Buck Passer Uppers

[FLIZZ]

Alright, I'll admit it, im a 19 yr old that wont shoot anything under 90 BC or so, I get nonstop $%^$ from my freinds but I dont care, small bucks just dont do it for me. So, lets see if im the only one like this. I Personally passed up 5 different bucks this year. How many did you guys pass up? PS: I ate my tag this year lol. I'm talking Blacktails by the way.

[Craig]

I saw between 10-15 bucks ( couple were probably the same buck ) in Montana this year. One half way decent 4X4 was the biggest. I ate tag soup. 

[FLIZZ]

Here's my philosphy, everyone of them will be bigger next year right on man.

[HUNT]

Tag soup for deer for me for the last five years.   If it isn't a wallhanger I'm not shooting it.  Can't even count the number I've passed on.   My kids on the other hand don't pass up many.   

[FLIZZ]

last year i passed up a couple spikes, and two pretty nice 2pts, ended up shooting a week sack 3x3 on impulse, I learned my lesson with some hardcore regret immediatley after it died, since that day (oct 30th) I swore to never shoot anything but a wall hanger. lol

[6x6in6]

I can respect your thinking!!
I ate another out of state elk tag this year simply because I couldn't get to the one I wanted. 
I let the rag horns grow up. 
My hunting partners all go by the 320+ or go home theory.  We used to subscribe to the it's got to be bigger than what's already on the wall motto.  Highly doubtful any of us would ever harvest another one. 

[FLIZZ]

hahaha, my brother jokes around saying if he shoots a 3pt, next year he has to shoot a 4 pt only, then a 5pt after that, then back to a 3 pt the next year in that order lol, or " i'm only gonna shoot a buck if it has a drop tine off of a drop tine" 

[carpsniperg2]

There is nothing wrong with it at all, it your hunt so do what makes you happy. I will kill any elk that I can with a tag in my pocket When it comes to deer I am more picky, sometimes there is more in a hunt then the score of a animal. That being said I passed up 54 legal bucks in one season about 5 years back when the cats hadent killed the deer population here Not to mention all the road hunters and tresspassers we are dealing with right now LOSERS!

[hambone]

I let 3 bucks walk this year because i had the late palouse tag and was holding out for something bigger it all worked out i got one i am pleased with.

[Arteman]

Im with Carp, fill the tag with Elk that's a lot of meat to let walk away.  I shot the first legal bull that stepped in front of me this year only to see a bigger bull run off at the end of the herd when I stood up.  Deer ill hold out for a big one, I let a pile of smaller bucks walk this year in a walk in area.  But the difference between us is on the last day ill shoot anything.  I paid the state for a deer so if I see one I'm going to take it.  Until the day they give me my money back if I don't get what I pay for then thats what ill do.  Nothing on earth cooler then antlers, everytime I boil and clean a rack up or find a shed I can sit there and study every detail about them for hours, but meat in the freezer is good also.

[uplandhunter870]

Im a meat hunter above all else. that said elk hunting first legal bull, or cow (depending on what state im hunting ) gets shot, as said above thats a lot of meat to let walk and i havent shot an elk yet so got to start somewhere.

Bear hunting ill pass on sow with cubs and smaller bears but first average size or better gets it

now deer hunting, if im hunting in washington first legal deer i see gets shot. this was my first season hunting in montana i passed on maybe 2 or 3 smaller bucks. found 2 decent 3x's that i shot at, clean missed both of them a couple times each. ended up shooting a respectable 4x3, i honestly thought he was a big 3x when i shot him. he ended up 125 gross green score.

ill pass a deer based on body size before i pass on antler size, i hunt to put meat in the freezer first and foremost. to me antlers are a wicked cool bonus.

i respect the OP's way of hunting but for me, i measure success more based on pounds of meat rather than inches of antler.

