How many years for a wall hanger?

[cozy23]

Just curious. How long did you hunt before you killed a buck truly worthy of spending the money to have it mounted? I know everybody's standards could be different on this, but how many years? I also know some may be luckier than others and kill one in their first season too.

I'm on my 6th year of hunting and have only seen 1 buck that I would have not thought twice about paying for having him mounted. He ended up busting me so I still have yet to kill one "big enough".

What is big enough to you?

 

[Shed Hunter]

10 years. With that said I started hunting when I was nine and did not become obsessed with big antlers until I was 15. For the most part I quit hunting when I was 14. I though it was pretty dumb to go around mindlessly killing something you could not care less about. My interest was directed back to it when my buddy showed me a 150ish ten points trail cam pics from our hunting land. That caught my attention and from that point I was cursed with antler obsession and blessed with a passion to learn about deer/build history with them. I say cursed because I admire those who kill a little antlered buck and enjoy it. Unfortunately, I can't kill unless I feel I earned it and it is a deer I appreciate rather than just throw the antlers in a box and never admire them. With that said I do respect the meat and always will kill some does for that purpose, but as for bucks I want big antlers and will not kill another unless I have many years of history with it or it has a very impressive set of antlers at 4.5+

My first that will be on the wall was my 158" 10 point I shot 5 days ago. The buck meant the world to me. Not a day went by that I did not look at his trail camera pictures since he showed up in 2012. I shot a 90" six point last year in the excitement of the moment.. Rarely ever look at his antlers. The ten point, however, I had to ask the taxi if I could bring them home lol

What is big enough to me shouldn't mean much to anyone else and is hard to define. I like long tines and big mass-to shoulder mount 150+ Or a giant framed buck (i.e. A 130" 6 point would be a wall hanger to me)

 

[pressfit]

30 years to kill my first "wall" hanger.. it scored 140.. I probably killed over 100 deer before I got my wall hanger..

 

[bcartervol98]

Fortunately (or unfortunately) my first deer was a 9 point that was a beautiful deer, dressed 205lbs with a beautiful symmetrical rack. Still trying to top it, or even come close lol.

He still hangs in my sons room because he wanted it there and says he is going to put one next to it this year!

 

[stryker]

My first year hunting I was only 10 at the time and it was a spike. Lol

He was rubbing a tree at 10 yards when I gave him a dirt nap.

I've killed a lot of deer in 23 yrs but the first 2 of my life is all that has been mounted. If and when I ever mount another one he will be a hoss or very special in some way or another.

 

[stik]

i mounted my first buck(1988) but really didn't kill a real wall hanger for another 16 years.

 

[WORM82]

My biggest buck is a 115ish 9pt. Took me 18 or 20 years. Killed a bunch of smaller bucks but I'm not a trophy hunter either.

 

[shelbydeer]

Took me 7 yrs of serious hunting, since then I have shot one for 3 yrs in a row, 130 plus is a wall hanger to me.

 

[Coker]

I was 23 when I killed my first wall hanger (started deer hunting at 14). I am now 42 and have not killed anything since then worth hanging. I do have a Euro mount that I killed last year.

 

[ZachMarkus]

Killed my first deer when I was 6 years old, I'm 22 now, i killed my first "wall hanger" when I was 11. 128" 9 point, i have killed around 90 deer since I have been hunting and that's the only "wall hanger" I have killed. 5 years ago I set a 130"+ rule for myself and I have stuck to it pretty well.

 

[Brisco Darlin]

first mount was 1991. last mount i had done was 2003.

 

[Outdoor Enthusiast]

It took me several years to kill a wall hanger. I killed one in 2007. I killed another in 2012.

For me and the area I hunt, a buck to shoulder mount will be minimum 125-130" or really unique rack or circumstance.

I will do a euro mount from now on with every buck. I love to relive the hunt through a mount.

 

[Adam Jackson]

I still haven't killed a "wall hanger". I have been hunting for about 15 years but seriously hunting for about 7. I killed some respectable deer, all on public land. I typically hunt only public land and "wall hanger" deer sometimes can be hard to come by. I have had a few close encounters and arrows flung but never sealed the deal. I have a good mature deer on camera that would go around 130's. Definitely a nice deer for public in West Tn and would love to capitalize on him with my bow.

 

[cbhunter]

started hunting at age ten in 1990. dad mounted my first buck which was a NICE 6 point that year. I have since mounted a deer in the years 1994, 2001, 2 deer in 2002, 2006, 2008, and 2012. the 2012 deer should be picked up within a week from taxi. yes it has taken that long. . . . . .old man does great work but never again. . . . .

