Official Thread of 2015-2016 deer season

[roverboy]

As far as judging age, I'm not great at it. But, the 8 point buck I let walk by me was about 40 yards from me. I got a pretty good look at him and he had a thick neck and muscular body. He looked to be about 140-160 lbs. But, his rack was only about 15" wide and had short points, about 6" long or so. I don't think he was a 1 1/2 year old.

Edited December 7, 2015 by roverboy

[peejman]

Other than just appearance, the only way I know to judge age is the size of the base of the antlers.

[conn_air7]

I would never shoot a spike or a split tine. My biggest problem when that 8 point walks by is judging its age. I do not have enough experience to have mastered this. Any sure fire ways to judge?

Realistically, it just takes a lot of practice to age a deer accurately. I'm sure you aware of aging deer by their teeth, but that's obviously not an option from the stand. Typically, I look for two or three things. The first is the skin, once they get above 4, the skin is noticeably looser than that of a younger deer. The second thing I do is look at the arch of the back. The more arch or dip, the older the deer. The backline of bucks begins to droop over the years from fighting. 1-3 years you typically won't notice this. The last thing I look at is their gait (walk). You can tell whether a deer is younger or older by the way they walk around. 1-2 years are pretty easy to age, they have a slim body and less mass on their antlers. Hope this helps a little!


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[LagerHead]

Question for the experienced hunters, and I'm not being a smart aleck, so please don't jump down my throat. This is a serious question.

 

Other than letting a buck grow to be trophy worthy, is there a reason you shouldn't shoot a younger spike. I'm told the meat is better when they're younger and a big part of the reason we hunt is to control population. Is shooting younger males going too far in the population control game, and if so, does TWRA take that into account with their quotas for the next season? If so, I would imagine that too many button bucks or young males could lead to a reduced quota system for future hunters. Is that a big part of the concern?

 

Thanks.

[gregintenn]

Question for the experienced hunters, and I'm not being a smart aleck, so please don't jump down my throat. This is a serious question.

 

Other than letting a buck grow to be trophy worthy, is there a reason you shouldn't shoot a younger spike. I'm told the meat is better when they're younger and a big part of the reason we hunt is to control population. Is shooting younger males going too far in the population control game, and if so, does TWRA take that into account with their quotas for the next season? If so, I would imagine that too many button bucks or young males could lead to a reduced quota system for future hunters. Is that a big part of the concern?

 

Thanks.

Quality management, and the fact that you're only allowed 2 bucks in an entire season are the driving forces.

 

A couple of decades back, we could only kill bucks, and several of them at that. This led to only immature bucks being seen, and if you didn't shoot one, you weren't getting a deer.

 

Attitudes have changed, and the deer population has exploded, leading us to take more does, and leaving the immature bucks to grow into trophies.

 

I can see a difference in the quality of bucks I see, and I like it.

[peejman]

I'm told the reason TWRA reduced the limit on bucks to 1 in some areas was to try to let them grow bigger so there will be more "trophy" size animals in the future.  Places known for huge bucks like Ohio and Minnesota have only allowed 1 to be taken for a long time.  So the smaller bucks get to walk in the hope that a behemoth will appear.  That spike who gets a pass 2 or 3 times becomes the behemoth and TWRA starts selling more out-of-state hunting licenses. 

[CJDore]

Well boys I had planned to go check on my game camera tomorrow to see if I possibly needed to move the camera to a different location. This afternoon though, I looked into my backyard and what did I see? A beautiful 10 point buck standing 30 yards from my door. I carefully got my deer rifle out, loaded it, and waited patiently by my open upstairs window. He had whole family in tow and there were 3 other does and 2 fawns grazing. He offered me a broadside shot and I took it. Unfortunately it was just before dusk and after I waited 25 minutes, it was too dark to follow a blood trail. I will have to resume the search in the AM with the aid of the sun. It has been about an hour and a half and I am still shaking......what a high!

[Luke E.]

Question for the experienced hunters, and I'm not being a smart aleck, so please don't jump down my throat. This is a serious question.

