RE: Is this buck big enough for ya ?? (picture)
 

and time to move on.

RE: Is this buck big enough for ya ?? (picture)
 

For what it' s worth. I' ve seen bachelor herds of similar quality deer on heavily hunted land. They are out like clockwork until around the end of August and then guess what? They disappear never to be seen together again. They do disperse, they do get shy and they do show up again + or - a few the following summer.

Anybody that knows even a little about deer knows that the deer you pattern while still in velvet is a COMPLETELY different animal once the velvet is off for a couple of weeks. If you don' t know this it may explain why even a little six point is a real find for you.

True?

RE: Is this buck big enough for ya ?? (picture)
 

You' d turn down a chance to hunt Alberta' s bow only zone then, wouldn' t you ?

You would not have a good time on this place then as its trophy managed first and foremost.

Yes, you' d get the same thrill and then someknowing it took you 4-8 years or more to draw a permit to hunt the place then trying to figure out the patterns on these bucks that live in places that resemble 4-7 year old clearcuts and then passing on marginal 120" -140" deer waiting and waiting and waiting for those smart 150" + bucks to come through. Very tough to do. As tough as hunting non-managed lands ? Of course not, but then there might not even be deer this calss in other parts of public land in my state. You cannot kill big deer if there are none to be hunted. This place provides a very special, trophy managed area that for a small tag fee you can draw a lucky tag that Bill Jerdon would be envious to have.

Calling me a liar won' t change the fact that its there. Maybe your state doesn' t do it ... mine does. I did not find the field this picture was taken in - because the pictures are a year old and those food plots are not there now. If you' re a whitetail hunter, you know 2 days before the opening of season that bucks change their habits and you never see then enter those summer routines again until , well, next summer !

The Alberta Edmonton bow only zone ... is it not what I described above ? Bowhunting only, trophy managed, limited tags to non-residents (controlled tags to an extent) .... this is very much what my state has done.

I took a fellow to my " honey hole" elk spot a few years back. The next year he went in, with a few buddies, and the next year my " honey hole" had several tents and a dozen hunters in it from 3 different states. I learned my lesson there. That buck in the one picture .... he' s got a world class rack. I mean in the 200' s world class with a typical frame like that. 230" sheds are also world class, they would have been my states record or close to it, especially with archery. I love looking at pictures, especially of big bucks. I' m going to go ahead and delete these in case inquiring minds find where these were taken and post it for the world to see. I' ll leave the first one though, it reveals nothing to my knowledge.

I don' t mind you thinking I am lying. Better you do to keep this place as secret as I can and hopefully draw a tag every few years. Sorry your state has no bowhunting only, trophy managed areas. My hunts to KS have been the best ever - watching 125" -175" whitetails in full rut, chasing does, scraping, fighting etc. You dont see that where I normally hunt.

RE: Is this buck big enough for ya ?? (picture)
 

So why do we do all that scouting?? What' s the point? According to your logic all year scouting and patterning of bucks is useless then right?


I love when people get upset when someone has an opinion different then their' s and quickly follows it up with a personal insult. It reveals so much about you ;)

A 6 pt is a nice buck in the woods I get to hunt...........why is it OK for you to mock me for having average hunting ground but it' s not OK for me to comment on someone elses land??

Come hunt the state forest I do for a season and see what it' s like before making statements like those.........you have no idea what kind of warzone I have to deal with.

RE: Is this buck big enough for ya ?? (picture)
 

Never said I wouldn' t hunt your area......just said I wouldn' t swell with pride when telling the story about the buck I got from there..........sure he is a great animal but your biggest obstacle is drawing a tag.....the rest is gravy.

I' d have a great time..........I never said I wouldn' t kill a trophy, I just accept what my land has to offer and don' t set unrealistic goals. If I waited for a buck like that where I hunt I would never see one in 50 years. Trophys depend on perspective.........a nice 8 pt is about as good as it gets where I hunt.......taking one of these is equal to you waiting on the 150" + guys at this place. Both are the big boys of those particular woods.........they don' t compare head to head but situationally they are equals.


Why don' t you just go hunt there every year.......it' s public land right??

Couldn' t have said it better myself............that is exactly why the thrill is diminished IMO. Your skills won' t be what gets you a great buck.......money and luck in a drawing will play a much bigger role. If a place is crawling with huge deer how excited can you be when you bag a huge deer?? Of course he' s huge.......they ALL are!!!


