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.

RE: who really pratices?
 

I'm all for putting meat in the freezer. I will pass on fawns, yearlings and button bucks. I try to put 2 does in the freezer before even trying for a buck. However if one happens to wander close enough before I have my doe(s) I consider that a bonus. In my WMU we have a 4 points on one side antler restriction.

RE: who really pratices?
 

I like the meat, so I don't shoot the small ones. I can't eat the horns, so I will take a doe at the end of the season or a basket rack if I can. I can't afford to buy beef all the time, so this cuts down on the old grocery bill. I hunt for trophies until late December.

RE: who really pratices?
 

I think it depends on the place you are hunting and what you are aiming to accomplish by being out there. Many places you hunt now you have so many hunters around you that if you don't shoot it they will. If you intend on eating what you shoot and it satifies you and your family then go for it. That is how I look at it. Though I will not shoot the fawns.

RE: who really pratices?
 

I shoot both does and bucks -- it's the law here in MD. However, I only take shots at mature deer--even the numerous does which we're allowed. Since we're only allowed 2 bucks, I wait for a mature, 8 point or better with a nice rack before releasing an arrow.

RE: who really pratices?
 

For me it kinda depends on my mood, if i feel like dragging one out or not. If its a monster buck then he is gonna get it for sure, i am at that trophy stage in my life. If i need meat, then the first adult doe that comes to me, will die. My family really likes to eat deer, so if they are on me about getting a deer, then ill get one to shut them up and prove to them that i am a great hunter and kill a deer whenever i want to. I hate it when people know your hunter and everytime they see you, there like get a deer yet, get a deer yet, get a deer yet?? Im like no!!! They just dont understand i am not going to shoot deer for the sake of killing a deer. If and when i kill one, it is all used up and no waste. I really just enjoy watching them sometimes more than killing them

RE: who really pratices?
 

i think its pretty unanomous. i think we all WILL shoot does for the MOST part. but no fawns... i will shoot the first doe that walks buy given size.. if its small i wont shoot it. i am a trophy /meat hunter... i dont just shoot anything that walks thru the woods.

i just hate when guys talk about the three does they shot along with their two fawns... [:@] that makes me mad... why not save the fawns for next years hunt???

what is everyones buck limit? i will not shot anything less than an 8 pointer and it has to be a larger 8 pointer at that.

RE: who really pratices?
 

I'm so tired of people trying to push thier ideas of what I should shoot on me and making it seem that if you don't hunt the way that they do or kill only "mature" deer that you ar some how less of a hunter than they are. If I'm "meat" hunting I'll shoot a young deer because although there isn't as much of it but it's the best tasting most tender meat that there is. I've never understood why someone wouldn't shoot a 6 month old deer but they will shoot a 18 month deer. More than likely a yearling won't breed the 1st year so if you let it live until next year you not replenishing your herd any. JMHO.

RE: who really pratices?
 

I already did this season!;) I let an 8-point walk that just was not what i was looking for just to small. But the first doe come up no more than 15-20 later and well i wanted meat so i shot her she ran no more 30-35yrds. I will let a small buck walk any day over letting a doe walk if i am wanting some meat for the freezer!

RE: who really pratices?
 

I am with Gutshot on this one. I don't give a flip if people think I am less of a hunter because of it. I hunt for meat, not horns. If it doesn't have spots (or have a spotted fawn with it), I will shoot it. Deer are overpopulated in NC anyway and we are allowed 6. Two of our tags are doe only tags. Also, the deer are pretty small here with a mature doe maybe dressing out to 100lbs and an average buck dressing to maybe 130 or 140lbs.

RE: who really pratices?
 

I too don't exclusively hunt for bucks. You can't eat the antlers and southern New York is not known for trophy bucks. I do give the fawns and anything I consider small a free pass.

RE: who really pratices?
 

Im more likely to shoot a big-healthy-gonna-make-great-eating doe than a small rack buck anyday.

I figure it this way, the land I hunt is exclusively hunted by me and two other guys(and their not much competition). So I'm controlling my doe:buck ration and setting myself up for a nice buck another day. ...and I'll still have meat in the freezer. Three birds, one stone/arrow. :)

RE: who really pratices?
 

I think the term " If it's brown, it's down" is a little misleading and doesn't sound very good. It sort of implies that you are going to shoot virtually anything, and as many as you can. I don't think that is the case with most hunters.

