let the lil guys walk
 

Just a reminder to all who still shoot everything that walks by. LET EM WALK!!! You will be far more appreciative of a deer once he is mature. No sense in killing a button buck or a small 4 or 6 or even a small 8 for that matter. LET EM WALK!!! If we all put a point restriction on our deer we would all be happy hunters in 5 yrs. If youre hungry shoot a doe.

RE: let the lil guys walk
 

they finally did it here in pa and i think it is doing awesome. the number of 2.5 yr old deer harvested went from like 23% to 43% of the total bucks taken. even still, i know people that shoot any buck still or a barely legal one. i let a 2 little 4 or 5 points walk, one in bow and one in rifle and i know that both were killed in rifle season[:@]

RE: let the lil guys walk
 

I don't eat the horns and I prefer to shoot a forkhorn as It gives the most meat that is relatively tender. To each his own I resent being made into a trophy hunter to please outfitters who want to sell hunts on Trophy animals. I cherish every animal I take be it a doe,button buck or a rack buck. Just my two cents worth.

RE: let the lil guys walk
 

I get one general tag per year that I can use on an antlered deer so it will go on a mature buck or not be used at all.If meat is my priority ,I will use an antlerless tag.

RE: let the lil guys walk
 

bfnc2003,

It doesnt even take 5 yrs for you to see the results. My Dad will tell you a couple of years ago there wasn't nothing (that was legal) safe from me when hunting season opened. Now I've become more selective..............its a real nice feeling that you're left with when that lil one walks on by, try it sometime, you will not be disappointed.;)

RE: let the lil guys walk
 

...I guess you don't hunt New Hampshire. Sure must be easy to let 8 pointers walk when you have that many deer. If we let any deer walk (and a lot of us do), then there is no gaurantee you'll be eating venison. To each his/her own. If it's legal, it's OK with us.

RE: let the lil guys walk
 

When i was in my teens wasnt nothing getting by me! Now that i am in my twenties...........i am very choosy on the does and bucks i harvest. That has created my propety to hold common 130 plus deer on average, with the occasional forky horns.;)

RE: let the lil guys walk
 

apperently you didnt read my posting too well. I was the one saying to let the lil guys walk and you tell me in your reply to try it sometime?? Not sure I get it but anyways....you are right it doesnt take 5 yrs. for all deer to have sizable,creditable and jaw dropping racks....many deer are 130-140 and larger at age 3....and that is fine I would take em out also. I posted that because where I am from many people shoot anything and everything that walks by them. We have a point restriction in GA where I am from .....this started Id say around 2-3 yrs ago......all I can say is look out B&C here comes some GA bucks in the very near future........

RE: let the lil guys walk
 

bfnc2003,

I'll continue to shoot what I want. Let em walk....please!!! I hunt near state land and it sounds like a war on opening day of shotgun season. After you have seen a three legged deer limp past you or fawns that were gut shot and not followed up on, then you can tell me how to hunt. My point? If I can kill them cleanly at 20-30 yards as opposed to letting them get maimed during gun season by slob hunters, they are going down. No antler restricitions in Illinois. I like it that way.

RE: let the lil guys walk
 

I think QDM is great and I practice it on my property but it's not something you can force on others. I have posted the 50 acres I have to ensure those who have access know the rules.

I practice QDM in NH and in Maine. I understand you point about the 8 pointer as there aren't a ton in our woods. I luckly have the option to take a doe on an additional archery tag and the land I hunt in Maine is in an extended archery zone that allows me to take about as many does as I care to buy tags for. I'm starting to see the results of letting little bucks pass forks, basket six, and even the occasional 8. I know alot are shot durring the firearm season and that is out of my control (until I get my 5000 acre ranch) but to get access to my land you've got to play by my QDM rules.

RE: let the lil guys walk
 

Won't have much time to hunt so if a nice doe walks by with a 6 pt I'll shoot the doe. If the 6 pt sticks around I'll drop him too.