I still don' t see how you can keep people off public land. If Bill Jordan wants to hunt there or any other person with a legal license for that matter......there is nothing anyone can do or say to stop them.

So it is run by the state?? I thought you said it was run by private citizens?


Here' s an idea...........hunt the food plots that ARE there now ;) That' s why they are there.

You say this like it is a fact that ALL deer behave this way..........is there a post it note on the deer time clock reminding them that bowseason is Monday??

Again......if this is so set in stone then why do we scout deer at all??


That is exactly why I have such a hard time believing that no one hunts this place..........and it' s freely open to the public [:o] You mean to tell me that not only has no one ever blabbed about this place when showing off the buck they killed but also that no one even knows about this thousands of acres of public land?

Statistically speaking that sounds impossible.


I don' t know what other choice I am left with seeing how you didn' t answer any of my questions about how and who is running such a place.


How many people apply for tags each year..........and where does the money go from the applicants that are not drawn?

RE: Is this buck big enough for ya ?? (picture)
 

I agree with Big Buck Brannigan. Zelazny, your story makes sense to me.

I for one, don' t believe people who say they' re more proud of a basket 6 point, than a mature trophy. Basket 6s are easy, no matter where you find them. They are juvenile deer that haven' t learned squat. They walk by, head down, paying attention to nothing. The difficulty of shooting one, isn' t even close to the difficulty in shooting a mature buck.

If the woods were full of mature bucks and they averaged 150" , you' d see a lot fewer hunters being successful. These older deer are tough to get close to. However, even if they were so plentiful that they were somewhat easy, there would be all kinds of excitment and accomplishment when you ran into the rare 200" buck. These deer are practically nocturnal and their senses are almost always on high alert. Mature whitetails are never easy to get, if they' re not fenced. I' ll repeat - never easy! Why anyone would consider a stupid juvenile buck a bigger accomplishment than a mature one (no matter how plentiful), is beyond me. Hunting mature bucks is like hunting ghosts. Hunting juveniles is not much more difficult than hunting where there is one.

RE: Is this buck big enough for ya ?? (picture)
 

Those are some awesome bucks! I am sure I am not alone here in wishing there were more like this where I hunt.
Fortunately, my state does not manage any specific piece of land for trophies. If Minnesota' s Department of Natural Resources put a pile of money into such a thing there would be many hunters that would cry foul. Surely, we must all know that all the money required for something like this would be substantial. That money would be better spent on managing the herd across the entire state. Sure a place like this would be great but it would benefit so few hunters. I just don' t see it as sound management by a state.

I hope you get the chance to bag one of those great deer. It would still be a fine trophy.

RE: Is this buck big enough for ya ?? (picture)
 

You' ve never hunted an area where the deer are bigger, have you ?

Re-read what I posted, its regulated with special draw.

Uh, no, they are not " all" huge. Any large, mature whitetail is hard to kill. Theres other aspects of the hunt that makes it even harder ... but I won' t say because it might tip to where this is !

Say it together ... " special draw " ... go to Colorado and muzzleload hunt without a special tag and see where that goes.

You thought wrong. Its a Fish and Wildlife property

I' ve never seen a buck step into a food plot during hunting season. One week after until 1 week before, yes, during, no.

]

It does, doesn' t it ?

Thats fine by me :)

RE: Is this buck big enough for ya ?? (picture)
 

What if I told you there was this place, thousands of acres, that only a handful of drawn applicants could traditional bowhunt only for trophy sized whitetails ? McAllister Oklahoma military base. What if I told you there was a place that had units set aside for traditional elk hunting only with no sights, wood shafts, natural feathers and steel broadheads ? Look to Idaho.

I suspect a lot of states have special draws - limited entry permit areas, for whitetails, bear, elk etc etc. I mean, its almost too funny you don' t believe these places exist. I hunted NW NM a coupld of years back. Literally thousands of acres of STATE land, not Federal, open to hunting. Kinda hard to find ' em, but once you did just a huge ammount of land to hunt. We actually saw more elk than mule deer in those areas too ! I remember when talking to the G&F they mentioned a state park that had yearly draws for tags and that there were some dandy bucks in there but few people paid enough attention to draw for it. Come to remember, I never did either !

