passing bucks
 

in mid november i passed a nine pointer that would have scored around 110". i passed him in hopes of shoting hime in another year. holding out for one bigger one than last year >125but in late january i would haveprobally have shot him.

do you guys shoot smaller bucks in Late december then you do early in the rut

p.s. Major bummer shotgun hunter shot him 2 weeks latter

RE: passing bucks
 

Sure do.... I would rather shoot a small buck than no buck. Also, I never limit my hunt to one particular deer....disappointed to many times.

RE: passing bucks
 

You will never shoot a huge buck if you kill a little buck first! You won't do yourself any favors by killing next years giant either! If you are killing a buck just to kill a buck, then you need to check yourself. Kill a big doe instead!

RE: passing bucks
 

Unless you are in an isolated area waiting for the right deer seems silly. I hunt in pressured areas so if it's brown it's down.

I agree with the above shoot big does. They taste much better!

Tom

RE: passing bucks
 

My goal for a certain size buck doesnt' change throughout the season. If I dont' get a chance at what I'm looking for I accept the fact that I'm eating bucktag soup.

All part of the game unfortunately. I'd rather watch 100 small bucks walk by me and pass on them then to shoot one "just to shoot a buck".

RE: passing bucks
 

I won't shoot a buck unless it's mature with a nice rack. I take a doe for eatin', and then wait for a biggun' the rest of the season. I enjoy watching the younger buck, and I hope they make it to maturity. I know how frustrating it is when they get harvested by someone else, but like as said earlier, that's part of the game. ;)

RE: passing bucks
 

I have maintaned a practice of only shooting bucks that have at least4pts on a side and a minage of 2.5 yrs old. Doesn't matter what time of year or location I hunt. No we do not have very large bucks in our area. I do thisin hopes to geta few bucks to make it to an older age class. We don't have agriculture in the main area I hunt, so we have established food plots, apple tree plantings,a good amount of doeharvestingand horn restrictions.

RE: passing bucks
 

I generally set a standard before season and stick to it. My general standard is nothing under 130" no matter what, here in Indiana we can only shoot one buck a year, so that's why I stick to it all the way through the season.

RE: passing bucks
 

I killed my first 4.5 year old buck this year so nowI think I will pass on small bucks and only take 2.5 year old or older ones. The does better look out.

RE: passing bucks
 

I will agree with THE LONE WOLF on this one all the way. Couldn't have said it better myself. Also I hope the good Doctor reads this as well.

RE: passing bucks
 

I hunt on public land like many people on this forum do. It is reaaly pressured during the season. Your chance of seeing a big buck on this property is slim. I try to pass on button bucks if I can tell, but I also takr this into consideration, if I can use the meat and can make a good shot on it I will take it. This goes for does and bucks. If I don't shoot the next guy will. Deer on public land just don't survive long enough to grow big. Trust me if I was certain that the next guy that walked thru my little area wouldn't shoot that certain buck I would leave him to grow, but to me it makes no sense to let a deer walk if the chnces of him getting shot by someone else is so high.

RE: passing bucks
 

any legal buck that makes antler restrictions here is going down if i can get 4pts to a side on it......we have one the the largest hunting population anywhere....something like over 1million hunters deer hunt here....unless i KNOW noone else will take the little ones i pass im shooting....im also only 18 and only got 2 bucks to my name...this year i was bummed...had a buck come out of a drive...stopped it...half rack..big half..head behind brush...the other guys kept saying its big..but noone knew if it was legal...took off..next shooter dropped it....awesome buck...not huge...but 4pts on one side...and a mini hand sized moose antler on the other...i would had him mounted...congratulated my friend and helped drag it..thats one of the reasons i am looking to start bow hunting....less pressure..more bucks around before rifle hunters get them....more predictable...more active...and i should be able to count points when i see him coming...and know to get ready to draw when hes in range.....and i see SOOOO many nice ones(for around here) small game hunting and fall turkey hunting..which also is bow season....one day me and dad had 4 shooter bucks walk within bow range of us before lunch time...we were sitting there with shotguns wishing they were bows!!

RE: passing bucks
 

I have no problem passing up small bucks...especially button bucks (which are very easily distinguishable if you know what your looking for). I've never actually shot a deer with my bow (this is my 2nd year)...but I've let atleast 3 different button bucks walk by and had 2.5-3.5 year old bucks on my trail cameras have made it through the season.

We do have quite a bit of pressure in the surrounding areas...and most of them take the "brown its down" approach--which has produced maybe 4 bucks with 6 or more points for the 30 hunters (they keep the button buck population down, though [:@]).

Either way, it just makes much more sense to me to let the young bucks walk by and take my chances with the neighbors rather than kill the deer myself and know for a fact that he wont be around next year!

RE: passing bucks
 

It is cool to hear different people resond to the same question from so many differentangles depending on their location and type of land hunted (Private or Public).

RE: passing bucks
 

This is the absolute perfect answer, unless you are a newbie or have never gotten adeer before.

