Do you shoot bucks you wouldn't have mounted?
 

I personally do not or will not shoot a buck that I won't have mounted. That goes for out of state hunting as well, not just at home.

It wouldn't matter if it was the last evening of bow season and I had an unfilled tag and had a big 2 1/2 year old 20 yards broadside. He would live to see another year.

Case in point, my last 4 bucks are on the wall. Well 3, I am still waiting on the 4th to come back.

What about you guys??

RE: Do you shoot bucks you don't plan to mount?
 

Yes. Mounting's not for everyone. That said, I am reall picky about what bucks I'll shoot with what weapon. I had a really nice 10 that hung up just out of range with my bow that I couldn't get a shot at, but would have if offered. I let a similar sized 8 walk by at 20 yards with my shotgun.

The only thing I'd probably spring for mounting is a really big deer. Others will get the skull mount treatment, or left to walk to reach mountable status... :)

RE: Do you shoot bucks you don't plan to mount?
 

Boy ,what in the world would I do or be able to afford a life time of nice bucks made in to mounts?????????? I mounted my first 150 plus buck .cause thought I would not ever get anything better.Well 23 years later I have a shed full of antlers like that and bigger. To be honest I rather shoot doe anymore at my old age. they all taste the same

RE: Do you shoot bucks you don't plan to mount?
 

Of course. I have over sixty racks on my wall in my garage. Deer killed over thirty year of hunting with a bow, shotgun, and muzzleloader. My son is amazed that I can stand there and tell him the story of all of them. Well almost. There is one that i just can't figure out at all no matter how long I stare at it. I will though.

Sometimes and on some property I shoot the first legal deer to come through. Other times, like this year, I wait for the biggun. Case in point, the big nine pointer that my buddy and I are after. We have both passed many bucks waiting for him. Then on another day, I hunted another piece of property and took a nice basket seven pointer. Great hunt, great story, fantastic memory and man was I pumped. It depends on a lot of things but rack size is not that big a deal. Of course I'd like the big ones - just not my main priority.

Greg

RE: Do you shoot bucks you wouldn't have mounted?
 

I personally wont shoot a buck that I dont intend to EAT.
Im growing more and more concerned that new young hunters are being told that shooting a young buck is not good.
I proudly display all my buck antlers, whether they are spikes on my shop door or a small 6 pt. on a plaque in my den.
Each to their own, but I think this prevalent big rack trophy mentality is turning alot of youngsters away from hunting.

RE: Do you shoot bucks you don't plan to mount?
 

I shoot bucks and doe for food and the antlers are only a byproduct of the harvest. I know there are those who only are interested in the antlers and need them on the wall to feel successful/macho but it is the meat that is precious not the antlers guys.

RE: Do you shoot bucks you wouldn't have mounted?
 

Well I don't know if I will mount every single buck I kill, but I do limit myself to only shooting bucks at least 3 1/2 years or older. These are typically in the 130+ range for the area I hunt. Of course it has not always been that way and I used to take a 1 1/2 year old buck on the last day before gun season but quit doing that about 10 years ago.

I did run into a dilemma from this though. I went 4 years in a row without taking a deer at all because I was being selective and waiting for a mature buck. I have no problem going without a deer but my problem developed when I decided I might be getting rusty from going so long without taking a deer. So I decided to take a shot at a doe at 22 yards and missed! This really started my mind twirling because all I could think of was how I had spent all this time on stand waiting for a nice buck and how I may have missed him if the opportunity had presented itself. Now of course I was still practicing and was an excellent shot, but there is a lot that goes into staying calm and picking a spot on a live animal. Anyways I decided that I don't want to go more than 2 years without shooting something. I now go for a doe for the meat and also to stay in practice of shooting at a live animal. Back then I was the only one in my family eating the deer meat but now my wife and kids are eating it as well so I am killing 3 birds with 1 stone (meat, staying in practice, and QDM). And I will say that this year the does have eluded me so far. I have passed shots on 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 year old bucks and several yearlings but was busted by a few mature does. I will say those mature does are some wary creatures and can be as difficult to kill as a mature buck (or more).

Sorry for getting a little off topic but I was curious how other hunters who are selective deal with this.

RE: Do you shoot bucks you wouldn't have mounted?
 

yes, sometimes funds just don't allow it, and my house isn't that big to keep mounting every one. It still may be a real nice buck, so those i'll do a homemade skull mount for.

RE: Do you shoot bucks you wouldn't have mounted?
 

I'm lucky to have a 160 buck mounted on the wall. He isn't mine, but was shot by my grandpa in the early 70's. I have four racks that I feel deserve a plaque, all around 110-130, each one a little bigger than the last. I still haven't gotten one that is close enough to grandpa's to deserve a full head mount.

By the way, I can't stand it when people hold off on a small buck on one property (often their own property), and blast away at them elsewhere (ususally someone else's land). If you have a standard in one area, stick with it all the time.

Thats like telling your child to earn A's at school, except in some classes, where it isn't important.

RE: Do you shoot bucks you wouldn't have mounted?
 

I have a wall of fame in my shed. I've hunted for 13 years and bow hunted for 10. I've managed to kill a buck every year. Every buck is special. Not all are mounted. In fact I have had 3 mounted and the fourth one is on the way. I have 2 130 class deer that I shot with a gun not mounted. But I sent off my last bowkill to get mounted and he was smaller, but a lot more special. I say to each is own.