Trophy or meat?

[Jpmiller]

I've always been first legal animal.  I passed up a whitetail doe two years ago and regretted it as soon as she was out of bow range. In my deer hunting area it switches to antlerless or 3pt on mulies halfway through but I've never actually been in there that late in the month but I do think I'd have a hard time killing a mule deer doe.

I've got a second deer tag this year so I'm going back and forth on taking a doe during general if the option presents itself since I have a multi season tag and a second deer tag, we will see what happens in the moment I guess.

Someday the first legal animal will be a big buck I hope but until then, or something changes with me, I'm a meat hunter.

[predatorG]

I think there’s something to be said about improving as a hunter, and as a human. I think that as people we should show that we grow, change and improve. It’s healthy. For me, I enjoy when I can reflect that in my hunting. Bettering a trophy BT in his home turf with a bow is a superior feeling. I’ve passed many BT does, all of them in September. Can’t say I would do the same on December 30th. The idea of having the patience to hold out in hopes of finding a mature animal that knows the woods far better than I do appeals to me. In a couple weeks I’ll be trying to fill my archery elk tag in Idaho. First couple days will likely be spent looking for a trophy bull. After that, non res tags aren’t cheap enough to come home empty handed.

I think there is something special about knowing that you might come home empty handed, but still deciding not to shoot a small animal in hopes of finding a better deer. Showing that you have the patience and determination to either come home with the best or come home with nothing. Still, like many have said, it depends greatly on the circumstances.

[buckfvr]

Meaning whats technically a trophy or actually a trophy ?  I dont pay attention to potential score when Im hunting.  I look for mature deer, some score well others dont and never will.  I look for unique deer which means unusual horns.

Mule deer has to be a mounter mature buck not dependent on score.  Whitetail has to be mature.  I find no challenge or interest in killing young bucks, just way too easy.  Elk is meat.  I love being in the woods in the act of hunting.  It always ends too soon, so I prolong the seasons by being picky.  Id rather eat my tag than be done the first couple days.

[Ronquillo08]

Meaning whats technically a trophy or actually a trophy ?  I dont pay attention to potential score when Im hunting.  I look for mature deer, some score well others dont and never will.  I look for unique deer which means unusual horns.

Mule deer has to be a mounter mature buck not dependent on score.  Whitetail has to be mature.  I find no challenge or interest in killing young bucks, just way too easy.  Elk is meat.  I love being in the woods in the act of hunting.  It always ends too soon, so I prolong the seasons by being picky.  Id rather eat my tag than be done the first couple days.

 

[NOCK NOCK]

Hmmmmmm

So as usual, most folks have less of a problem shooting female elk than deer. 

Why?

[bkaech]

Hmmmmmm

So as usual, most folks have less of a problem shooting female elk than deer. 

Why?

Bigger animal, more meat!?

[pianoman9701]

Although I'd love to have that big rack on the wall, I want good and tasty meat in the freezer. Any legal elk and legal buck for me.

[Rainier10]

With a raffle elk and an entiat late archery buck tag in my pocket I'm a trophy guy this year.

[Norman89]

I'm known in my family as the spike shooter, middle brother is the Forky, big brother shoots the bruisers. Never by choice, we all hunt for meat and that is almost always been the way we are each presented with our shot at a legal animal. Black tails are tricky critters and each one is a trophy to me. Years ago I switched to archery to escape the crazy numbers of people in the woods during modern and the solidarity is very compelling to keep me in the woods more often. Iv only passed on legal animals that didn't give me a ethical shot opportunity, but since I got into trapping I spend far more time in the woods and sometimes won't even bring my bow while running my line. Beaver meat taste akin to good grass raised beef, so venison isn't as critical to have. I can fill the freezer with as many beaver as I feel I want to go trap so a few more deer have walked away while I wasn't packing my bow. Still have not shot an elk, come close but no shot opportunity. Feeding the family is and always will be number one priority and any success harvest of a grey ghost of the coast is an absolute win in my book, and iv only shot 2 in ten years. The meet in the freezer and the memories and exsperiences are amazing and I can't wait for the days I get to take my 2 sons out and teach them all I have learned

[dilleytech]

My favorite part of hunting is the experience of a successful hunt and the meat in the freezer. A Doe or a 2 point is still a really good day to me. Sure I always prefer the biggest rack in the woods but I enjoy every kill. Out of state I’ll be selective. At home in Washington I’m always happy to just get a chance at a legal animal.