RE: passing bucks
 

Agreed :)

RE: passing bucks
 

my first bow kill was a small buck. now i set my standards for shooting a bigger buck than the following year

RE: passing bucks
 

Same Here.

RE: passing bucks
 

In Louisiana we have a 6 deer per season limit so a good fat doe is not a problem usually. The bucks are a different story. If you are pretty sure you will see more than 1 buck per season, definately pass up that first small one. I believe the doe to buck ratio is way too high almost anywhere nowdays anyway. So weed out some of the big does and let new healthy ones take care of the breeding. Just makes sense to me.

RE: passing bucks
 

I have passed up a lot of bucks, for many different reasons. I make the call in the stand in the woods when the deer comes in. I have passed up some bucks once, even twice then shot them the 3rd time. I have passed on mature deer and harvested smaller deer later. For me, and me alone, there is but one simple rule. At that moment when I walk up to my deer when he is down will I be happy with him. If the answer is no, he will definitely be walking alive past me.

I shot a small forker this year in NH that I was as proud of and happy with as some of my P&Y class deer.

I put in the effort all year to hunt deer well each fall and I am always looking for and setting myself up to harvest a real large racked deer. But the size of the rack is just a part of the hunt for me, and many other criteria factor into what I decide to harvest.

I do read these comments from guys who want others to make the same choice of passing small bucks as they do and feel a little sad. Not all, but quite a few of them feel that way based on the pressure and ideas others put in their heads on what makes a "trophy" and they have lost a bit of what makes hunting so amazing.

RE: passing bucks
 

If I pass A buck 1 time He will be passed the rest of the season!!
If you are going to kill him with another weapon what was the use passing him in the first place?Like has been said before you will never have big bucks if you kill the younger ones that are stock for the next year!!

RE: passing bucks
 

I too hunt a lot of public ground, but still pass on immature bucks, I look for 3.5 and older. I get so tired of hearing guys say "If I don't shoot him somebody else will", first of all, Who cares? Why lower your standards to the next guys? Secondly, Being choosy makes me work a lot harder at getting a big one, spend a lot more time looking for spots overlooked by others and hunting in any condition, the worse, the better! There are a good number of mature deer on public ground, you just can't be as lazy as the next guy. Put your time and effort in and you will be rewarded, maybe not every year, but it will happen.

RE: passing bucks
 

I pass on smaller/younger bucks for several reasons. 1. I've shot more than my share,it doesn'texcite me to kill one anymore. 2. I can shoot lots of does for meat. 3. Because there are bigger bucks around my areas, so I can wait on something nice.

I can't control whether or not a buck I pass gets shot, I don't understand shooting it just so no one else does or because someone else would. That seems rather selfish to me.
I also hope that I wouldn't lower my standards at the end of the season, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't, but haven't truly been faced with that decision.


PS-I bet this makes about 8 pages, maybe 10 depending on who gets involved ;)

RE: passing bucks
 

i went three years at one point with out shooting a buck.Id rather wait a life time for that one buck of a life time.if i shoot any buck just to shoot a buck then i know there will never be a chance of a life time buck. At the end of the day for me atleast its not about what i am hunting but " THE HUNT ITS SELF "
well that and some meat in my tummy.. i am a bit spoiled tho i do have over 300 acre's here at home and another 265 acre's up the road that nobody but me hunts

RE: passing bucks
 

I think I hate you now. :D

RE: passing bucks
 

I will shoot any buck with a rack on state land because I no if a don't some one will. I like to leave does for seed but if it is a old doe I will also take it. I am not a horn hunter at all. I can see maybe if you have tons of property but when you have 50 acres the deer aren't to going to stay there forever. Get them wallow you can.

RE: passing bucks
 

I try to grow my standards. I have taken many "scumbag" bucks in the past and now hold out for something more mature. If it impresses me in the stand, I will consider taking it. I like the long days spent trying and hold onto my buck tag like priceless gold. I know that once it is spent, my year is over, and that is the part that bothers me the most. I don't base my standards on B&C score, just if it impresses me enough at the moment to end my year over it. I find myself never even picking up the bow on the majority of bucks that walk past.
If someone else shootsa buck I just passed on, I would congratulate him. It has to start somewhere.

RE: passing bucks
 

I usually set my standards on a minimum 3/1/2 year old deer with 8
points and good mass. I hunt an area of low pressure where everybody
practices good mgmt. Almost everyone. I enjoy passing on the young bucks and studying them as they come by. ITake a camera and take some pics of them 2/1/2 year old 120 inch deer I pass on to put with the
mount when I shoot it a couple years down the road.

RE: passing bucks
 

I've passed several marginal "shooters" over the recent years (110-120"), and -- yes, I have had to talk to myself pretty hard to keep from lowering my standards when things get really, really tough in late December and early January. So far, I've managed to do it -- but it is hard, because as much as I love wrapping my hands around the bases of another record-book buck, I also just really enjoy shooting deer, period.

