RE: Mature buck "Age structure" the "Great Equalizer"?
 

Noted;)

I'm betting that isn't a very popular opinion, to some, though.

RE: Mature buck "Age structure" the "Great Equalizer"?
 

I saw a poster once in the Church Library...

"What is right is not always popular; what is popular is not always right." ;)

RE: Mature buck "Age structure" the "Great Equalizer"?
 

I think double creek hit the nail right no the head. I believe that the majority of these "mature" buck hunters are hunting in areas where they typically have a higher percentage of getting shots at mature animals every year. From what i have noticed, most of the "mature" buck hunters are from states known for larger more mature bucks. That being said, i believe that they feel that their chances are still high if they pass on an "inferior" mature buck that they will see a better one. I know that where i hunt, i might only have one maybe 2 chances a year at a mature animal, so he is getting shot any chance i get.

Going down the same road but with a slighly different spin on it, toss this around for a minute.Hypothetically, say you are hunting a specific animal that you have a history with ( for example- Mr. Mass, The Bull if he were still alive) and he came by with part of his rack busted off, would everyone here still take the shot. God knows i would.

RE: Mature buck "Age structure" the "Great Equalizer"?
 

So would I. He wasn't any smarter with the other side.;)

RE: Mature buck "Age structure" the "Great Equalizer"?
 

I don't;)and that's the way I like it[8D]

RE: Mature buck "Age structure" the "Great Equalizer"?
 

Well said. As I noted in the "How Popular Do You Think You Are?" thread I didn't care about popularity in high school so I sure as hell don't care about it now.

The fact is the scales are tipped in your example to the hunters in IL pursuing 3.5 year old bucks. However, that gets back to the "L" word debate so let's not go there.;)

RE: Mature buck "Age structure" the "Great Equalizer"?
 

But BRY it goes even further. Even though we both know what you said (RE: the IL hunter) is true.....I STILL think it rubs a lot of guys from the big buck states the wrong way when people speak as if the age structure of the bucks they're (both)hunting (being ne and the same)somehow levels the playing field.

Do you disagree?

RE: Mature buck "Age structure" the "Great Equalizer"?
 

Leave IL out of this. Wisconsin has more big bucks than IL. Hell, they even have GregH.[8D]

RE: Mature buck "Age structure" the "Great Equalizer"?
 

Yeah....but I've seen that little IL patch he hunts. I think we got it JUST right;)

RE: Mature buck "Age structure" the "Great Equalizer"?
 

Nope. Everyone likes to think they are good at what they do. In the deer hunting world shooting big bucks equals being a good hunter in many people's eyes. Nobody likes to hear that even though they've got a wall full of nice bucks they aren't accomplishing as much as they'd like to think.

That is exactly what the location argument does.

I do believe that one benefit the guys in the big buck states have over those of us that don't have as much exposure to older deer is that since they have more mature bucks around they can learn from their exposure to those deer and the mistakes they make from them. If you see say seven 3.5 year old deer a season you will learn just from being around those deer. You will know how they act/react and be better able to predict their behavior than someone who may only see one 3.5 year old every 2 years.

So, in effect having more big bucks around does have the potential to make you a better hunter so long as you have the aptitude to learn from what you are seeing in the woods. Some have that and some don't, regardless of where they live.