Just doing some informal "research" into a topic...does age play a role in your harvest decision? Please choose the best fitting of the five, but than elaborate below in comments if you desire! Thank you!
If the deer has more inches of antler than I have ever shot before I am going to shoot it no matter what I estimate it's age to be.
I went with take what I can get as long as legal. Even though none of them really fit. Right now its like Walleye fishing, a protected slot. There have only been 5 deer taken over 110" from the land, only one of them would I guess being older than 5. The land has pretty much been any buck is down if seen by the rest hunting. I'm trying to get that changed to let the young bucks with potential time for growth. One problem is we have been a buck only area and they like to eat venison. From the pictures of bucks I got last year, there were a few bucks I wanted protected that I put in the slot, they had to be good shaped 4 pointers, 5 points, 6, and a small 8pointer. Which left a handful of spikes, a goofy 3pt and forks, along with the larger 9pointer. We ended up taking 3 spikes, and a youth hunter took a doe. What we noticed is that all three of the spikes had hollow areas in their heart walls, which we believe is a defect that caused them to not have bigger racks because the bodies were actually bigger than we expected for spikes. My guess is that it is a genetic defect so the plan for the near future is to take out these smaller bucks each years as freezer fill. while hoping for the big ones.
I'm the same as Sota and that is because of the area I hunt mature bucks are hard to find so what ever is a bigger than what I have already is what I'm going to take.
Age definitely plays into my decision, but not in such a way as taking pride in killing a 5 year old (or older) buck. What weighs more heavily into my decision is the following: Is this buck a 'core-area' local? Will he likely be here next year? What are the odds his head gear will be significantly larger? Simply put, will this season's three or four year old, 135" buck be here next year sporting 160" of bone on his head? For me, these questions are answered through trail cams, scouting and occasional sightings from the stand. That said, the dynamics change completely for those of us who primarily or solely hunt public ground. I'm roughly a 90/10 kind of guy (10% being private). Lots of hunters would say I'm gambling by letting those younger bucks walk. But I'm also not one of those guys who has to kill a buck every year. Don't get me wrong -I'd certainly love to! But I don't feel that pressure to produce in order to secure or preserve my reputation as a bowhunter. Combine that with the fact that most of the private land hunters (the 10%) who border my public area are either lousy or very casual hunters, and I'm happy to roll the dice and hold out. It gives me something to look forward to.
Age definitely. But, I did not answer the poll because none of the responses fit me. I would never shoot a shed buck, regardless of age.
I did not submit to the poll because age is my deciding factor usually. We can have bucks for the books in my area but not every year and sometimes extremely hard to find. Mostly public land I hunt. If I see a buck say 5.5 years old that is only 120 then he can be one I am after. Five years of living made him smart, not the antlers on his head. There is genetics and nutrition that are limiting these bucks from growing anything larger so I feel they are a trophy. It is the hunt and the chase that makes it so.
Another factor for some people my be the number of tags they get. For example, I get 4 buck tags in my state. I keep one for my number 1 buck in the area and the rest are for any buck I get excited about. I love to hunt, so I don't put alot of rules on the style of hunting I do. If I only had 1 tag each year, then I would only shot a mature buck 4 years old or older. Regardless of antler size. Also I would never shoot a buck that has shed 1 or both sides.
I hunt age, and age alone. I will (and have) let a 150"+ 3 year old walk by me and shoot a 140" 5 year old. Ive killed enough mediocre deer that I don't need to prove anything to myself. I see those big 3 year olds as next years possible booner. That being said, I would never kill a shed buck of any age, and I wouldn't kill an older buck if he was severely broken up. but I will ad that if a buck is severely wounded when he comes by, I will shoot no matter the size. that isn't really a management decision, but an ethical one.
You know there isn't one for me, but even here it seems quite a few experience the phenomenon known as "offseason" lol
Not sure how I missed this, any pictures of the hearts? You talk to a biologist or CO about this finding? Crazy.
No I didn't think about pictures at the time. If I continue to see the same thing going forward, I will try to get pictures of the defects. All I know is the still taste yummy.
To me it's age. I at least hope 4 1/2 or older for bucks. It mostly depends if the area has 3 1/2 yr old bucks every year and 4 1/2+ in some years from trail cams, encounters and harvest in that area. If this year I got pics of a 4 1/2 yr old buck or older. Ill wait for him early season. If I dont happen to see him, I happen to see a good 3 1/2 yr old buck in mid october in bowrange at 15 yards during legal shooting hours. Its decision time. Or if it's the week before gun in my home state of Mn. I'm still hoping 3 1/2 or older, but If I happen to encounter a 2 1/2 yr old buck in bowrange. I dont care anymore lets get it done. Now if it's another area where I went to Wisconsin where there's no 3 1/2 or older bucks in the area, theres just yearling bucks every year and some years for 2 1/2 yr olds in that area. It's mostly any legal buck for me in that area. On all of my ways of hunting, the truth of hunting is always success, whether you harvest a fawn,doe, yearling buck to a record book rack mature buck. It's all the same. There's no right or wrong what everyone does whether your Meat eating to going highstakes to get yourself a giant monster whitetail.