RE: Is this buck big enough for ya ?? (picture)
 

Atlasman.....you saying that your a meat hunter 1st totally explains, atleast to me, why you respond in such a way(your 1st post) about the pic. You simply don' t care what kind of an animal you shoot as long as you shoot one. Me and many other guys on here do care what we shoot...QDM. You, me and all others are entitled to there opinion sure, but why can' t I nor anyone else respond to your comments? Just because those deer are in a big group early in season doesn' t mean they are easy to take nor are like shooting fish in a barrel. LOL You must be a few hours short of sleep to think that.

RE: Is this buck big enough for ya ?? (picture)
 

i know where that is. i was drawn for tag... i cant wait. zelazny, DO NOT give up this location.

RE: Is this buck big enough for ya ?? (picture)
 

I can see where atlasman comes from, but I still disagree completely. It sounds like someone is a little jealous that they dont get the opportunity. I would guess at least 90% of bowhunters would take an opportunity to hunt a spot like this just once, even if it is just to see some deer. Zelazny even said that he has his camera trying to take pictures...so he obviously isnt just shooting deer, he is hunting.

Atlas are you saying that you wouldnt even GO to this place at all? Not even to see some once in a lifetime deer?! youve got to be kidding...

RE: Is this buck big enough for ya ?? (picture)
 

if you have to draw a tag whats the big deal about keeping it secret ? i' m sure the locals know about it and they might blab! i hope one of you guy nail one of those nice big bucks , good luck! post pixs when you get them!

RE: Is this buck big enough for ya ?? (picture)
 

A.K.A eastwood - If you know, PLEASE lets get togehter in the next few weeks and try to figure out how to arrow one of those bad boys ! Want me to email you ?

xibowhunter - I don' t know the number of applicants this year, but its very low and the odds are still good at drawing it. If I told everyone where it was, if everyone KNEW the quality of the deer thats there, the applicants would double or triple next year. Its already like a 1 in 5 years to draw or something like that, I' d just as soon keep it that way because of the elk example I gave. Being friendly and sharing hunting areas with a close friend is one thing, with the world is another. I learned my lesson the hard way and sad to say, I don' t like those rules, I am just playing them. My example would be the Edmonton Zone. 5-8 years ago it was unknown, now you have to pay to hunt it. Kansas was unknown 10 years ago, now its tough to draw once in every 2-3 years. Kentucky is going that route too, as its THE next big buck hotspot in my opinion. Sad but true I think. My close hunting friends and Dad draw for it.

RE: Is this buck big enough for ya ?? (picture)
 

better yet, ill send you a pm

RE: Is this buck big enough for ya ?? (picture)
 

Yes

regulated by who? what happens to someone if they try to hunt it without a tag? Is there someone gaurding every entry to the thousands of acres ensuring only tag carrying hunters??

There is no way every deer disappears from the food plots to exactly coincide with hunting season.........I agree 100% that mature bucks are smart and crafty but you are giving them a little too much credit I think. Maybe once they see or smell any sign of human intrusion they are gone but you act like they know the opening date of the season or something. They may know as the weather changes hunters will follow but let' s not get dramatic.

RE: Is this buck big enough for ya ?? (picture)
 

Guys.........read the posts. I already said I was jealous. Who wouldn' t like to whack a buck like one of these?? I' d love to fish for 8 lb largemouths in a private stocked pond too..........I just wouldn' t come home feeling like I am a great fisherman because I did it.



Again if you read the thread I have no idea how you could come to that conclusion. I would go in a second!! Hunt, kill, mount and enjoy that buck. When I told the story to someone I would not pretend like I am closer to Fred Bear because of it...........I would say " Yea man I got to hunt this sweet cherry of a spot that is LOADED with monsters......I arrowed the biggest one I saw and here he is" No disrespect......just the truth.

RE: Is this buck big enough for ya ?? (picture)
 

Matter of fact, two live there to my knowledge. Have you really never drawn a special tag for an area thats managed to take X ammount of deer per year ? If not, wow, I thought every state had that, like out west. I special draw for Colorado PP or tags every year and would for other states if I had the Money. What state do you live in that has no special hunts for public land ?

LOL ! I thought you hunted public land a lot ?? If you did, you' d know its the absolute truth. Deer dissappear when people start roaming the woods. They know whats up, especially the older 2.5-3.5 and beyond deer.