[kselkhunter]

In the west doe tags are few and far between, and usually are for blacktail or whitetail doe's (mule deer doe's would be a no-go for me now given the dwindling herds).  In some midwest and southeast states deer are so overpopulated you can harvest multiple doe's.  So depends on what state you are hunting.  My policy is the doe has to be without fawn, which my best friend and I actually ate our tags the one year we had doe tags in a blacktail unit as every single doe we saw that year had a fawn (which was a bit surprising that year, you'd think we'd find one without fawn given predation....was a weird year....but good for the deer herds in that unit).  Bucks, we hold out for 4pt or better but on the last day will shoot a forkie if it's legal in the unit we're in.  Can't bring myself to shoot spikes anymore (which you can west side blacktails here)....they're dumb as a box of rocks and haven't really developed their fear of humans yet.  Archery elk my favorite unit is any elk and will happily harvest a cow as long as she doesn't have a calf.  Otherwise for any weapons bull seasons we prefer a mature 6pt, but will happily take a raghorn to put some meat in the freezer.   This year I have a muzzleloader cow tag in Utah to get some meat for the freezer, so likely will try to hold for mature buck/bull on my tags here at home. 

[Jingles]

So far every doe I have seen has had at least 1 fawn with her seems, at least with the mulies, it was a bumper crop for twins. As much as I want meat in the freezer, will not be able to take a doe with a fawn, even a whitetail and where I am there are plenty of those.

[kselkhunter]

Seeing lots of twin fawns for the mule deer here in my neighborhood.

Had two fawns in my back yard last week when I went to let my dogs out in the morning to do their business. One fawn was staring at me 15 feet out the glass sliding door.   So had to go out and coax it and it's twin out of the yard so I could let the dogs out (momma doe was in the neighbors yard).  Little moron tried running through the hog wire fence....bounced off and turned around and looked at me.....not the sharpest tool in the shed.  But eventually got the little guy turned around to exit out the front (where my fence is down during this garage expansion project, which is how they walked into the back yard).   Lots of mule deer in the neighborhood this year.  Couple of bucks like hanging out at the neighbors front porch.  Wife got a video of them practice fighting a few weeks back in the front yard, that was pretty cool.   

[Sitka_Blacktail]

Depending on the situation, I have no problem taking a legal buck or doe. I am at my core a meat hunter. But I will pass on smaller animals early in the season, not because they don't meet a certain standard, but because I don't want my season to end right away. I love being in the woods and especially being in hunting camp with friends and family. So I will hold out early especially when I have just one tag.  At a certain point I'll make a harvest because that is the reason I hunt.  When I have multiple tags such as when I lived in Alaska where we got 5 every year, I'll save one tag for a chance at a bruiser, and fill the rest with does and younger bucks.  This year I have a Washington multi season deer tag and two tags for Idaho. So I'll probably fill one or two of those tags with whatever offers itself earlier in the season and save one tag to try for a big boy.  We'll see how the season plays out.

It's up to the bios to decide what is legal and what is not. They have more info than I do and I won't second guess them. And I won't second guess a fellow hunter who takes any legal animal.  We all have different reasons for what we do.

[dilleytech]

Hmmmmmm

So as usual, most folks have less of a problem shooting female elk than deer. 

Why?

Because it’s 4 times the amount of meat obviously. Or maybe they like a cow elk rug on the wall more then a mule deer rug? No probably all that premium meat.