Buck Conservation
 

I'm trying to figure out what is up with all these hunters posting pictures on "The Harvest Report" of these young buck with extremely small or spike racks. I'm proud of what ever I kill but I also practice patience and trophy conservation if you kill small deer then how will there ever be more trophy deer. What is the point of killing a young buck if you are killing for the meat then kill a doe they are more plentiful and won't hurt the trophy deer population. I don't understand nor doapplaud those who do I guess call me a hater but I wouldn't post a picture with my face and spike or buck smaller that a big 6 pointer!

RE: Buck Conservation
 

You need to re-evaluate.

RE: Buck Conservation
 

I can't remember where but I saw a list of the stages of deer hunting it went something like
1.harvesting an animal
2.tagging out
3.Shooting a large deer
4.enjoying time in the woods

I would say that whatever stage an individual is in justifies what he wants to be seen with in pictures.JMO

RE: Buck Conservation
 

There are far better ways to judge a trophy than a tape measure.

RE: Buck Conservation
 

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RE: Buck Conservation
 

i'd say if it's legal and that deer is what you want to shoot,then congratulations are in order.If taking a 150" buck has to validate you a hunter,then that's pretty sad

RE: Buck Conservation
 

i too only shoot large bucks or does for meat, but i have nothing against shooting small bucks. they make great first deer for anyone, as a matter of fact my first deer was a 5, my second a 4. anyone wanting to shoot a small buck should go for it, because i know some people are raised that way. nothing wrong with a spike, because for some people that IS a trophy. horn size isnt everything to most people. i just like hunting. ive hunted for 5-6 years and i have only killed one mature buck, im happier than ever with this deer and hunt every weekend i can just for the chance to match him.its just being in the woods that counts.

RE: Buck Conservation
 

Every deer I take is a trophy and I am proud to have a picture of it and share it. Personally I dont need a large rack to prove I'm a big tough man. But hey if your self esteem is that low that you need the online community to validate how big of a man you are because you shot a big deer go right ahead.

By the way some of us hunt because we enjoy the woods and being out in them, but I guess that is way over your head manlaw. Hope you understand that at least a little bit on your quest to shoot your next hugh trophy buck to prove your supremacy over the rest of us and our 'not good enough for you deer'

RE: Buck Conservation
 

Sounds as if I've offended some small buck hunters but I do enjoy being in the woods with out having killed anything but I've had many oppurtunities to kill many deer but patience is rewarded and apparently some of you don't have that. Everything deserves to live but we all must die I just don't get the point of killing something that hasn't had time to live. Some people just have the ambition to kill anything moving that's not me I have a goal and point when I go into the woods and if I don't see what I'm looking for I don't SETTLE for LESS that's what a real man/ hunter is about. MANLAW

RE: Buck Conservation
 

Hey Manlaw!

I think you have to ask yourself if you really know the situation some of these guys find themselves in. I personally choose to let young bucks walk.I wasn't always this way. I want to shoot a mature deer, and I know that if I shoot a young buck, I 've just ensured I can't do the very thing I want, unlessI wanna sneak around and dodge the warden.;)However, I have uncles who grew up without the benefit of the good conservation practices currently in place in most states. These guys, will shoot a small buck everytime, because somewhere inside, they still remember what it was like to hunt all season and never see a single deer. They saw how protecting the does, brought this great deer population to their hunting area, and they don't want to go back. In fact, one of my older uncles made the mistake of shooting a doe once, in his teenage years, and my granpa about killed him. This kind of thinking is deeply ingrained in some folks and they aren't going to change their minds.
Second, you might be lucky enough to live in an area where 150" bucks grow on trees. If you do, I'm highly jealous! However, the fact is, most areas of this country aren't nearly as blessed. To say a man, who lives in an areawhere only about 1 or 2 deer of this caliber are taken each year, is foolish because he chose to harvest a year and a half old deer is unfair.
The fact is, very good hunters don't always take a trophy deer. There will almost always be times when they have to settle for a less than hoped for deer. Unless, they happen to be independently wealthy and are able to travel from one great hunting area to the next until they find a trophy class deer. Most of the guys you meet here, are average 40 or 40 plus hour working folks who get lucky to have more than a couple of days to hunt each season. Given those limitations, any deer is very respectable.
Thethird thing you might consider, isgiving voice to a privately held opinion, when it could step on others toes. We've all said things before we really took time toconsider the consequences. You're statement about not showing your face with anything smaller than a 6 point, sounds a bit condescending. It's fine for you to have that opinion. However, it's foolish to openly declare it to people you really don't know.


GH

RE: Buck Conservation
 

Manlaw,

You da MAN!

I would guess that you don't have children. A kid getting their first deer is special to them AND their family. No matter if it's a small doe/buck un-worthy of being shot by you. To a kid getting his first deer IT IS A TROPHY.

There is so much hunting pressure in my area, that if you pass on the smaller ones, you probably won't get the 2nd chance to pass on them because someone else will have them in their freezer.

I think what deer you take is a very personal thing for each person. The deer population, number of hunters and many other factors come into play.

So send those 4 & 6 pointers my direction, me and the boys will put them in our freezer and be proud to have done it.

Nuff said.

RE: Buck Conservation
 

Well then Mr.studly manly man, I might as well start taking hormone pills now because my first and second deer were spikes, I even took a fawn once. I just don't understand how some people can be so wrapped up in themselves that they think that because they view something a certain way, that everyone else should too.

RE: Buck Conservation
 

For a first deer no problem shooting a small buck or fawn that just the way it is and im proud of what i have shot over the years but for adults who have taken many a deer and even some 140"+ why keep shooting the small bucks my neighbors are like that they hunt good land and shoot 1 1/2 yr old 8 points and smaller everyear if you just wait a year youll have much bigger bucks year after year.

RE: Buck Conservation
 

I apologize for those I may have a offended I'm 27 yrs old and have only killed a doe in my 3 yrs of hunting I live in Ky and yes dear population is great in most areas and but it is in MY best opinion to kill a deer that has had time to live. I'm a Christian man and God put these great animals here to share the land with us and I believe that everything has a right to live. But I'm also and avid hunter and fisherman and I practice good conservation on both sides. I've had many many opportunities to kill many small bucks and spikes but I was brought up to let them pass on a chance they may grow into a larger Trophy Buck one day. I do have a daughter and hope I will be able to take her on a hunt one day that she may kill a deer regardless of size or sex. But as for me I choose only to kill does for meat (because they are very plentiful here) and larger bucks for trophys I will continue this practice as long as I hunt so that when my children grow up there will be good hunting in Kentucky as there is now. My message was a question not a statement and I was just curious as to why people kill young deer? I guess if you only see 1 or 2 deer a year then I could kind of understand that but I only saw 1 deer last year and it was a small doe that walked up to my stand last year on opening day this being because I got bronchistist from sitting out in the rain all day and only got to hunt a small amount of time. But I was more than happy that I got that chance to go hunting and see that 1 deer that is more than some people see in a life time. But my freezer always stays full with wild game so I guess I'm lucky but I apologize to all I may offended and I'm truly sorry. Please don't hold this against me!