RE: Is this buck big enough for ya ?? (picture)
 

I' m a big bass junkie. I fish specifically for them. Ever been to Lake Fork Texas ? Where I' m from an 8 pound bass is a target to mount. In Fork I wouldn' t keep one under 10.5, maybe 11 pounds. I mounted a fish that weighted 11 pounds 9 ounces and released another I am now certain would have went over 12 pounds. My point ? As the quality increases, so does your goals. I won' t shoot a littl scrub buck in KS that I would near my home. Why ? Goodness man why would I when its normal to see a couple of P&Y bucks every day or two ? I turned many 4-5 pound smallies back in Chequamegan Bay WI ... never would have done that on my home lake.

I don' t know how better to explain it. Do you belittle the accomlishment of Milo Hansen because he lives in a big buck province ? How about the Jordan deer ? You must think it not that great because WI has larger bodied deer, vast lands etc etc ? Hmmm ?

RE: Is this buck big enough for ya ?? (picture)
 

I live in NY. You buy a hunting license and go hunt period. You get a certain amount of tags depending on which license you buy. No special tags, no special permits. If land is public then I, you, Bill Jordan, Ted Nugent and any other person carrying a valid license has unrestricted access to hunt until your tags are full or the season is over.


That' s NOT what you said. First of all you have said repeatedly that this honey hole of yours is hunted by a few priviledged souls. A few hunters should not be able to throw thousands of acres of deer habitat into a frenzy.......especially bowhunters. You said the deer disappear BEFORE the season and return AFTER like they have some magical timetable in their heads. If you read my last post you will see I mentioned once they detect human intrusion they will get spooky (Guess you missed that ;))

RE: Is this buck big enough for ya ?? (picture)
 

2 what?

RE: Is this buck big enough for ya ?? (picture)
 

Maybe you have missed my original message. I am not saying that the deer are not great......or that you shouldn' t go kill one.........by all means bag the biggest baddest one you can find man.

Your above statement expresses my point perfectly. It' s NORMAL to see a couple P+Y bucks every day or two. So you will be killing a NORMAL buck for the land you are fortunate enough to be on. Compared to most other deer we hunt day to day these guys are HUGE!!! but there they are just NORMAL. To kill a monster or freak in a place where they are not a dime a dozen is one hell of an accomplishment or darn good luck. To kill a monster there would just be considered NORMAL.

Still great...................................just NORMAL.

RE: Is this buck big enough for ya ?? (picture)
 

http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/d...ma/wmalist.htm

I' m not going to spend a lot of time making my point, but NY does have some permit WMA' s avilable. Maybe you didn' t know about them ??

Dogs. What do you think ? 2 Fish and Wildlife people.

I' ll take normal hard to kill 150" deer anyday over normal hard to kill 100" deer.

RE: Is this buck big enough for ya ?? (picture)
 

ROTHFLMAO, would someone please give atlasman a shovel, he cant seem to dig his hole fast enough, after all he read all about deer hunting in a book.[:-]

RE: Is this buck big enough for ya ?? (picture)
 

What point is that?? I have asked you REPEATED times questions that you have not answered that could have cleared everything up and avoided this whole mess.......you chose not to because you want to be cloak and dagger about your deer portraits. Where I live and hunt we don' t have such things and that' s why I didn' t understand what you are talking about. If land around here is public it has NO restrictions except you have to have a license. There are places you need permits to hunt on like parks and certain WMA' s but all you have to do is stop at the cabin at the entrance and grab one so they know how many people are in there each day.

I asked you over and over about why people don' t just go there and hunt if it' s public and you still haven' t answered me. You won' t say who runs the place, what happens to all the money, who plants and cares for the land and who watches over the land and what power they have to keep non tag holders off public land. We have bow only zones in NY near NY city but that is for safety reasons. So if you had just explained yourself better and not been so afraid 10 of us would put in for tags next year I would understand the setup better. As of right now I still don' t know much about the way the place is run.......oh well.


There you go again. Instead of saying 2 game officers live on site and patrol the area constantly as their job and so and so is in charge of the food plots and farming which is funded by the undrawn tag money and blah blah blah............that' s all you had to do from the very start........instead you are all secretive like I' m gonna steal your stand or something.


So would you rather have a 200" deer taken off a farm??

RE: Is this buck big enough for ya ?? (picture)
 

I' ve been hunting longer then you' ve been out of diapers little man ;)

RE: Is this buck big enough for ya ?? (picture)
 

Well I wont stoop to your level, however I seriously doubt after reading your comments that youve been hunting very long at all. And if you have, I would love to come over and hunt your neck of the woods, just to give the deer a taste of hunts it like to be really hunted.

