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Where are all the big bucks? Seems like not many shot this year in either section of the forum. Every year there has always been a few pigs posted. I wonder if the mnr is correct with the deer loss, I hunt 93 and have only seen one mature buck this year and everything else has 1.5-2.5 olds. Anyone else seeing the same?
Not much in the way of real monsters in our area either. Ive got pics of one truly mature buck.
i've seen a few posts of online groups I'm in.
they're out there, but i think with less of a population, they can go and hide much better.
There is so much hunting pressure now, there are only a few that get to live long enough to grow big.We do not see as many huge deer as the old days around where we hunt, plus a ton of poaching goes on. It amazes me how many rifle shots we hear just before dark when we are bow hunting late in the season.
x2 I hear too many single rifle shots in my area around sun down.Quote:
Originally Posted by fishing1
Lots of guys are out killin good deer this year, most dont hang around online forums. I know guys who are successfull but youll never see their pics on here
lack of big bucks shot around here as well. I heard of a few nice ones....But no monsters like other years....That I've heard of yet.....
With the exception of unborn fawns, big old bucks are the first to die in a severe winter. In northwestern ontario, very few big guys have been seen. Down here in the south, I doubt very many died because of the winter.
The OWSI snow course data for the northern end of WMU75 and 60, 56, 54, etc. showed the worst winter in over 30 years. I live on the boundary line between 75 and 60. That winter last year took a real toll. We lost about 80% of our turkey flocks, and lots of our deer. My four game cams, with over two months of baiting and pics tell me that we lost most of our prime bucks in my area, most of our fawns, and most of our maternal does aborted. It's like night and day compared to previous years. All the does are dry, without fawns, and in really good shape. Makes sense, since they haven't been lactating and feeding 2-3 fawns for the past six months. I've never seen them fatter than this year. Hopefully they get a break this winter.
Dave
I've seen big bucks mostly close to my house within a few kilometers, but those are within city bounders and no hunt is permitted. I have also seen couple of huge bucks on the other side of Bathurst (within north of city of Vaughan boundaries) in the farms. Just last week coming back from deer hunting around 6:00PM and saw an ambulance driving in front of my car and stopped in Bathurst very close to my house and there was a deer collision with a car and a big buck was killed and the car front window was totally broken. When I arrived it was just a few minutes after collision, Hopefully the driver is ok..
Here's one for you. I'm sure he's got a brother there somewhere.
http://www.oodmag.com/community/show...nt-Nov-11-2014
I hunt 93 also, about 10 miles from you exactly........seen and passes several 1.5-2.5 yr olds too. No shooters for me yet. I blame a lot of it on so much standing corn.
Bathurst & Teston area?Quote:
Originally Posted by shikarchi
Quote:
Originally Posted by spikedbat
Just north of Jeferson Side road in Bathurst...
92D, more bigger bucks than in previous years. First time in many years we have a 4.5 to 5.5 year old deer on cam, and he is alive as of Saturday. Hopefully we meet up for black pow next week.
There's not a lot of them, but they're there, however they will not come out during the day. They did not get big by being stupid !
There's a reason they get big and manage to stay big! Always seems like there's more activity with the colder weather as well. Still another month and a bit to go.
I hunt just outside of Lucknow, the farmer told me 2 weeks before rifle season about all the big bucks he has seen this year. Rifle season came and went and it was a bust, last year I was lucky and took two real nice bucks. This past winter was very hard and there has been a toll taken on deer herds in some areas. Lastly where I hunt there is standing corn everywhere and it's a given that those rascals are tight in there with the does.
"There's a reason they get big and manage to stay big!"
hence, why i've said numerous times, to get these, go where no one wants to go, swamps, ravines, gullies, gorges, bramble and briar thickets etc, back in, away from forest and crop edges, this is where they are. They are there and big bucks stay in these areas and are usually first ones back to these spots and last to leave. Lots of articles on this topic out there. Last years 10 pointer i got the same same way. The 12 i'm after this year, bow, is in a swamp at the bottom of a deep ravine. So they are there, look these spots, unless you dont want to leave your stand or blind spot where you arent seeing them.
Exocet,
There is no doubt about what your saying is true, I know there are probably real boys around my place.But they are in places that are very hard to hunt, it's gets dark real fast, the cover is tight, the shooting lanes narrow.The risk of losing a great buck is greatly increased and recovery of even a well shot buck is also increased.A wounded animal in my local will not survive the night.Hunting solo and recovering or dragging a big animal is difficult.
