I had and opportunity my second season but could not capitalize my second season but to date my largest is 88 inches so nothing on my wall but i know they are out there.
I am happy with my success no doubt! I have seen really good deer but haven't been able to get a shot off on them. The closest I got to one was about 12 yards on a really nice 120-130" buck but he knew something was up and never gave me a window to shoot. Ive put myself in really good position the last couple years at least seeing some good quality deer. Just waiting on the right opportunity for one to mess up! After doing this for the last couple years I see how hard this sport really is and I am at least grateful for the two that I have taken the last two years.
In my own state - Pennsylvania - I am still waiting. I have yet to shoot any buck in this state (gun or bow). I did get a nice wall hanger in Illinois with a slug gun...and that has been my only buck! Seven years hunting now - five with a bow.
Took me 5 years of hunting before I saw my first deer and 7 years of hunting to shoot my first deer. That was with a gun. Hunting the Nicolet National Forest is pretty hard. Most of the old timers average 1 nice buck every 10 years.
It depends on what you think "that big buck to put on a wall" is. Last fall was my 40th bowhunting. Never shot "that big buck to put on a wall". I shot a few in the 140-150" and passed many 120-130". Still looking for a 160"+. I had one at 56 yards broadside a few years ago. Dang...my personal shot limit is 50 yards. At one time I thought...I will never shot a good buck if I shoot a fork horn and go home. I shot a lot if "good bucks". Now it's...I will never shoot a great buck if I shoot a good one and go home. For me, the time in the stand it worth more than headgear. BUT I still chase them bucks 12 months a year. I was checking game cams, looking for sheds and sign yesterday. Enjoy the journey. Don't rush it. FWIW My buddy's kid shot a 165" the second year he hunted. After 3 years more of hunting and never seeing even I nice buck...he quit.
Ive been fortunate enough to have a mentor who has helped me in ways that I cannot begin to describe. Nothing can replace the knowledge I have acquired as a result of hunting with someone like him. Other than that, the absolute best way of learning is from your own mistakes. Nothing will replace that feeling when you blow that one opportunity... and that really sticks with you one every hunt thereafter. I missed an absolute giant in my first season bowhunting. I picked myself up, kept hunting and then killed a 1.5 year old four pointer. I dont regret it at all. Later that year I killed a 110" buck with 13 scorable (yet junky) points. The next year I set a standard to 8 points or better. On opening day I shot a clean 110" 8 pointer at 3 yards. Later that season I made a piss poor shot on a realy nice buck that I knew very well. It was completely unethical, but I learned from it. I was fortunate enough to actually recover that deer. I am also extremely thankful for those of you n this forum who heled me through that situation. Regardless of the outcome, it is that feeling that has stuck with me every time I draw back on a deer. That brings us to this year, my 3rd year bowhunting. I am still looking for that giant wallhanger. My goal is to kill something like what holt did this year. Beyond that, I want to be consistent in killing good deer. This year, I was blessed with three bucks. This was my first year hunting on the out of state lease. I killed two high 130's bucks, and one 117". I am very proud of all of my deer, regardless of size. That brings me to my point of how I think a wallhanger depends on what you are talking about. All of my bucks are wallhangers to me. They are all a shingle in my new hunting career, and I am proud to talk about all of them. That said, I have only spent the money to mount the three that net over 130. That is just a personal standard, and what is a nice buck for me. But for me, any animal taken with a bow is a wallhanger. (especially if your wallet is fat enough to cough it up to the taxidermist).
I shot my first buck this past season with my bow which made it even better. I've been big game hunting for 9 years (4 years archery hunting) and had only harvested does till last season. I lost a buck two years ago on Halloween that was good size and shot it with my bow on public land. For me a wall hanger is in the eye of the beholder.
10 years and still no wall hanger haha, never gonna stop trying though Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
It did not happen for me until I decided I was no longer going to shoot the second 8 pointer I saw in a season. It all depends how dedicated you are to learning deer behavior and habitat development.
Or Just close your eyes and start randomly slinging arrows through the woods and sooner or later you will hit something worth hanging on the wall. Or maybe you will just spend a lot on arrows Just play it by ear Friends don't let friends hunt with guns
I started bow hunting at 12 or 13. I had No one to learn from. I didn't even kill my first bow deer until I was 19, which I contribute to saving up enough money to buy a climbing stand. It took me 20 archery seasons to kill a true wall hanger with a bow.(2015) . (Official gross 157 7/8 official net 153 3/8). Over the years I've shot a few 100-120" with a bow and a 130's with a gun. I honestly think the biggest factor to killing big mature deer is to find the right property. Some properties grow big deer. Some don't. Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
I've beèn hunting over 25 years- no "hangers" yet but I've hunted almost exclusively public land for the vast majority of that time. Got a bunch of 2.5 year olds to show for it. I shot and lost one +140" two seasons ago though (on public.) All lost deer hurt but that one really hurt. I actually patterned him and was targeting him specifically. He deserved better than that.
It took me about 12 years before I shot a buck that I had mounted. A typical 8 in the mid 120's. I got lucky and got on a 3 year run of bucks that went from 120 to 130. Then it was another 5 years before I killed my biggest to date, a mid 140's 11 pointer in 2008. Since then I have killed many 120's bucks, but nothing bigger and nothing that I have put on the wall. I don't get too wrapped up into scores or sizes of bucks. If I see a buck that I want to shoot then I shoot.
Took me 4 years to take my first mature buck with the bow. Shot a 119" 8pt my second year. http://forums.bowhunting.com/fbowhunting-talk/cant-stop-shaking-27529-2/#post380610
My first true "wall hanger" with the bow came in 2010, I started seriously bowhunting back in '03. I had gun hunted and half hearted bow hunted in high school, but once I really got into it, 7 years it took
My first true "wall hanger" with the bow came in 2010, I started seriously bowhunting back in '03. I had gun hunted and half hearted bow hunted in high school, but once I really got into it, 7 years it took. In my lifetime of hunting, I have only shot 5 true "wall hangers" in my opinion... and several Euro Mount class deer.
Been bowhunting about 5 years,took me the first 3 to get a deer and only last fall did I get my first decent buck with bow (141) I just did a eauro mount,probably going to wait until I get a 160+ to do a shoulder mount.
I still don't have one that would make the wall. Seen a few but no shot opportunities where available. Been bowhunting for over 20 years now.