RE: Is this buck big enough for ya ?? (picture)
 

zelazny,

a friend of mine drew a tag and hunted this public land two weeks ago, he and his partner came up with a plan and bagged 2 monsters. i think one was 205" and the other was just a little less. anyways, he sent me a couple pics and explained what they did and how they got these bad boys. ill send it to you via email. the pics will give away the location.

RE: Is this buck big enough for ya ?? (picture)
 

Well Atlasman. I gotta say I was reading along with your post just waiting for you to say you hunted in NY, because you definetly sound like all the meat hunters in this fine state of rednecks and city hunters alike. You are ther perfect stereotype of the guy who thinks there are no big deer, or even any deer in the woods simply because you are not knowledgeable hunter.
I also hunt hear in NY, all parts of the state, excluding the Catskills, and can not defend you one bit. Our state had one of the largest and most dense deer herds in the country. I' ve have been fortunate to get out every fri-mon this season, and have passed on several basket racks, and countless doe. I have harvested my share of those small bakset racks in the past, and although I was once filled with satisfaction after shooting one, no longer do I desire to use my tag on anything I feel is an 18 month old deer. It is simply too easy once the know how of hunting really hits you.
There are trophy deer here in new york, and in fact, excluding that monster in the first picture, I have witnessed bachelor groups very comparable to that picture in several areas throughout the state. Did I ever harvest any of those deer I saw? No!, for reasons we all know and have discuused already.
The only advantage I see that Zelazny has over us is that he has access to all the land the deer roam on. Whereas here in NY, most private plots are very small, probably less than 100 acres, and any public land is in fact very crowded, and probably not much bigger than 500 acres anyway, so spots become very limited. And also regarding the special permit topic, there are several areas that I know of in the state, and probably some more as well. Duran Eastman park is one, along with the seneca wildlife refuge. I also believe Montezuma swamp has a drawing. So Atlasman, I know your opinion is very hard to change, as with all the meat hunters, but you should relize that trophy hunting, no matter what part of the country, is more than going out at 8am sitting in your permanent tree stand, coffee in hand, with no regard to the wind, and waiting for " whats brown is down" . Good Luck to you Zelazny, I know it wont be easy.

RE: Is this buck big enough for ya ?? (picture)
 

You got something against meat hunters??.........do you even see your hypocrisy in bashing meat hunters while crying because you think I am bashing trophy hunters?? (Probably not ;)) BTW I have nothing against trophy hunters......or ANY hunter for that matter. It' s a shame that you are so disgusted by many of the hunting brothers you share the woods with. I know it may be hard for you to believe but not everyone thinks or lives their life the way you do.

Man this broken record is really getting overplayed in this forum this year. So predictable it' s sad. If someone voices an opinion that is different then yours or you don' t like the first reaction is a personal insult along the lines of that person is stupid or lacks hunting knowledge..........very sad turn in this forum lately. It' s unfortunate that you lump people into stereotypes.......you should really get to know them first BEFORE unleashing your hatred.

Defend me on what?? That I don' t see the same thrill in killing a big buck where they are a dime a dozen compared to killing one where they are seldom if ever seen?? It' s just my opinion man.........why are you so upset??


Good for you............I have too many mouths to feed that LOVE venison so unlike you I cannot afford to let deer walk by just because their head gear doesn' t impress the neighbors. If it has a rack fine........I mount it and put in on the wall with the rest. If not that' s also fine with me. They all look the same in the freezer........it' s pretty bad that you lump so much shame on hunters taking legal game because they don' t share your goals.


Broken record played yet again.



It really helps if you read and understand a thread BEFORE blasting away from the hip like one of the rednecks or city hunters you despise so much ;)

Who cares about advantages or if there are deer like that here or there or anywhere?? My main and original statement remains that killing a huge deer where there are tons of huge deer is less an accomplishment then doing it where a deer like that will be the talk of the town for years to come. Where you went off on some of your tangents I have no clue.

Once again my redneck hating friend.........read before typing ;) I already mentioned places that require permits to hunt like certain WMA' s and parks. I have hunted Montezuma, Letchworth.....etc The permits are anything but exclusive. They are more concerned with keeping track of how many people hunt per year and how many are there on a given day. A photo copy of your license and a couple lines of info will get you in any of the spots you speak of. They are a lot less permits as they are a way of counting........I have never been turned down.


