Hello fellow bowhunters, I was fortunate enough to harvest a great deer this fall. He green scores 144 1/8 gross and 138 net so he will be Pope & Young eligible after the 60 day drying period. Reading through the fair chase rules I still qualify, I did not use a lighted nock, no high fence, etc. My question is, if you shot a Pope & Young eligible buck would you enter it? It seems to me that my name will be in a book with an ocean of other names and it almost feels pointless to do it. Its a buck of a lifetime for me but in the Pope & Young record book it will just be another mid range measurement with my name next to it. I'm on the fence because it is a big accomplishment for me but at the same time do I really need it entered into the books. I posted a picture in another thread so I won't post it again so it doesn't seem like I'm bragging.
Good points but really, taking a deer of that caliber isn't all that normal. I would submit it if I didn't have one recorded in it already. I submitted my first one that quailified and have been working on a B&C deer for a long long time. I'll be satisfied when I have one recorded in each. Is it a big deal...not really, the sun will come up tomorrow either way but I think it's cool to have one recorded for posterity if nothing else.
1st of all good for you on your biggest buck. Congratulation's!! I've got 2 animals in their record books. To be honest for me I'm honored In being part of this organization. Lots of greats that paved our way are/were part of this club. Not the folks you see on hunting shows every week either. This club isn't for everyone. Not all agree on allot of their stances but that's life I guess. There's so much other stuff this club does for the good of bow hunting that most don't know or won't acknowledge to know. To each their own.
I have complete respect for Pope & Young and will be recording one I harvested this year. Nothing is perfect, but I feel the organization does a good job.
I have no desire to record any of my bucks truth be told. One is in Buckmasters but that is because I thought it'd be cool and was real young. Nowadays I don't care as much. I can't be in P&Y though due to lighted nocks so no worries and truth be told I don't care. Covey was right though that killing that caliber of deer isn't common in the mainstream world of hunters, sure on a site like this we seem them each year, but you're talking a very small slice from the general population and for the most part most of us are the hunters that do the "extra" things others don't.
I guess your right, I see a lot of deer on here that are bigger then the one I harvested but I guess we are a group of like minded bowhunting freaks that do what it takes to get the job done. I think I will do a little more research on the Pope & Young club and see if it is for me.
I had a deer measured for P&Y and it made it, but I never got around to sending in the paperwork and my check. For some reason I just didn't see the point. It's great and for the most part I appreciate and support what P&Y does, but I just never saw the need to go through with it. When I go into the woods after an animal I do it for my own personal reasons, and I just never felt compelled to have my name in the official book. Plus now that I'm using lighted nocks I wouldn't qualify anyways.
I have 9 in and the whitetail only book comes out in 15'. Lots of great info to be had like county, dok, ect. I support the club.
First let me say you have a right to brag all you want a 140" deer is a great accomplishment. As far as entering in the books I would have to take into consideration a lot of factors such as how the area you shot it in ranks among the rest of the state. Also if you paid to hunt the land you shot it on. Another would be how your deer stacks up to other deer in your area. But in the end it is something you accomplished & it could be something to show your kids someday.