I myself haven't shot many bucks In the 25 years I've bow hunted. Could've I? Many of them but I set my standards fairly high early on at a young age. After my 4th year bowhunting at 15 years old I took my 1st buck, he was a 1.5 year old. After that I said no more younger bucks and set the bracket at 3.5 year olds. The next year I shot a 126 Inch 3.5 year old. After getting that buck I said no more 3.5's unless they were at least 130"+ bucks. From that year on I've passed many 3.5's In that 115 to 125 Inch range. Finally after 17 years of holding out and passing many bucks I shot my 1st 4.5 year old buck. Did I have chances at other bucks that I believed were 4.5's? Sure did but they didn't meet my criteria of 130 inches and up. I also had some close encounters with 4.5's that did meet my goal but circumstances didn't pan out. An arrow was never released though. I've been told by allot of people I'm nuts for going that many years between bucks and that they could never do It. I tell them just any buck don't toot my horn. If I set a goal, I usually stick to It. Maybe I set the goal a little high for the area I hunt but It's what I want and It's what I'll continue to do. Anyhow here's what I'm wondering. Have you set any standards since you 1st started? Are your standards still the same or have you changed them? Did you have to shoot a buck every year? No wrong answers here, just curious Is all.
started hunting with a gun and would shoot anything, luck would have it that they just keep getting bigger. made the switch and told myself that i would look to harvest a bigger buck each year. last yr was the first yr that i shot a smaller buck than the year before, but i was surprised that i didnt get down on myself and just knew that it was a mistake and that i'd do a better job of identifing in years to come. i have not shot buck every year and am still trying to stick by my org plan to shoot a larger one each year. i realize the rabbit hole im sending myself down but i think if i keep that in the back of my mind i can at least have a strong base to start from and go from there.
So how did you evolve from when you started till now? I don't think I evolved. I'm still the same height and walk on two feet. My wife might say I have regressed. Are you still the same? No, I'm older now. A little more muscle too. Did you have to shoot a buck every year? Nope. I have shot one buck in the last 13 years for a few reasons. I did not hunt for 7 seasons, lack of interest in killing yearling bucks, lack of bucks older than 1.5, and lack of skills at finding/killing the rare older buck.
Evolved? Whatever deer tickles my fancy, I'm shooting (at). As long as a man has a valid tag for the animal he's hunting, he doesn't need to justify his decision to kill. Just my opinion. I don't think people are crazy for shooting....or not shooting. It's their tag.
Jeff you've got an Impressive resume In your short bowhunting adventures. I just asked how people have changed or If they have at all. What's wrong with asking that?
What makes you think anything's wrong with asking? I just answered. No malice. After thinking about it, more.....I'll edit what I said by adding...the size of the buck I might take means less and less to me, the longer I do this. TAKING a buck will become less and less a priority. There are varying degrees of "evolving".
I certainly have "evolved" as a deer hunter. I went from the "any deer will do" stage up to the 145" and better stage and now to the "whatever buck makes me happy" stage.
I see myself changing Steve. This will be my fourth year bowhunting. I was lucky enough to finally get my first buck (10 point) last year. While it was a buck that many on here would have passed on, I was thrilled. Now I have given up that lease where there were no set antler restrictions other than any that were state-imposed for another with outstanding buck potential and some significant club-imposed antler restrictions. I'm still thrilled anytime I put any deer down and I'll be whacking does all season, but as far as bucks go I'll be doing my best to hold out for something bigger this year.
I am relatively new to bowhunting, so I am still working on a lot of things. I have passed on some pretty decent bucks, I have missed one, and I have shot a pretty decent buck. More important to me than what type of buck, is where I am hunting. I own 40 acres, and have no plans on taking immature bucks off it.
Maybe I'm in the minority here but I base my selection soley on antler size...I might be the only one to admit it (and I spend ALOT of days afield per year) but I can't tell the difference between a 3.5 or 4.5 year old. I know if ones mature or not. Thats about it. I promise you if a 150" 2.5 year old walks in front of me, he's getting shot at.
I started off like most WI hunters if it was brown it was down. I did manage to get a couple of nice bucks over the years. Then I bought my land andabout 5 years into it I still haven't shot a good buck. Then I started to hunt mature deer and now I'm starting to hunt 1 deer.I would like to take out the biggest buck my place has to offer and I don't want to settle for anything less. (but I might I'm still evolving)
I'm lucky in the fact that I can get multiple buck and unlimited doe tags where I hunt. I started out wanting to shoot a nice buck with my bow, I had killed a few with gun before taking up the bow. I killed 2 does before taking my first buck which was a very good one. In the following years I killed many does and a few bucks, but not every year. The does fill in the gaps, because yes, I do like killing animals with my bow and I enjoy eating them. I have killed as many as 10 deer in one season, I doubt I'll do that again. Unless they need to be thinned. I don't set a certain score for my bucks, but I like to hold out for a "Good One" or one that has a special meaning or just appeals to me at the time. This year I my goal is to take a good buck on video and maybe a couple of does too.
I started off from 1992-2001 or so as a kill at will type hunter, hunting with rifles, shotguns, and muzzleloaders. I was just happy to see a deer on the places I hunted, and was so happy to just kill any deer. Around 2001 I began bowhunting and I killed my first deer in 2002 with my bow. Since that first bow kill of a 7 point, 2.5 year old buck I have not killed anything under 2.5 years old. Around 2005 I began consciously hunting older bucks. I was not prepared skillwise to do so in the environment in which I hunted. I went buckless for two years because I refused to shoot at anything under 3.5 years old. I then re-evaluated my goals and tempered those goals with reality. I then shot 3, 2.5 year old bucks over a 2 year period from 2007-2008. In 2009 I finally believed that I realistically had the skill to hunt 3.5 year old bucks. So that is where I am at these days, wanting to kill 3.5+ year old bucks or better. I am not saying I will never take another 2.5 year old, but my preference lies in hunting down and killing older bucks. I have A LOT to learn.
As posted in the other thread, I have passed on quite a few 120's and low 130's. I do that because this piece of property has great genetics and not too much pressure. I am a very patient hunter, I learn more and more each year and I'm really starting to learn how to hunt this particular farm. I want to shoot 140/150+ class deer, it won't happen if I keep knockin down these younger deer that have time too mature. Now I'm going after a 200" class, will I get him I don't know but at least I know I'm doing some good letting these deer grow and I feel good about that. It's just a matter of time for me to shoot a true giant!
