Planter

That guys are shooting bucks that are not up to the "forums" standards and are not entering them into the contest. Have we set the bar so high that guys are afraid of the ridicule they might recieve if they shoot a small buck?
I just hope everybody remembers that any buck with a bow is a trophy
and to not second guess anyone. If you have not shot any or many deer than feel free to kill a spike on me...
It's really just food for thought as I can't believe every deer killed is being entered.

GMMAT

We all need to remember that this is for FUN. It's also "FIRST" buck taken witht he bow that gets entered.

Do you really think we have people not entering deer???? I'd be surprised.

Arthur P

I wouldn't be surprized in the least, not with the amount of QDM chest thumping that's been running so rampant on this forum. I don't enter hunting contests anyway, runs against my sense of 'moral rightness' as it were. But even if I did, I wouldn't enter a buck that some of these ankle biters around here would consider too small.

mohunter82

well i'm not even in the contest. But I still have passed on three different bucks. 2 six pointers and a heavy spike. All within 20 yards.
And no i have never killed a deer with my bow. What do i attribute this to. I have wondered, thought, and second guessed my self to death.

GR8atta2d

Planter, I absolutely agree with you. I'm sure many more have fallen and haven't been enterred or they'll show up later. In2 Bucks States someone shoots a smaller one and then hopes for a bigger one. When he doesn't get one he posts a pic saying..got one this morning, and strangely, the leaves are still green as early fall.

Planter

I really never thought of the idea of entering the 2nd deer as the first.. I guess I should have held off my posted pics (but not yet scored) little 8 pt. cause I got my eye on a bigger one..

I would rather shoot a small buck than no buck at all. I'm betting that is not the exception but rather the rule. I live in a statethat the record harvest count for all weapons was 12,000 with about 3,000 being taken by bow. Figures out to about a %6 success rate for bucks and does.

It is all about the funand brothership guys or so I hope. If you have been bow hunting for 20years I will still give you an ATTA BOY for any deer you chose to shoot.

mohunter82

Its quotes like this that make me proud to be a part of an awesome group of people that is here. It is great when someone scores on a big buck. but i have not seen one person (yet) put anyone down for killing a smaller deer.
We should be thankful for any animal that we are able to harvest. and not just for the bragging rights.

JoeRE

Amen. And I think that a majority of the people that frequent this site think that way....its why I stick around too

USAF_hunter

I know here in Ohio you get 1 buck all season. Shooting a small buck just to say you got a buck is pointless. Shoot a mature doe. I have went a season without killing a buck, personally I feel better passing immature bucks. Everyones different.

Gundeck

But, what if you live in an area like me. I have a small piece of land (a little over 40 acres). I have four different adjoining property owners. Each has a similar size plot (20 to 100 acres). Although one owner has a similar view to let the younger deer go, the remaining owners (or, actually, the hunters they allow on the land) will kill anything within range. Kinda makes it hard to "manage" a deer population under those conditions. Still, I have seen many deer so far this season and have yet to take one. Sometimes, I just get caught up in the joy of watching them interact. I certainly am not fussy about what I put in the freezer. They all taste good to me. Just my two cents.