Big Racks Craze
 

I'm new to Deer hunting,I'm 54 and was raised in the city most of my life so hunting is not something I was aware of growing up. I know a few people who have Deer hunted down through the years and I don't remember them being so much concerned about how big a set of antlers their Deer had. It seemed to me just geting one and it having a lot of meat is what mattered most. But now it seems what matters most is how nice of a rack it has. When did this become the most important thing when it comes to shooting a Deer? I don't think it's wrong to be excited about baging a nice trophy Buck but the shows seem to put all the focus on this alone 90% of the time. I'll be honest with you just seeing and baging a deer period is a great satisfaction to me. Just like shooting a Turkey even if he is only a nice Jake satisfies me as well. I consider having success on a hunt baging the game you went out to hunt and enjoying the whole expierence not just geting a trophy as being the measure of success. Do you agree?

I think you'll find that everyone has their own priorities. Not everyone is solely obsessed with big racks.

I am one for propper management. I shoot the does for table fare, and I let all bucks walk till I see one that I want. I agree alot of people only hunt for racks and that's wrong. One must do their part for heard mangment, if not big problems to come. NC just opened up Sunday bow hunting and the aility to use all our tags on does due to CWD threat and heard size.

I'm a trophy hunter because I want the challenge of shooting a big buck. In Ky. we can only shoot one buck so I don't want to shoot a small one and be finished. Shooting a small young buck just isn't the thrill or challenge I want. I will shoot a couple of does for meat and then try for a big buck. I've killed enough deer that I don't have to kill anything to enjoy the year. I also will not starve if I don't kill one. I don't think a meat hunter is any more pure for his hunting reasons than a rack hunter. We all hunt for the enjoyment of it...if you say otherwise I say bologna.

Deer hunting now is not the same as it was in the seventies. My dad always said when he was growing up, especially around here, just bagging a deer was a good accomplishment. He said the herds just weren't as plentiful. You can make your own opinion about that...

I too think many hunters also have their own objectives when hunting. A lot od hunters, especially those new to the sport, will shoot anything. Many, like you Doetrain, just enjoy the woods, and bagging a deer for meat and pleasure. There is nothing wrong with that. But I don't care who you are, the majority of the human race is competitive. I think you'll find many guys go after trophy bucks for the challenge. I know I constantly try to look for more challenges in hunting, and in life itself. I know for me once, I was at the age & experience level that I had no problem getting deer with in range on a consistent basis, I became picky. It's a different type of challenge to pattern & kill a big mature buck.

Deer hunting is what you make it and what you enjoy...so keep enjoying it and until you decide to change your ways, keep doing what you're doing.

I've always been an advocate of shooting what your state law allows, you're choice, or following whatever club rules your group agrees to. I think the big rack ideology started when videos and television shows beame popular. Nobody wanted to buy or watch someone shoot a 70 inch six point, so the thought of letting the bucks live till they are "wallhangers" started. Then sponsors started developing the better foods and supplements for the deer to grow "wallhangers".

I personally feel it has a lot to do with "Keeping up with the Joneses". Television has so glamourized the size of a deers antlers that some folks feel like a hunt is a failure if they harvest a doe or a buck with antlers under 160". Personally, I think it's kind of dumb but whatever floats someones boat is cool with me. Don't get me wrong, if a buck with some nice head gear steps out in front of me, I'm definitely punching a hole in his pump station. But I'm not going to set all day and pass on perfectly fine deer in hopes of knocking Milo Hansen off the podium.

What rocks me is when you see a field on a hunting show that has 20-30 does and a half dozen big racked bucks and the hunter is still waiting for the one he or she saw 3 days ago. I hunt pretty far north and such a sight is so forgien to me. During archery and ML season I am looking to put meat in the freezer and if I'm sucessful then I may wait out for that larger buck during the rifle season. But hunting a very large area with the northern low deer density is very difficult to wait out for that one specific buck. Plus up here in Canada the racks often look smaller due the overall size of the deer. I suppose the hunter's hunting area often has a great impact on what they consider to shoot.

If your a hunter,theres nothing quite like taking a big buck and I will admit that Im a trophy hunter!
I`ll pass on the little guys and does all season if I know theres bucks like this one cruisin the woods Im huntin!

That's definitely a fine animal. Congrats!