Other than letting a buck grow to be trophy worthy, is there a reason you shouldn't shoot a younger spike. I'm told the meat is better when they're younger and a big part of the reason we hunt is to control population. Is shooting younger males going too far in the population control game, and if so, does TWRA take that into account with their quotas for the next season? If so, I would imagine that too many button bucks or young males could lead to a reduced quota system for future hunters. Is that a big part of the concern?

Thanks.

Sure, part of the reason I give young bucks a pass is because my cameras generally give me hope of seeing a mature buck and the young bucks of this year are the "biguns" of the next year or two but that's not even close to being the main reasons I let them walk. I ever have drawn any joy from the taking of a life and I feel like we have an obligation to ensure we're getting the most that life can offer if we're going to take It. To me this means taking deer that have physical maturity. I've seen many pictures on Facebook groups and around the webs this season of people that have killed yearling doe and bucks that's weigh less than my dogs. They might get 15# of meat off them so the whole "I'm a meat hunter" thing seems sketchy at best. They say "it didn't have spots" but they don't realize that they did have spots a couple months before and are in most cases less than a year old. These deer haven't come close to reaching their potential and to me it's poor stewardship to take deer like that.
This is just my opinion and I realize many don't share said opinion or even put this much thought into it. Just something to chew on.

[CJDore]

Sure, part of the reason I give young bucks a pass is because my cameras generally give me hope of seeing a mature buck and the young bucks of this year are the "biguns" of the next year or two but that's not even close to being the main reasons I let them walk. I ever have drawn any joy from the taking of a life and I feel like we have an obligation to ensure we're getting the most that life can offer if we're going to take It. To me this means taking deer that have physical maturity. I've seen many pictures on Facebook groups and around the webs this season of people that have killed yearling doe and bucks that's weigh less than my dogs. They might get 15# of meat off them so the whole "I'm a meat hunter" thing seems sketchy at best. They say "it didn't have spots" but they don't realize that they did have spots a couple months before and are in most cases less than a year old. These deer haven't come close to reaching their potential and to me it's poor stewardship to take deer like that.
This is just my opinion and I realize many don't share said opinion or even put this much thought into it. Just something to chew on.

I really hate to hear that Luke. That is a primary reason why the rest of us can only harvest 2 bucks this year. With hunters taking baby bucks there will be no big bucks for coming years and we may just see TN adopt a northern limit of one buck each.

[Omega]

Sure, part of the reason I give young bucks a pass is because my cameras generally give me hope of seeing a mature buck and the young bucks of this year are the "biguns" of the next year or two but that's not even close to being the main reasons I let them walk. I ever have drawn any joy from the taking of a life and I feel like we have an obligation to ensure we're getting the most that life can offer if we're going to take It. To me this means taking deer that have physical maturity. I've seen many pictures on Facebook groups and around the webs this season of people that have killed yearling doe and bucks that's weigh less than my dogs. They might get 15# of meat off them so the whole "I'm a meat hunter" thing seems sketchy at best. They say "it didn't have spots" but they don't realize that they did have spots a couple months before and are in most cases less than a year old. These deer haven't come close to reaching their potential and to me it's poor stewardship to take deer like that.
This is just my opinion and I realize many don't share said opinion or even put this much thought into it. Just something to chew on.

Yea, no.  The button buck I recently dropped had more than that.  I have no problem with clubs, or those with private property, practicing QDM, but I just don't see it.  I have only 8 acres, and as stated I drop mainly does but will take a buck if it's the first deer I see.  There are two hunt clubs on either side of me with 600 or more acres, I can assure you "their" bucks don't stay in their area.  Even QDMA says they don't stay put:

http://www.northcountrywhitetails.com/articles/buttonbuck.htm

[Luke E.]

