Buck Passer Uppers

[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.