The only way I would hunt such bucks would be in the am preferably and with a nice bed of tracking snow.
we will be looking for some big boys come Monday .we still have a lot of corn standing because off all the rain and snow it has slowed every thing way down .still looking forward to a great week .I got a real big 11 pointer that was hit by a car this past week so thy are out there Dutch
I hunt in 89 and I've seen the same problem. I have lots of trail cam pics of 1.5-2.5 year olds but nothing large. Also seeing more then twice as many does as bucks showing up on the cams and the fields. A friend who hunts around Brighton has also had the same problem. They've used up their doe tags but haven't seen a buck worth shooting at
I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE NOTICING THE LACK OF BIG BUCKS!
This entire season has been dismal for sure. Every year there is always a real big one or two that someone gets on cameras or someone sees BUT not this yr! The largest I've had all fall on cameras is around 130 - call him crabby because he has a crab claw on the end of his right beam. I've passed on him twice and 3 others between 120 to 130ish. All the rest have been smaller. I keep hoping something large shows up from somewhere else but I think I'll be luckier with a 649 ticket. Anyway the next doe is going to get added to the freezer and I will just run bait and cameras till the end of the season. If something shows up then I'll hunt him. If not might as well get started early shootin coyotes.
Skeeter
Attachment 27545
I have seen a few nice bucks in my areas 56, 54 and 49. I also know of a few monsters shot in 92b so far this week. Can't wait to see what we push out of 92b next week.
I wouldn't be letting that guy pass!
yeah he is a nice deer ( not crabby who is bigger) and there's a few friends hunting around me that will truly appreciate me letting these guys walk.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ridger
For those friends these deer would be quite a trophy and I'll be the first to shake their hands and help get 'em out.
BUT they need to get them first - not an easy task!
Deep down I hope these deer make it thru the season for my own selfish goals.
BUT I understand that they will fulfill the goals of those other hunters. It's between them and the deer.
not between me and them!
And you wonder why there aren't many big bucks. That Deer is only about 3-4 years old he still has potential. When he turns 5 he will blow upQuote:
Originally Posted by Ridger
Nothing too exciting around here either. Been out 35 times now between wmu89 and 87 and have only had 1 opportunity on a 4 year old, and passed on a handsome 3 year old. Nothin over 130". Already looking up tag soup recipes.
I think we just need to keep the faith. They cut down all the corn right behind my house and Lordy that very night 6 deer running around in that field, two were quality bucks. Same at the cabin last year I took two nice bucks, hardly seen a thing this year because everything is in the corn! If the corn is cut up there it could be very exciting, if not I plan to go sneaking in the corn. Could be a good Dec hunt for a lot of people this year.
had 6 does and fawns run across the road in front of me this morning still dark ,when my buddy yells look out here was a stud about 50 meters up the road just ready to cross we almost hit him but he turned and ran up the road beside us ,my buddy got a real good look at him from about 3 feet .nice 10 pointer .so there are some out there ,and we will be after them come Monday with the shotguns .Dutch
Today, I spend about six hours hunting with my dog in the bush and the fields of WMU 82A.
Rabbits and grouse were our intended targets but they managed to elude us nicely. :whacked:
We went through dense forests with cedars and swampy areas, up and down hills and some rocky terrain too.
We walked the edges of farmland, and pretty much any other type of environment that you can imagine!
Snow on the ground made every track quite visible - from field mice to foxes, rabbits, and turkeys...
My dog and I covered a LOT of ground and saw at least 50 turkeys, some of which teased me by remaining close or flying low over my head. I enjoyed watching them and the pup enjoyed chasing them around!
What was interesting was a LACK of deer tracks!!! This is an area where I have seen many deer of all kinds and sizes over the years. There are always signs of deer even if you don't actually see them.
Today I looked very hard and saw only ONE lonely set of tracks and it was definitely not from a large buck. I also looked for trails and antler rubs, as well as scrapes, eaten twigs, droppings, etc. but the more I looked the less I found. Just saw one possible coyote track also. It wasn't very large either.
My friend spent a week at camp near there during rifle season and his gang of five harvested only one small deer in total.
All the evidence points at a large decrease in population due to the harsh winter last year. :sad:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hawkman
Very discouraging isn't it......I have decided to not hunt my one spot in 81a anymore this year. It has 50 acres of combined beans and 10 acres of standing beans and I took a walk the other day when we had a bit of snow and didnt cut one fresh deer track. About 15 different coyote tracks......I'll focus on them now....
