RE: If you just have to shoot a young buck.....
 

I have been hunting for over 30 years and would zip that buck with the sticker in the blink of an eye.
You shoot what you want and I'll shoot what I want is the Mantra of the day. That being said I don't shoot BB, spikes or forkhorns but would love to shoot the tall racked six I saw last year.


Whats wrong with shooting a yearling/fawn?? They eat fine and they are legal.

RE: If you just have to shoot a young buck.....
 

I find it funny that someone 2 counties or 5 states away cares what I shoot.

RE: If you just have to shoot a young buck.....
 

Easy there big fella.....might want to consider decaffinated.:D
It is my business when it is my farm and I have invited guests. You are still missing the point I am making. If you want to disagree, fine. Just make sure you know what you are disagreeing with.

All I am saying is if given a choice, and at our place we have enough deer that you do, don't shoot the 2 1/2 yo 8pts that are only 90-100" deer today, shoot the little 4 point or spike if you must (or want to), but leave the 2.5 yo alone.

Why is there anymore satisfaction in shooting the two 2.5 yo 8 pts I showed than the little 4 or 5 pt? Thats what I am asking?

Phade, I agree that science says that the little 4 pt or even the spike in my kill photo, if given the chance MIGHT be the next B/C deer in 5 or 6 years. However, if forced to pick one to cull out today, the law of probabilities still tells me they are the least likely.

Take 100 first grade boys on the first day of school. A few could actually still only be 5. Some will already be 7. Most will be 6. So there is probably a 18 month age window which percentage wise at that time in their life is pretty big.

But given that, I'll bet you that if you take th 10 tallest boys and the 10 shortest boys and then re-evaluate the same group of boys when they are 18, that there will about a 80% of the tall boys are still the tallest and the other 20% are average and not all the way down into the shortest 10%.
Same with the short boys.

Remember, the premise of the thread is "If you must shoot a young deer.....then which one."

RE: If you just have to shoot a young buck.....
 

That right there is GOSPEL!

You can't possibly know what is going on at someone else's property to try to dictate what they should or should not shoot. QDM is a good thing, but people need to realize that it is not realistic or even possible everywhere you go.

RE: If you just have to shoot a young buck.....
 

I find it funny that someone would kill a 2.5 yo instead of a 1.5 yo when both are plentiful and the area has the potential to grow big deer.

If that does not encompass your area, then I am not talking to you and you are right.....I don't care.:)

RE: If you just have to shoot a young buck.....
 

I will put it simply some guys in the hunting world are the slime of the earth and would kill a fawn if they were permitted. Ive seen guys shoot fawns just because they wanna kill something. And i say hunters who kills spikes should be shot themselves. Its not right to kill such a small deer. Id rather just kill a doe.

RE: If you just have to shoot a young buck.....
 

I'm permitted. I do it (did it twice, last year). Am I "slime of the earth"?

Same question goes for guys who've shot spikes, here. Slime?

RE: If you just have to shoot a young buck.....
 

"And i say hunters who kills spikes should be shot themselves."

nissan--you have a lot of growing up to do before you post again in the future.

RE: If you just have to shoot a young buck.....
 

And how do you know that 2.5 year olds are plentiful and his area has the potential to grow big deer. You don't. PA is a perfect example.10 years ago before ARs 2.5s were anything but plentiful. I could expect to see one maybe once a season and that was on private land that was bowhunting only.

It's real easy to put your perspectives on somebody else's situation, but 9 times out of 10 it's also a mistake. There is property right across the river from me where those 2.5 year oldsyou have pictured are some of the oldest in those woods. The property is huntedvery intensely and anything making the 3 point to a side minimum gets shot. So, if you see one of those bucks in that pictureon that pieceyou'd better be shooting because that is one of thebest bucks there.

RE: If you just have to shoot a young buck.....
 

My area does have the potential to grow big deer. I'm not even disagreeing with you. If you owned the ground next to me, you'd probably like having me as a neighbor. I have been doing lots of upgrades to my property to help the herd and make my hunts more enjoyable.I've been holding out for bette deer recently and have seen good results doing so.Still doesn't change the fact that when I get in the stand, I don't give 2 chits about what someone in Texas thinks about what I shoot.

RE: If you just have to shoot a young buck.....
 

Bry...

I think he clearly mentions he's talking about his farm.

RE: If you just have to shoot a young buck.....
 

I am very grown up. My response goes to hunter ethics Let a small deer grow bigger. Your opinion it is right to kill a spike. I dont have to approve of it And i can post my opinion. Spikes are 1-1.5 years old I dont have to agree with hunters who do..Thats why I live in a state with a 3 point on one side rule.

RE: If you just have to shoot a young buck.....
 

X10 !!!

RE: If you just have to shoot a young buck.....
 

I guess the questions lies in the circumstances. For me all those deer would be let go, all of them. But thats me and im not going to tell some one else what they can and cant do. However as its been stated it is his property. On my property you shoot the small deer your buying some new stands the first time, the second time you lose your pass. having said that young or inexperienced hunters get away with it on my property, i let my ex girlfriend shoot a small buck for her first deer because it ment the world to her. But for me and the average guy I hunt with the deer should be up around the 130" range. But every one hunts different places, with different expectations. I have a friend who doesnt care about the antlers he is all about the meat. He follows are rules on ourproperty, cause its ours not his.

RE: If you just have to shoot a young buck.....
 

Why is it legal to kill the little ones, then? Do you ever stop and think that in areas that allow the taking of spikes and fawns....that there might be a population issue?

If you had more bucks than does in your area.....would that change your mind on taking spikes (assuming the taking of spikes were legal)?

