I truely wish I could see the same deer for three or four years.I would let a small one walk,but it doesn't work that way in central Fla. where I hunt.
If you see a legal deer , you better take him or her(????).
we do not have the luxiury to let them walk.

the property owners next door will take anything with brown hair.[:@].we do get to take a few good bucks that just slip by the others.

that being said , I see no problem with a person taking an animal if it is legal,a trophy to me or you may be a monster to them and vise versa,a small forked horn may be a buck of a life time to them.so each to his ; or ; her own.

Congratulations...it is good you have opportunity to harvest as you shared.

This year, I took a spike horn buck. The landowner next to me has many "nuisance permits" from the New York State DEC.
I killed that buck just inside my line. If I hadn't taken him, he would have been killed 5 minutes later in a barage of gunfire, as he was traveling toward the land of nuisance permits.

It burns me up....these guys get these permits to kill 10-12 deer when their land is posted up tight.
If they were really concerned about crop damage, they would allow hunting by others. The whole thing is motivated by greed.
When applying for permits to harvest deer that are supposedly doing crop damage, the DEC ought to be telling these people...."you don't own those deer....if you want less damage, let others have a chance at them....if their numbers don't go down you may apply for your permits."

Clint

I hear too many people say this. Your neighbors arent going to kill every deer. You say you have to shoot it cuz if you dont someone else will. But if you let it walk, it at least has a chance to grow. If you kill it, its for sure not going to mature. Let the young ones walk, you'll be suprised in a few year.

Trestand...congrats on your deer. Great story!

I agree. I used to think the exact same way....they'd all get shot if I let him walk. Amazingly...once I started letting them walk, I started killing bigger deer. Hmmmm


No matter where you hunt, or how much pressure there is, there is no way they can all be killed. If that theory was true, we wouldn't have many deer to hunt anywhere. The choice is up to you. I won't ever put anyone down for taking any legal deer. It's ultimately up to you. My thoughts have and will be, if it means something to you....take it. If it doesn't, let it walk. Too many people take small bucks not because it means something to them, but rather for ego reasons. So they can spout out "I got my buck".

Yeah man, I agree totally. I preach this to all my buddies but they only half listen. They claim if they don't shoot someone else will. Well that may be true some of the time but I sooner than later passing on the little ones will pay off.