Good plan SongDog.
Going after them coyotes should be on every hunter's winter agenda.
Here is one :) There are still a lot of deer tracks near Erin WMU 80
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-U...o/PB150004.JPG
I have had some relatives drop 2 mature bucks during the nov shotgun. Just haven't seen the monsters (2-3) that are posted each year.
It's been a slow hunt for me this year for sure but not with numbers. Seeing tonnes of deer and plenty within range but no real "shooters". During our gun hunt we spotted two nice shooters too far out but that's about it. I have had two small bucks within range twice now but it is a bit unsettling to see them doing a bunch of the behaviours that big bucks do without even looking over their shoulder. Usually I find small bucks are nervous scrape and rub if there is a big boy around. Friday night I had two young bucks together at 10 yards (a 5 point and a 6 point). They were following a doe and two fawns trail that had went through 20 minutes earlier and they were acting like dogs. One would sniff the trail and the other would run over and knock it out of the way to get a sniff. The 5 pointer made two scrapes (big for how big he was) and rubbed every tree he could find in his path. I watch them for about 15 minutes until dark thinking the big boy can't be far behind but he never showed. I think I may shoot a doe here shortly if I don't start seeing more sign of big ones. Only know of a few monsters shot this year and I know a lot of guys that usually shoot big ones every year.
Ya agreed! I spend many days on stand and this is one of the worst seasons I can remember...Just returned from a hunt in the USA, the quality and numbers of deer far exceed what we have in Ontario. We could have some the same hunting as the big buck states south of the border but the attitudes of hunters here will need to change for that to happen. Where we hunted it was pretty much unwritten rules that nothing under 4pts a side were taken and if you wanted meat you shot does. I may stir the pot here but the same guys whining about not ever having a chance at a quality deer here in Ontario are the same ones plugging spikes and forkers during the controlled hunts..If you are a meat hunter that's fine and totally acceptable, just don't be the guy on one hand complaining about the buck situation and in next breath say how your group got 13bucks in the shotgun hunt and none over an 8pt basket. Can't have your cake and eat it too. These mature dominant bucks don't fall from the sky come October 1st. They manage the resource south of the border far superior to what we do, and there is alot more self control on the hunters part as well. It can happen here as well but there needs to be some education and change in our mindset. We have the genetics, the agricultural land/feed, the cover etc, just missing the time factor.
This may also be a sore point to some and it is my own personal opinion. Buckshot should be used on varmints and targets, its an ineffective killing tool on any big game animal and it does a disservice to the creature. Yes some will argue if kept under certain ranges it is great, but that rarely happens and far too many deer in this province are walking around carrying wounds and lead from unethical shooting practices. Whether it be a buck, doe, fawn, moose, bear etc we owe it to the animal to make an ethical harvest and put the animal down properly and with the least suffering. If the OFAH and MNRF were serious about managing what we currently enjoy in the province this should be a small first step that should be legislated. U can't hunt geese with number 7 bird shot or ducks with a rifle, so why is it we allow a spray and pray approach to big game hunting.....
^^^^^^AND WE HAVE A WINNER!^^^^^^ Great post! Spot on! However, there is now no denying that last winter took out a large number of prime bucks. Either way we would have lost a good number of monsters due to the fact that they rut themselves skinny.Quote:
Originally Posted by biggamer
Do you not think that maybe the two week long rifle hunt has something to do with the impatience of hunters? All the hunting is done in a week.. or two... how many bucks would you let pass when you only have one week? Do they have longer rifle seasons in the us?Quote:
Originally Posted by biggamer
Do you think folks would be a little more patient and selective about what they shoot and how they shoot it if they only had their own tag to use, and not their entire 15 person group? (not including the wives tags of course). I'm sure if downing and tagging an animal meant your exit to the woods for the season, there may be a little less 'spraying and praying'. I'm not sure MORE gun season will help the health of the Ontario deer herd?Quote:
Originally Posted by topher
So far this season I have a total of 12 hours hunt time in. I still passed on a small basket 8 with four inch tines and Managed to get a decent nine point. So I think it shouldnt matter.Quote:
Originally Posted by topher
I don't think it matters if the season is a week or 6 weeks, it's the attitude that is the issue. The "brown it's down" rule applies and until that changes this is the situation we are gonna find ourselves in. I will be honest and say I have passed on a few bucks this year between 125-145" which to most is a fine deer. When, like myself, u experience hunting in other jurisdictions where the mindset is different and see what the potential is, you try and invoke some change here....take a look at pensylvania where for years a harvested 120" 8ptr drew people like moths to a flame. With antler restrictions and some hunter participation they now are enjoying some of the best hunting they have had in decades. People need to understand that harvesting does is not a bad thing and leads to a higher buck to doe ratio across the herd. When there is more than a 1-5 or 1-7 ratio then the bucks run rampant chasing all those in heat, less breeding actually takes place, and the bucks have wore themselves to exhaustion/reduce fat stores, normally falling victim to a harsh winter or predators more easily. A healthy ratio promotes good genetics, more multiple births, and a higher survival rate. The research is out there for anyone to read and no I am not involved in Qdma or myself a trophy hunter. I do enjoy chasing monster whitetails but I also enjoy the table fair just as much. We rely on the MNRF to manage our resource but we can also play a huge role in the outcomes, issues, and solutions.....
