who really pratices?
 

who really pratices "if it's brown it's down"? i overheard a few guys at work talking about our upcoming season and this burns be up. even if i had an unlimited supply of tags and deer to shoot at, i couldn't blast every one that came close enough for a bow kill, call it ethics or weak minded, i don't need to kill every thing in my path to have a good day out in the woods! crop damage areas are one thing, but to get all the tags you can and shoot just too shoot is another.

RE: who really pratices?
 

I will shoot about any deer that's not a fawn with my bow. I have passed on several nice deer because they were does or does with yearlings, and ended up not getting deer at all at those places. I later learned that those yearlings were probably not too far off from being separated from mom anyway. I feel like it's fine to do since I rarely get a shot with my bow anyway. Rifle is probably a little different story. I don't blame someone though if they want to shoot a nice deer that's underneath them...Some people don't need a "trophy sized deer," they just want a "trophy experience." Some people merely like to deer hunt. In Oklahoma, you're not going to see many magazine cover bucks, just nice bucks and nice does with good meat.

RE: who really pratices?
 

sorry i should have specified, i don't shoot magazine bucks either, mainly 16" spread basket rackers,( we have antler restrictions of 3 pts to one side here) i meant these guys were talking bout shooting anything as in spotted. can't persee why to do this when there are so many big healthy does running around here in Pa. that will put plenty of meat in the freezer. shoot the old ones less chance of disease and inbreeding , let new younger genes replenish the herd.

RE: who really pratices?
 

I have to admit it but unless it has spots I'll take the first one I can way too many shooting all around me to think about letting the small rack grow up

RE: who really pratices?
 

I don't take fawns , gotta have some weight .
Any legal buck or doe that looks to be worth the drag out . I place no value on trophies since I'm exclusively a meat hunter .

RE: who really pratices?
 

MY MY feeling is you get what the woods gives you. i work 50 plus hours a week and cant hunt sundays here so if i see a doe come across i will take a shot. if i was hunting a zoo ya i will let them go but i am a throphy hunter and at the same time a meat hunter. You have to make sure your freezer is full for the summer. i wouldnt take a fawn down if i have already one in the freezer. but the first deer that gets into range is getting a 280 fps arrow headed for the love chamber :).

then i will let some go.

RE: who really pratices?
 

I hear this a bunch for the guys who hunt the farm belt.....seems the farmers want all the deer dead. I won't shoot a deer until it reaches about a 100 lbs for a doe and for a buck I usually hold out for a 2.5 year or older deer. However there are always exceptions to the rules and I have a lot of time to hunt so it usually not a problem to hold out for my goal weights/age.

RE: who really pratices?
 

If I have a tag in my pocket and its not the rut, I am zapping any non-fawn doe. In special regs areas I may even shoot a big female fawn, just because they need all the deer shot they can get. Bucks have to meet my personal size criteria before I shoot them.

RE: who really pratices?
 

With the exception of spots and little bucks anything that walks by is liable to catch the sharp end of my arrow. IMO if I want meat it is better to shoot a doe rather then a small buck. I don't buy into a buck is better no matter how big it is.

No with the exception of spots and dinks I'll shoot just about anything else. I don't need to devistate the herd but I may shoot between 2-4 deer a year (between the 2 states I hunt). I take does for meat and do my part to let little bucks grow a bit. I may eat buck tag soup but I do so knowing that I'll likely be rewarded later for my sacrafice(if you want to cal it that) today.

RE: who really pratices?
 

I agree with adams. If I need meat, I will shoot a doe, not a young buck even if the neighbor may shoot him tomorrow. If I get a good buck, fine. If not I will enjoy eating my doe.