Once again you ask for respect but don' t offer the same to others. You are a special guy ;)

You know nothing about me..............or 99% of the rest of the hunting world you cast your net of stereotyping at. It must be lonely being so perfect.

I know NY has a great deer herd. I have hunted the same woods for 16-17 years now and I know all the locals and all the farmers. I know what comes off that land and what doesn' t. I could sit and let deer walk by because they only have 4 pts or 6 or whatever you go by. That deer will then be killed by someone else IF it even lives to gun season. The woods are FULL of hunters that let nothing on 4 legs walk by............so me passing on a deer only gives it to someone else. It does nothing for the herd and does nothing for me that or any other year except keep my freezer empty. I don' t have the luxury of being able to hunt all over the state for days at a time. I own my own business so just can' t leave for parts unknown in search of a P+Y buck. Glad you can. I hunt what I have and don' t pretend I am in a Primos video when I am not. The land I hunt is not managed for big racks and I don' t really care..........why is that so hard to accept? When I take a buck no one is gonna stare at it with an open mouth in envy. It just doesn' t mean that much to me. A years worth of good quality, clean food for my family is my number one priority when I hunt. A year of good food for my family provides me much more satisfaction then some horns on my wall........I' ve got tons of those and you can' t eat any of ' em. My brother took a really big 8 pt a few years back and it was like Mardi Gras on that hill. Guys came from all over to see that deer........conservation took his picture and put it on the deer check wall......it was fun. For 3 years after that there were so many cars at our spot it looked like a parking lot............deer like that are just not found very often in those woods. I can count on one hand how many brutes have been taken off those hills in 17 years. I don' t want one that bad. If he crosses my path I will take him for sure............but if he doesn' t I am not gonna go home feeling bad. I have tried eating my tags before and they taste like crap............I will take the smiles and grateful looks on my families faces when I show up at their house with a batch of jerky or the cards I get from my family that has migrated south after they get my " care package" in the mail.......over some antlers any day. Too bad you are so closed minded to any aspects of hunting that aren' t yours :(

RE: Is this buck big enough for ya ?? (picture)
 

According to AKA Eastwood his 2 buddies just took a couple bucks that are at or just below 200" ...........still think it won' t be easy?? 2 guys go out bag a couple 200" bucks...........I mean, which one of us HASN' T told that story ;)

RE: Is this buck big enough for ya ?? (picture)
 

atlasman - I spent a week in Steuben County NY a few year back - huge deer in those areas.

The beautiful thing here ? I don' t have to explain anything to you. Many states, if not all, have draw systems for special hunts. If you aren' t aware of them better for me I guess. If you don' t understand it, do some google searches.

RE: Is this buck big enough for ya ?? (picture)
 

Yes they do have a wonderful herd there. Big boys with the most bucks taken per square mile in the state I believe.

How did we get into a discussion that reads like me having something against big bucks?? COuld someone show me where I have said I don' t like big deer or wouldn' t shoot one.......or think people who do are silly??

I can' t get to Steuben County. It' s too far. I have to hunt where I can drive to and back from in the same day without getting rediculous.

If you can go all over the country in pursuit of a large rack then have fun. I can' t and even if I could it just isn' t that high on my list of important things I have to do.

You still haven' t answered ANY questions about this place or how it is run. Which you could do easily without giving it away. Now the subject has changed so many times I bet most don' t even know where or why it started.............over me saying killing a big buck in a place crowded with big bucks is not as satisfying as killing one where no one sees deer like that on a daily basis. Money and luck of the draw are your major obstacles in killing one of those big bucks.

You didn' t answer my question about if you would rather have a 200" buck off a farm then a 150" buck you could kill at your spot??

Say a guy walks into the bunny ranch in Nevada. He plops his money down and gets in the door and scores with the hottest chick he' s ever seen. Should he go home and feel like Brad Pitt and tell everyone he scored with a sweet babe or should he realize that EVERY chick there was hot and his money is what got him the fun he had?? It sure was fun...........but as far as accomplishments go it didn' t really have much to do with him personally.......did it?? or could any guy with the same amount of money have done the same thing??