 

[lung-buster]

I was 14 yo and killed my first buck with a bow which was a 125" 12 pt and same year I killed a 10 that was around 130" with a gun.

 

[Urban_Hunter]

Took me 9 years. About 120" 8 pt with 19" spread. It's been 8 years since and I haven't been able to top it. I've seen a couple, but no beans.

 

[Bone Collector]

I don't trophy hunt.. actually this year we have been trying for a big buck and passed a lot of deer since ML opened.

That being said, I started really hunting when I was 17 and got really serious about 11 years ago. To me a wall hanger is what ever deer looks nice to you and you want to spend the money on it. I killed my first deer a buck in 1993 and then killed a decent 8 pt in 2005 that will score between 107 and 110 gross from what I can tell. I mounted it because it was my first larger buck he was 3.5 yrs old. so 12 years.

I killed a decent 10 pt in 2009 that will gross around 120. I didn't mount him, because I didn't have the money.

If I mount another it will most likely have to be 130ish or better. However I will shoot a buck that I will not mount for either meat or because I want to.

 

[knightrider]

took me 21 years to kill one I wanted to mount, a 130 8pt and I havnt topped it so no need to mount another till I do.

 

[rem270]

Started hunting when i was 9, got my first deer worth mounting when i was 15 in 2002. Got my 2nd mountable deer, a 13pt in 2006. Got another in 2010, 2011, 2 in 2012 and i have hit a dry spell now lol. I did kill a decent 8 this year but not mounting it.

 

[D84]

12 years to get a good one 133". I have one more 8pt bow kill around 100" on the wall and one Giant 175-180 at taxidermist now. My son took his first deer at age 6 9pt "wall hanger". And my wife took her first buck a 9pt "wall hanger" her 2nd year of hunting.

 

[easy45]

Got lucky, only took me 3 years, a nice 3.5 7 point

 

[duckriver]

Took me 10 years before I got a decent one for around here. He scored 125 and went on the wall. This is my 20th year and hoping for my best ever. Still looking tho

 

[mathews338]

Started at 10 in '87 and shot whatever. In '97 I started to let the young bucks walk and shot my first big buck (a 100" 9 pt) it was huge to me because I had never even seen a buck bigger than 6 pts in the woods while hunting, so I had it mounted. In 2000 I killed a 132" 8 that I had mounted. I kept telling myself the next one will have to be bigger than the last. In '04 I mounted a 144" 10 pt. last year I killed another 132" 8 pt that had 12" G2's and the way it looked I just couldn't help it, I wanted to mount it and did.

 

[huntinkev]

19 years. Started hunting at 10 and got it at 29.

 

[tree_ghost]

Took me about 13 years but I started hunting when I was 6. Took me another 6 years to get my next...that was last year. I got another nice one this year. My hunting is definitely evolving and so are my standards. I'm gravitating more towards the quality of the hunt instead of quantity. What I mean by this is that when I was younger it was more of a truth to me that the more I was in the woods the better my chances are of killing a "wall hanger". As I grow older and mature in my hunting I realize that that's not entirely true. Obviously I know that you can't kill 'em from the couch, but I enjoy much more, and have found much better success, in putting in the hours pre-season and developing a game plan for a specific deer. Granted that plan doesn't always work out, but then again that's why I love the battle with a worthy opponent...a mature white-tail!

 

[lightsareout]

My first deer was a little 8 (15" spread) and my dad mounted it for me. I haven't gotten anything in 12 years that I would consider wall material. I have shot other bigger bucks but nothing that I would plop down the cash. The one I wish I would have done european but didn't.

 

[51 pointer]

Probably 3 years.....127" 10pt. I was about 21 years old when I started, I hunted very hard....like almost everyday of the season....learned a ton from a friend....what not to do mostly. I still can't believe the dumb stuff I use to do but now I kind of take what I've learned for granted because it has become second nature for the most part. I still learn something new every year though

 

[280longshot]

I killed a net 140 in 95, haven't seen anything bigger since then.
I think I had been hunting for about 16 yrs. when I killed him.

 

[TNReb]

18 years. Started hunting a lot when I was 14 (some before that, but not much). Killed one that I thought was worthy of mounting when I was 32.

Killed lots of does over those years, but only 4 bucks. I just don't get much out of shooting small ones... and I rarely ever saw mature ones.

 

[Ken45]

40 years started at 15 killed real good buck at 55 still love it