Yea, no. The button buck I recently dropped had more than that. I have no problem with clubs, or those with private property, practicing QDM, but I just don't see it. I have only 8 acres, and as stated I drop mainly does but will take a buck if it's the first deer I see. There are two hunt clubs on either side of me with 600 or more acres, I can assure you "their" bucks don't stay in their area. Even QDMA says they don't stay put:
http://www.northcountrywhitetails.com/articles/buttonbuck.htm

Omega, if it came across that I was directing my post at you I apologize. I was only giving my reasoning for choosing what I shoot and let walk. Not all button bucks are that light but I've yet to see only wouldn't net 50% more meat if let go until the following year and that's more than enough reason for me let one walk.
As far as buck not staying on your property. New bucks generally move to a new area once they're old enough to split off so there's one way the venture off. You may lose them but you also gain someone elses. The good lord preprogramming an inbreeding defense mechanism? Seems likely to me.
When I pass on a young buck I feel very certain that it doesn't hang out on my property for the next few years just like the young deer that my neighbors let walk will almost certainly come through my property. I had to get to the point that I didn't let myself get upset if I let one walk and someone else shot I. Heck I let a really tall 8pt walk the first weekend or rifle. It left my plot headed towards the Southern property line and had just enough time to make it to the line and BOOM he was shot. Under almost any conditions, the neighbors can't kill them all unless they are killing more than the law allows or like in my situation, the landowner is charging $100 per day ( kill whatever you want) but even with my problems(them tasking hundreds of deer off the one property each year) I still see multiple "wall hangers each season so I can say without a doubt that management, even on smaller tracts, really makes a difference. You're right though, a man is fooling himself if he thinks every young buck he passes on will grow to maturity and offer him another shot at that point.
If both of those hunt clubs have a strong management practice in place then it would seem to me that you are in a perfect situation. If they are "if it's brown it's down clubs then you may not have a lot of chance to capitalize on passin on 1.5 and 2.5 year olds.
If you don't mind me asking, and I'm only asking to satisfy my own curiosity, why do you shoot the first thing you see?

[Luke E.]

I really hate to hear that Luke. That is a primary reason why the rest of us can only harvest 2 bucks this year. With hunters taking baby bucks there will be no big bucks for coming years and we may just see TN adopt a northern limit of one buck each.

The vast majority of the hunters that regularly voice their opinion would like to see more mature bucks (that's exactly how we ended up going from a 3 buck limit to a 2 buck limit) and if they feel that to many are still tagging out on the little immature bucks, they'll start screaming for a one buck limit because they would rather only get one really nice mature buck than have to settle for two or three small to mediocre bucks. I personally won't advocate for a one buck limit but I definitely wouldn't fight it. Id personally rather see a "at least 4 points on one side" regulation. As long as you're not in the eastern zone, you can legally kill more doe than you could possibly eat or even give away.
It sucks for the guys and gals in east TN because they only have a few chances to take a doe unless they hunt muzzloader and archery. I really felt like if they were going to take the 3rd buck away from them that they should have allowed them to replaced that with a doe that they could take at anytime they were allowed to take the buck.
Many have actively sought to demonize those in favor of the 2 buck limit a pretend there's some sort of "meat hunter/trophy hunter war going on. By their definition of trophy hunter, you'd have to let the big ones walk and only kill the babies to not be one. The me a trophy hunter is someone that hunts animals that aren't eaten i.e. cheetahs and such. I manage and only kill mature bucks and will even get them mounted but I'm not a trophy hunter. I process and eat whatever I kill, the mount (trophy) is a bonus.

[Luke E.]

I really hate to hear that Luke. That is a primary reason why the rest of us can only harvest 2 bucks this year. With hunters taking baby bucks there will be no big bucks for coming years and we may just see TN adopt a northern limit of one buck each.

The vast majority of the hunters that regularly voice their opinion would like to see more mature bucks (that's exactly how we ended up going from a 3 buck limit to a 2 buck limit) and if they feel that to many are still tagging out on the little immature bucks, they'll start screaming for a one buck limit because they would rather only get one really nice mature buck than have to settle for two or three small to mediocre bucks. I personally won't advocate for a one buck limit but I definitely wouldn't fight it. Id personally rather see a "at least 4 points on one side" regulation. As long as you're not in the eastern zone, you can legally kill more doe than you could possibly eat or even give away.
It sucks for the guys and gals in east TN because they only have a few chances to take a doe unless they hunt muzzloader and archery. I really felt like if they were going to take the 3rd buck away from them that they should have allowed them to replaced that with a doe that they could take at anytime they were allowed to take the buck.
Many have actively sought to demonize those in favor of the 2 buck limit a pretend there's some sort of "meat hunter/trophy hunter war going on. By their definition of trophy hunter, you'd have to let the big ones walk and only kill the babies to not be one. The me a trophy hunter is someone that hunts animals that aren't eaten i.e. cheetahs and such. I manage and only kill mature bucks and will even get them mounted but I'm not a trophy hunter. I process and eat whatever I kill, the mount (trophy) is a bonus.

