freezermeat

There is such a pressure in several of the different deer hunting magazines on shooting the big bucks (or bucks in general)?. is it a general agreement or belief on shooting bucks only? or is there a belief on shooting does or bucks?
Question summed up-
bucs only?
does or bucs?

Double Creek

I would tend to think the majority of hunters will shoot both, but dream for the big buck

rybohunter

Shoot several does, and a nice big buck.

Rusty69

Here in Oklahoma we have the pleasure to take 2-does and 2- buck during archery season. If you hunt more than one season you can take up to 6 deer. Nothing wrong with a nice large doe for the freezer. I think doe meat is a little more tender anyway.

zrexpilot

I have hunted wildlife managent land here in Texas, it is operated by Texas parks and wildlife their Game wardens and biologists and they try for a one to one buck doe ratio and only big matur bucks are allowed and some does according to the survey that year. To tell you the truth I see plenty of beautful deer when I hunt there, big huge bucks. So I would say kill the does and take only mature bucks.

huntingheck69

kill does leave the small bucks and fawns. doe meat is tender, little bucks will look better in a year or two. fawns need a chance to grow up and produce more nice bucks or even does for that matter. to each his/her own. I peronally would ather take a nice doe than shoot a four point buck unless of course he is radically deformed like the one I saw while I was siting with my camera one day he had a 2 points on one side that looked like if he had a few years it would be a great buck then on the other side his antler curled down the side of his face and at the end was a nice sized shovel with about four ar five 1/2" to 1" spikes coming out of it. if I had my bow he would have been dinner.

adams

If I'm looking to put meat in my preezer I'll shoot a doe and let little bucks walk. I know that a lot of what I let walk will get shot later in the season but bucks won't grow bigger once their dead. Hopefully a few will survive and I'll be rewarded in years to come.

One property I use to hunt was also hunted by a family of about 8 relatives. They absolutely refused to shoot does but shoot every spike that walked by and then complained about a lack of quality bucks. Needless to say I don't hunt there anymore. There mentality and ignorace was too much for me[:@][:'(]

*****Edit*****
IMO if you want to shoot small bucks and it's legal that's ok. There is nothing I hate worst then seeing someone shooting every spike they see and then whining because there are no good bucks. Go figure JA![:@]

BobCo19-65

Same here Adams, I always put a doe or two in the freezer. I am more particular in the bucks that I shoot.

WV Hunter

Well considering your name is freezermeat, and that you are from IL....I'd say you need to shoot some does and hold out for the big one

Actually that is the way I hunt now. I would have to say the majority would agree that it is sound mgmt to shoot both, and usually more does than bucks.

killa-deer

my mom always get mad when my dad gets a buck,she like does better,try telling that to my dad