So I now have two full seasons under my belt bow hunting. With that being said, I am lucky to have 2 deer. I'm still looking for that big buck to put on a wall... I know some people are luckier than others, but how long did it take you before you got that wall hanger! ?
I got my first buck with a bow this year, after eight years of trying. I have killed several does but never had a mature buck in range until this season.
It was 18 years before I shot my first mature buck. I had shot many bucks up to him, but I always hunted for meat and shot the first deer that came by. A lot of small bucks were killed through that time. I didn't start looking for mature deer until one year I got a farm that had alot of big bucks on it. Then something clicked that year and I waited for a big buck. I shot the biggest buck of my life that year. It took me 6 years to beat that one!
What do you consider big? 120 inch deer? That took me something like 10 years to get with a bow and I haven't topped it yet. I do gun hunt though and have filled many buck tags that way so more often than not my buck tag is filled mid way through the bow season during gun season.
I have learned anything with a bow is a trophy man! I would be ecstatic if I killed a 120" deer. Thats a really good deer for my neck of the woods. I am just trying to figure out how long it has taken everyone to get a mature enough deer where you would consider putting it on the wall. My biggest so far has only been a 5 point which will not go on the wall lol.
At the end of the day its a crap shoot. I mean you do need the potential for big deer in your area which is more likely in certain places like Iowa or some parts of ohio. But honestly I think a lot of it is putting in time, being in the right place at the right time (luck), and being able to execute the shot. My buddies son killed the biggest buck I've ever seen on his very first youth hunt about an hour into the hunt. No one had ever seen this deer. They just happened to be there when he showed up (luck) and he made the shot. At the same time his grandpa has been hunting longer than any of us have been alive and never killed anything bigger than about a 100" 8. Just have fun and if it happens it happens. And put that 5 on the wall if you want. Nothing wrong with that in my book.
It is still in the freezer, but the only thing I am going to do with is just do a euro. I killed it in OK, and there are no antler restrictions there. In TX it would have not been a legal deer for me to shoot. We abide by the 13" spread rule here which is our law. I am going to keep plugging away at it though until a bigger one comes my way!
Almost identical story for me. I started bowhunting when i was 14, hunted public land until i could buy my own property. I was 35 when i bought my own land (40 acres in RI) 21 seasons (minus a few when i was in the army of course) of hunting public land with a a handful of does, a few forks and spikes to show for it. 2nd season on my own land i finally shot a wall hanger right around 125" had to sell my land, now i'm back on the same public land spot, I didn't see a single deer all season, no joke.
11 months for me. I feel very fortunate to have shot a whitetail and a mule deer this past season. European on the muley and shoulder mount for the whitetail. Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
It took a long time. I started when I was a teen and hunted several years before I killed a deer with my bow. From there it evolved into getting little bucks every year to now I don't want to shoot anything without some size or age. No doubt location and luck play a role. I do know you decrease your chances of shooting big mature deer if you shoot the first little buck that strolls by. Just enjoy the process.
I have a 110" 3 year old on the wall, but i wouldnt call him a wallhanger. Just my first nice bow buck. Im still after that elusive mature archery buck. Been very close many times. Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
I got a buck my first year but not really a wall hanger. Nice buck but not a mounter. I think it depends on where you are and where you can hunt that is the biggest thing for most people. I had the advantage of my dad hunting a lot and doing all the scouting and research so I'd give him more credit for the harvest. All I had to do was make the shot. If you've got does, you'll get your buck; just a matter of time is all. If you've got 2 does, you're doing it right.
You've matched wits with a formidable foe and won the battle 2 years in a row. I've shot several bucks and numerous does with a bow. Only mounts I have ever had are a bear rug and a sheep that was not one I would mount today. My cousin hunted with bow and gun for 18 years before his one and only kill. Be happy and proud of your success. Don't put pressure on yourself to get that magic wall hanger. And be patient each year. It will happen if that is what you're looking for.
Shot a bunch of small ones but still waiting for that "one" whitetail to hang on the wall. Have taken a 320" 6X6 elk though.
I always said I wouldn't do a shoulder mount unless its 150+. I shot one a few years ago that scored 138 with a 4.5 inch drop tine. First drop I ever seen and or shot. It was on my 35 acre farm but....it was with a rifle. I have been bow hunting for about 15 or so yrs now and still waiting for that unique or 150+.
Yeah it was great to be back out there 9000 acres, very little pressure and very little deer...lol Love those big woods though Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