[gregintenn]

Omega, if it came across that I was directing my post at you I apologize. I was only giving my reasoning for choosing what I shoot and let walk. Not all button bucks are that light but I've yet to see only wouldn't net 50% more meat if let go until the following year and that's more than enough reason for me let one walk.
As far as buck not staying on your property. New bucks generally move to a new area once they're old enough to split off so there's one way the venture off. You may lose them but you also gain someone elses. The good lord preprogramming an inbreeding defense mechanism? Seems likely to me.
When I pass on a young buck I feel very certain that it doesn't hang out on my property for the next few years just like the young deer that my neighbors let walk will almost certainly come through my property. I had to get to the point that I didn't let myself get upset if I let one walk and someone else shot I. Heck I let a really tall 8pt walk the first weekend or rifle. It left my plot headed towards the Southern property line and had just enough time to make it to the line and BOOM he was shot. Under almost any conditions, the neighbors can't kill them all unless they are killing more than the law allows or like in my situation, the landowner is charging $100 per day ( kill whatever you want) but even with my problems(them tasking hundreds of deer off the one property each year) I still see multiple "wall hangers each season so I can say without a doubt that management, even on smaller tracts, really makes a difference. You're right though, a man is fooling himself if he thinks every young buck he passes on will grow to maturity and offer him another shot at that point.
If both of those hunt clubs have a strong management practice in place then it would seem to me that you are in a perfect situation. If they are "if it's brown it's down clubs then you may not have a lot of chance to capitalize on passin on 1.5 and 2.5 year olds.
If you don't mind me asking, and I'm only asking to satisfy my own curiosity, why do you shoot the first thing you see?

This wasn't directed at me, but I'll take a crack at it ayway. I spend a lot of money each year on licenses, and I don't intend to go home empty-handed. If it's legal, and I decide to shoot a deer, I can't see a problem with it.

[Lumber_Jack]

I can actually see both sides of this argument. I have shot big deer and mall deer, spikes, does, button bucks, large 10pointer etc. I think if you are hunting within the laws of the state using ethical techniques you can shoot whatever deer you desire big or small. So much goes into quality deer management besides the size of the buck you shoot. Yes if you shoot large numbers of yearlings it's hard to get good nature deer. Doe harvests are regulated by TWRA regardless of what the herd in your area may need. The frustration of neighbors who shoot everything in sight is more than understandable. But I'm not gonna say my buddy can't shoot a spike if he really wants a deer that season.


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[Luke E.]

This wasn't directed at me, but I'll take a crack at it ayway. I spend a lot of money each year on licenses, and I don't intend to go home empty-handed. If it's legal, and I decide to shoot a deer, I can't see a problem with it.

Whether or not I see a problem with what someone else shoots doesn't matter in the slightest and I won't fool myself into thinking it does so I wasn't asking the question in a judgemental manner, I'm honestly just curious as to what thought process one follows to arrive there.
So for you, personally, it's the fear that if you if let the first one walk, another one might not come through that day and you'll go home empty handed that day?
Again, I'm not trying to be a judgemental a-hole, I'm just trying to understand the rational and everyone I ask (not talking about here on TGO)to explain it ends up getting defensive and pissy about it.

[Luke E.]

