Bad Mistake

[Guest ADAM]

Now since deer season is about over(only one more week) I think that I made a bad mistake. I limited myself to only hunting these two big bucks that I have been seeing for the past few years. I have let a couple of nice shooters walk past me this year in hopes that one of the two eight pointers that I've been hunting would come out. Although I have put meat in the freezer with the 2 does that I have shot, I'm still not satisfied. The one good thing is that I have shot 12 yotes this year throughout deer season(this could be why the deer have vanished). Have any of you guys ever narrowed yourselves to only hunt one or two deer and totally struck out. Maybe I'll get him this weekend.

[KahrMan]

Not a mistake at all. Letting younger deer walk to grow another year is never a mistake. Can't grow big deer if you shoot the small ones. With that being said I know how you feel. I have done the same thing. Letting bucks walk because you are looking for a particular buck is tough. The closer to the end of the season, the worse the feeling gets. Don't second guess yourself. Just think about how much bigger all the bucks you let walk this year will be next year.

[-boatman-]

I'm not a deer hunter but I can tell you what you are doing will pay off. I know a family that has about a dozen hunting a big farm. Two years ago they decided that anyone who shot a buck below a certain score had to pay $50.00 into a pot and the one who got the biggest buck got the pot. The first year two people paid and no one since. This year there have been three huge bucks with very nice big racks, just in two years. They have never killed big bucks like this before. One that I personally saw weighed 220 lbs. I know it is easy for me to say this since I don't deer hunt but just be patient.

[ShaunM]

I've done the same thing. I have passed on 1 or 2 good bucks and a bunch of small ones. I have only killed a doe and if that's all I kill, I won't be mad. Come the next season maybe some of the bucks I passed up will be decent to good. The reason I have passed these deer up is there is a very very good 10 pointer that I really want and also I'm the only person who hunts the 200 acres so I'm not worried to much about the deer being shot. Hopefully next year there will be several good bucks to choose from.

[roverboy]

Your not alone on that. For the last 6 or 7 seasons I've let at least 7-10 smaller bucks walk and hopefully grow. I killed a 7 point this past muzzleloader season and so far thats all I've dropped the hammer on. I let a 8 point walk that looked to have a 16" spread. He should be nice next year. I let 7 bucks walk this season and have 3 more on trail cam pics that I've not seen. Just keep hoping that you get a good buck. If not good luck next year.

[Guest BEARMAN]

Good choice...I've done the very same thing this year, so far. 1 doe for meat, and still letting the little feller's walk for another year or so.BTW...It's got a name...QDM...Quality Deer Management.

[whiskey]

If I have a big deer in the area I won't shoot anything else. I may go empty that year, but I am going to hunt the big boy if I know he is there.

[DaveS]

We passed up several nice bucks this year. By doing this, I think we kicked our selves in the butt, because I believe they may have been taken on other propertys. I feel at this moment, that for a QDM program to work, you have to get the surrounding property owners to participate. That's not going to happen! One hundred and eighty seven acres is alot of land, but to a deer, it's nothing and they know no bounderies. I feel now the deer we passed on should have been taken when we had the chance. It's about 50/50 if they survived the season for next year! We're going to develop the property this year with food plots. Maybe that way we can hold the deer in the area.

[Guest GunTroll]

WD you got to go all Texas style and put you up a ten foot tall fence. Should only cost you several thousand. Then I would recommend importing some quality genetics from IA or IL. That will probably put you back a few thousand more. After all of your hard work I then propose you invite me up more often .

Nothing wrong with having a particular quarry. I think thats more sporting than the whole " if its brown its down philosophy " thats seems to linger around for some reason. If your a meat hunter....go for does. Too simple. Adam, I think you'll get a pay-off the next year or so.

[Guest ADAM]

I figured some of you other fellas have had this problem before, although its not really a problem its just frustrating. The property that I hunt is a 400 acre farm

that only me and the property owner hunt, we planted food plots back in the spring and early fall but its as the deer have disappeared, I do think that the number

of coyotes that have been taken since early muzzleloader season is part of the problem but we still are seeing spikes, four pointers, and does, so Im at a loss but like my four year old daughter told me last night "the reason that you haven't killed any bucks this year daddy is because you haven't taken me this year." She may be right because the last big deer I killed which was last year she was in the blind with me and she saw it before I did. But theirs one more weekend,

and theres always next year.