I've let em walk in the past and then seen them laying on the side of the road a couple days later.

How about this hunt for your own reasons and keep it legal.

The more that antlers become a priorty the more poaching you will see,followed by high fences and eventually the end of hunting.

RE: let the lil guys walk
 

While I don't particularly care to buy into VERY strict, grow them for an ultra huge rack, 130 class deer are culls, type of mentality.....I do feel that it is good practice to not shoot every little buck one sees. What sense is it to kill a huge amount of 1st year bucks out of the population? Thier true size has not even begun to show thru yet. Let things sort out to have somewhat of a spread over the age classes of bucks. Its all about moderation, ultra exclusive, super trophy growing is just about as bad as shooting everything with a little bit of bone on its head.

RE: let the lil guys walk
 

I wont shoot any small bucks at all. Last year, I let at least 10 walk because they were too small. and guess what, Those 10 i let walk, no one close shot any of them, even though there are 9 or 10 other guys that hunt the same woods. so guess what, Im gonna have a few bigger deer this year than i saw last year. And since All I can Get is 1 buck license a year, it is going on something big, and like a lot of other people said, ill shoot a doe if i want meat, simple as that!

RE: let the lil guys walk
 

In ohio I hunt 8 points or bigger. In PA I hunt in a 4 point on a side county. In West virginia I shoot any buck.

RE: let the lil guys walk
 

If your happy then I am happy for you! Most hunt for the same reason but we all have different dynamics (deer herd, pressure,etc), standards and personal challenges to address each fall. As long as it is legal and your proud of what you accomplished far be it for me to say otherwise.

Hunt long, hunt hard and go home happy!

RE: let the lil guys walk
 

I used to shoot everything that walked when I first started deer hunting 22 years ago. I live and hunt in the heaviest populated county in NC (Halifax). I can remember on 2 different ocassions sitting on the edge of a peanut field and having anywhere from 40 - 60 deer in the field at one time. With numbers like that, I can afford to pick and choose what I shoot. Also I get 10 weeks of regular gun season each year so if you can't fill your 6 tags with a population like that then something is definately wrong. I killed a nice 9 pointer last year and let a good sized 8 pointer walk. I did some scouting this month I have seen 2 nice racks so far and plenty of doe's this year.

Funny thing though, when you shoot a small buck, the antlers quit growing;)

RE: let the lil guys walk
 

:eek::eek::eek::eek:

How about taking your own advice;)

RE: let the lil guys walk
 

I pass on countless young bucks each year. The other day when I went to one of the ranches, just driving around I counted 16 bucks that would score 120"+, I didnt even bother counting the 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 year old bucks. I have shot one 1 1/2 year old buck in my life, I was 6. Around here you would get laughed at if you pulled up with a young buck, they would probably even take your gun/bow away :D.

Personally I wont shoot a buck unless he is mature (5 1/2+) and scores atleast 150", unless I see an old buck that has alot of character. I get 3 buck tags each year and while rifle hunting most years I could probably get 3 bucks that met my requirements but I would rather just take 1 and let the other two pass on there genes for another year. And besides a true "muy grande" buck is one that scores 170"+ but he wont get that big if you kill him when he only scores 150".

RE: let the lil guys walk
 

Rack, I have no problem with people setting there own standards on what deer they shoot. Did I say to make anything illegal or to ban something? We've talked on PM before you know I started figureing out the deer I want to kill this year and the end of last season.

Poaching: Is it out of line to believe that with the priorty becoming a big rack that people will take short cuts and that leads to poaching. Look at Noel Feather and people of that ilk. Look at what's people will do to win their local big buck contest.

High fence: Texas is a great example of what happens when deer management becomes the norm. High fences to keep the poachers out and "their" deer in.

End of hunting: I honestly believe that the average Joe has a bad out look on tye new "trophy Hunting" craze high fences and game farms. The are 80% of the population and will decide the future of hunting.