RE: Is this buck big enough for ya ?? (picture)
 

Its public land that is State ran and managed. They use a strict resident only draw system to issue the tags. Its public land, who gets what as far sa money I don' t know and could care less about. I submit $$ for a tag - no different than AZ or CO or KS. Theres not much more to it than that ... except its not well known. Truth is, I drew the tag without knowing what it was - and wish I had 2 weeks of vaction to hunt it !


I don' t agree. Money has nothing to do with it. Luck of the draw will get you a tag, but everything else is no different than where you hunt - except the chances of seeing a large buck is higher because of the way its managed.

This isn' t a farm, or a ranch, or anything like that, so the question was irrelevant really. I have never had a guided hunt. I have paid tresspass fees twice. Everything else has been public land hunting, do it myself. I' ve had some great success too.

Again, just because you are not familiar with these places - honey holes that are out of the way and not well known, does not mean they don' t exist. Like my examples of McAllister OK military base, special KY elk draws, city limit archery onl whitetail draws, Edmonton tags ... theres a long list. Did you know that in the White Sands missle rangd in NM you can draw for an Oryx (gemsbok) tag ? Its $1500 (or was last time I tried drawing) but where else can you hunt free roaming oryx in the US ? Many people do not know that tag exists, doesn' t mean it isn' t there though.

Your babe analysis is again, irrelevant. I didn' t pay to hunt this place, its not a ranch hunt nor is it fenced or anything like that. Its just a big piece of land that was set aside as public and a management plan was attached to provide resident archery hunters with a chance at a 150" -230" or better whitetail for a small tag fee - a hunt like Bill Jerdun goes on in the Milk River areas and in Texas - but without the fences and all that.

RE: Is this buck big enough for ya ?? (picture)
 

It is relevant..........It reveals what you value more, a big rack or the satisfaction of knowing you worked your butt off for your trophy. Anyone can kill a huge buck on a farm if you have the money..........rack over hunt. Some people go to extremes that most would never even think of to obtain a monster.......hunt over rack. Your case is a little of both......the rewards of a great rack with a lot of the hard work taken care of because you know where they are already and the hunting pressure is limited by the tag draw........best of both worlds. They aren' t gonna jump in your truck themselves but if eastwood is right and his 2 buddies shot 200" deer then I would say you should be able to do the same. How many people leave the house at dark knowing that??

So if you would take a 200" on a farm over a 150" at your place you are strictly concerned with rack score.........and let' s be honest here, the only difference between your place and a farm is no fence right?? Both have deer grown specifically for racks as trophies with planned nutrition and mananged hunts.......only yours can get away if they run far enough...........to where there are no food plots and lots of hunters ;)

My brother in law lives in Albequerque (sp?) and sends me Oryx steaks and javelina and Elk and whatever else he kills too much of LOL. I don' t really see what your point is.........I have no desire to travel the country in search of tags to hunt. I hunt where I live. The fact that I don' t live in the monster buck capital of the world doesn' t bother me. I hunt the land I have and based on what comes off that land year after year me and my family are very successful.........I am fine with that. I am not the kind of person that is always dreaming of greener grass. I make the best out of the cards I am dealt and don' t try and pretend I am somewhere I am not.


The tag was free??

I guess not


A lot of our lack of communication has come from our different understandings of what tags are versus licenses I think. Where I live you buy a license and depending on which one you get there are tags on it for a certain number of deer. You can also get 2 doe permits for designated areas if you wish. With this license any person can hunt anywhere that is public and you can fill every tag you have for that season then you are done.

If I have cracked your secret code...........I think you are saying that hunters don' t have a " license" so to speak where you are but the " tag" serves as a license to hunt. I' m sure you would need a license to get a tag but a license alone does not give you free roaming rights to every part of the state.

If I am wrong please correct me...........I wish you had explained it better early on as this whole blab fest could have been ten times shorter.

BTW the babe analogy is right on.........he just went in and bagged a different kind of trophy that' s all ;) One he could have desired and searched for his whole life and never even come close..........until he found a place where getting access is the hardest part. No pun intended ;)


Dude, have fun......kill 10 of them if it makes you happy. If your happy, then I' m happy for ya. I just stated my opinion that I think killing a huge deer in a place where huge deer are common is well...........common, and therefore takes some of the WOW factor out of it. It' s just my opinion.......I' m not trying to force it on you or anyone. Just saying what I think that' s all.

