Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting I just don't care how old a buck is

Doe tags are only available to landowners with 50 acres or more in my DMU. If you didn't qualify as a landowner and hunted state land here, you might understand someone shooting a young buck a little better. Overall statewide hunter success rate on bucks runs around 16%. On state land I'd bet money it's less than 10%. Combine that with the fact that you'll be sharing the woods with many other hunters who'll shoot the first legal buck they see {meaning "mature" bucks are damn few and far between} and you'll likely get used to tag soup more seasons than not if you get too picky.

Listening to people who hunt Texas leases talk about how they "hunt" deer, is a whole lot like Rosie O'donnell bitching about sexual harassment! Please !!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks, that leave me out. I've never hunted in Tx. I probably couldn't afford it.

Jerry

Texas is a cool place.. They do things differently than other states, but it is still fun.. Can't wait too go back.. Many might think it unsporting to hunt with dogs or drive deer, it is the way it is done.. I would love to try an old southern dog hunt.. Now in many states it is popular to watch food plots from heated blinds.. Hunting???

I have nothing against Texas hunting, or what they claim "hunting is", but for Gods sake watching over a corn fed herd going through a photo album of deer to make sure "ole lighting" is old enough to "harvest" , and then telling someone in Michigan to shoot a doe, instead of a six point is like, putting winter tires on a Prius, and having them mount them at a Starbucks!

Did you ever read Robert Ruark's book, "The old man and the boy" and his first deer hunt with dogs ? I can damn near see that buck crashing by....

A lot depends on where you hunt I guess. Earlier one respondent indicated looking over 300-400 deer before selecting a target. I’ve been hunting 35-40 years and probably haven’t seen more than50-60 deer while hunting seasonwas in effect. There have been many seasons where none of my party saw a deer . Fortunately that’s getting better the last 10 years. But match that with the fact that you may only have a few seconds to shoot you tend to shoot the first legal buck.

come up to Virginia and hunt where there are very few 20" 8pt and your standards will change in a few years.some seasons we're lucky to see over one or 2 nice bucks.

I'm sorry but I have a hard time believing you glassed 3-400 mule deer bucks in a single season, let alone had to pass that many before finding the one that was "mature enough". I do agree with you on the watching hunting shows. we don't watch TV at our house aside from movies I guess though either.



Around here we have a lot of nonresident hunters that come to hunt, and we have a lot of deer (mostly Whitetails). now I'm going to speak broadly here and you may be the exception and I realize that. I'm making the following statements off of what I have seen and conversations I've had with nonresident hunters. we have a lot of deer in that 2-3.5 year old range and at first glance they look good. now bring in the nonres hunters who bring their standards from where they are from with them. in MN or MI a 3.5 year old deer is a rare trophy (in many areas) and would probably score around 100"-120" give or take. a nice buck for sure, BUT around here deer like that are not uncommon. they aren't behind every tree, but it's no hard feat to see a couple a day. Most of the folks I know local are pretty selective on what they shoot. it doesn't have to be a monster, but we have a pool we can be selective with. our tags are valid for both does and bucks typically unless it is an antlerless only tag. usually if we don't find a buck we like, we'll shoot a doe or a spike buck for meat. nonresident hunters based on what I have seen and experienced will shoot the biggest deer they can find, sometimes on the last day so they go home with some antlers to make the trip worth it. I've heard the same hunters who as a group do this year after year, on the same ground, and then complain there aren't any "big" bucks around. I believe anyone can shoot what they want, although it is frustrating to see promising deer that I have passed on hoping they get bigger, only to have some out of stater come and pop it because that's big where they come from. I understand it, I grew up in MN where you were lucky to get a buck of any size, so a 3 year old buck was a real big deal back in the 80's and 90's. For all I know it still is, but I hear it's getting better. There are lots of factors to consider when it comes to picking what deer to shoot. I have no problem with the meat hunter, or the trophy hunter. I've been both at times and often will be both in a single season. yes I hunt for meat, but I also like to see if I can get a mature deer if possible. I respect peoples decisions and appreciate the same respect in return. For example: when a meat hunter sees two bucks side by side and one is a spike and the other is a basket rack, which one do you think gets shot first?

Thanks you made me laugh

Around here we have a lot of nonresident hunters that come to hunt, and we have a lot of deer (mostly Whitetails). now I'm going to speak broadly here and you may be the exception and I realize that. I'm making the following statements off of what I have seen and conversations I've had with nonresident hunters. we have a lot of deer in that 2-3.5 year old range and at first glance they look good. now bring in the nonres hunters who bring their standards from where they are from with them. in MN or MI a 3.5 year old deer is a rare trophy (in many areas) and would probably score around 100"-120" give or take. a nice buck for sure, BUT around here deer like that are not uncommon. they aren't behind every tree, but it's no hard feat to see a couple a day. Most of the folks I know local are pretty selective on what they shoot. it doesn't have to be a monster, but we have a pool we can be selective with. our tags are valid for both does and bucks typically unless it is an antlerless only tag. usually if we don't find a buck we like, we'll shoot a doe or a spike buck for meat. nonresident hunters based on what I have seen and experienced will shoot the biggest deer they can find, sometimes on the last day so they go home with some antlers to make the trip worth it. I've heard the same hunters who as a group do this year after year, on the same ground, and then complain there aren't any "big" bucks around. I believe anyone can shoot what they want, although it is frustrating to see promising deer that I have passed on hoping they get bigger, only to have some out of stater come and pop it because that's big where they come from. I understand it, I grew up in MN where you were lucky to get a buck of any size, so a 3 year old buck was a real big deal back in the 80's and 90's. For all I know it still is, but I hear it's getting better. There are lots of factors to consider when it comes to picking what deer to shoot. I have no problem with the meat hunter, or the trophy hunter. I've been both at times and often will be both in a single season. yes I hunt for meat, but I also like to see if I can get a mature deer if possible. I respect peoples decisions and appreciate the same respect in return. For example: when a meat hunter sees two bucks side by side and one is a spike and the other is a basket rack, which one do you think gets shot first?


I have to pretty much agree with what you wrote here. As deer have become more available here and I have retired and able to spend more than a weekend or two hunting I find myself a bit more selective, and would much prefer to collect a doethan a small buck. I will admit however that I still get a little thin skinned when I hear a so-called trophy hunter berating someone that shot a smaller deer. I mean for goodness sakes get a life, they are just deer and it makes about as much sense as rabbit hunting and stressing on shooting only rabbits that have ears 3.5 inches or longer. It’s sort of the same thing as someone going fishing and keeping 3 or 4 bass to eat. The tournament fishermen will have a cussing fit.

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