Brown is down or Let em go so they can grow?

[The Duke007]

I grew up in a environment where if you saw a deer your going to shoot it. My dad and all his freinds are like that. I was like that as well, but over the years i find myself letting the younger bucks walk. Being fortunate enough i have taken some really nice deer. I try and explain to some people in order to have big deer they have to mature. In response to that i hear "if i dont shoot it the next guy will". Basically what im getting at is, is there more meat hunters out there or more people looking to manage and grow bigger deer? Thanks!

 

[A Train]

In south dakota you get an antler less or an any deer tag for the east river deer season. When I get an any deer I pass on the little bucks. I would rather fill with a doe than take a small buck. I also haven't filled my tag yet. Saw a small buck but let him go. I know that I am taking a chance of someone else shooting it but I hope that they would let it go and get bigger. I know that some people are dead set on shooting a buck no matter what size. The guys I hunt with all agree that we let the little ones get bigger. Just my opinion take it for what its worth.

 

[jkupper]

This^^^^ is the same thing that we do. We pass on smaller bucks, and I have had several seasons where I have not shot a buck at all, but instead filled my tag with a fat doe during the last weekend.

We have a rule at our camp that everything shot needs to be a 4x4 or larger. I know there are still several people who hunt around us who shot fork horns on an either or tag. I'm not sure what the appeal of a fork horn is over a big doe. In body size they are nearly identical.

But, to each his own. I'm not going to tell anyone else what they should or should not shoot.

 

[BrentM]

I used to shoot whatever. I trophy hunt now unless we get a depredation tag. I like the hunt more than the kill and enjoy watching nice elk and deer.

 

[varmintH8R]

I say to each his own.

My approach is to shoot does or "low potential" bucks for meat. Not every "let 'em go" is going to grow into a trophy. Young deer with good headgear ALWAYS get a pass from me - young deer with itty bitty racks sometimes end up in the freezer.

This year, my trail cam picked up a TON of little bucks. There is a clear difference in antler size between deer of similar age. Due to the sheer number (and lower numbers of doe) I took one of the bigger bodied, smaller-racked young bucks.

As far as the "if I don't shoot it someone else will" argument, I've always found that to be an exercise in self-justification. It would seem to indicate that all deer are killed every year, any buck stupid enough to expose himself to me is easy to kill, and that a dead buck has the same opportunity to mature as one I pass on.

 

[jkupper]

I say to each his own.

My approach is to shoot does or "low potential" bucks for meat. Not every "let 'em go" is going to grow into a trophy. Young deer with good headgear ALWAYS get a pass from me - young deer with itty bitty racks sometimes end up in the freezer.

This year, my trail cam picked up a TON of little bucks. There is a clear difference in antler size between deer of similar age. Due to the sheer number (and lower numbers of doe) I took one of the bigger bodied, smaller-racked young bucks.

As far as the "if I don't shoot it someone else will" argument, I've always found that to be an exercise in self-justification. It would seem to indicate that all deer are killed every year, any buck stupid enough to expose himself to me is easy to kill, and that a dead buck has the same opportunity to mature as one I pass on.

I can completely agree with shooting the small bucks with limited potential. If you have control over the ground you hunt then it is good for herd management. I don't have control, so each buck I pass is a buck I can (hopefully) see later. I have shot crab clawed mule deer bucks in the past though, just so they don't spread that trait into the herd.

I agree that the "someone else will shoot them if I don't" mentality is a justification.

 

[dirtking]

I was introduced to the philosophy of if its not your biggest buck don't shoot it. However I agree that some deer just won't amount to much so we will take those deer.

 

[bigngreen]

I passed on a 170ish class mule deer buck all season, really a perfect deer and the area is really starting to come back so I wanted to leave him for seed, it's public lands so it took everything I had to pass on him and I had to fight every genetic trait in my body to not just smoke him. He bred a lot of does but he ended up in the back of a truck, guys didn't even care what he was just blew some holes in him and threw him in the back of the truck. Kinda bummed me out but I passed on him to bred not shoot the last day and he made it till the last couple days of the season so my goal was accomplished.
I shot a heavy three point, he should have been a 4 point so I took him out but since it's public lands everyone else passes on them for the 4 or 5 points so maybe I made a small improvement so one day I can take a 200 inch buck in the area!

 

[HARPERC]

I've never cared that much for the meat, so I guess I'm a "trophy hunter". A lot of variables in what that means. Many tags these days are in reality "once in a lifetime.

When/if you draw them, if it's a poor year, take the best the area has and no complaints.

Hunting style can effect "trophy status", any bear or lion showing up at a predator call is in serious trouble if I'm on the gun. Otherwise I'd rather see some kid take it (or adult that hasn't got one).

 

[Bigcat_hunter]

Meat eater 100%.

 

[Kurt]

if I want meat I shoot does. try to let bucks get older unless they so no potential and don't have the genes you want passed on. Not all older deer are going to score well but if they are 4.5 plus it is probally what they are going to be. could not pass this guy up with those brows and he was aged at 7 plus no teeth in his mouth and his left eye must have been damaged fighting

 

[MontanaRifleman]

My philosophy in general is to let the younger bucks go. I have eaten a lot of Montana "A" tags over the years which I could have easily filled numerous times during the season. Same with bull elk. If it's not a mature 6 point, I'll let him go. Culling out lesser genetics is OK is another story.

Like others have said, to each his own. I'm not trying to impose my thinking on anyone else and I don't look down on anyone for shooting any legal buck or bull. I just try to do my part to get bigger bucks and bulls in the population.

 

[sp6x6]

Ihunt for the mature animals. And it is much tougher now in my areas since the wolf. I dont even begin to see the bucks I use to,less bulls also.There where some very nice game taken local as usual though

 

[Broz]

I snuck up on this one once and let him sleep.

He was with 20 head of does and I wanted him to pass on some of what he would grow into. The very next morning he wandered off the ranch and he was shot.

This year we took a load of elk deer and antelope. I helped many hunters fill their tags. I drew no B tags. So I passed on some bulls, and some mule deer smaller than I wanted to take, and let my wife fill the freezer. So yeah, I agree that sometimes you just need to give them a chance to grow. But if my wife had not gotten her Bull I would be eating one I shot as I am also a meat hunter.

Jeff