I've put in 11 x 3 hour sits with the bow + 11 dark-to-dark days with the rifle. No doe tag. Only saw one buck 250+ yards away - to far for open sights (for me). ..so I envy your success....Last year was a different story.Quote:
Originally Posted by oaknut
55B has a 2 week season - very few people I know hunt the full two weeks. If you lengthened it by opening it earlier, or extended it a week or two in November, I don't think it would make a big difference. If you lengthened it into December - that would make a big difference, especially if there was snow - deer at bait piles and migrating park deer.
Great posts Biggamer
One thing Ontario has that the states (even the northern ones) do not usually have is long winters with deep snow. That makes attempts to stock pile deer somewhat risk as in 2008 and again in 2013, we lost a lot of deer. Re: shooting does - maybe its different in southern Ontario - but from what I see, we do not have the buck:doe imbalance that was present in many areas of the states where bucks-only was the rule for decades (Michigan, Pennsylvania). Shooting does when many are complaining of too few deer of any sex/age is a bad thing. I know at least one landowner who thinks the deer have been wiped out in the area because he continues to shoot every doe he can on his 350 acres.Quote:
Originally Posted by biggamer
What you have posted about bucks running themselves down when the buck:doe ratio is too low is completely backwards. Bucks run themselves down when there are too few does and too many bucks - they spend their time running/chasing/fighting which uses a lot of energy (but it makes for better hunting). When there are many does - the buck sticks with one doe for 36-48 hours, mostly resting with a bit of breeding going on - not to stressful on the buck (but makes for poor hunting).. Re better genetics, more multiple births, higher survival rates being a product of a higher buck:doe ratio - I have not seen this published anywhere and doubt that it has been proven.
I agree werner with most of what you are saying and value a difference of opinion on some of the issues. I hunt northern ontario as well as southern ontario, and will say winters seriously devastate the populations way worse up there. I do find though in the north there is a greater variety to age classes of bucks compared to southern ontario. I can consistently see nice 3-6yr old bucks over a two week period in the north country and experience hunting in "the rut". Down here I can run 10-20 game cams and can count on one hand the number of mature bucks I get on film vs. the hundreds of doe pics. This is over multiple properties and throughout the season. If I didn't spend many hours on stand over many years, I may just chaulk the last couple seasons up to bad luck/weather etc. But I am convinced that in Southern Ontario and most of the province we are experiencing a small time crisis when it comes to our deer populations. In the last 5yrs i would say my live sightings and photos are down easily 80% from years prior. My sentiments are shared by some hunters in my area as well. The controlled hunt has been effective in reducing the populations like it was intended to do. Now the question is what steps or ideas will we come up with to manage what we have remaining. You hunt northern ontario as well I am guessing, and I'm sure you can share some insight as to what you are observing. I've read your posts before and am impressed with your knowledge, curious as to your take on what you are experiencing.
I hunt 55B south of Algonquin park - both in the crown land on the northwest and the farm land in the south east. I don't think last winter was too hard on our deer. Lots of fawns from last year made it through the winter. Lots of does and a few nice bucks around. Not too many doe tags - we had none this year. I'd say our deer herd is in pretty good shape. No coyotes around this year either - not sure where they went - there were a lot last year. Sightings since 2008 are stable - but lower than before the 2008 winter - probably were at a once in a lifetime high prior to that.
My guess is a lot of places where the deer numbers are lower, its largely due to the number of doe tags being issued...and I think the MNR got it right in cutting them back this year in several WMUs.
