Trophy or meat?

[Jonathan_S]

Big bucks have more meat and represent a more rewarding hunt.

[brokentrail]

I raise top quality beef and poultry so meat isn’t an issue. I have never and will never kill a doe, same with my kids. Spikes and forkies are safe as well. I would rather eat my tag than waste it on something small. I don’t get folks who would kill a 6 month old fawn for 15 pounds of meat just to fill a tag. You can’t “fill the freezer” with a fawn.

But why do you need "to get them"?  All of us are in different places from a hunting perspective, life perspective, financial perspective, etc.  If it is legal, I throw no shade on anyone for what they harvest, regardless of what I would choose to do.  Everyone's perfect hunt is different and I don't think there is a right or wrong answer.  All three of my boys have shot blacktail does as their first deer, with a youth doe permit.

[swampbear]

All depends. I’m not a trophy hunter. A “trophy” animal is a bonus. I do consider any animal I’ve taken hunting a trophy I suppose. I also have some taxidermy because I feel it honors certain hunts. I hunt for the meat, enjoyment of the experience/challenge, and to make fond memories. I have no issue taking a doe if legal. In fact, I have a 2nd deer tag (that’s antlerless) this year. I’ve taken a few legal spike and forky blacktail over the years (I primarily hunt blacktail). With that said, I’ve also passed on a lot of spikes and forkies. Passed on sows and small bears too (2019 I passed on 5 bears). Taken buddies hunting, and let them take what turned out to be the nicest, or even the only buck of a hunting season we saw.

[hunter399]

Big bucks have more meat and represent a more rewarding hunt.

That is true.
About the more meat.
Rewarding hunt maybe not.
I've had seasons where I went every day I could,every min,walked miles,only to whack a forky,or spike the last days
.
I felt pretty rewarding to just get some meat in the freezer.

[Tbar]

To each their own.  You could ask me this question 10 times during a given year and possibly get 10 different answers. I seek the animals that humble me, this can be a day, a season or even years.  I also have made a choice to feed my family primarily game meat thus creating a need to take a legal animal when opportunity presents itself.  As we sit here pre-season, I dream of chasing and calling mature animals that kick my butt at nearly every turn but when lightning strikes (and I capitalize) it makes the victory all the more sweet. I do agree with the comments about all being trophies, they each represent the culmination of preparation and opportunity that tell a story for years to come.

[JakeLand]

If I was strictly hunting for meat I’d tag out opening morning every year , but to me I enjoy playing chess with big mature Blacktails it doesn’t get any better . I will eat my tag before shooting a young buck that’s my game I play

[bkaech]

I lot of the decision depends on the area you hunt and how many opportunities you have. If you have limited days to hunt and when you do hunt not many opportunities present themselves then you will tend towards killing sooner. If you have lots of days to hunt and lots of opportunities then you will tend towards waiting, unless you don't really like hunting and just want to get it over with. That is how I am with fishing, I don't like fishing just catching fish, so I suppose some people might be that way with hunting. To each their own.

[KNOPHISH]

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Some of my favorite elk hunts have been cows.
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Oh yeah! epic cow hunts are great memories cuz ya know it’s elk and that’s a lot of meat and they taste good too. 

[jaymark6655]

Place I live seems to be overpopulated, I hunt for does.

I have shot one trophy and two other bucks. One was a buck that scared off a doe that I was about to shoot. It was the only day I would get to hunt that year and I was sitting in the stand with flu so bad I probably should have been in the hospital. I was pissed at that buck. Other was a buck that crossed in front of my car, almost causing a wreck earlier that year. I passed 8 other deer waiting for him to show up.

Other than that all does, no fawns. If I can three or four a year, I don't have to buy any beef. Also reduces pork purchases since I turn some into sausage.

To me old does are more challenging since you can't bring them in using tactics that work on bucks during the rut.

[bearpaw]

I hunt for about every reason imaginable, I love hunting, hunting is also my career and it's as much fun for me even when I don't have a tag of my pocket. When I am hunting for myself it depends on the hunt what type of hunter I am. Sometimes I'm a trophy hunter and have passed many very respectable animals with a tag in my pocket. But we eat a lot of game meat, I would rather eat wild game than domestic, it's much healthier, far less fat, and no growth hormones, so I'm a meat hunter too and on certain hunts I'm in full bore "fill the tag" mode. I look at every kill as a trophy regardless of size or reason for shooting. My daughter has a shoulder mount doe in my trophy room, now that her and her husband have their own home when she takes her trophies I plan on replacing that mounted doe with another good looking doe as soon as I get the chance. I try to kill at least one cow a year and I've been considering mounting a cow after my daughter takes her trophies, we already have enough mounted bulls in the house, I think a good looking cow would be a better addition once I have space for it on the wall.

[Bigshooter]

I don't pull the trigger unless I think it is big enough.  I have ate a lot of out of state tags.

[Jingles]

Thank you everyone that replied and for stating your reasons for which you choose to do. Where I switched to just archery this year and having set distance limits on myself, the hunting areas being reduced/eliminated by DNR not likely to open before the snow flies have been putting in a lot of time and shoe leather looking for areas that could hold a antlered trophy found one and unfortunately so have half the trail hikers,that think the woods are only for hiking, and their accompaning dogs running loose in the area makes all the deer skittish and even more nocturnal than usual (IMO). Was wondering what others felt about  the subject. Np Iam not planning on shooting the first deer that presents itself in range and will continue hoping the 4 x5 I have cam pis of meanders through the area again but when the 11th hour of the last day approaches feel it is better to put meat in the freezer than eat tag soup.

[Bob33]

With few exceptions I don’t believe anyone needs to justify or rationalize the shooting of a legal animal.

[Sandberm]

Hunting with my recurve during much of the late season I usually get just one legitimate shot opportunity under 30 yards on a legal deer. I take it.

[phildobaggins]

I'll normally take the first legal buck if I'm hunting a short season. If I have a multi-season, I normally set rough guidelines for what I'm "looking for" and make the call dependent upon the situation at hand.