To shoot or not?

[agelessssone]

Since I am just a meat hunter, having killed two Pope and Young bucks many years ago and lost all allure of horns, my quandary is this.
Sometime while hunting I have good sized 3.5-4.5 year old bucks cruise through my funnel I hunt.
I'd rather someone who horn hunts harvest those deer but at the same time, they have large bodies with lots of meat!
A large doe (in my area) will dress out at 85 lbs. A good buck will dress 140-155. I pay the processor the same money, regardless of weight.
So, it is difficult to pass on the bucks and "waste" the horns.
Shot this guy a couple years ago due to body size. Left the horns at the processor.

 

[Hduke86]

My take on hunting and this is just MY take on it. If I'm on my own land and a spike walks by and it's later in season well….. it's on the atv on the way home. I'm not out to shoot big bucks and I'm not out to shoot small bucks or a doe. What I am out to shoot is a deer and depending on my mood and success at that point in the season will dictate if that doe or spike gets shot. If a big buck walks by at any point then he's getting shot regardless.If I'm on a friend's place then I go by what they wish and I'm happy to pass does or little bucks.

 

[BSK]

Everyone hunts for a different reason and wants something different out of their experience. I say, kill what you want to kill, within the laws.

 

[Omega]

Since I am just a meat hunter, having killed two Pope and Young bucks many years ago and lost all allure of horns, my quandary is this.
Sometime while hunting I have good sized 3.5-4.5 year old bucks cruise through my funnel I hunt.
I'd rather someone who horn hunts harvest those deer but at the same time, they have large bodies with lots of meat!
A large doe (in my area) will dress out at 85 lbs. A good buck will dress 140-155. I pay the processor the same money, regardless of weight.
So, it is difficult to pass on the bucks and "waste" the horns.
Shot this guy a couple years ago due to body size. Left the horns at the processor.

I hunt for meat as well, I mostly get does, but won't let a decent buck go by. I give some deer to friends that don't hunt, they pay for processing so I get the biggest deer I can, so don't really care if it's a buck or a fat doe.

 

[DCA-DEER]

Honestly my favorite is a smaller doe they are good and tender but I'm the same as those above as long as it's legal shoot what you want in my opinion a trophy deer is in the eye of the beholder whether that be a big buck or doe or a spike or small doe shoot what makes you happy

 

[Ski]

Kill anything you want inside the legal limits, and if you don't want the antlers then give them to craftsman such as knife makers, etc. You can fill your freezer and make somebody else's day in one shot.

 

[backyardtndeer]

I would not let that one walk. Kill what makes you happy.

 

[deerhunter10]

Everyone should do what makes them happy. The only thing that bugs me are people that throw out cull to validate shooting it.

 

[JBell]

Your license, your property, your time, your tag and your processing fee. Don't care what anyone else thinks. Do what you want. And I'm a horn hunter. Don't care much for the meat. I just make sure it all gets eaten.

 

[agelessssone]

I passed up 9 smaller (spike up to 9 pointer) bucks that morning.
Didn't have a mature mama doe or decent bodied buck come through that day

All the bucks were small with spindly racks, 2-3 yrs old max.
The next day I was drawing a bead (ML) on a doe when she turned her head and looked behind her.
Knowing, in the peak of the rut, what that look purported, I waited.
The big guy came busting in, stopped broadside 40 yds away.
Too easy.

 

[cbhunter]

I passed up 9 smaller (spike up to 9 pointer) bucks that morning.
Didn't have a mature mama doe or decent bodied buck come through that day

All the bucks were small with spindly racks, 2-3 yrs old max.
The next day I was drawing a bead (ML) on a doe when she turned her head and looked behind her.
Knowing, in the peak of the rut, what that look purported, I waited.
The big guy came busting in, stopped broadside 40 yds away.
Too easy.

Let's see some kill pics! Great looking deer

 

[timberjack86]

I'm looking for back straps most of the time.

 

[Lt.Dan]

Kill anything you want inside the legal limits, and if you don't want the antlers then give them to craftsman such as knife makers, etc. You can fill your freezer and make somebody else's day in one shot.

Now that's a great idea.

 

[Lt.Dan]

Like most have said, it's your hunt. Big buck, small doe, makes no difference if you're happy and proud of what you shot. I've never shot a "trophy" but have got a couple nice 8 pointers that I was thrilled to death with. Shot many doe and felt the same way. Last season I took an 8 off my brother's land in NY and got a tender spike here in TN. Freezer was full, I was happy.

 

[agelessssone]

I don't kill many deer that are photo worthy.
Plus, my phone storage was full so I deleted gazillions of photos.
I may have a couple but not many.
Here's the only two I have left.
Can take more this season.

 

[fairchaser]

Pass em up and bring a young or less experienced hunter in to kill that buck for their wall. You will get more satisfaction helping them. Small bucks and does are pretty easy to kill in most areas. You'll have ample opportunities for meat hunting. But, it's totally your call and no one should think any less of you if you want to turn those horns into dog chew bones.

 

[agelessssone]

I don't kill many deer that are photo worthy.
Plus, my phone storage was full so I deleted gazillions of photos.
I may have a couple but not many.
Got lots more fish pictures since I fish all year round.

 

[cbhunter]

I don't kill many deer that are photo worthy.
Plus, my phone storage was full so I deleted gazillions of photos.
I may have a couple but not many.
Here's the only two I have left.
Can take more this season.

Beautiful buck. I haven't killed one yet that wasn't photo worthy…..bucks, does or whatever

 

[BSK]

Beautiful buck. I haven't killed one yet that wasn't photo worthy…..bucks, does or whatever

At my family's hunting cabin, on the coffee table, is a photo album which includes pictures of EVERY deer ever killed on the property. Every doe, every spike, every fawn. That's almost 200 deer. The album is very thick! But that photo album is looked through constantly.

 

[megalomaniac]

I prefer the taste of well cared for, dry aged (10d is good enough) old bucks. Because you do have to trim 1/8in meat off after dry aging, it is preferable to have some huge backstraps to start with. If I did that with a doe or little buck, there wouldn't be much left to cook.

So I keep the 200lb bucks for myself, and give away the does to friends.