That was my point with the qoute that you posted, I have concerns with where hunting is headed in the future. This will be my sons first year of bowhunting, I'll be happy with what deer he decides to shoot, the experience will be the trophy.

It's obvious that the money is what is controlling hunting the wheel is in motion. I just believe that the more people produce their trophy's, the less support we will ahve from the general public. Look at the advertising on all the hunting shows food supplements for antler growth ,grow bigger deer on your property etc etc. It makes it look like we're farming deer not hunting them.

I've said before you used to be able to tell a guy what a pretty good hunter if he had some nice racks on the wall . Now you have to wonder.

My problem is what Pa. did with their AR. What do they do about bicks that are genetically inferior? You can shoot a young 8 pt,but legally you can't shoot a 4.5 yr. old 6 pt that scores 130. Not everyone is a devoted hunter and they might get in the woods a few times a year, if his thrill is shootinng a 6 pt I don't care.

RE: let the lil guys walk
 

Txhighrack,I presume on the ranches you speak of that hunting pressure is low and supplmenting feeding is used. Why would the larger older deer be as leery of man as a deer on heavily hunted piece of property?

Is the rack more important then the hunt? You hunt with a rifle,not saying it's easy, but what about some guy that hunts with a self bow and arrows, that hunts off the ground and stalks. You guys would laugh at this hunter who managed to get with in 15 yards of a 120 buck on the ground and makes a clean kill. Then another guy walks up with your "muy Grande" and pat him on the back and take picvtures. Even though he was sitting in a heated box blind with a laser range finder shooting a custum made rifle and drops the buck at 250 yards over a feeder on a sondaro?

RE: let the lil guys walk
 

IMO the Lure of big antlers has been around since the first time man, having enough food stored away, decided to drop an animal for sport. Blaming the desire to shot a big deer on the destruction of hunting is almost along the same lines as anti gun proponents blame guns for all the atrocities of society. It's not guns that’s the problem its what some people do with them, and its not Big antlers thats the problem it what some people do to get their hands on a set.

And I agree - when the NEED for big horns becomes such a lure that it degrades the ethics of some to stoop to poaching - it is a problem. But its more a character issue than a "trophy" issue IMO. There are many, many hunters out there with big antlers as their priority that are great law abiding sportsmen.............I would hate to blanket them in with the bad seed of this sport.

Maybe high fences are a bad thing, I have little experience with them, none around me, and probably never will be. If they took my land I guess it would bother me.....but heck....shopping malls and homes have taken away more land than high fences ever will, took many of my spots. To be honest I would rather a farmer turn his land into a high fence then a strip mall any day.

I would bet the effect of High fences is a on very small % of hunters - another niche that does not reflect the masses.

I also agree with your views of antler restrictions - Still on the fence - and IMO wont do much but for a few.

I just don't see all of this destroying hunting - poaching has been rampant for many, many years. The industry and sport are changing - but for the vast majority I think the love of the sport is the same and still the driving force behind us.

My point was - that if you are going to say "Hunt for your own reasons" you have to include those that are legally hunting in a way you may not like or agree with.........after all they are hunting for "their own reasons".

RE: let the lil guys walk
 

I do, but will still voice my opinion about them.Like I said he didn't read "ban anything" in my posts.

You made some good points.

RE: let the lil guys walk
 

and ill say, " If you can get all the ppl that hunt your area to stop shooting small babies, the world will be a better place, now i dont know how hard that would be for any of you, but where i hunt, i could do that. AND ALL THE BUCKS WE SEE OUT THERE IN THE WOODS WHILE HUNTING, WE NEVER SEE THEM ANYWHERE AROUND THE ROAD THAT GOES PAST THE PROPERTY, ONLY THE DOES. WE SHINE A SPOTLIGHT OUT THERE AT NIGHT ALL THE TIME, NOW DOWN THE ROAD 1 MILE FROM THERE, THERES 3 "BROTHER" BUCKS, THEY HANG TOGETHER AND THEYRE big and they stay by the road nonstop at night, until we scare em off. they will end up dead soon probably.:(, but anyways, i let the little ones walk only because i have seen a lot of big ones walking the woods around my hunting area. no need for me to shoot a little one when i could shoot his grandpa lol

