bsmith769

Ok heres the deal. I have been deer hunting both bow and shotgun since I was 12 and i am now 25. I have taken alot of does and a couple small bucks and a small 8. Thats it.I need to start over i guess. I want to see some bigger bucks and maybe get a shot at one. I even have a hard time seeing any deer later in the season once the pressure is on. I live in Nj so I hunt smaller pieces. Its getting harder with all the land they are taking away and guys constantly sneaking in to your woods.I am guilty of hunting the same spots alot and I am sure thats one of the problems. But I want to start from scratch and really do good. So all help and opinions are welcomed please.Where to start looking. when to scout etc etc. Please be as detailed as possible. Thanks in advance

Steven McBee

number 1. AGE , let a buck get to its optimal antler size ......motto.......let em' go watch em' grow
number 2.NUTRITION, for a buck to get optimal antler growth it has to have all vitamins to help the rack grow
number 3. LESS PRESSURE, dont overhunt stands or property, the deer will stay on your land and little bucks wont get shot by neighbors

salukipv1

#1b LUCK, haha.

JagMagMan

Other than letting the little ones walk and a little luck, the number 1 thing is you have to hunt an area that is known for producing big bucks and an area that is practicing good management! If you are hunting for a buck that is big for your area, letting the smaller ones walk will be about all you need to do. If you are talking about true B&C trophy or close to it, you may have to be willing to change areas or even regions. In my area of East Texas, management is almost non-existant and we have a poor buck-doe ratio! A 120" buck is possible, but if you are looking for something much bigger, you'll have plenty of tags left after the season! So, for me, it would take travel and $$$ to get anything better!
Hopefully, in your situation, there is huntable land nearby, that is capable of producing big deer AND is being managed properly! Good luck!

shamlin

if you got other hunters hunting clase by and shooting anything that they see, as well as putting pressure on a certain area, then there isnt much you can do short of finding a new place to hunt.
We are the same age and when I was younger I used to shoot does and scrub buck all the time. For about the past 7-8 years I have stopped doing this and letting does and non mature bucks walk. Since then I have started seeing bigger deer. The point being after you have done all your scouting and planted your food plots ( if you do plant them) then the only other thing to do is get in the stand early and stay late and on ocassion hunt in the middle of the day, after all of that the only other thing to do is be patient and let the trash bucks walk. This could mean going a year or two sometime where you done kill a deer, but I promise if you start letting the smaller stuff walk then you will start seeing more trophy bucks.

Robert L E

While I am no expert on New Jersey, I think that you have plenty of deer there.

Keep shooting the does, particularly if you can get doe tags. Reserve your antler tag for a deer that is bigger than your previous biggest. Tell other people what you are doing ( hunters ) and encorage them to do the same. ( Don't get preachy unless it is land that you control. ) One more year on your small eight point and it would have been much more respectable trophy.

Reducing population by shooting does helps the remaining deer to grow faster with less competition for winter food and less population stress.

The reason Iowa has always had the monsters is that the gun seasons are after the rut when bucks are more difficult to kill. This allowed more of them to survive to the age where they become large in body and rack, that and they are corn fed in farm country. I hunt in a county not known for trophies, where a 130" deer is a "nice" one and a deer has to be near the 160's (typical) for oohs and ahs. A big bodied deer will get comment too, a 220lb+ field dressed deer is impressive. Most years we do not get one though. The odds go up when the small ones walk though.

In recent years I've noticed more bruisers being taken in Illinois and Kansas (and other states). At least part of the reason for this is the willingness of more and more hunters to let small bucks walk and be willing to take does in areas where the wildlife people say are over populated.

Bob (I shoot does AND fawns)

jwork

Patience and persistance!!! I think I spelled that right. 365 days a year, whether its practicing with ur bow or scouting. Let the small ones walk and be in the stand whenever possible, whether its 1 hour or all day. It'll pay off. Good luck...

shamlin

This is true, but during the rut do be out there blasting does, let em walk, if you awnt to shoot does then wait late season before you pick them off.

B That is fine but whenyou shoot fawns you run the risk of knocking down a button head that is a totaly waste.

Robert L E

I agree that this choice may not be right everywhere. Where I hunt, my cousin wants the deer dead, period. Deer are considered to be over populated by the state too. Keep in mind that when you shoot a doe you are removing her, and all of her future offspring. She may be carrying three bucks when you kill her. You take a fawn before its riskiest winter. If the fawn is a doe, you remove ALL of its future production some of which would be bucks. If you shoot a buck fawn, you remove just one deer from the population.

I do try to give them a close look, a buck fawn is flat between the ears or low in the middle. A doe's head rounds upward in the middle between the ears. I give them this look but I do not wory about it. Lastly, buck fawns are not a waste. Fawns are the best eating.

Antlerless tags (doe tags) in my county in Iowa are sold on a first come basis. They do not sell out. Party hunting is also legal (you may fill any tag in your party). By buying antlerless tags we can shoot deer without wasting our single antler tags. This encourages us to shoot does and fawns and let small bucks walk. Since I am responsible for the actions of members of my party (to my cousin) I ask that my party does this.

I believe that parts of New Jersey are over populated too. They also do not have the winter carrying capacity of corn country. If bsmith769 is in an area with a lot of deer, passing on small bucks and dropping everything else will help the remaining deer be healthier and larger.

Bob

solocamcan

Be willing to go further into the woods than other hunters are willing, find isolated smaller patches that others overlook...I stuck a 150" last year in a 3 acre hedge row. Certain times of the year, smaller is better, like when bucks have locked up with a particular doe. The bigger bucks tend to drive the doe to smaller patches of cover surrounded by more open land. Firgure out how you can sneak into these types of spots.