I can actually see both sides of this argument. I have shot big deer and mall deer, spikes, does, button bucks, large 10pointer etc. I think if you are hunting within the laws of the state using ethical techniques you can shoot whatever deer you desire big or small. So much goes into quality deer management besides the size of the buck you shoot. Yes if you shoot large numbers of yearlings it's hard to get good nature deer. Doe harvests are regulated by TWRA regardless of what the herd in your area may need. The frustration of neighbors who shoot everything in sight is more than understandable. But I'm not gonna say my buddy can't shoot a spike if he really wants a deer that season.


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I agree, I never even attempt to tell someone else what they can and cannot kill unless they're hunting my land or land that I have the hunting rights to.
There is a whole heap more that goes into managing deer that letting them walk. I have enough cameras out to pretty accurately keep track of what the deer are doing in my general area. I keep food plots out as well as feeding (during the off season) and keeping mineral and such out. There's a lot more small stuff that goes into it but I've found one of the most effective methods is to work with as many neighbors as possible. I've found that most people are willing to pass on young bucks if they know everyone or most everyone around them will do the same.

[peejman]

I can see several side to the issues as well.   Some hunters want that monster trophy, some just want meat in the freezer, some want to eradicate them from an area, ....   Obviously those can be conflicting goals, even more so on adjacent properties, so I can see the difficulty (impossibility) of keeping everyone happy. 

 

One friend hunts mostly public land and wants to fill his freezer.  He shoots anything he can.  He figures if he doesn't take it, someone else will.  He took a spike and a tiny doe (we called it an embryo) this year. 

 

Another friend hunts mostly private land.  He like the meat but would rather take one big one than 3 small ones, so he tends to let smaller deer walk.  His neighbor, on the other hand, kills anything that walks past.  So he gets kinda peeved when he lets a modest deer walk only to hear a shot an hour later.

 

My parents have a nuisance permit and just want them gone so their flowers/garden has a chance to survive. 

[Omega]

Omega, if it came across that I was directing my post at you I apologize. I was only giving my reasoning for choosing what I shoot and let walk. Not all button bucks are that light but I've yet to see only wouldn't net 50% more meat if let go until the following year and that's more than enough reason for me let one walk.
As far as buck not staying on your property. New bucks generally move to a new area once they're old enough to split off so there's one way the venture off. You may lose them but you also gain someone elses. The good lord preprogramming an inbreeding defense mechanism? Seems likely to me.
When I pass on a young buck I feel very certain that it doesn't hang out on my property for the next few years just like the young deer that my neighbors let walk will almost certainly come through my property. I had to get to the point that I didn't let myself get upset if I let one walk and someone else shot I. Heck I let a really tall 8pt walk the first weekend or rifle. It left my plot headed towards the Southern property line and had just enough time to make it to the line and BOOM he was shot. Under almost any conditions, the neighbors can't kill them all unless they are killing more than the law allows or like in my situation, the landowner is charging $100 per day ( kill whatever you want) but even with my problems(them tasking hundreds of deer off the one property each year) I still see multiple "wall hangers each season so I can say without a doubt that management, even on smaller tracts, really makes a difference. You're right though, a man is fooling himself if he thinks every young buck he passes on will grow to maturity and offer him another shot at that point.
If both of those hunt clubs have a strong management practice in place then it would seem to me that you are in a perfect situation. If they are "if it's brown it's down clubs then you may not have a lot of chance to capitalize on passin on 1.5 and 2.5 year olds.
If you don't mind me asking, and I'm only asking to satisfy my own curiosity, why do you shoot the first thing you see?

I didn't think it was directed at me, were good.  Just contributing to the conversation; on the meat hunters side of things as I see it.  As for shooting the first deer, I have always taken the first deer I see for the season; that way I have meat in the freezer and can let some of the others walk.  I don't have the mentality of if its brown its down, just the first deer of the season.  I will take a large buck, or a large doe; I don't just hunt the tender ones.  But I have no problem just taking does either, or just bucks for that matter.  I primarily hunt for the meat, whether it has horns or not is second.  But like I said, I have no problem with how others want to manage their property/leases; as long as they don't try to make it a regulation.