I think the the biggest thing that makes a difference is how long you've been at it, how much success you have had, and where you hunt. If you are hunting an area that has a lot of pressure and you just don't see very many deer, you take what you can get when it presents it's self. Also I think if you are new you tend to not be so selective. You just want to see if you can do it or not. Your so excited when you actually see a deer you don't want to let it pass by.

I sort of fall into both catagories. I am pretty new at this really, I'm 37, but just started hunting deer in 2000. I told my buddy the first year I bow hunted I was going to take the first legal deer that came near me. Just to see if I could do it, and how I would feel afterward. I wasn't sure if I would feel as gung ho about it after actually doing it. It just so happened that the first two deer I saw were a 7 point and a 10 point. I wanted the 10 point but it would never give me the shot I wanted, perfect broadside inside of 20 yards. Well eventually the 7 point turned perfectly sideways and stuck it's head in the weeds, so I took the first good shot that was presented to me. It was just luck it was a seven point buck. Had it been a doe the same thing would have happened I assure you. Of course now that I know more about shot placement and the such things would have turned out differently. I had a couple of good quarting away shots I passed on with the bigger deer.

I took a doe last year during bow season, and may take another one this year if that's all I see. I am just bow hunting my back yard pretty much this year. I lost my other property and couldn't pick another one up in time. I know there is a doe and a fawn because they sleep in my yard at night. I will wait a while to see if anything else comes around, but if it doesn't look promising I will take the doe. I am sure I have deer in my area, but I think they are all nocturnal because of all the activity. They are building houses and stuff.

In archery season I will shoot a doe or a buck, I don't really care to be honest. I have tags for both. I am picky in the sense that I will not shoot a really young deer, or a small buck. If it's a buck it has to be at least a 6 point, or I will take a doe. I am not shooting a spike or a 4 point and wasting a buck tag on it. In MI we can get one doe tag a day for $7 on private land. I'm guessing they want the does thinned out.

This is only during archery season though. During gun season I am not allowed to shoot does on the property I hunt. And he would really like it to have at least 4 points on one side. I don't mind because it's a great place to hunt and really close to my house. Besides we have a great time there as well.

Paul

RE: who really pratices?
 

I Won't shoot a nubby but I have no trouble shooting his sister!!!
Spots are gone on fawns by season here and doe tags are sold until gone so they are easy to get. I like the meat better on the small deer and when winter is in full force and the deer are competing for food it is the small ones that starve to death. 40 inches of snow is tough on deer and that is a mild year. I can fill my freezer with a couple of tender ones and still have my buck tag left to get serious!!

RE: who really pratices?
 

In WI in the CWD zones we can get 4 doe tags a day for FREE and we earn a buck tag for EVERY doe shot. Sure can make for a long season.:D

As I have stated on other posts we are planning on shooting 8 does this year. I would like to get 4 bucks but I let the smaller ones go. I too would rather shoot a doe for meat then a small buck. My son and nephew may not be letting smaller bucks pass because they are 16 and 20 and have never killed a buck with a bow. My nephew has never killed a deer with a bow and my son has 2 does.

RE: who really pratices?
 

unless it has spots or is just really small i will shoot it. I also dont hunt for antlers because they dont taste good. I will shoot does all day because we eat a lot of deer and doe tags are unlimited here. And yes i will waste a buck tag on a spike or a 4 pointer. I have yet to take a deer with a bow so i am not picky.

RE: who really pratices?
 

\Dave is right...save those breeder does...shoot a fawn, (sans buttons) save the herd!

RE: who really pratices?
 

I (will) only take bucks with 6 points or better. We have a 4 point rule with a 12" spread here. I don't like blasting everything in range. It's fun picking out one deer and trying to get it.

RE: who really pratices?
 

I have 2 tags to fill in bow season so I don't usually shoot the first thing I see but when it gets late in the season and I have an unfilled tag, it starts burnin my pocket and then>>---------->If it's brown...It's goin down. They all eat good.

RE: who really pratices?
 

I agree with adams also

RE: who really pratices?
 

GD IWTBB! 30 of your 100 posts have come tonight! You must be in a talki:)tive mood.

RE: who really pratices?
 

Last year my son and I came across 300 plus winterkilled fawns in our area that we shed hunt. Would be tough to guess how many died in my county but safe to say in the thousands last winter. I would imagine I have personally seen well over a 1000 in the last 15 years here. Alot depends on your area in the choices you make. Someone killing a fawn instead of a doe in my area probably is doing more good for the deer in the long run. I have killed fawns ( doe fawns ) and sure wouldn't condemn anyone for it.
With the extra doe tags they allow and our older deer running fairly heavy weightwise... getting enough deer meat is not a problem.

Tim