That is a good question, but I do not have much experience scoring bucks from pictures. I would guess a little bigger than that because he has a huge spread and long main beams. I have asked a friend who has been hunting a lot longer than I have who guessed 150s gross for him and 170s gross for Big 9. Is anyone doing any hunting lately or how about this weekend? I am taking the 1st and 2nd off work to hunt the opening 2 days which fall on a Monday and Tuesday this year. I hope to put a doe down asap for some points and to fill that freezer.
I need your opinion guys, I have yet to shoot a buck with a bow. I'm going to ny to hunt fri-sun. They have a couple decent size bucks and a couple spikes and forks. I've been itching to shoot a deer with horns for the last 4 years. If you were me would you shoot the first legal buck that is in range? Or hold out
Where are you hunting? Is it your own private property? If it is, I would let the small ones have a chance to grow. If it is not, I would shoot whatever is going to make you happy!
As much as I want to go back to Wis this weekend, I think I'm gonna pass( but that could change at any moment ). I'll be hunting the following 2 weekends, with a couple of days off, in Illinois. I have burnt myself out early before, and don't want to do that again, this early in the game. The worst part of my situation is the driving, it really sucks, and the money of course. Massbow, don't worry about what others may think, of what you decide to shoot. Shoot whatever floats your boat!
If that is the only time you have to travel up that way and believe that area is the best opportunity you will have to kill a decent buck....KILL whatever makes you happy!
Agreed if that is the only time you can hunt the area. Shoot whatever is going to make you happy and give you a great hunting experience.
Thanks guys, in the north east we don't have deer like the Illinois or Ohio giants so its kind of tough to tag out on a deer over 100"
I would have to say you need to ask yourself if you have a chance for any legal buck and you let it pass and it turns out at the end of the season that you dont get another shot would you regret not taking the shot at the first deer, if the answer is yes I say shoot it if no then I would let it pass. I had an chance to shoot a small 6 point a few years back and I let it walk, it was the last buck I had a shot at that year and I regretted not taking the shot. Any deer with a bow is a trophy in my book.
same here. i have yet to shot a deer period. im hoping for anything to walk in front of me. i am so pumped its crazy! so, silly questions. i hear everyone saying they want to shot a doe first... is this law, or is there a specific reason to wait on a buck... i live in northern Illinois.
Goin to check two cams tomorrow at my prime spot! Rumor has it there's a double dropper runnin around there thats supposedly 170+! Hoping he decided to get his picture taken a few times. Hopefully I'll have some good pics to post after I check them!
Well in pa and nj doe opens before buck so I dont have a choice. Buck opens this weekend but if a doe were to show up first I would take a shot at her. I generally have spots that I hunt for doe and seperate spots for buck so normally I wont hunt a buck stand in doe season because I dont want to risk bumping a buck out of there before I have a chance to shoot him.
In Illinois they both open at the same time as long as you buy combo tags. I just typically have a shot at doe first and want to get some meat in the freezer and get the pressure off and then do buck hunts. I have made the mistake in the past of getting a big buck on camera and passing doe early to get an encounter with the buck. Never got him in bow range and then later in the season when wanting to shoot anything it never worked out and came up empty. I then regretted not shooting any of the many doe when I had the chance and said I will always tell myself don't do that again no matter what shows up on the camera. Fill the freezer first and then worry about buck hunts. Ya, bucks are exciting; but to me at the end of the day, it is all about the hunting experience and filling that freezer.
So guys - If you are able to, when are you taking off work for this years rut and what are your rut predictions? Do you go by rutting moon or have your own theories predictions or just try to get out there around the time as much as you can. I am thinking the week to take off is the week of Nov. 5th and hunt straight from Nov. 3rd to Nov. 11th here in the Midwest. What are your thoughts? I know a lot of people are predicting an early rut this year probably based on the rutting moon being Oct 29th and seeking phase starting a few days before that.
I would live and die by those dates every year. My best dates for seeing big time increased buck movement are November 7th-10th.