[huntnnw]

deer I am selective..elk in a OTC unit..first one is shot

[buck man]

Elk is the first legal one to come by. Like so many others. Deer on the other hand I usually set my minimum on age not antler inches. I try to shoot a 4 1/2 year old or older each year which usually translates into a decent buck. We are talking whitetails here
 

[NWBREW]

deer I am selective..elk in a OTC unit..first one is shot

That is how I feel as well.........I like elk meat a lot.  As for deer, The only reason I am selective is because I like to shoot mature deer. They are the ones I am after, not so much antler size........although that doesn't hurt. And yes.....I am still after that 160" but I did not eat tag soup. 

[huntnnw]

heres a buck I would shoot..he may not be a wall hanger , but this is a old buck and past his prime.. atleast 7 or 8 now. Too many use antler size to dertimine age...there are alot of 3 1/2 yr olds that have bigger head gear than him

[NWBREW]

heres a buck I would shoot..he may not be a wall hanger , but this is a old buck and past his prime.. atleast 7 or 8 now. Too many use antler size to dertimine age...there are alot of 3 1/2 yr olds that have bigger head gear than him

Is there a picture that's suppose to go with this? 

This is true.The buck I shot this year I believe to be 3 1/2 maybe 4 1/2 at the most. He had a good set of antlers but I think he was younger then his antlers lead me to believe. 

[huntnnw]

yeah forgot to paste it  its there now

[coachcw]

I love to get out and hunt so a buck has to be special , and as far as elk I will let the tag dictate the throphy .

[Eli346]

I've drawn the multi-season for deer 4 times and passed up alot of deer waiting for the right one. Ate
tag soup for 2 of those years but it sure is great getting out and just enjoying the outdoors knowing
that if the 'right' one comes along you've got the tag for it! Any animal is a trophy in the hunter's eyes.
I respect their right to fill the tag the way they want. I've shot many a deer and it's now not a matter
of filling the tag but how I fill it.

[Camo]

Glad to hear I am not the only one with jacked up chromosomes. Except for the occasional miss, I think I know I'm done hunting when I pull the trigger and that has a tendancy to keep the safety on. Not that I see a lot of big animals but seems like I go 3-5 years between trigger pulls. Although I'm infatuated with bone, a lot has to do with the hunt itself that dictates what gets me excited. My motto is, "if it isn't worth taking a picture with, it ain't worth killing". I ate a Margaret cow tag this year. I knew before I went I probably wouldn't pull the trigger which is probably why I had 4 opportunities between 40-80 yards and couldn't even bring myself to take the safety off.

[Arteman]

Glad to hear I am not the only one with jacked up chromosomes. Except for the occasional miss, I think I know I'm done hunting when I pull the trigger and that has a tendancy to keep the safety on. Not that I see a lot of big animals but seems like I go 3-5 years between trigger pulls. Although I'm infatuated with bone, a lot has to do with the hunt itself that dictates what gets me excited. My motto is, "if it isn't worth taking a picture with, it ain't worth killing". I ate a Margaret cow tag this year. I knew before I went I probably wouldn't pull the trigger which is probably why I had 4 opportunities between 40-80 yards and couldn't even bring myself to take the safety off.

I'm just curious why you put in for the cow tag if you wasn't going to fill it?  Did you not pull the trigger because it didn't feel like a hunt to you?  I live here and Margaret and Toutle areas are like my back yard, and I know those cow hunts are more like just going out in a field and shooting a moo cow then an actual hunt.  My nephew drew toutle two years ago and at daylight I said ok around the next corner your going to get your Elk, I think I said that four times before it happened.  It was like a 20 minute hunt.  I'm just curious how you would determine what cow to shoot.  Body size, excitement of the hunt, or what?

[seth30]

If it is legal I dont pass up on it Priority 1 is the freezer, and will always be when it comes to deer.

