Managing big bucks on your property

[MK111]

Jessie that buck looks rather young and I'm sure he will grow out of it. I kid you I'm sure. Like you said we only have one buck tag and it's a long wait till next year.

 

[Fullbore]

Lol.... Sorry Adam for missing the sarcasm. I honestly thought you were sincere on your post. I was just saying that there will NEVER be a day that I will ever let a 180" walk. If anyone else does, more power to them. Lol

 

[brancher147]

I quit reading deer hunting magazines years ago because the articles made me mad, and this one is no exception. We hunt because we love to hunt and we have fun doing it, and some people like to hunt different ways. But sometimes I think all this "trophy hunting" takes the fun out of it. Don't get me wrong, I am a big buck hunter to the bone and have been blessed to harvest some big bucks over the years. I hunt in three states and when I am in Ohio it is like nothing else and I feel like a true predator as my senses are always on high alert and I am ready to see that big buck any minute. When I am in Ohio I try to hold out for a big buck and have passed smaller bucks even on public ground. But the most fun I have every year is hunting with my buddies on a mountain top in VA where a 120" buck would be a giant. It is the most fun because it is hard hunting and if you see a buck it is time to shoot regardless of what is on his head (unless he is a spike). You don't have to spend time looking for big sign and getting frustrated when you make a mistake on a big buck. Just hunt hard to find a buck and shoot it, and celebrate with your buddies. I am just as happy with the one from VA as I am the one from Ohio. BTW, they are both 2.5 year old bucks.

 

[giles]

I quit reading deer hunting magazines years ago because the articles made me mad, and this one is no exception. We hunt because we love to hunt and we have fun doing it, and some people like to hunt different ways. But sometimes I think all this "trophy hunting" takes the fun out of it. Don't get me wrong, I am a big buck hunter to the bone and have been blessed to harvest some big bucks over the years. I hunt in three states and when I am in Ohio it is like nothing else and I feel like a true predator as my senses are always on high alert and I am ready to see that big buck any minute. When I am in Ohio I try to hold out for a big buck and have passed smaller bucks even on public ground. But the most fun I have every year is hunting with my buddies on a mountain top in VA where a 120" buck would be a giant. It is the most fun because it is hard hunting and if you see a buck it is time to shoot regardless of what is on his head (unless he is a spike). You don't have to spend time looking for big sign and getting frustrated when you make a mistake on a big buck. Just hunt hard to find a buck and shoot it, and celebrate with your buddies. I am just as happy with the one from VA as I am the one from Ohio. BTW, they are both 2.5 year old bucks.View attachment 35639View attachment 35640

Good post! Even better points!!! Congrats to you as it seems you have found a way to keep you happily hunting for a lifetime.

 

[Jackalope]

Good post! Even better points!!! Congrats to you as it seems you have found a way to keep you happily hunting for a lifetime.

Agreed!

 

[finelyshedded]

I quit reading deer hunting magazines years ago because the articles made me mad, and this one is no exception. We hunt because we love to hunt and we have fun doing it, and some people like to hunt different ways. But sometimes I think all this "trophy hunting" takes the fun out of it. Don't get me wrong, I am a big buck hunter to the bone and have been blessed to harvest some big bucks over the years. I hunt in three states and when I am in Ohio it is like nothing else and I feel like a true predator as my senses are always on high alert and I am ready to see that big buck any minute. When I am in Ohio I try to hold out for a big buck and have passed smaller bucks even on public ground. But the most fun I have every year is hunting with my buddies on a mountain top in VA where a 120" buck would be a giant. It is the most fun because it is hard hunting and if you see a buck it is time to shoot regardless of what is on his head (unless he is a spike). You don't have to spend time looking for big sign and getting frustrated when you make a mistake on a big buck. Just hunt hard to find a buck and shoot it, and celebrate with your buddies. I am just as happy with the one from VA as I am the one from Ohio. BTW, they are both 2.5 year old bucks.View attachment 35639View attachment 35640

Good post with good points!

 

[PA Bandit]

Comparatively speaking I am probably one of the most avid hunters I know (I usually hunt about 25+ days of archery and 1 week of rifle) when it comes to deer. I can honestly say that if I would follow some peoples opinions on deer management that in the 14 years I have hunted I would have never shot a buck. I would be willing to bet that I have maybe seen 2 deer that were over 140" in my entire life while hunting (that would be 1000 of hours in the treestand). So based on some peoples philosophy I would still never have harvested my first buck. Similar to the guy above a 120" buck is considered a giant in PA. To believe I would be standing here today after 14 years and never harvested a buck because I was "trophy" hunting boggles my mind. I have probably shot more "small" buck than most but I can honestly say that I enjoyed the 4 point I shoot the year after I shot my biggest buck (approx. 120" 8 point) just as much. To me its about the harvest and the accomplishment of being a successful hunter. I don't understand how one harvest can be any better than the next and how one could argue harvesting a "record" buck is any more momentous then a 2 year old 6 point. Every harvest is about the memory you establish during the hunt of which you owe the deer thus the "harvest". The whole convoluted mess of "trophy hunting" has in my opinion ruined the sport and I am 25 years old of which is the generation that is supporting this **** the most. Its about the memory of the harvest not some stupid piece of bone on a deer's head. When you die what value is that bone......nothing and it will most likely be thrown away or rot in a basement so don't let this plaque of TV hunting get you. If you choose not to harvest a deer because it is not right memory for you then so be it but if you choose not to shoot a deer because its horn's don't measure 150" then that seems a little silly in my opinion (of which this whole post is just an opinion). Probably what bothers me more than anything is the amount of people who look down on people like me who hunt for the goal of harvesting a buck to fill my tag because "that's a small one".