IL Trophy Hunter

Was wondering who on here has made the transition from deer hunter to trophy hunter?? I used to shoot whatever walked by in my early days of hunting and that was fine then, but a few years ago I got bored with being tagged out by the 2nd week in Oct and started being much more selective on my deer harvest. That was the best decision I ever made. Amazing espescially in a state like Illinois what will come along if you just pass on the young deer. I also harvest does for meat and herd management. With our 2 buck limit I'm after first of all a solid P and Y deer for my first buck. If I get lucky and get that then I'm looking more for a 140" - 150" + buck. Just curious if anyone else on here is out for big bucks only during deer season??

2droptine

Amen Brother,
I actually just went and picked up my skull mount from my taxidermist today, He scores in the 130s and I was kicking myself all the way home for shooting him. I hear you speak of progression to a trophy hunter, but i think if this sport is your passion it is your duty to manage the heard. I try not to take any bucks less than 3.5 years old. I too am from IL, and Truly believe it is one of the best places in the world for whitetail but it could be oh so much better if everyone would would do the same. As far as im concerned those who dont or wont, move to WI.

WWW.HABITATHEROES.COM

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Droptines

About three years ago I decide I had enough 4 pointers in my pile of racks.I have enjoyed passing on the smaller bucks.NOW, the last two 8 pointers at point blank range have frazzled me beyond belief.BUCK FEAVER

basserman

I have since 89. Just with the bow though! It gives me more time in the woods.

"Semper Fi"

wimp

I started passing on small bucks 3 years ago. Now I don't consider myself a trophy hunter by any means, as even my "nice bucks" that I wait for would probably never be shot by many guys on here.

davidmil

I become a &quot;TROPHY HUNTER&quot; every time one walks by. I kind of cycle back and forth between meat and bones. If you're brown, have a whitetail, some horns or a an udder and walk under my stand.... you might be in trouble... or you might not. Depends on my mood.<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

Stump_MN_Hunter

I never used to be a QDM hunter until I picked up a bow. I don't want to get into a peeing match of what type of deer is a trophy for me compared to someone else, but when you really think about it....What does shooting a basket 8 or smaller really do for you?? In my state, we are able to(if hunting in the correct areas) take 4 doe and 1 buck per season. I have never shot that many nor would I ever, cause I can't eat that much meat. I don't know what the hunting laws are through-out the states, but given those types of bag limits or even similar to, Why shoot immature bucks?? To me it doesn't make any sense. Now, atleast to me, it's a different issue if you have never shot a buck before. Then go ahead and get one underneath your belt. We all hunt for many different reasons and correct me if I'm wrong but in a sense we all out there to try and out smart whitetails. In a way it's not about gaining some sort of prestige or pumping up a fellow's ego from shooting a small buck. We all can agree that small bucks are relatively dumb, just like a fawn or 1 1/2 year old doe. In essence.....they are fairly easy to get. Leave the little ones go!! My oppologies if this seems long or jumbled, but just my two cents.

BOWFANATIC

I shoot only deer with a minimum of 28 inches of backstrap<img src=icon_smile_sleepy.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_sleepy.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_sleepy.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_sleepy.gif border=0 align=middle> This topic is getting too old to turn into another peeing match!<img src=icon_smile_dead.gif border=0 align=middle>



Edited by - bowfanatic on 01/12/2003 20:23:34

IL Trophy Hunter

In my area the bow hunters seem to have really caught on to the QDM philosophies. In our local check station they take Polaroids of all the bow kills and place them on a bulletin board. Most of the bucks on the board are mature sized 2 1/2 yr old 8 pts or better. Most of the 1 1/2 are killed by teenage kids that are getting those first kills under their belt which is great. Now once gun season hits it's a different story. In Illinois we have two relatively short firearms seasons followed by a 3 day muzzleloader season. Thats when the weekend warriors come out and do every thing they can to shoot whatever walks bye. I think the bow hunters are by far the more disciplined hunters. I guess it's because the bow season is so much longer that the bowhunter doesn't feel pressured by time to wait for the type of deer he wants rather that settling for whatever happens bye. Has anyone noticed anything similar to this in other states??