RE: If you just have to shoot a young buck.....
 

could have said it any better my self well put

RE: If you just have to shoot a young buck.....
 

I believe it would But allow for more doe permits. I dont know a state that ive hunted that have a buck overpopulation issues. The more buck the lessen the doe population or dont allow spikes maybe go with a 2 point rule. like 2 points on one side..And young buck hasnt even had the chance to grow to see any sort of potential..Theres a 15 pointer in my area and no ones killed him because he lives in a private housing community and hes almost 12-13 and hes amazing but again my area has a doe over population issue. my county alone has 1-1.5 million doe thats insance.

RE: If you just have to shoot a young buck.....
 

No WAY.

You're getting bad data, sir.;)

RE: If you just have to shoot a young buck.....
 

No sir. Monroe country pa was one of the fastest growing in the nation for a short time. And people were feeding the deer and the amount of hunters we had dropped dramatically. And our county has 1-1.5 million doe im sur they are estimtes but thats what the PA fish and game commision told hunters..At one time we were allowed 3 doe permits.

RE: If you just have to shoot a young buck.....
 

St Louis county Missouri has roughly the same number of people as your county has deer. Think about that for a minute.

RE: If you just have to shoot a young buck.....
 

nissan.....lol

Your STATE "might" have 1.5M deer. Your COUNTY doesn't. Period.:D

RE: If you just have to shoot a young buck.....
 

Read my comment right below what you highlighted and you've got your answer.

Let me try to state my opnion in another way. Again, I am talking about the guys who do have a choice and yet chooses to shoot the "in between" deer anyway. Either shoot a little one or a big one.....leave the others for next year, and yes maybe your neighbor, but at least give them a chance. You want to give the little one a chance as well? Fine, no problem with that either.

I have two 25-30year oldinexperienced bowhunters hunting with me next weekend. One has killed two deer with his bow, the other is still looking for the first.They will probably only get to hunt a total of 5 or 6 days the entire season. Here is the actual discussion we will have.

I prefer you shoot a doe or a big buck, but if you have an opportunity to shoot a buck like the one below and want to, you have my blessing.


If you have an opportunity to shoot the deer to the left, have at it. I might shoot him myself, I don't know yet, depends on how he looks with the naked eye.
But under no circumtances do I want you shooting a deer in the size range of the one to the right, even if it means going home empty.


If I am wrong I am wrong, but as I said, I'll have no more or less satisfaction shooting the first one as the one to the right.

RE: If you just have to shoot a young buck.....
 

You wouldn't be able to swing a dead cat without knocking over about 6 deer if that were the case.

RE: If you just have to shoot a young buck.....
 

Jack....

For hunters with the kind of experience you say they have....."I" think you're asking a helluva lot. Heat of the moment....and they're gonna shoot that deer on the right. They'll shoot and ask forgiveness (IMO) a LOT of deer.

As long as you know this going in.....you're alright. But I think you're setting yourself up for a likely disappointment.

Just my .02

RE: If you just have to shoot a young buck.....
 

True....and you'd likely have a harder time MISSING!:D

RE: If you just have to shoot a young buck.....
 

I shoot the one with spots... they are simply delicious! Make sure there are no buttons on its head though.... :D

RE: If you just have to shoot a young buck.....
 

I know if i can find the article I will post the link this was last years number they havent published anything this year.were all woods here my friend. And its mountains.

RE: If you just have to shoot a young buck.....
 

In my county in VA we have the largest deer pop per square mile, it ranges from 45 to 100 deer per square mile in certain parts of the county. It ranks up there with some of the deep south states. The county is roughly 500 square miles. At a Max thats 50,000 deer and 22,500 a min, No offense but 1.5 Million thats about the deer pop for the state of VA.

RE: If you just have to shoot a young buck.....
 

It's not mountains, its deer stacked 20 high.[8D]

RE: If you just have to shoot a young buck.....
 

http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/cwp/view.asp?a=482&q=151378

If the PA STATE deer population was estimated at 1.5 mil in 2000, I doubt your COUNTY was at 1.5 mil in 2007 -- Just a hunch.

RE: If you just have to shoot a young buck.....
 

I'm imagining the clowns in the volkswagen thing......except deer and a mountainous, PA county.;)

RE: If you just have to shoot a young buck.....
 

nissan--is this your county?

RE: If you just have to shoot a young buck.....
 

Ok oops your right my bad...I misread then.. But thats still a hell of a lot of deer.....

RE: If you just have to shoot a young buck.....
 

I dont have time to read thru all of these pages right now, but I am going to go against the grain, anad say that I would shoot any one of those deer, except the fawn. But thats just me.

RE: If you just have to shoot a young buck.....
 

Dude, c'mon man.Ain't no buck 12-13 years old, and ain't no county on this earth with that many deer. You county probably does have too many deer...which is why there is nothing wrong with shooting a doe fawn, and in fact, shooting every single doe you can is the right thing to do.

RE: If you just have to shoot a young buck.....
 

I will shoot what makes me happy! There are some bucks there I would not have a problem shooting! Talk down on me all you want!

RE: If you just have to shoot a young buck.....
 

Wow, let's shoot 1.5's but pass the 2.5's. Makes a lot of sense;)[&:]

RE: If you just have to shoot a young buck.....
 

I havent gota buck yet... so any of them would be fine with me

RE: If you just have to shoot a young buck.....
 

Um, yeah. It would appear that my reading comprehension lies somewhere between sucks and blows in this case.

My bad.

RE: If you just have to shoot a young buck.....
 

............zzzzzzzzzzzzzz..................zzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzz.........

This thread is worthless.