[Camo]

 I'm just curious why you put in for the cow tag if you wasn't going to fill it?  Did you not pull the trigger because it didn't feel like a hunt to you?  I live here and Margaret and Toutle areas are like my back yard, and I know those cow hunts are more like just going out in a field and shooting a moo cow then an actual hunt.  My nephew drew toutle two years ago and at daylight I said ok around the next corner your going to get your Elk, I think I said that four times before it happened.  It was like a 20 minute hunt.  I'm just curious how you would determine what cow to shoot.  Body size, excitement of the hunt, or what?
[/quote]

Size of the ears.... no seriously,
I actually put in for two reasons,
1. I was hoping to get my dad on some animals, in what I hoped was going to be a slightly less physical hunt. It was on a partnership muzzy hunt with my dad.
2. I wanted to burn up the antlerless points that the state decided to give us last year.
This was the first antlerless tag I have put in for in 20 years and now I won't have to spend that $6 every year.

As it turned out, it kinda turned into a fun hunt. 80% of the permit holders, myself included, thought they were going to drive in there and shoot their elk off the road. When the road hunters hit the road opening morning 2 hours before you could see, most of the elk were already off the road. I think a lot of people went home by day 2 having not seen an elk. Nevertheless, it was new country to me, I studied maps, looked at aerial photos, and did my homework, just as I normally do. I got my dad and I into elk, so in that respect it was successful. However, as much as I enjoy venison and can't stand frying beef burger, when I pulled the gun up there was just nothing there, no accomplishment. As you stated, "like shooting a moo cow".

[BOWHUNTER45]

Well I tell ya this ...as much as I love big horns I also love eating it... No way shape or form am I going without meat in my freezer if I can help it ....I do not like killing spikes and yes I did hold out for a bigger buck this year but i seriously hunted my butt off and have killed my share of big ones but in no means am I a trophy hunter ....

[deerslyr]

Couldnt tell you how many I passed on, but they werent wet side BTs either...I wouldnt be passing on any decent 3 point BT in this state.

[Camo]

I wish I was good enough in the woods to be considered a "trophy hunter"....but the walls in my house don't lie therefore, I'm not either.

[PolarBear]

If it ain't big, I ain't shooting it plain and simple.  That goes for deer or elk.  Tag soup tastes a lot better than just filling a tag or the freezer on just any critter.   I get alot of crap from some of my buddies over the size of bucks and bulls that I have passed on (especially since I only get to hunt less than 3-4 day per year) but you can't shoot a monster if you shoot the dinks.   There is nothing wrong with being a "trophy hunter" as long as you do it legally and ethically.

[NWBREW]

I passed on forked horns on two different occasions this year (whitetail). I am trying for the 160" mark but ended up shooting this guy who fell short of 150". I can pass on the smaller bucks but this is what I struggle with. If I was hunting tomorrow I would not be able to pass on this buck. Maybe if I could pass I could reach that 160" mark but that's a big if. 

Don't get me wrong I am happy with this guy and greatful for the meat provided for the freezer.

PB, If he is not a shooter in your book tell me where you get the will power to pass.

[Miles]

That's a really nice buck NWBREW.  Congrats!

[huntnnw]

nice buck brew!! 

Polar...so if a 160" 3 1/2 yr old buck came by u would shoot it over a 8 yr old heavy 4x4? the 3 1/2 yr old is much larger,but also a much dumber of a deer in the woods. Sounds like u shoot antlers only.

[singleshot12]

I agree with the philosophy (you wont get "the trophy" if you keep shooting the small ones)  BUT!  I tried that one year, I passed up a fat 2 pt at 10 yards in hopes of getting his daddy later on. Well It never happened and I ended up with tag soup that year. This made me come to the realization of why I hunt blacktail and came to the conclusion that the meat is more important than a big set of horns. IMO you take what's givin in the blacktail woods.

