how did your season go?
- Thread starter TN TJ
- Start date
TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
Am hearing that from quite a few hunters.rtaylor":2i2axsvr said:
Part of what made mine a great season has been seeing unprecedented numbers of 1 1/2, 2 1/2, and 3 1/2-yr-old bucks survive for next year.
Another part was seeing a good friend, after years of hunting, get not one, but two "best-to-date" bucks (a 3 1/2 & a 4 1/2).
We may not be killing as many bucks as a few years ago,
but certainly appears more of the "harvest" is 4 1/2 & older,
and a growing number of hunters are actually enjoying passing up 1 1/2 & 2 1/2-yr-old bucks.
These hunters are not "regretting" what they're passing up, but actually enjoying being "hunter-managers"
rather than quickly killing the first legal buck that presents.
I also believe the issue of hunters high-grading the antlers (killing off the best-antlered young bucks)
is not occurring as much, at least in regards to the best 1 1/2's & 2 1/2's,
although it may be happening at a higher rate with the 3 1/2's.
In times past, a 1 1/2-yr-old 8-pointer basically had a death sentence by virtue of his above average antlers for his age. That's not necessarily the case now. Even a lot of 8-pt 2 1/2's are now being given an eager pass by a growing number of hunters, as more and more hunters are choosing to define for themselves a "shooter" buck more by virtue of age than by the number of points on his rack.
Remington700
Well-Known Member
I killed a 9 point and an 8 point. My daughter got a 4 point. My dad killed an 8 and a 5 point. We saw a lot of deer this year. I saw a minimum of 4 ever time I sat and as many as over 20. We did not see the quality of deer this year, but more bucks than usual. The rut was weird where we hunt this year. Overall it was a successful year for us.
Winchester
Well-Known Member
It was the yr of the 8 pt for us, every one of us killed one or two mature bucks and every one of them was a slick 8 pt. Not complaining however as I love a 140's 8 pt!!