RE: passing bucks
 

Can't say whether I would have passed him up or not. Never shot a whitetail buck. So I would definitely have to think real hard about shooting. A doe is nice in the freezer also and like others said taste better. But I will say, I am no calculator that can figure 110, 130, or 200. If it comes along and it looks like one I would like to shoot, then I will, if it isnt, like a spike or one i can assess is younger, than I will let it walk. Guess one day I will have to make that choice..... but i won't shot just to shoot a buck. Trouble where I am is if it has antlers spikes or other wise it gets shot. Some folks still dont want to shoot does and haven't figure out about bucks becoming bigger bucks if you pass on them. But like I say, if it comes along and looks like I want to shoot it, I will.[8D]

RE: passing bucks
 

Don't let it bother you. It will get easier to do as tghe years go on. This year I passed on an 8 point that would have scored around 135. Had he been up north in MD, I would have taken him for my team. Since I was in my back yard in NC I let him walk. Thats a big deer in NC but next year he should be shooting size. I'm just glad to see with all of the developement around my place the quality of deer is getting much better.

RE: passing bucks
 

Well it is pretty clear to see hear, first of all there isn't a right answer. The next thing you have to do is respect others opinions. It is pretty easy pass to on bucks if you see bucks everynight, or even everyother. But if you hunt public land or are limited to very small acreage, and you might only see one buck per season, then the story changes a little.

For all of you that have access to prime land, put yourself in others shoes and try and imagine only seeing one buck the whole season and it was 100 yards out. I bet the next season if you see a buck in range, you will probably take a shot at it. Sometimes you have to see a little reward to keep going. Most of you that hold out for big bucks probably have a box full of **** racks from earlier years.

I feel both ways. I hunt some public ground and even seeing a deer is a good night and a small buck feels as good as P&Y. I also hunt some private land about 5-10 times a year, now my standards are different. I'm seeing deer everynight so my stardards are going to be higher and I will gladly hold out for a mature buck.

RE: passing bucks
 

I don't understand people who say "I'll shoot a small buck because there aren't many buck around" or "If I don't someone else will". You shoot that small one, and that's ONE LESS buck in your area FOR SURE. If you pass, he gets a CHANCE to live til next year. I'm NOT judging anyone. I know it can be frustrating, and it's easy to get caught up in worrying what your hunting friends say if you don't score a buck...but the wait is worth it. I look at it like this: Every young buck I pass on, increases my chances for harvesting a NICE buck in the future. I passed on several small 8s this year, and I can't WAIT to see them in '08...IF they make it. lol

RE: passing bucks
 

krojemann, have to agree, I have only seen two spikes while hunting in my part of New York and since if it has antlers they shoot it, I honestly would not let a 6 pointer or larger pass, sorry.

However, if you go to the southern part of New York or central, you can have a choice and pass if you like.

RE: passing bucks
 

Two things....

1) Have you ever been around public ground especially during rifle season? You will never see as many $hit racks being shot as you will there (altlease around my area) That is why people don't pass on young bucks on public land, because they physically see other people shooting them. If we could get everyone in the state to agree to Deer Management, then we wouldn't even be having this conversation. But since we can't we are forced to see young bucks be taken on public land.

2)Of all my years hunting public land, I maybe have seen the same buck twice in one season. The get pushed around so much.

RE: passing bucks
 

Well if all the crapracks get shot, how are you seeing crapracks next season? You're just making sure there isONE LESS potential mature deer when you settle. Again, as a hunter, it's you who chooses what you'll harvest. If your happy with young buck, shoot 'em and ignore the people who dis you. ;)

RE: passing bucks
 

The crapracks are the 1 1/2 year olds that were fawns the year before. From what your saying is that I should be standing around public ground during rifle season holding a sign saying 'don't shoot anything that isn't going to make the books'or 'don't shoot small bucks so we can have a chance at bigger ones next year' Sounds like a good idea, but I bet almost every other public ground hunter will tell me to 'get f*cked' It is a wonderful idea, but we have got to be realistic, it isn't going to happen.

So like I said, when I hunt my private land, I will be picky~because I can. But the story changes when you switch from private to public.

RE: passing bucks
 

LOL...no dude, the sign idea wouldn't go over too well. :D But I still say "let 'em go so they can grow"...even on public land...IF YOU WANT to have a chance to harvest a mature deer there later...I don't know about WI, but in Ohio, there are some HUGE deer taken on public land every year, so SOME of the little guys are making it. ;) Man, the image of a hunter with that sign over his head in the woods is cracking me up!! Maybe we should all make one and give it a try next year? LOL How many bullet holes do you think you'd have in it by the end of the first day? :D

RE: passing bucks
 

I think you should shoot what you want if you want to hold out for a 150 do it if thats what turns you on. I do it a little different i shoot what interests me like 4 brow tines on a 150 class mulie witch is a 3 piont (on each side) or a deer witch is a different color or a bear that has odd markings.Youare all in it for the same reasons cause you like doing it.

RE: passing bucks
 

As long as it makes the Shooter Proud and is taken legally, I will not judge your standards.

I would expect the same respect.