RE: let the lil guys walk
 

That is truely the saddest thing regarding hunting that I have heard in a while.[&o] Don't get me wrong, we love QDM around here, but to subject your fellow hunting bretheren to that? SHAMEFUL!:(

RE: let the lil guys walk
 

This statement sums up all that is wrong with "TROPHY HUNTERS". Statements like these is the reason so many people have a problem with QDM. If its legal...shoot it if you want to. AND I WOULD LIKE TO SEE SOMEONE TRY TO TAKE MY GUN/BOW AWAY FOR SHOOTING A LEGAL DEER!


I personally don't care for QDM, as I hunt for the enjoyment as well as the meat. But if someone chooses to practice it, so be it. My problem with it is that alot of hunters who practice QDM, try to tell you what to do on your own land. I own 150 acres in central Ga. and I follow the state QDM rules,(one buck must have 4 points on one side 1 inch or longer) but if its legal I shoot it. All the clubs around me have started QDM programs and they all tried to talk me into it and when I didn't agree to it certain people got upset. I shot a 8 pointer w/ a 13 inch spread year before last and as I was skinnin it out, some of the guys from the hunt club next to me were driving by and stopped. Well, one of them had let that deer walk that morning and got upset that I had shot it. I told him if he was stupid enough to let a legal deer walk and it crossed property lines then tough luck. I also proceeded to tell him and his buddies to get off my property and that they were not welcomed back. Not every hunter is like this, and the only ones I have had problems with is the yankee hunters out of Atlanta.

RE: let the lil guys walk
 

QDM is a great idea but it also has it's down sides here in mich where i hunt for example there are roughly 20 hunters who bow hunt on the public land i hunt, we tried for 4 yrs to get the dnr to turn it into a qdm area, but our dnr said no period as it was public land.

no heres our problem even though we are trying to manage the area ourselves it is a fruitless effort, as soon as gun season opens everything is fair game as we get people from all over hunting most of which never take there rifles out an shoot on a reg basis. and then they go into the woods an opening day sounds like ww3 we have found countless deer during second bow season that where shot and never recovered ,,

then we see guys loading up button bucks an other small racked deer now i have no anger towards the guy that shoots a buck as long as its legal but as far as the slobs that go out on opening day an blast anything brown just to fill a tag ,, well that just plain pisses me off,

in my hunt area there have been no doe tags for state land for over 4 years yet every year we see more does being taken than bucks, and the way these guys do it is they get tags for a neighboring county and use it on the doe they shoot in our area, but our dnr is so under manned they cant catch all of the poachers , now as far as little ones .. 2 seasons ago i had a big 6 point walk under my stand during first bow season but he had a small basket rack.
well that was in the first week of oct, needless to say i let him walk .. 2 weeks later i saw him chaseing 3 does i watched him for about 15 minutes , then he came within 50 yrds of my stand to my suprise he stooped short looked over his shoulder an started snorting an stomping, when i finally saw what he was loking at i was suprised it was a 8 point which didnt stick around long as soon as the first buck started walking towards him he decided to leave the area ,,

well the next nite i was in the stand an here was the 6 again an he was back at it chaseing a doe, well he made the mistake again of walking under my stand and at less than 5 yrds i took the shot and spinned him, now when i took him into the dnr station the dnr officer said he was 2 1/2 to 3 yrs old as well my taxidermist confirmed the same age thing, so after seeing him chase of a bigger buck and all the doe chasing he was doing i think he was one of the domanant bucks in the area, but even as i look at him now on the wall i cant believe how big he was he field dressed at 189 lbs but his rack is small but still a trophy in my opinion

