The state of MD blessed us hunters 2 buck tags possibly more with other seasons factored in I am not sure though cross that bridge if I get there
Personally I would shoot the 1st buck that shows up and then a couple does too just to get a few under my belt. Then try to hold out for a bigger one next year.
Shoot what would make you happy. There's no right or wrong answer to your question as long as it is legal. I can only tell you when I was in your situation I decided to take the first one I had a shot at - doe or buck no matter the size. It's a great feeling getting that monkey off your back
I have passed up so many 110"-130" bucks, waiting for something good sized to come along... and in the end, I have very little to show for my efforts. In hindsight I'd rather have shot some smaller ones. You do what makes you happy.
Dude, you already know what you're going to do. No one on this site will do or say anything but congratulations to you.
Shoot what makes you happy. Personally, I didn't get an opportunity on a deer my first two seasons. So by the time the 3rd season rolled around I was ready to shoot anything that didn't have spots. Fortunately it was a fat eight pointer so it was an easy decision.
There are a good amount of does around so I am hoping I can bag one of them pretty quick, and I honestly think that as some of you said, I need to get the monkey off my back and get a buck under my belt. I think I will be arrowing the first buck I see regardless of its size. In the end, the fact that it was my first buck will be what I always remember, not the rack.
Like many others have said, I would shoot what makes YOU happy. I can tell you that when I first started bowhunting, I killed the first one that I had a chance at. Good luck to you.
There is much wisdom in this ... shooting a target at 50 yards is loads easier than shooting a live animal at 20 ... like someone else said ... you will know what to do at the moment of truth ...
Never pass up a deer in early season that you would take in late season, make it happen! Get one under you belt, you will learn a few things that will make you better for the next chance you get.
Now that's a great saying. I like it. To the original poster: You said that you haven't taken a deer with your bow yet, right? Then the question is how would YOU feel if your first deer with a bow was a 4 point or a 6 point? My first was a doe fawn and I was absolutely ecstatic. If it had been a 6 point I would have loved it even more. Like others have said, if it will make you happy to drop that 4 point then do it. You'll get nothing but a lot of congratulations from everyone here. There's nothing like that first one.
When you see the deer you'll know if it will make you happy or not. I would never let the fact that the neighbors or the possibility of it getting killed by nature become part of my determining factor. I have never regretted passing a deer, I have regretted punching the release a few times. There is a lot of truth in "To get good at killing things with your bow, you must kill things," but there is also a lot of truth in to learn deer behavior you have to observe them in a natural setting, you get that by passing animals.
Huh? That's not even a question. Let him walk! 2009, opening morning, first time every by myself, 7:20 (opening shot, 7:20), a 4 pointer comes walking into my clearing into the woods. No idea I'm there. None. He was the very first buck I've ever seen in the woods. Hell yeah it was exciting, however, not once was he in danger of being shot. I knew then he was just too small. Fast forward 4 days. I saw that same 4 pointer and even another 6 pointer multiple times a day, every day. I got in stand as soon as the rain let up, about noon. At 12:19 sure enough, here comes the 4 pointer again... Again I let him go. But this time is different, this time he has a friend... a 154 1/8 12 pointer... had I shot the 4 pointer, I would have had to have passed on him. I read on facebook every year about guys taking a 4 pointer within minues of opening morning and laughing because they have their buck and are done 20 minutes into season. Just hate seeing that. Just way too young... Sorry if I went on a rant, just don't like when people shoot baby bucks.
Ohiohunter has only kille 1 deer in his life. He has never killed one with his bow. I don't know why you would want him to limit himself. He is in the formative years. Let it rip ohiohunter! I hunted for 3-4 years without killing a deer when I started. I was finally invited up to hunt some great property as compared to the crowded public land I had been gun hunting. I killed a 3 point the first 5 minutes of sun-up and killed a 5 point the last five minutes of sundown. I WAS the happiest man alive (I think I was 21 at the time). The people I hunted with did not say a word to me about killing "baby bucks" on their private property, they were genuinely ecstatic. Those two deer hooked me for the rest of my life on hunting.
My first deer was taken with a muzzleloader. It was a button buck (I thought it was a doe fawn). My second deer was with my bow and it was the first deer I saw that season. I just got lucky that she turned out to be 135 pounds field dressed. She walked into the clearing with two yearlings and I just picked her cause she looked the biggest, but I would have taken either one of the other two without hesitation. I had been out in the woods five times a week at this point since the beginning of September and I didn't get her until the last week of October. This season, the first doe I see that I have a shot on is going home with me. After that, I'll be a little more selective.
Shoot whatever gets your heart beating hard. I waited 3 years before I arrowed a deer. I was 15 at the time and everyone I knew was happy for me. Its a great experience. Now ill wait for the bigger deer. My wife always talks about shooting big bucks and I keep telling her to shoot a doe big or small or the first buck that makes her happy. She has never bow hunted and this will be her first year. She has never killed an animal and I just want her to get that first one. If you hold off for a big buck you may never get the chance. Without killing you never get experience or truly learning about deer. Do what makes you happy.
That really depends on the how much time you have to hunt and how frequently the bucks are using your stand. To ME, I would probably shoot the four pointer but like others have said it all comes down to what makes you happy. I wonder how many children or young adults would have been turned off by hunting if they had to start "trophy" hunting right off the bat. Someone should NEVER feel quilty for shooting a deer that is not persceived as a monster. Besides most of the "TROPHY" hunters I know didn't start off being very selective.
Shoot! I am a very big supporter of new people to bow hunting shooting the 1st legal deer they get in range. Buck or doe. Now if you want to pass on a fawn due to size, yea that's fine, but I urge people who've never gotten a deer, shoot the 1st one they get a good shot at.
