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Was this because you let them go?

Yup well at least two of them.The other two just really frustrated me that I had spent all that time scouting and setting up for them,to have them end up dead along the road.

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There are sacrifices to be made to hunt like this.BTW, I'm not married.

Not being a wise guy here, is one the reasons your not married anymore because of the amount of hunting you do.

One other thing that switched me from a trophy hunter was taking my son out at an early age. He couldn't sit for hours and do what a person must to hunt solely mature deer. However one of my most memorable hunts was when I took a small buck he grunted in out of a ground blind we set up.

lol,how long you been around?

My only problem is when people imply that the other guy can't hunt because of what they decided to shoot.

Good point.

Somehow I dont' see this thread as being pinned to the top as an "annual thread"[:-]

* I'll just say that I practice (and am very fanatical about) QDM on the land that I hunt. I am fortunate enough to have enough land and the neighboring parties around me play by the same rules. However, I find it absolutely astonishing for people from one end of the country to be telling people from the other end of the country how they should hunt and what they should be shooting. You can sit there and tell a hunter they should hold out for a 140+" buck or pass? What if circumstances make it impossible for a hunter to never see anything more than a 100" buck? They shouldn't shoot a buck their whole lives bowhunting? It GREATLY depends on your situation and if you can grow enough big bucks in the area you hunt. I've been on both sides of the coin.

You fanatical about something,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,no way.

Forgive me, I didn't read all 5 pages. I have no problem with someone NOT shooting a buck because they want a bigger one, but I do have a problem with someone telling me not to shoot a small one so it can grow bigger, not that anyone here has done that. I HATE state imposed antler restrictions.....It's all about money, regardless of what color they paint it.

Anyway, let me reinterate.....I am not saying anyone here is ridiculing anyone for shooting a small buck. No one has. But just like I have no right to tell someone to shoot a small buck, I feel no one should tell me to NOT shoot a small buck. I know one thing, the first legal buck that passes by within 40 yards of me this fall is in big trouble.

I just miss seeing the name "Wolfen" attached to this...

Did you try to get it back Jelen? It just doesn't look the same without it...

Seeing this thread go up in flames made my day.

Nice to see this misguided effort losing steam. It amazes me that throughout history people have to be continually taught the lesson that no one likes to be told what to do.

I shouldn't be so hard on the "Let 'em grow" crowd............I practice it myself. I "Let them grow" too..........just long enough to drop their spots

What a strange thing to say for someone who is asking others to help make it EASIER for him to hunt. All these big-bad super hunters would be in favor of as many little bucks getting killed as possible..........so that prized big racked trophy would be even more rare and difficult to find and kill. That is, if they were telling the truth...........clearly they are not because every effort they make is to try and make killing big bucks EASIER.

It has been proven on this very site that the ONLY thing required to see and kill bigger bucks more often is to not shoot them. Same guys, same gear, same skill level.........bigger bucks on the wall. The notion that skill is a major factor when the bigger bucks are plentiful is a joke.

I guess the Drive-Thru society we have created just isn't willing to put in the time and effort required to kill a big buck anymore........they want to just set up trail cams and check their cell phones for pictures with time stamps on them and then jump in the woods for an hour when they know the deer are coming..............then tell everyone what a great hunter they are


This is another weird notion. I have been here awhile and I can honestly say I don't think I have EVER seen a thread started to complain that there are only small bucks around. Where do you guys create these myths from??...........the only whining year in and year out is by the QDM crowd.

Telling other hunters what to shoot and what not to shoot with their tags is just plain stupid and selfish..........but most of all it is a TERRIBLE way to try and get kids interested in hunting. Nothing like taking a kid out for 8 hours and telling him he shouldn't shoot any of the deer he sees because they aren't "good enough"

[:'(]

Aaah... C'mon now, Atlas... Do you really care if they've got spots or not? [8D]