I keep my goal simple. I get 1 buck tag and I buy 2 doe tags. My goal is to fill all 3 tags.

I have never passed up a shot at any legal buck. We have antler restrictions so my only criteria is that he meets the legal requirement of 4 pts on a side. I determine the weight, age and score after the kill.

"A nice 8pt buck" is your trophy standard, you won't shoot a 6pointer, as some guys wont shoot an 8pointer under 150" etc...etc...

many meat hunters will simply shoot the 1st deer that presents a shot, doe, buck, 1.5yo, 8.5yo no matter.

everyone has their own standard/goals, nothign wrong with either of them.

as far as pressure on ourselves...I can kinda understand that, I don't see it as pressure, I see it as simply a minimum standard of buck I'll shoot, I won't be happy with less, so passing a 135" buck to me doesn't pressure me, or upset me. I know guys that want to shoot a 170" buck, but the first 120-130" buck that comes past them they shoot. I don't think that is a good plan if you want a 170. I don't feel like less of ahunter because I have killed less deer than other guys, or that I've yet to take that 190" whitetail with a bow. I really don't hunt to seek the admiration of other hunters, maybe one day they'll give me praise, if not, doesn't matter to me. Personally my view would be that a guy who has 3 bucks over 200" vs 30 bucks that are 130" and not 1 over 160", well the guy with 3 200" is more successful, but other guys may say 30 bucks is better than 3. I myself know I could have taken 130" buck every year I've been hunting, but have passed on them.I also don't see the need to put 130" buck on my wall every year, my own little plan is to keep shooting bigger and bigger deer, within reason, if i were to shoot a 200" buck this year, next year I wouldn't be waiting on something over 200". I won't shoot a buck that I won't put on the wall, thats my own philosophy, I'll take a doe for meat, maybe a buck, though I have yet to as a management buck.

The main thing is to keep your goals at a point where it is Fun for you. If the Fun leaves Bowhunting for anyone they will not stick around long.

Many times I Trophy hunt for a couple of weeks. Sometimes I'm successful, sometimes not, but then I have times and trips set aside to just fill the freezer and have fun.

Whackin & Stackin!!

Dan

I understand your point, and you are right. EXCEPT that....in my particular instance......a 6 point isn't a legal deer. That changes the parameters a little. So it's not so much a goal as law.

That does change things! When it's the Law!!

Don, is MO. still keeping the 4 point rule? I heard there was talk about dropping it in certain areas, or completely, or ???

Dan

i do exactly what your talking about and it does work ive shot a bigger and bigger buck every year... it makes it more challenging and you gotta wait extra long for a bigger one(most of the time).

I shoot what I want and whatever gives me the shot I want to take whether it's a 6pt(Pa. has antler restrictions),a book buck,doe or button buck.Somebody earlier mentioned about how the deer herds were askew and mismanaged.Pa. for years had 1 million deer in the state.If anything,there were too many doe but the herd was healthy & we killed alot of bucks and many more doe each and every year.
Shoot what you want,enjoy your time in the woods and don't worry about horn porn

Dan, they are indeed keeping the AR's, and in fact have increased them from 19 counties to........uhhhh.......I'm shooting from the hip here, but I think it's been increased to 39 counties. Personally, I believe it will be state wide in another year or two, along with quite a few other changes.


Dan, you PM box is full brother....tried to send you a message.....Now I gotta retype it....[:@]

I'll fix the PM box!!

Sorry![:@]

Dan