chickory

Personal choice is personal choice. Not everyone has the same values and I'm not going to fault someone for harvesting legal deer. In our state they say we have twice as many deer as we should and we need to drastically reduce the herd. I got no beef with anyone shooting a BB. I realize wannabe rack hunters try to preserve as many deer as possible, but in a reduction you either shoot the BB or a mature doe. And either way you impact the future.... everybody knows that much.

Its 6 to one, half a dozen to another.

Just because some are trophy driven does not mean everyone is...

Charley

Kill what you want, as long as it is legal. The people saying they cannot tell a little yearling buck from a doe really bothers me! Don't you spend ANY time in the woods, looking at animals? Body shape, movement, coloration! Don't these mean anything to you folks? Or do you belong to the "There's a deer!" BANG! group? How many of you carry binoculars and use them?

Sharpshot_71

sometimes there just isnt enough time to figure out what it is. I spend quite a bit of time in the woods and i cant tell the differance, not that i really care. I would really like to know how many people can tell the differance.

Deerslayer_37

I pass them whenever possible. if its got a flat head, i dont shoot. round head is a doe. i got one here yesterday because we were trying to get some does so we could get ouru buck tags and i really didn't try to shoot him. i was disgusted but oh well, one a year isn't going to kill us. i heard they make up a good percentage of the harvest here every year. most of the time i just pick out the mature does so i dont have to worry about shoooting a nub.
slayer

TXhighrack

I think you do belong to the "theres a deer, bang" group. Personally if I dont know what kinda deer I'm looking at, then I dont shoot. Its really that simple. If he/she runs off, o'well I'll get them next time.


Theres a thing called Binoculars, get a pair. Its really a very amazing "gadget" you just look through the eye piece and bang, you can tell if its a bb, doe, or 160"+ buck.

muley69

I personally think that the magic of a huge buck is in it's rarity. If everybody let little bucks grow into big ones where would the thrill of the big buck be? There is way to much emphasis put on "trophy" bucks. I would say that somebody shooting a button buck on public land is as much, if not more then a "trophy" shot over a feeder. Some places import genetics, manage mineral and plots, establish feeders, use high tech digital cameras instead of scouting, then go sit in a heated treehouse with a high powered rifle and shoot there engineered 160" buck, big deal. Here in Montana baiting: illegal, Dogs: illegal, electric calling: illegal, digital camera scouting: illegal, as well it shoud be.

SWOSUMike

So what if someone belongs to the "there's a deer...BANG" group? It was said earlier that it's nobody else's business. I spent about 8 years learning to hunt deer on a less than excellent 40 acre place before I shot my first deer, and I had that attitude for a while, but I was no less a careful hunter than the next guy. I was just ready to get my first one. After plenty of sweat, time, and effort, I got my first deer...about a 115 lb 8 point buck at less than 10 yards with a muzzleloader. You can bet I would have taken it if it were a doe or even probably a button becuase I had both tags and was a young guy hunting hard for my first deer. In the three years after that I have taken 3 more deer for a total of 4 deer becuase I finally learned how to get 'em, I found some better places, and I had a little luck thrown in. My best buck is still a 128 lb 7 pointer that I got this year, and I am happy to have him in my freezer. Trophies are relative to who gets them. Last year I pulled up to the the check station with a 94 lb doe. I was a happy guy becuase it was the first deer that I scouted, hunted, and drug out myself without other people around. It was a darn cold day and about the windiest day of the year, and I got myself sick from being outside hunting and tending to that deer, but I went out that day becuase I had that gut feeling that could fill my doe tag, and I did just that...now that is a trophy story and it would be the same if I had walked up to my doe to see it was a button buck. Good huntin' to all and fill your freezer with what suits you this year.

Doemasters

My team is called "DOEmasters" ... 'nuff said...