[blacktail slayer]

I here ya, I let my son fill the freezer during rifle deer that way I can be picky during muzzle deer. I pass up bucks every year to eat tag soup yum my favorite

[colockumelk]

I agree with coachcw philosophy. For elk I let the tag dictate the trophy. This year a true spike was a trophy. I like to joke that he's a Pope and Young spike   For deer I'm hunting for meat and horns both.  If you kill them when they are small then they can't reach maturity. Also some people with a spike says "well if I dont kill it someone else will" FALSE!! If you kill it it has a 100% chance of being killed. If you pass it it stands a chance of living.

I have passed up three spikes this year because if I'm not gonna keep the antlers or at the very least do a skull cap and put it on the garage why kill it? If your just gonna kill it to fill the freezer I would rather kill a doe. Plus a doe is gonna have more meat than a small buck.  So if I pull tje trigger its either gonna be a doe or a buck I can be proud of.

[fishngamereaper]

Elk...whatever is legal, like others have said. Mule deer, I try and be selective. Blackies, well Ive got a room full of trophy mounts, Ill kill em if I see them, but Ive been known to take a spike or two, they eat better. I think deep down all of us want the trophy, but I hunt mostly for the meat. So when it comes to blackies a few may get away but as the season comes to close to the end anything with horns tastes better than my tag.

[BOWHUNTER45]

I passed on a couple 2 pts and a little 3pt and after I did that I was thinking I was going to regret it ...started to make me sick  And to go out the last day and sit at the gate I have been to many times this season  and thinking should I go this last time or just heck on it and go home ....Well I went and at 12:15 I walked up the grade and when I got to the end of it there he was..... now nothen beats that feeling .....   Was this LUCK OR PERSISTANCE ??

[PA BEN]

This is the first year  in about 25 years I didn't fill my deer tag. I had lots of small ones to shoot but I was horn hunting. We have two cow elk tags for Dec. this year so that's our meat hunt. If we didn't have those tags I would have filled my deer tag just for the meat.

[PolarBear]

nice buck brew!! 

Polar...so if a 160" 3 1/2 yr old buck came by u would shoot it over a 8 yr old heavy 4x4? the 3 1/2 yr old is much larger,but also a much dumber of a deer in the woods. Sounds like u shoot antlers only.

Yep, I shoot for antlers only. I shoot what looks good to me.  I love venison but, as I have said many times, I raise my own beef so I don't need the meat and I will not shoot a doe or dink just to fill a tag, period!  There are plenty of other folks who are more than happy to do that so I leave smaller ones for them or to grow up.
NWBREW, Sweet buck!  Yeah, I'd arrow that in a heartbeat.  Congratulations!

[Camo]

Brew, that's a great deer. Unless I KNEW there were a number of 160+ deer around, you would not see me pass up a shot at that deer.

[PolarBear]

 

[UptheCreek]

Ate tag soup last year, but I passed up several young 4 pt whitetail for a chance at a 150 inch+ buck.  Had the one opportunity last year at one spoiled by some random wood cutters.  That is the way it goes sometimes.  This year, limited time forced me to shoot a smaller buck not only for meat, but to come home with something for all the effort and work put in to shoot a monster buck.  Hunting is great, and the challenge for me is to shoot a mature whitetail deer.  I could of shot a legal buck almost every day I was in the stand the last couple of years, but how much fun is that?  That is just my thoughts on it though. 

[bucklucky]

I havent killed a blacktail in 3 years now but it wasnt because I didnt have opportunitys to kill. Passed on alot of 2 and 3 points looking for a good buck. Let one go that would be in that 110 inch range that I regreted but thats how it goes. Just havent been lucky enough to get a shot on a good buck or maybee Im just not hunting hard enough ??

[FLIZZ]

I forgot to mention i'm a college student who only had one class this fall quarter, so I had a lot more days in the woods then most guys, I probably missed one day or so, and to be honest i can't believe I Didn't get a good buck this year lol. i already can't wait until next year! But I doubt i'll get as much time in the woods. I Do not call myself a trophy hunter at all, but i guess I am one, just a humble one.