Are you a meat hunter, or are you a trophy buck hunter?
 

This is always a hot subject around my neck of the woods. I understand of course that any deer taken with archery tackle is a trophy, but are you more interested in a trophy buck or do you hunt more for the meat?

Personally, I am not an accomplished enough bow hunter to let deer walk, so for me if a deer is in range and legal, there is a very sharp broadhead on it's way.

RE: Are you a meat hunter, or are you a trophy buck hunter?
 

Not a trophy hunter, I just like to get a deer. I'll shoot whatever is within bow range that I have a legal tag for.

RE: Are you a meat hunter, or are you a trophy buck hunter?
 

I couldn't care less about trophies , frankly they give me the creeps , but show me a lovingly marinated backstrap just getting readyto go on the grill and ...

RE: Are you a meat hunter, or are you a trophy buck hunter?
 

give me a nice fat doe, doesn't matter to me

RE: Are you a meat hunter, or are you a trophy buck hunter?
 

I won't shoot 1 1/2 year old bucks, but I don't think that necessarily qualifies me as a trophy hunter. Sure, I'd like to hold out for a nice buck but the feeling of getting a deer - any deer - on the ground is better than eating tag soup come January.

I try to take at least one doe every year for meat, then hold out for a decent 2 1/2 year old or better.

RE: Are you a meat hunter, or are you a trophy buck hunter?
 

i am by no means a trophy hunter . i like to keep my freezer full of venison and like mod had stated i myself am not a great bowhunteri need the practice. but dont get me wrong i will NOT let a BIG RACK walk past w/o lettin an arrow fly

RE: Are you a meat hunter, or are you a trophy buck hunter?
 

I am not sure I would choose any of those options personaly.

I used to say that I would take any mature buck that presented a shot. That has changed over the pastcouple years. I find myself passing deer I would have never let pass even two years ago.

I enjoy filling my buck tag but if I don't I could really care less. I enjoy all my time in the woods andthe brightside of going buckless is....they alljust got one year older :D

I am a antler addict maybe..... "Trophy hunter"...... I just wouldn't call myself that.

RE: Are you a meat hunter, or are you a trophy buck hunter?
 

I like hunting big bucks. I shoot a doe first off for my farmer then I wait for a buck that I will take to the taxidermist. After (and if )that happens I will take another doe for me.

RE: Are you a meat hunter, or are you a trophy buck hunter?
 

I hunt for a mature buck (trophy to me), and for some meat (does). Of course a trophy where I hunt, might be a dink to some of you guys where the big ones live. I haven't killed a buck with my bow in 7yrs, since I haven't had an opportunity at one I wanted. Still, I don't think I would really qualify as a trophy hunter, since none of the deer in my area would be considered a trophy by most standards....unfortunately:(

RE: Are you a meat hunter, or are you a trophy buck hunter?
 

Both. Does for meat and trophy buck if I'm lucky.

RE: Are you a meat hunter, or are you a trophy buck hunter?
 

I like to take a doe first for the freezer and then its on for the big boy. With a three deer limit , I hunt two different zones, I think Ill wait til the end before filling the other two tags with does.

RE: Are you a meat hunter, or are you a trophy buck hunter?
 

I would have to say both. I'm always "expecting" a monster to come out of a thicket, though that rarely happens:(. I let alot of small bucks walk right on by this year (even take pics of em), but I don't let the season pass without filling the freezer with at least onenice doe. We all gotta do out part w/management and they sure are tasty.

RE: Are you a meat hunter, or are you a trophy buck hunter?
 

I try to fill both my tags each year. One with a doe for meat and one with a 2 1/2 year old or older buck as my trophy.

RE: Are you a meat hunter, or are you a trophy buck hunter?
 

I voted "both". I always make it a point to fill my freezer every year , but then again I'm in an area with too many doe which makes filling my freezer easy. I think anyone who voted strictly "meat" aren't being honest. If presented achoice between a doe and a trophy buckI'm pretty sure everyone here would take the trophy buck over the doe.

RE: Are you a meat hunter, or are you a trophy buck hunter?
 

Trophy doe for meatthan hopfully a big buck for meat. A big buck has it all, big antlers and lots of meat. my site: www.pbase.com/mlo3135127 & www.wildturkey.smugmug.com

RE: Are you a meat hunter, or are you a trophy buck hunter?
 

I said neither. I'm just a hunter.

RE: Are you a meat hunter, or are you a trophy buck hunter?
 

I am an oppertunist, I will shoot whatever comes my way. With the hunting pressure where I hunt, if I don't someone else will.

RE: Are you a meat hunter, or are you a trophy buck hunter?
 

both....i hunt for meat first and then once i have one or two in the freezer then i try to be selective.

RE: Are you a meat hunter, or are you a trophy buck hunter?
 

same here for me, but it is my farm

RE: Are you a meat hunter, or are you a trophy buck hunter?
 

I voted both. This year I got 2 bow does and then started letting stuff walk waiting on a good buck.

