salukipv1

Eat what you kill, sure.

But I hunt big bucks.

I remember in a camp once the guy said "I don't hunt for meat, it's too expensive, I hunt horn!"

his point is on a guided hunt, transportation etc..., if all he wanted was meat, he would stay home, go buy 100lbs of beef filet and still be way ahead of the game... so he doesn't hunt for meat.

Sure if you lived on a farm or in farm country you could hunt for meat and probably save money and do it cheaper than simply buying meat.

But many of us drive hours and hours to go hunt, although many of us who do that I'm sure still just shoot the 1st thing we can.

Hunting is different to everyone.

I'm also not crazy about venison, ie deer, I mostly turn it into jerky/sausage, maybe tacos etc...

Elk is a different story, of course I don't live in an elk state, if I did, I'd be more like to be looking for "meat" from an elk.

Most people don't mount every deer/doe they kill however, a big buck on the other hand tends to get mounted... maybe it's just the culture we live in...

Everyone has their own reasons for hunting.

buckdropper7

A new hunter will always be thrilled to kill a deer, horns or not. If you really love hunting, eventually you're gonna have a huge urge to put your hands on some horns.... it's just natural. It's the ultimate prize. I could kill doe after doe and not get the same thrill as what a buck can. Now don't get me wrong, my heart gets to pumping no matter what I shoot, but in my opinion, a doe is easier to kill and I see a lot more of them, and the bucks are wayyyy too hard to find. I've been hunting for five years and haven't had a really MATURE buck come in range.

DocD

I shoot whatever is legal, if I see a nice doe, I take it. I have hunted the big woods most of my life and that has taught me, if I don't take the first legal deer I may not see another all season. over the years I Have taken some nice bucks, but had they been does they would be just as dead. Hunting horns is OK, but to me, it's not the reason to hunt.
jmop Doc

OntElk

I deer hunt to pass time until next turkey season. Shot lots of deer and it became very anticlimatic because there was nothing "special" (to me) about the deer. Now I only care about getting a bigger rack than my previous biggest. I really don't care what anyone thinks of that because I hunt for me and not them. Do the same thing. Hunt for yourslef I mean. Hours alone in a tree stand and you should answer to no one but yourself.

the blur

When I'm done eating the meat, I use the horns as tooth picks.

scribe

Sakuki's point is well taken. On an expensive guided hunt, of course your goal is to kill the biggest buck of your life. That is what you are paying for. I will never go on one of those as I cannot justify paying to kill a bug buck when I have opportunities to do so for free. But I can certainly understand that mindset and agree with it.

However, at home and speaking only for myself, I am just as like to pass up a 16", eight-point as I am a spike. It would depend on the age of each and the potential I can see in each. However, I would shoot a doe before either of them.

Today I received an email from an 8-yr old reader with a picture of his first deer, a dandy eight point with a 20" spread. He wanted to me run it with my column next week and I shall. My thoughts were, what will he do to improve on that and how will he regard a fellow youngster who kills a doe.

The thinking and term, "Oh, it's only a doe." has always set my teeth on edge. I worryonly about what I shoot and as long as my fellow hunter kills his/her deer legally, I am happy for them no matter what it is. After a while, a wall full of horns gets boring. Makes you want to go smallmouth fishing.

ar_ladyhunter

I have been hunting for almost 17 years. My first was a doe. I still hunt for meat, but if a if a legal buck comes along, I will take him. We have a 6 deer statewide limit here in Arkansas, no more that 2 bucks, or up to 6 does, depending on which zone hunted. I usually only fill one buck tag and sometimes a doe tag. In Arkansas a buck must have antlers less than 2 inches or have at least 3 points on one side. A few places are different on restrictions. I hunt public land and in 2010 I took a 127" 8-point with a crossbow. This year I have gotten an 8 point with a 17" inside spread. Horns to me are just a plus. I would rather take a nice tender doe, but have learned to not pass up any legal deer if I want to put meat on the table.
We seem to have a lot of trophy hunters in our state, but I am not one of them.

scribe

Exactly the right hunting philosophy.

In some states there is a battle going on to impose antler restrictions or reduce buck bag limits. If there is no biological reason for doing so, then that would impose the hunting philosophy of the minority on the majority. The majorit of deer hunters do not specifically "trophy" hunt and as a license buyer, they have an equal right to the deer and should not be penalized in order for others to attempt to increase antler size.

I best hush. I am about to start on one of my tangents. Must be the spring-like day we are having.

tight360

Some have antlers, most don't. That said, a few of mine that have had antlers were pretty darn nice. That pretty much sums it up for me.

Champlain Islander

Interesting that you bring this up. In Vt about 5 years ago they rammed AR down our throats saying it was for the betterment of the herd and the gene pool. We weren't the first or last to move that way but in the past year it has been brought to our attention by the biologists that saving the spikes just might be working opposite to the original plan from a gene pool perspective. I wish they would make up their minds...since they are the trained professionals. Most in state hunters are meat hunters for the most part.