Another Gentleman kinda hit on it a bit and with the season fast approaching im gonna bring it out a lil too. Many of us have great expectations for our hit list buck come season or maybe some of us are just anxious to dust the cob webs off our stand come opening day but face it we all do this for a reason, and some dont mind just taken a doe for the freezer when a good one walks by. So in short how do you make that ultimate decision? How do you approach this season? Many have hopes of taking a trophy but say for instance you have a productive spot, and you know there is a few decent bucks running around it plus mature does that are easily good table fair but u dont wanna risk blowing a great opportunity at that trophy. Im anxious to hear some of my fellow bowhunters opinion on this. Do you just wing it in the field? You see in my opinion and from some experience it was all about what I wanted, and how I was gonna get what I wanted out of a particular spot. What are you after and how do you plan on getting it? As bowhunters I think we all should approach our seasons with a thoughtful mind confident with our hearts made up about exactly how we will accomplish our goals for that great spot, and how we will put our self in the right place at the right time. Please share some of your thoughts. THANKS A TON
a lot of meat in that post!. point blank, the VAST MAJORITY of big bucks killed are by nothing more than being at the right place/right time. i still hunt hard,plan,sceme,pray,ect but i seldom take the buck i really want. now, i just hunt where my gutt tells me and hope for the best.
Gut feelings are always a factor with me too. So are you gonna take a freezer doe or an early season buck? I Myself am going in for a buck right out the gate I may pass on a few does just to see whats gonna happen. Im trophy hunting this year early season. I hope I get a shot at a good buck
I will shoot a doe late season if I don't get a mature buck by the end of November. I have not shot a doe in a long time.
I always struggle with this decision and often end up with a few unused tags later in the year. I always second guess shooting a doe early season because I'm afraid of ruining a spot (silly, I know). That and Sundays are tough because it's usually warm and if I don't pop one first thing in the morning I'll hesitate later in the day. By Sun afternoon, the time to gut and process a deer and make the drive home doesn't sound real appealing. Warm weather doesn't allow me to hang it in the shed and deal with it later in the week or following weekend. So...long story short: I pass up way too many deer!
Im sure you have your reasons man everybody has a choice to doe or not to doe lol best of luck to you
It is still pretty warm out come the opener here also but hay when its time to put in work you gotta get'em cleaned up great point here for sure.
Haha, thanks. My in-laws bought a small refrigerator from a bakery this summer to use as a deer cooler. As long as I keep that in mind, things are going to change this year.
I generally will shoot a doe for meat first thing, why? 1. I want to get my main goals out of the way early a. I want meat for the freezer b. I do not like to shoot does late in the season because I'd prefer to take unbred does if possible. c. Population management goals I prefer to get out of the way. 2. I will generally hunt away from my top buck spot to take a doe so either way, it doesn't matter whether or not shooting a doe can and/or does have an impact on my target bucks activities. I just don't have to worry about it that way, problem solved. 3. Accomplishing the points one and two stated above, gives my target buck all that much longer to breed and lets face it, if I'm targeting a buck specifically, he's probably one that I also hope to have and want as many of his fawns running around as possible...both buck and fawn does. 4. I'm never opposed to shooting a mature buck with a less than stellar rack while I'm hunting for freezer meat. If one walks in front of me while I'm hunting an early season doe for meat, he meets every goal and requirement I have just as well as a doe and I have no regrets taking him out of the herd.
my area has way to high a doe to buck ratio....and if I take a doe I like to do it before they are bred (cause it is a 100% chance she was bred by a buck....he might have good genes) so I try to take the chance at a mature doe if I can early season....but having said that I go back to the gut feeling as well....so sometimes I just let them go on by.....im like you buddy...it depends on the feel at the moment a lot with me its hard to say one way or the other sittin at my work computer lol good hunting!!!!
I do usually like to try and take a few does each season to try and help with the outrageous population thou....so that is one interest I have with taking does in my area
I think I made a thread similar to this. I made up my mind that I'm go into shoot the first mature deer that I see. I might get a bonus tag so I can get a buck also. I think I should so I have a chance at getting more points on the board for whatever team I end up on. But I'll see what happens come September.
Either way im gonna have my mind made up come Oct 1st im gonna have a game plan with whatever spot I decide to hunt. Thanks for all the input fellas
For past couple years for some reason I haven't even seen a buck until pre rut starts. The year before that I saw only bucks. And I've got only doe on cam this year, but a lot of them. So my plan is to hopefully be able to shoot a doe early so I can put all my effort into chasing a buck during the rut. As far as picking a stand it's honestly wherever I feel like sitting that day and on recent camera pics from that area.
In the past we would save our woods that had the big bucks and go shoot does on other properties or public land. We would focus on does for the first 4-6 weeks while keeping an eye on the bucks. By the middle of October we would switch to hunting bucks. Then back to does in the late season unless we hadn't shot a buck then it was a free for all. Now, being that it is hunters choice we hunt bucks all season until very late season and we'll turn to does. I've also gotten involve with some population management hunts to hunt does in the early season so we can still put some meat in the freezer.
I can only shoot one deer a year so I always have shooting a doe in the back of my mind. I hunt bucks until gun season and then as soon as gun season is over and I am back out hunting, I shoot the first doe I have a good shot at. Last year it was late December, 6 days before season closed.
The total herd has been in pretty bad shape the past couple years so I'm really hoping not to shoot a doe. Need to get the numbers up and then can start weeding out the undesirables. So my plan is to look for a Big Buck early Archery Season, which for my neck of the woods is smaller than it seems most here would be looking for. My 9pt 117" is the 3rd largest taken off this property in at least 20 years. Once rifle season starts, I will shift a little and be after either the Big buck, or something with a fubar rack. The doe decision will not be made until late Archery season. If I am not seeing sufficient numbers in the herd, I won't shoot a doe, and will still stick with Buck only.
First, I just want to make it home safe, but with that said, i`m not a "trophy" hunter by any means. Last season I shot 2 really nice bucks(IMO) one is about 90" and the other maybe 100". To me, they are trophy`s!! Doe walks by and I`ll take a shot at her as well, its a long season, and The Good Lord puts in front of us what He wants us too harvest! Just being out there, having fun, being safe, I couldnt ask for more!! Best of luck to all of you, cant wait to see some pics soon!! Heres my bucks before and after!! Love it people, we all should thank the Lord above !!
Kudo's to the last two posts! It's great to see folks observing local conditions, evaluating those local conditions and applying some strategy as to what is beneficial to the deer....bravo. A trophy is what you make of it, it's a personal thing and folks shouldn't let others influence what they consider as a trophy.