 

I have been stationed at places where they put antler restrictions and places where anything goes, and I don't have a problem with either for the most part.  The thing about the reduction in numbers of buck this year is that they did it for the entire state, and the state needs localized management.  While East TN may have a quantity/quality issue, here in the middle (unit L) we have what I consider to be an over abundance of deer.  We need to harvest more does, and I would of had no problem with a reg that made you take a doe or two before a buck could be taken(in unit L);  I think Ft Campbell does that.  But like I said, I don't really like to regulate too much; specially because some, like me are already taking does.  Maybe more hunter PSAs talking about managing the deer populations to specific goals, less deer or more mature bucks, can get some of the hunters to hunt a certain way.

[gregintenn]

Whether or not I see a problem with what someone else shoots doesn't matter in the slightest and I won't fool myself into thinking it does so I wasn't asking the question in a judgemental manner, I'm honestly just curious as to what thought process one follows to arrive there.
So for you, personally, it's the fear that if you if let the first one walk, another one might not come through that day and you'll go home empty handed that day?
Again, I'm not trying to be a judgemental a-hole, I'm just trying to understand the rational and everyone I ask (not talking about here on TGO)to explain it ends up getting defensive and pissy about it.

 

Whether or not I see a problem with what someone else shoots doesn't matter in the slightest and I won't fool myself into thinking it does so I wasn't asking the question in a judgemental manner, I'm honestly just curious as to what thought process one follows to arrive there.
So for you, personally, it's the fear that if you if let the first one walk, another one might not come through that day and you'll go home empty handed that day?
Again, I'm not trying to be a judgemental a-hole, I'm just trying to understand the rational and everyone I ask (not talking about here on TGO)to explain it ends up getting defensive and pissy about it.

Honestly, it's a time issue with me as well. If my freezer is about empty, and I have a slack weekend ahead, I'll shoot whatever offers an opportunity because I know I'll have time to process it. When the freezer's full, or time is at a premium, I'm waiting on a trophy.

 

I know where you're coming from. I can't speak for everyone, and am only offering my thoughts.

 

A lot of trophy hunters I know give us all a bad name by doing immoral and illegal things in order to take that big one.

 

Any deer is a trophy to me. I've never killed a record book deer, and never expect to.

 

I find that as my kids are getting older and killing more deer, I'm spending more time watching and less shooting.

[Luke E.]

I didn't think it was directed at me, were good. Just contributing to the conversation; on the meat hunters side of things as I see it. As for shooting the first deer, I have always taken the first deer I see for the season; that way I have meat in the freezer and can let some of the others walk. I don't have the mentality of if its brown its down, just the first deer of the season. I will take a large buck, or a large doe; I don't just hunt the tender ones. But I have no problem just taking does either, or just bucks for that matter. I primarily hunt for the meat, whether it has horns or not is second. But like I said, I have no problem with how others want to manage their property/leases; as long as they don't try to make it a regulation.

I have been stationed at places where they put antler restrictions and places where anything goes, and I don't have a problem with either for the most part. The thing about the reduction in numbers of buck this year is that they did it for the entire state, and the state needs localized management. While East TN may have a quantity/quality issue, here in the middle (unit L) we have what I consider to be an over abundance of deer. We need to harvest more does, and I would of had no problem with a reg that made you take a doe or two before a buck could be taken(in unit L); I think Ft Campbell does that. But like I said, I don't really like to regulate too much; specially because some, like me are already taking does. Maybe more hunter PSAs talking about managing the deer populations to specific goals, less deer or more mature bucks, can get some of the hunters to hunt a certain way.

