here is a question what is the reason for shooting a 6 year old buck that is 170" versus a 2 year old buck that is 100" what is all the hype about, passing on deer, and letting them mature, and growing trophy deer. a deer is a deer right? what is so different about shooting a larger racked buck? many will argue that the bigger the rack/ older age the harder it is to kill, which doesnt seem completely logical. they are all deer they are all just as smart yes maybe the 7 year old has had more encounters with humans, but really is he much smarter? If the hunter eats what he kills, why does it matter how big the deer is, or how big it could have been? why so much stress on big buck management, and point restriction laws? i know what crowd i am asking this to, but answer this honestly, what is so much better about killing a mature deer versus a 2-3 year old. or even whats better about killing a 3 year old 150 versus a 7 year old 110 class?
Logically... There are more younger bucks then older bucks which makes an older buck harder to see/find let alone kill. Numbers game and not arguable. Generally a younger buck has seen less pressure in his life time then an older buck in the same area. More experiences to pressure generally makes anything harder to kill... not just older bucks. In this case the older buck will be tougher to kill. The same could be said of a 2.5 year old buck living in a highly pressure area verses an older buck living in a non pressure area. The pressured buck will be generally harder to kill. A young buck will spend more time on his feet during daylight then an older buck. Tougher to kill the older buck since we can only hunt them during the daylight. A deer is a deer. Some are easier to kill. Some are tougher to kill. An older buck is tougher to kill which is just common sense for the most part when talking the same area. What we choose to kill or try to kill is up to the choice of the individaul. I don't need to justify it to you or anyone for that matter nor do you need to justify to me. I hunt to make me happy and will congrat you when you are successful with your choice. Pretty simple actually and we are both happy campers at the end of the day. I am not into big buck management nor in favor of a points restriction law. I like hunting bigger racked bucks. An older aged buck is nice but not the priority.
Well if you are only concerned about food why wouldn't you just wait and take a fat doe? Way better eating. Don't get me wrong i LOVE deer meat and getting fresh every year. Also I enjoy hunting, I could go out opening day and shoot a deer if I wanted but that would be a short season. So I try for Trophy Buck, one that will bring back great memories and I will always remember that exact moment. It'd would have to be a MONSTER for me to shot him in the first week. I just love being out there!
No, a deer is not a deer. A mature, 4+ year old bucks experience and rank in the pecking order has a lot bearing on how hard they are to hunt. Generally, they are much harder to kill or even see. Haven't you experienced this?
well I only eat about 1 deer a year, and love to hunt for my area a 120 is a good buck so thats what I try to hold out for. I got to hunt to the end of the season. Hey I love to fish to and throw every one back. if its in your blood to hunt and fish thats just what we do.
I think people go after different things in life for different reasons. Some people have been hunting so long and killed every size, shape, age, and color. They may put some meat in the freezer then go after a trophy. Or maybe they only go out for trophy class bucks at this point. Some may care less about stats. and just go out for food. The reason for keeping score is just a bit of friendly competition, the same reason for keeping score at anything. Its just the way we are. I personally just want what tastes best ,but then I'm new to this game.
IMO that's like saying a human is a human. Deer have different experiences that make them harder to kill as they age. I am not at the trophy hunting stage of my life yet but can understand the desire for a mature deer. They take time,effort, and an uncanny knowledge of whitetail behavior to be able to successfully put one down, unless it's just dumb luck. Also most guys have a history of scouting these bucks and have watched them grow from that 2 year old point. taking a deer you have that history and have let pass seasons before has got to be a humbling experience.
What a silly question!! Say you got two ladies that want to love on ya. Ones butt ugly ,and the other is smokin hot. Which one would you take! They both cost money and your gonna do the same stuff with em! If you wanna shoot the small buck, go ahead , ill tell you good job. I myself will hold out for the hot, I mean big buck
So do you buy the cheapest most economical car? The first car you see? The easiest car to drive? Do you have the cheapest cabinents in your kitchen? The easiest ones to open? the first ones you saw at the store? Do you always eat off the dollar menu? Do you get delivery? Do you shop at goodwill instead of department stores? Sew your own clothes? My point is, in LIFE, we could do the "smart" money saving or "easiest route" every time, technically. Or, since were human beings, and most of us our men, we can do what we WANT. People who complain about management and say they are "meat only" hunters, have a terrible "Holier then thou" complex. And i honestly dont believe 3/4 of what they say. Its easy to be gahndi from behind a computer screen. Im betting you would shoot a 200" inch deer over a 100" deer every day of the week if given the choice.
I was going to say it enlarges the size of your penis, but I like Tim's response better. All of it was good, but this part was the best of it.
It is a pride thing.... Is a 55 yard field goal the same as a 15 yard field goal? On the score board it is... but how many people can say they kicked a 55 yard field goal? There are a lot of 100" bucks taken every year, and dont get me wrong all of them are trophies. However how many people can say they shot a 170" buck? I know I can't...... But I hope some day I will be able to!
This all depends on if one has a hunting dog and a boat. I'll need to see a picture of the dog and boat first.
Antlers, Big Antlers fuel ALOT of hunters. I for one love massive racked Bucks, I shoot Does for meat! Buck hunting for me is a personal challenge. I could shoot small Bucks all season long and its rare to get a slammer in close enough for a shot. There smarter and as mentioned very few of them. When people go to a Deer classic show they dont go to look at the mounts and declare MAN I bet he ate good There for the amusement of some major head gear on some Bucks the turn some heads.
