Night Crawler

. A old old buck will actually go backwards in antler growth. Usually after 7.5yrs.

Night Crawler

And just to clear the air here I am a management hunter. On my farm I keep my does down I tend to not let any 1 heard of doe group grow beyond 3 to 4. I let all bucks walk unless I want him on the wall or its a weak genetic. I also harvest any hurt deer no matter gender..

Now if I took this farm with a trophy hunter only attitude I would never take out does nor weaker bucks therefore the heard would grow and grow and allow diseases to infect and mass crop deprevation.

DuhartClub_Hunter

Well first of all just because I made a post about my OPINIONS on trophy management and how it aggravates me doesn't mean I am only kill for antlers and not meat. I have a family to provide for so yes I do keep the meat off my killand enjoy it thoroughly. I'm not riding any kind of high horse bigjoe or did I "disrespect" any of my fellow hunters and if any of y'all feel that I did disrespect you I apologize. I was simply stating my opinion, but even if someone shot a small buck do you honestly think I would openly criticize them? No I'll congratulate them on their kill. Just because I stated my opinion doesn't mean I'm elitist or offering to push it on someone. And for someone to be appalled on what I said and then turn around and blast another hunter for their lack of knowledge in management because they have some kind of degree in it is just as disrespectful if not more then my apparent indiscretion.

BigJoe79

DuhartClub_Hunter, none of my comments on this thread were directed towards you, I apologize if it seemed that they were. They were directed at someone else who commented. In fact, I'm on your side with this, it does bother me to see younger bucks taken with the exception of a first time hunter.

Night Crawler, I didn't conjure anything up, you just were not very explicit in your posts. I think that your idea of a trophy hunter and mine are two different perspectives or varying degrees of a trophy hunter. So yea I attacked on the premonition that our ideas of the "trophy hunter" were the same, which they clearly are not, I apologize for that. On a side note I commend you on the management strategy you outlined in your last post, not that my opinion matters. But that is not far off of the management strategy that I use on my lands.

Cypress32

Where I live every redneck shoots anything with horns. If a magical talking unicorn that granted wishes walked out of the woods someone would shoot it. I let 6 points and under walk unless the deer is obviously injured. I have accidentally shot spikes before but their antlers were so small I couldnt even put my fist around them and they were feeding with does so I just shot the biggest body in the group. They all had their heads down and when they looked up I never saw antlers on any of them so just assumed they were all does.

Anyone that says they shot a 4 point thinking it was a doe is just full of ****. Either that or your scope sucks and you need your eyes checked. I can count the points on a rack at 400 yards and probably more with my 12x50 Nikons. If you cant tell what you are shooting at then you dont shoot. Thats the way I was brought up to hunt.

Also I can understand hunting for meat so why shoot any bucks at all then if you only want the meat? I find does taste better anyways. Also most places have a doe imbalance anyways so why not just shoot does? Hell Im still eating deer meat from last year and I only killed 4(2 bucks and 2 does) and have already shot a doe and a nice 7 pointer this year so I have even more meat now. If people are so impatient they cant wait for a doe to walk out during a 2-4 month, or however long your season is, and would rather shoot baby bucks then go find another hobby. When I take a deer to the processing plant and see some idiot gloating over his 115 pound 4 pointer I feel like punching him. Hell I have passed on three 8 pointers this year and we still have 7 weeks left in the season and yet people feel the need to shoot young 4 pointers? Seriously just quit hunting. They have limits on fish I dont see why there arent any on bucks.

MZS

If you are obeying the law, it is OK - that is my ethics. If too many deer are harvested, that means too many tags are being made available - that is when I need to give my DNR a call or drop them a line. If you have your own big chunk of land that you can manage and pick and choose what you shoot, more power to you! And best of luck to you.

*twodogs*

I like venison and horns, so I will go out of my way to take a doe since it puts meat in the freezer AND manages the herd. I have ate my buck tag the last three seasons because I let young bucks pass. My thought as that young buck walks by: "maybe a few more young bucks will make it to next year and I'll have a better shot at getting another wall hanger."