Well it sounds like our stance on it is pretty close to the same. I do what I can to up my chances of seeing big deer regularly but I consider myself very much a meat hunter, I just have certain deer that I'm not willing to shoot to get it, if that makes sense? And that is exactly what most every Whitetail hunter that is labeled a "trophy hunter" is. I guess I just place extra restrictions on myself to try to get the "trophy" along with my meat. I have no issue with killing doe and honestly, when it comes to immature bucks, I wish everyone let them walk but I'm not upset that they don't. Really the only thing that kinda makes my stomach turn is seeing deer killed that have less than a year under their belt.
I wholeheartedly agree that there really shouldn't be any statewide detailed regulation. I've often thought "well, they should regulate strictly by the unit" but then I think further into it and think about how extremely different we are from county to county and get to thinking that maybe that's the answer. Then I think about the places I have to hunt in Rutherford county and they are as different as oil and water and would require COMPLETELY different regulation to accomplish the same goal. What I always end up settling on is that the only way for an ideal situation is if everyone were honest and had cameras so they know exactly what they have population wise and and took exactly what was needed to keep healthy ratios. Then I get depressed because I know this could never happen. Most will never put the time in to accomplish this, many would take advantage of making up their own rules and kill as many as the want, etc....it really makes me think about what a hard task the TWRA has on their plate when it comes to making decisions that effect so many completely different places and people.
I can see shooting the first deer you see for the season, especially if you're out of meat. Plus you never know when you could be injured and miss the season completely. I sorta thought you meant that you killed the first thing you saw every time you hit the woods.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I killed a button buck on the last day of muzzle loader. It was by accident and I felt like crap but it happened. It was actually about the size of a 2.5yr old doe. It was at the end of shooting light and I'd been watching a mature doe but there was just enough brush between us that I wasn't willing to take the shot. She headed in behind a cedar thicket and I thought, I'm gonna take her as soon as she clears the thicket. Her it came out the other side and into the clear so I made smoke. I was very confused when I heard two deer running in different directions since I'd only seen one deer. I guess she went in one side and the button walked out the other side and played the switcharoo on me.
I'm willing to let friends and family take smaller buck from that property than any others I have because I know for a fact that every boardering property has hunters on it that will definitely kill any deer they see no matter what. I know that the chances of seeing a 130" and up buck on that property are slim to none. I guess it's made me realize that I have to be somewhat reasonable in my expectations.

[Luke E.]

Honestly, it's a time issue with me as well. If my freezer is about empty, and I have a slack weekend ahead, I'll shoot whatever offers an opportunity because I know I'll have time to process it. When the freezer's full, or time is at a premium, I'm waiting on a trophy.

I know where you're coming from. I can't speak for everyone, and am only offering my thoughts.

A lot of trophy hunters I know give us all a bad name by doing immoral and illegal things in order to take that big one.

Any deer is a trophy to me. I've never killed a record book deer, and never expect to.

I find that as my kids are getting older and killing more deer, I'm spending more time watching and less shooting.

For I have to illegally bait, spotlight, road hunt, shoot across property lines, etc in order to shoot a huge buck, well, I guess I just won't be shooting a huge buck. I know that all aren't like that though, like you said.
I thoroughly enjoy watching deer and generally watch 100+ deer for every one deer a kill. Since I've started hunting that way I have seen deer doing some really cool stuff. B

[CJDore]

The excitement and joy of yesterday turned into misery today but I learned a few lessons that I want to pass along. I should start t

by saying that I shot a beautiful 10 pt Buck yesterday around dusk. I waited as long as possible and then looked for a blood trail and deer well past dark. I was forced to give up last night and went back at first light today. Again there was no blood within 25 yds of shot and I was abit worried. Finally , I [picked up the blood trail and he was bleeding rather profusely now. I was able to trace the blood trail and find him about 100 yds from the shot location in thick brush. Last night lows were only about 45. I dragged this deer out of woods and field dressed the buck. I then loaded it up and took it and checked it in and then went straight to Flowers to process. They reported to me that the meat was now bad and I only saved the antlers. Lessons learned:

 

1) If you are going to shoot a deer at dusk. make certain of nightly expected temps before taking the shot in case you cannot find the deer and must leave overnight. Deer meat needs to be at 40 or below.

2) Save time checking in deer with online check in now.....wish I had known

3) Now with a 2 buck limit and I am down to 1, got to make that one count

 

[LagerHead]

I got my first two deer this season. Tonight had my first homemade venison dish: Philly cheesesteak sandwiches. Yum!

[DaveS]

I would never shoot a spike or a split tine. My biggest problem when that 8 point walks by is judging its age. I do not have enough experience to have mastered this. Any sure fire ways to judge?

I have the same problem. I usually just ask them.

 

Dave