RE: let the lil guys walk
 

I get mad when we pass up little guys and you see them jump the fence and not 5 seconds later you hear a gunshot. why shoot little bucks? let them grow to their potential.alot more of a challange. and about getting made fun of for shooting a little buck, if the hunter is a youth or a first timer, i think its wrong..but it reminded of last year hunting in iowa..we went over to the neighbors to see if they had any luck..on the tailgate were three dandy 10 points, ranging from 130" to 150"...next to them was a basket rack shot by their buddy from wisconsin because it would have been big for his area.

slayer

RE: let the lil guys walk
 

To each, their own. With careful management, a healthier and more dynamic population can be fostered, but hunting is not based on Boone and Crockett score alone. I hunt for mature, trophy bucks. Period. I have taken younger deer in desperation over the years, but I got a good one last season, so the pressure is off. But I am not about to condemn anyone who shoots deer for the meat alone, regardless of the rack size. Different strokes. But someone who says one thing and then does antother is just a lousey hunter. I set the rules on my property and last season( our 14th there) was the best ever. That buck I posted the picture of was #2, just barely better than #3 and #4. I'll get pics of my uncles Ol' Pitchfork and post them. That, my friends is a hell of a deer.

RE: let the lil guys walk
 

In the last two years of hunting our 640 in iowa, we have taken 8 bucks off the property in shotgun season, plus 3 in bow season(that we know of that havent gotten poached or tresspassers got in). of the 11, the smallest was a 16" inside 8 pointer taken by a friend with a bow, the biggest being a 165" 12 pointer, the rest in teh 140" range. thats since we instituted a QDM policy. now, like i mentioned earlier, our policy is that if you shoot a buck, it gets mounted. i think QDM shouldnt be pressed on people. on public lands though, like deadshot mentioned, if the people that hunt it regularly want it in QDM, it should be put that way. i think hunters as a majority would like to shoot bigger bucks.

Poaching is a problem across the rive rin iowa because all the big shots and rich guys want a big racked mount for their office, so thers alot of deer around here taht get poached for the antlers.

slayer

RE: let the lil guys walk
 

mammasboy and GaDeerhuntr:


Why is that so sad?? Around here most people practice deer management or they hunt on ranches that practice it. When I see a picture of a guy posing with a 1 1/2 or a 2 1/2 year old buck, the only thing I think of is "why did he shoot that". Should I feel bad for that? No, its my opinion. There is just no good reason why a guy should shoot a young buck around here, but very few guys do. Most of the young bucks that are shot are normally taken by kids, which is fine, but once they take there first buck they are told to set there goals higher and hold off for something better. All the kids that I have taken hunting, I would always make them pass on young bucks and wouldnt let them shoot until a mature management/cull buck walked out. None of them seemed to mind passing on young bucks and waiting for an old one.

And about taking away the guys gun/bow, that was just a joke.

RE: let the lil guys walk
 

Deerslayer_37:

I find that hard to believe. I dont think a "rich guy" or a "big shot" is going to poach a deer or worry about getting caught poaching a deer. Why would they poach when they could easily hunt anywhere they want to? I think that the vast majority of deer that get poached are killed by the "average guy" who dosent have the money/time to hunt good places that hold big bucks, so they have to cheat and poach one because that is the only way there going to get one.

RE: let the lil guys walk
 

Your statement paints all "Trophy Hunter's" with the same brush! This is one man's opinion and that all. I think the majority of "Trophy Hunters" could really careless what others shoot! I simply hunt for my own enjoyment and take the mentality you all do as well. If you ask me how can I harvest bigger deer, well then you better be prepared to hear about laying off the young, management, etc.

Why do any of us have to defend or argue are reasons for hunting, standards, etc No right or wrong here fellas/gals just different perspectives and at the end of phrase were all just "Hunter"!! (Meat or Trophy)