Let the young bucks walk

[Miles]

I prefer the system the way it is now.   There are plenty of years where I have passed several bucks to notch my tag on a nice mature deer.   There are also years where for differing reasons, I have taken the first legal buck I saw.  It's nice to have the option, and I wouldn't bash on people for taking any legal deer.

Let's see what holding out and passing on smaller bucks has done for you...  Share some stories and pics with us, maybe you'll start a trend.

[coachcw]

I do have to say, although in general I support the idea of a limited permit system for deer hunting, I also don't want to decrease our harvest just to have the Native American tribes increase their harvest, and in the end we would see no improvement in deer numbers.

so the only way to maybe limit the harvest the tribal harvest to a 50% is to mandate a total permit system since the tribes get 50% what is the limit if we don't have a set limit. last Friday and sunday three tribal members took five bucks off the ytc. I suspect they do that most weekends . at some point enough is enough.

[stevemiller]

every discussion on this forum where a hunter tries to rally other hunters to impeed on how hunters legally harvest their game is a hunter vs hunter thread no matter how you slice it. 

[rover758]

Sorry ... I just can't buy in to not shooting the first thing you see.  It all boils down to a personal choice and what hunting means to you.  I am a hunter.  If I spend (by personal choice) six months scouting and patterning animals and doing my homework and it all comes to fruition opening morning and I take the animal ... that means something ot me.  I've been hunting nigh on to 40 years now and there's a number of folk on here who will tell me I'm just a youngin'.  I've yet to eat an antler and like a number of people have said it's about putting meat in the freezer.  I have a grand total of one set of antlers on my wall.  The plaque says "First Buck".  It's a small 2x3 that I couldn't be prouder of.  I've been on boths sides of let 'em walk and take the first legal animal.  A persoanl choice each time.  I've had seasons where my hunt was done 15 minutes after first shooting light.  One in particular was a true double on deer (in another state.)  A buck trailing a doe 50 paces away.  I took the doe with the first shot and as quick as I could rack another round I drilled the buck as well.  It was meat in the freezer and the antlers went to a guy who used them for handles on home-made knives.  One school of thought is I should have let the doe walk since she could breed another generation.  I shot a buck one year on opening day for the sole purpose of taking him out of the gene pool with one of the ugliest racks I've ever seen.  I didn't like that season - it was opening day and I was done and  I became the camp cook/gopher (a.k.a. camp bee otch).  As I might have mentioned ... it's a personal choice.

[h20hunter]

Rover....you got a pic of that ugly racked deer?

[cbond3318]

The OP and this thread are based on the modern day "trophy Hunting" ideal. Lets not forget the true purpose of hunting and why it is around today. How many stories have you heard of the old timers leaving todays world "trophy" racks behind when packing out an animal to cut weight? We as hunters have morphed the image of hunting and now think we are smarter than the system and try to take on management ourselves? That is scary. I feel there are permit units that are managed specifically to produce modern day "trophy class" animals and the rest of the state is still managed with a quantity not quality principle.

I have passed numerous legal animals for one reason or the next, mainly because my family will not starve if I don't kill an animal and I enjoy hunting. Why do you think we are losing popularity with non hunters? Don't you think it would be easier for someone to stand behind something they may not agree with if it still portrayed as a necessity instead of what can easily be seen as undue lust?

Put yourself in the shoes of someone who has no knowledge of hunting in todays world and watch 3 popular deer hunting shows. What impression of hunters and hunting be? Look at the size of this rack! I just smoked a hog daddy! 1,2,3,4 on the left 1,2,3,4,5 on the right!

By voicing an idea such as letting young animals live now so you can kill later to hang a larger set of antlers on your wall leaves a heck of an impression with the wrong crowd. 

[Gutpile]

 

Sometimes I read a perfect post. I totally agree.

[Sitka_Blacktail]

every discussion on this forum where a hunter tries to rally other hunters to impeed on how hunters legally harvest their game is a hunter vs hunter thread no matter how you slice it. 

Amen brother.

[coachcw]

Sometimes I read a perfect post. I totally agree.

Really In my mind not only is a mature buck nicer to look at but he has a much larger body. if we only shot age class bucks we would get the full potential of meat from that animals , It's all a matter of how each see's it .

[wannabhntr]

It'll never change because that's how people's mentality are. All I'm saying is that if you let one walk maybe it grows up.

If you let a mature one walk, maybe he breeds more does. You guys are ridiculous. Hunters are going to be the death of hunting in this state. Don't shoot small bucks, don't bait......Rifle is the only way, archery sucks...... If we don't start banding together you all are going to have a lot more to complain about than what you do now.

[Boss .300 winmag]

I wonder why elk have permit only units, and deer don't?

If done right like take some units and split them in half or so, but be mindful not to make it that people completely loose the area/unit they hunt in. 

I don't think permit only is the answer to better quality deer to hunt.

I wonder why Idaho has so many whitetails with such a liberal hunting rules? 

[rover758]

I wonder why I could get 5 deer in Oklahoma - a state that has significantly less habitat.   

cbond for president.

No, h20 ... don't have a pic of the rack.  I do have an opinion that you may do better deer hunting if you didn't spend so much time in camp trying to count that 19 crib.   

[dr.derek]

figured out how to hunt well, passed up 8 legal bucks hunting for the mature one.

[lokidog]

Permit numbers and antler point restrictions are supposed to be based on scientific principles and game management goals for that particular unit or region. If you decide for yourself that you're going to hold yourself to a supposed higher standard and hold out for a trophy buck, that's your choice. But, all due respects, saying that everyone should do as you say for no other reason than because you say is BS. Show me your studies. Show me your reasoning for these assessments. Otherwise, you're just projecting your made up "standards" on someone else. And as a matter of fact, those standards may be working in direct opposition to the goals of the wildlife managers for that area. I shot a small buck this year and hadn't for a number of years. I hunt for meat and it was a success. Would I shoot a trophy buck if he came by? You bet. Would I enjoy eating him as much? Probably, but the wife wouldn't. You hunt your way and I'll hunt mine. I assure you that I'll support any legal way you choose to hunt and I expect the same from you.

 

I have chosen not to shoot spikes where I hunt, I encourage others not to as well.  Out here, a 2 1/2 year old deer will have ten more pounds of meat on it than a 1 1/2 year old one.  I hunt primarily for the meat.  This year, I have seen two spikes that were 2 1/2 year old deer, almost pulled the bow trigger on one, but I had seen two bigger bucks with him the night before, and shot one of them later that evening.  One of my neighbors loves to shoot spikes because "they taste better".  I'm not going to tell him he can't, it's his choice.  And, in the end, it really does not effect our local deer/buck population.  I do find it sad when I see nubbins being shot as "bucks", but if it makes the shooter's hunt successful, good for them.

Boss300, I bet it has to do with the fact that overall elk numbers are substantially lower than deer population numbers.  As far as the number of whitetails in Idaho, I would guess they just have higher numbers there due to better habitat or fewer disease vectors than us, maybe they don't consider them vermin and have more restrictions on doe harvest?  I really don't know anything about Idaho though.  Look as far east as WI, they kill more deer in their ten day rifle season than we probably have living in our entire state.  Do they have restrictive hunting rules?  Not at all, they just have different habitat.  They even have wolves to deal with as well.

[Gamblin Guy]

You guys keep arguing over shooting things with horns I've never been able to cook so they taste good....I'll keep shooting meat does and feeding my family.

just sayin'....