RE: Is this buck big enough for ya ?? (picture)
 

Thats what you' re getting hung up on ... killing a buck in this place is just as difficult as it is elsewhere IMO, just the racks are bigger on the average deer and on a big deer much bigger. Why ? They are given the chance to get into the 4.5-5.5 and older age class.

I thinks theres a much bigger difference, you might not - your perrogative.

My point on the Oryx is most people don' t even know that hunt is available to them. I didn' t know this hunt was to me until 2 years ago. Some of THE best hunting is not well known IMO.

I like my hunt. I like my yearly elk hunt, I like my whitetail hunts in KS. Its do it myself on a budget, no guides or anything like that. I do have to pay one guy a bottle of Old Charter to hunt his place though.


You buy a license in my state, and special tags are drawn seperately for special hunts.

I know if I have the chance at a 150" buck and get him, there' ll be nothing less about him that had he been a 100" buck just because he had the chance to grwo older and smarter. The hunt will not have changed that much, only the headgear that the bucks wear. IMportant ? Hell yeah it is. Is it why I hunt ? No.

BTW, I shoot a longbow

RE: Is this buck big enough for ya ?? (picture)
 

it was actually just one of my friends and a guy he knows. they both got a nice one, but the part of the story you dont know is that it took them 5 years to finally score. drawn 5 of 15 years and 5 years of hard hunting.

RE: Is this buck big enough for ya ?? (picture)
 

Atlasman, a little misunderstanding on your part, I think. I was in no way trying to bash meat hunters. EVERY person I hunt with is a meat hunter, family and friends alike; and even myself has been know to fill up all my doe tags. And I was not trying to bash rednecks or city hunters, just stating that both crowds have their meat hunters, as well as trophy hunters.

The point I was trying to get across(should' ve just summed it up for you in the first place) is that this state has bucks just like the ones in Zelazny showed us in his pictures. It just you meat hunters have no idea they exist because YOU never see them. There are many things a trophy hunter must do to get that trophy, shootin the first thing that walks isn' t one of them. So I find it very frustrating that you think Zelazny shouln' t " get excitement" from his 150-200" buck(if he even gets one), because he' s " picking it out of a crowd" of monsters. You have that same crowd of monsters around you, you just dont want to go lookiin for it, which I have no problem with at all.

And I can guarantee you if you do your research on special draw permits in NY, you' ll find more than one area that that applies to. I know its not in your blue hunting regulations book you picked up from the town clerk' s when you bought your liscense, but there out there, several being in bow only areas(hint!, hint!).

I hate bickering, esecially on such an excellent forum, but I cant keep my mouth shut when I feel you are so extremely wrong and you just dont know. But you are keeping several of us entertained, so it will be interesting to hear whats next.

RE: Is this buck big enough for ya ?? (picture)
 

I really don' t know what all was written throughout this post b/c I got tired of all the bickering about half way through, but I have to comment about Mcalister Oklahoma. That could compare with some of the best deer hunting in the World. It is long or recurve only drawn in hunts that is just unbelieveable. If you said those pics came from there, I would believe it. I think that OKlahoma along with Kentucky is one of the most underlooked places for big whitetails. Here is a pic from my place that I am hunting right now, I have other P & Y deer but this is the biggest. Good Luck to everyone!!

RE: Is this buck big enough for ya ?? (picture)
 

When you use words like redneck, cityhunter, meathunter and stereotype......it is pretty clear that you like to lump people into groups and put whatever label on them you see fit............anything to isolate yourself from people like " them"

I' m just thankful you didn' t go off on a rant about blacks, gays or arabs ;)

For the 100th time I never said he shouldn' t get excited..........I just said it can' t be AS exciting when there are so many like that in one concentrated area.......instead of maybe one per county like most areas.....if that. Think about it.......the biggest reactions to the size of that deer will be by people that don' t know where it came from..........the people who live, work and/or hunt that land will look at it like it' s just another big deer.......because they see 20 of them a day and it' s no big deal to them to see a deer like that. Most everyone else will be slack jawed because they are from areas that probably have never seen a deer like that........hence the excitment vs less excitement. Kill that deer on land that everyone has free roam to hunt and people will be in awe.........kill it there and people will be in awe of the deer still.......but if you think people won' t think less of the accomplishment when they find out it was taken from a secret little deer growing project selling tickets to get in...........I' ve got some swamp land I' d like to sell ya ;)