RE: Are you a meat hunter, or are you a trophy buck hunter?
 

im a opportunistic hunter. I hunt mainly for meat and don't have any trouble trying to harvest the first buck i get a chance at. Bucks are few and far between here so any is a trophy to me. I would deffinately love the chance to harvest a big boy butany deer small buck doe or large buck is a trophy deer to me. They all cook up the same.

RE: Are you a meat hunter, or are you a trophy buck hunter?
 

For me it's all in how I feel at the moment. I always like to take a few does, some for myself and some for my friends and family. I will even kill a doe for the hunters for the hungry program here in Illinois. As far as bucks go, some years I shoot the first ones I see other years I have passed on some nice shooters waiting for a P&Y. This year is all screwed up because of this darn contest.:D

RE: Are you a meat hunter, or are you a trophy buck hunter?
 

The horns just happen to come with the meat

RE: Are you a meat hunter, or are you a trophy buck hunter?
 

definately both

RE: Are you a meat hunter, or are you a trophy buck hunter?
 

I would say I am an opportunistic hunter. I will harvest any deerI have a legal tag for. But if a nice rack buck appears I would be more than happy to harvest him also.

RE: Are you a meat hunter, or are you a trophy buck hunter?
 

I'm a Trophy hunter, in that, if it's a trophy to me I'll take it. If it's eligible to go on the wall next to the one in my avatar I'll take it. I've let some border line bucks walk. That may cause me to eat, as you say, "tag soup" but to me tag soup tastes as good as venison, cuz I don't really care for the meat.

RE: Are you a meat hunter, or are you a trophy buck hunter?
 

I guess it would be both for me. I will shoot a doe for me or friends for meat, but usually if I am going to shoot a buck with bow or gun it needs to be big enough to put on my wall which around here is anything with 8 pts or better that is beyond his ears in width. We don't have alot of "big" bucks so anything around 16'' and wider is going to be pretty good.

RE: Are you a meat hunter, or are you a trophy buck hunter?
 

I usually hold out for the larger bucks, 8 points or better. I just don't like shooting smaller bucks anymore.

If I need meat in the freezer I have no problems taking a doe or two.

RE: Are you a meat hunter, or are you a trophy buck hunter?
 

I am a meat hunter. Alot of people look down on the way I hunt but the old saying goes "If it's brown it's down"

RE: Are you a meat hunter, or are you a trophy buck hunter?
 

What HNIJustin said.

RE: Are you a meat hunter, or are you a trophy buck hunter?
 

First I'm a trophy hunter but as the season winds down it becomes a qwest for meat... Gotta fill that freezer....

RE: Are you a meat hunter, or are you a trophy buck hunter?
 

Neither. I go hunting just to get out in the woods. If I had to pick one though, I'd say I was a meat hunter, no matter whether that meat is deer or pig, or even rabbit.

RE: Are you a meat hunter, or are you a trophy buck hunter?
 

I am both a meat hunter and a trophy hunter. You get a lot more meat from 180 to 200 plus pound deer. My family mostly lives off of venison so our staples consist of over 100 lbs. of burger and different types of sausage. Big deer make great burger and sausage. Smaller deer make great steaks and chops. I've allways figured that the best eating deer was the 1 1/2 year old doe, as far as being tender, but where I hunt in S. Wisconsin and N. Ill., they all pretty much taste the same. By shooting both trophy bucks and does, its like having your cake and eating it too. There is really no reason not to do it this way especially with the abundance of antlerless tags today.

RE: Are you a meat hunter, or are you a trophy buck hunter?
 

It doesn't matter to me what motivates another hunter. I hunt for me and everyone else should do whats right for them. No need in judging or labeling someone for the choices they make. We are just hunters and lets just leave it at that.

RE: Are you a meat hunter, or are you a trophy buck hunter?
 

When I first started hunting I had the mind set of its brown its down. After I got my first recpectable buck, I started to let the younger ones walk for the most part. This has allowed me to spend more time in the woods, lets the bucks in my area grow a little,and I still manage to take 3-4 deer a year with my bow and shotgun.

But I don't like eating my tags at the end of the year so I often kill does when I start to run out of hunting time.

Not sure if that makes me a meat hunter or not.

RE: Are you a meat hunter, or are you a trophy buck hunter?
 

Usually anything goes.When the freezer is full I become more selective.Also depends where I am hunting.Most people would probably call me a meat hunter.:D

RE: Are you a meat hunter, or are you a trophy buck hunter?
 

Ditto!!

RE: Are you a meat hunter, or are you a trophy buck hunter?
 

Anyone know a good recipe for antlers??


No matter how I cook them they always come out tough and gamey ;)

RE: Are you a meat hunter, or are you a trophy buck hunter?
 

Theres usually about 200 lbs of meat under them antlers. Keep trying youll figure it out.

RE: Are you a meat hunter, or are you a trophy buck hunter?
 

I like that answer!