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Have we lost focus?

Old 09-07-2011, 08:27 AM
  #11  
Nontypical Buck
 
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I can promise you, anyone who would criticize a 12 year old for the size of buck he shot would not share a deer camp with me.
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Old 09-07-2011, 08:36 AM
  #12  
Spike
 
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I gave up hunting 20years ago when I lost my friend and hunting partner.I started hunting again 3years ago and the only land I was able to find is a very small woods surrounded by farm fields. Although there is some deer sign I have not seen a single deer. I hunt for meat not antlers, though I would love to get a nice buck. So I will shoot does and young bucks if I get a clean humane shot. I do think there are too many hunters that would look down on hunters like me.
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Old 09-07-2011, 08:47 AM
  #13  
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When I started hunting, nobody knew what antler "score" was. We had no idea how old bucks were and we didn't care. We never heard the term "cull" or "management" buck. We went up to camp to have fun. And any buck shot was awesome. Nobody passed up bucks because they didn't meet their standards. A legal buck was something to be proud of.
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Old 09-07-2011, 08:48 AM
  #14  
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Double post.

Last edited by BarnesX.308; 09-07-2011 at 08:48 AM. Reason: double post
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Old 09-07-2011, 09:12 AM
  #15  
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I just started hunting 3 years ago. I do it mostly because I enjoy being in the woods and I like venison. I would like to get a nice 8 pointer for the wall, and then would welcome a bigger buck to stand beside it, but I will also tag a doe or two, when I feel like drawing blood.

Last year when I took a smallish doe on opening day of bow season, I did get a few snide comments...but she tasted real good.

I do think that the 'what do you think this buck would score' posts are really silly.
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Old 09-07-2011, 09:13 AM
  #16  
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I don't care what anybody shoots or considers a trophy..
In British Columbia, Min Antler Requirement is a law throughout at least some of our season for most if not all the Big Game Species..
Min 4 point Mule Deer on one side ( not including brow tine)
min 6 point elk one side... Full Curl Rams, 2 point and Smaller Moose..
I got my own standards, as long as it's legal and up to my standards I'll shoot...
But there are Laws that do determine what a hunter can and can't shoot by the size of antlers, not just what a hunter decides to shoot..
I am what I consider a trophy hunter, haven't shot a buck since 2004,
But I too collect memories throughout each season..
What I do or do not decide to shoot should not be frowned upon by anyone..
I focus on big ...
That's not losing focus, that channeling in on something that's out there real and extremely tough to find and kill..
That what I call hunting...
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Old 09-07-2011, 09:37 AM
  #17  
Fork Horn
 
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Hunting is just that... its hunting. A person is going out and Hunting for something they want. If that is meat only then great, if you have the means to "trophy hunt" thats great too. It's a decision for each person to make. I deffinately went through a time when i just shot whatever gave me the oportunity when i was younger, but now i typically let the younger bucks walk just because i know that i will get an opportunity for meat later with a doe. (buck to doe ration in alabama is rediculously off compared to other states) I have killed enough young bucks but would never look down on someone for doin it.
In the end our main goal as hunters should be: to pass the sport on just like my father did to me and i intend to do to my children, be stewards of the land, and enjoy the time God has given us to do so.
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Old 09-07-2011, 11:08 AM
  #18  
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I view hunting as a one to one encounter of the hunter and the prey.
I do not give a hoot to what others say about what I shoot as long as I am within the legal limits of the hunting laws.
I encourage others to set their own goals as what they should hunt.
I encourage the inexperienced to try to get one on the first opportunity and the more experienced to aim for what might be beneficial to the total health of the prey(example shooting the smaller one of the 2 animals of the same age would preserve genetics of the bigger one).
I view trophy hunting as beneficial if it benefits the population of the herd like taking old bucks and giving the younger healthy bucks the chance to bred.
But to take an animal without consideration to the total herd is senseless.
If not aware of the population dynamics of your herd you might be just taking down the best breeder of your local herd, kind of killing your best breeding bull in a beef farm.
In our area where we have too many does compared to bucks the sensible thing is to take the lesser does out and leave the biggest and healthiest ones to bred.
Any game animal can be a personal trophy to someone. It's a personal choice.
But knowing the makeup of your local deer population and taking out a particular animal for the purpose improving total herd health is to me proper trophy hunting.
To someone that is only concerned with scores, I would say this, some pictures of deer have impressed me more than those dead mummified heads on the wall.
My 2 cents....
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Old 09-07-2011, 11:19 AM
  #19  
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Originally Posted by BarnesX.308
When I started hunting, nobody knew what antler "score" was. We had no idea how old bucks were and we didn't care. We never heard the term "cull" or "management" buck. We went up to camp to have fun. And any buck shot was awesome. Nobody passed up bucks because they didn't meet their standards. A legal buck was something to be proud of.

Thats the way it should be.

I didn't hear about antler scores until a few years ago when the TV hunting show industry took off. I enjoy watching those shows, but I do think the emphasis is often too heavy on antler inches.
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Old 09-07-2011, 11:49 AM
  #20  
Spike
 
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I have not lost focus. I enjoy the whole experience. Scouting, reading magazines, chatting in forums like this, practicing at the range and more....Heck, I even enjoy washing all my hunting gear in the laundry. Imagine that.

I am proud to shoot any deer and will teach my children as best I can to enjoy the whole experience. The size of the antlers or body is not as important, to me anyways, as is the whole memory of the hunt - pre and post hunt. The joy and pleasure of being a deer hunter lies in the details for me.
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