Out of curiosity, how many 1.5yr olds have you taken? Was this prior to any/all "mature" bucks you've taken? If so, do you ever see yourself taking one ever again, or will it never excite you again?
I have never killed one, but truthfully i probably would have shot one last year to get my first buck. But i ended up taking a 2.5 year old five point that i was really happy with. But chances are i will never shoot one.
Out of curiosity, how many 1.5yr olds have you taken? 3? 2 with rifle, 1with bow. (I was 12 and 13 with rifle First kills, and 13 first buck w/bow) Was this prior to any/all "mature" bucks you've taken? Yes If so, do you ever see yourself taking one ever again, or will it never excite you again? Nope, and I get excited when I see them, because now I imagine what they'll blow up into:D
I assume you mean bucks only? Including bow/rifle kills........probably 10 or so. I killed a 2.5 in there, and a 3.5 in there (one bow, one rifle). It's been about 10 years though since I made a real effort to pass them. Where I grew up and learned to hunt, people just didn't pass deer. You shot what was legal. I shot one 4 years ago that I honestly thought was 2.5, and another about 8-9 years ago that was injured during rifle season. I don't think I'll ever shoot another. It just doesn't do it for me anymore, I'd rather shoot a doe.
1 with my rifle and 1 with my Longbow, will I ever kill another one, never say never! I passed on 3 this year already, one took everything I had NOT to shot, good times!
Are these guesses based on body characteristics and rack size or are you guys getting the jaws checked out by a biologist? Just wondering because i've had a few checked out and was wrong on some of them. One was a 15" wide 8 point that turned out being 1 1/2.
My first two rifle kills were 1.5. That filled me up. Killed a 3.5 as my last rifle kill, and a 2.5 as my first archery kill. I definitely am not past sticking a very nice 2.5 at this point, but 1.5s get a hall pass and ideally I am looking for 3.5+ at this point.
I killed maybe 5-6, 1.5 year olds with my firearms. I haven't killed a 1.5 year old buck since probably 2001. I shot a 1.5 year old buck with a muzzleloader in 2001 I believe. I don't see myself ever shooting one again. I have never killed a 3.5 year old buck, so I have been stuck in the 2.5 year old kill fest zone for many years now.
2, a 6 point which was my first buck. The second was a 5 point. I will never shoot another 1.5 year old buck again. Passed on two this season so far.
I killed a 1.5 year old buck in 2006 with my bow, I have been hunting for a mature buck since then, but i did take a shot and wound a 1.5 year old 8 point last year on film. He was later killed during gun season. Ive been sticking to my guns pretty good, but if a SLAMMER 2.5 walks by in the 120" range i may be tempted this year. Especially if its late season or i have a camera. (and in case Will goes buckless or gets ANOTHER fergie clause, i may take a 1.5 late just to beat him in Buckbalooza :D)
Five. One with a rifle, four with a bow. One had just under 3" spikes and I thought it was a doe when I shot it. Two were up in WI where I never once saw a mature buck and 1.5 y.o's were about it for bucks. Two were taken where the landowner had planted/re-planted saplings all over and implored us to kill any and all bucks. (in fact I let it slip one time that I had passed up some smaller bucks there and I thought the lady was going to have a coronary about it) I don't have any real desire to do in any more dinks but if I were deerless all season I might consider it. Young buck venison tastes better than big buck antlers.
One, my 1st buck ever 20 some years ago. Never will I do It again on the land I've been hunting for the last 20+ years. On someone elses land or out of state, never know.
I've shot a pile of em. When I was younger, I shot every buck that came by (bow and gun)...and the majority were 1.5yo. I haven't shot a 1.5yo since 1997, when I made a decision to pass up all the young/small bucks. I don't take anything away from folks that do shoot the young deer, I used to really enjoy it and was excited to get them year after year. I think most folks mature as the go, eventually not wanting to take the young bucks anymore. I will say this though, at our farm in WV...it used to be rare to see a buck older than 1.5, so our options were limited. Young buck or tag soup. They slammed em for so long in that area, it was slim pickins. Over the last 10-12yrs, that has turned around big time...since we started letting them walk. I saw probably 10 that were 2.5yr (or older) last season alone.