When I see people who shoot young bucks I think "they purchased the tag, they can fill it as they like, who am I to judge what they choose to harvest."

@Cypress32
You should quit hunting, you obviously don't respect the fellow sportsman. Feels like punching someone over a rack size they shot - calling a 4 point shooter a redneck. Bad genetics lead to poor racks, young deer are not the only ones. Time for you to look into your rear view mirror.

One more thing - some States charge for doe permits on top of the big game tag. Some people can't afford doe tags. Finally, there are States/counties that have antler limits; it would serve you well if you became knowledgeable about the sport before running your mouth and giving a bad name to people who are out there enjoying the sport the way they intend to enjoy it, not through your warped glasses.

gjersy

Cypress you want to punch "some idiot" who's gloating over a 4 point!? A few weeks ago my 10 year old shot his 1st deer a 3 point and i'm still gloating over it, i'm just as proud of that deer as the 17 point i shot. By the way his ''baby buck'' tastes just as good as the doe i just shot. Show some class, think before you post.

DuhartClub_Hunter

My apologies Bigjoe, I think at the time I posted that I was rather upset over the assault I was getting from the other hunters and being called a "trophy only hunter" pushed my buttons hard. At my hunting club we trophy manage and that's where my ideals come from. My father taught me and my brother how to hunt and how to respect the deer we kill and be thankful for the meat we were getting to feed our families. Just because I posted about bucks doesn't mean we don't manage the does as well, like night crawler mentioned at if you don't keep the doe population down crops can be devastated and also the bucks won't move as much because they won't find the need to search as hard for a breeding mate. I think cypress32 mentioned earlier that like me he doesn't shoot at it unless he knows what it is. Two weekends ago I passed on 4 bucks in the same morning because we have a couple young hunters that haven't harvested a buck yet. All four were below eight points but if they survive the winter/hunting season then next year they will be exceptional deer. So no, I do not simply trophy hunt for head decorations I also think of the management plan and club rules that my father put in place for me and my brother to learn from and take over one day when he is gone. Also, I'm not judging anyone for what you decide to kill I'll congratulate another hunter on a successful hunt just like anyone else. Im simply stating that some management would help a lot more then blasting whatever walks out in front of you.

7.62NATO

DuhartClub_Hunter - Don't try to backtrack. You already said what you said. First, you called it hunter ethics. Second, you said you get annoyed, bothered and aggravated when anyone shoots a buck under 8 points, unless it is their first deer. Now you say you're gonna congratulate those who annoy, bother and aggravate you? And that you wouldn't judge them? Hmmm....

Also asking us if we think you would openly criticize people for this further proves that you are talking out of both sides of your mouth. It was the pictures you found online just before starting this thread that motivated you to post it. So you are openly criticizing those hunters who took the bucks that annoyed you. But by your statement you are saying that you WOULD judge them (as you are now), but not to their face, just behind their back. Awesome.

And don't try to play the "I have a family to provide for" card when you are throwing down cash for club dues. I'm not saying you and your family don't enjoy the meat and that you don't take does or fawns for good table fare, nor am I saying that there is anything wrong with belonging to a hunt club. But to phrase it like that is just hilarious.

One more thing. Knowing WHAT you are shooting does not mean you need to count how many friggin' points it has before you pull the trigger or let the arrow fly. When I decide to take a deer, I know it's a deer and not a bear, a turkey, a squirrel and most definitely not a human. And, there are different styles of hunting. When you are still hunting, you don't always have the luxury of "looking over" your prey before deciding to take it.

On Saturday I was creeping through the woods, and out of nowhere a doe came barreling towards me. The only reason I was busted is because I was directly in her path, and had she not hit the brakes 15 yards in front of me, I probably would have been toast. She was being chased by a buck. She immediately blew and bolted back the other way, but the buck must not have seen me and got confused for a second too long. In that lightening-fast episode, I decided to take the buck. No time to count points. I thought he was an 8, but turns out one of his brow tines didn't quite extend far enough to "count". Guess I should have glassed him over a bit longer so I could have known what I was shooting at! LOL!