I think someone else is going to shoot it, it is determined by whether I want to hang my only buck tag of the year on it. I eat tag soup on bucks fairly often for 2 reasons: 1) I can get all the meat I want from does, 2) I enjoy killing big bucks. You can't kill them when the're 4.5 if they died when they were 2.5. Just my opinion everyone is entitled to their own. The argument for "I might as well kill it or someone else will" just sounds to me like when one of my boys wants to play with a toy just so his brother can't... If you want to shoot the deer then shoot the deer, but don't kill it just so someone else doesn't get to. That someone else might just be a 10 year old kids first deer.