How do you feel about the question at hand, werner.reiche? The lack of big bucks? Like biggamer, I've seen enough in your posts to value your opinion. You said it yourself that you've put in a lot of time and only seen 1 buck. What do you feel needs to change?
There are big bucks out there that I am not seeing - but I see their tracks, and see them on the trail cams. I guess my question for those not seeing 'big bucks' - lets say 3.5 yr and older is, what percentage of the deer population are you expecting it to be? I'd guess less than 10%.Quote:
Originally Posted by LowbanksArcher
And lets not confuse numbers of pictures - I've got 2 does and 2 fawns that show up regularly on one camera, along with a monster buck, a 6 and a spike. But 99% of the pictures are of the does and fawns. The bucks - even the spike don't like the camera. I'll get one or two pics and they are gone. The does and fawns hang around and I'll get 30+ pictures of them.
Rifle season I spent most of the time dogging. About 1/3 the deer we ran were decent bucks - based on their tracks. A lot of my 'not seeing bucks' has to do with that they are far more elusive than does/fawns.
And not to mention that once a buck gets to 3.5 he is so much a different animal all together you mite wonder if they are the same species. I also agree they make up less than 10% of the pop , I read some time back an article by Valerieus Giest that over 90% don't make it past 2.5 years.
This is not related to this conversation, but just to this comment of yours werner. I enjoy sharing this video and if you or anyone else hasn't seen it, you may find it interesting.Quote:
Originally Posted by werner.reiche
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVQU...e_gdata_player
Well, I run many camera's year round and take a pretty good inventory on my mineral sites. If I could hit 10% of upper age (3.5+) deer I'd be a very happy fella with less to complain about. I can see we are going to have different views and experiences with this since we hunt in very different habitats. I'm about as far south as it gets. Let's put it this way. In 7 years of running multiple cams, I have seen one 6.5yr old buck on camera. I am lucky if I have one 4.5 that sticks around the area to give me something to chase that season. There are no big woods here for the deer to hide, no matter how wise they are. The bush that is around gets pushed, and what runs out, gets shot.Quote:
Originally Posted by werner.reiche
It sounds like you are pleased with the current age structure in your whitetail herd. I am not. Which is why i'd like to see suggestions and a call to do something about it. Which seems to be what biggamer is suggesting as well.
Pleased with it? Well I guess everyone would like to see more and bigger bucks - and I'm in there too. What you two seem to be getting at but are afraid to say out loud is that you like 4pt per side restrictions like they introduced in PA. There are a whole lot of PA deer hunters that don't like what Ault did there and blame him for ruining what was one of the top three deer hunting states in the USA. I couldn't support that - you're just setting yourself up for a huge number of bucks to die during the winter - you can't stockpile deer.Quote:
Originally Posted by LowbanksArcher
As far as not seeing the older bucks on the camera - that may well be that they don't like the camera. I haven't seen the big guy at my place on camera since Oct 3. But he's still there - see his tracks and scratches. I like my cameras - but if that's all you're using to figure out what bucks you have, I suspect you have more bigger bucks around than you realize and that they are avoid the cameras.
Little guys like the guy in your video are not that careful. Guys like this are:
http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/...ps1637b5fb.jpg
My luck.Quote:
Originally Posted by LowbanksArcher
I saw 4 deer last year - doe, fawn, 8pt and 6pt. I shot both bucks.
The second guy I was hunting with saw 3 deer. Doe, fawn, 5pt buck. He shot the 5ptr.
Third guy saw none.
This year we are seeing far more deer - I think the deer were there last year as well though - but we weren't seeing them.
Judging by that pic, maybe you're not hanging your cameras high enough. Maybe that's why your mature bucks don't like your cameras. When there are mature animals around my here I DO get pics of them. And many pics of them. Even the 6 1/2 year old I was after a couple years back. Got pics of that fella on multiple cameras all year long. Thanks for the scouting tips though
Bucks like that guy are pretty relaxed in September.Quote:
Originally Posted by werner.reiche
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14...d522a201a5.jpg
This guys smart. Basically noctural.
Big boys are pretty patternable in Sept and even early October. But once they smell us messing around in the woods they change.
Not really afraid to say it out loud actually. I'd be in favour of several radical changes. I was just looking for your input at bettering the age structure of our herd before you suggested that i'm doing my scouting wrong.Quote:
Originally Posted by werner.reiche
There definitely less big deer around. The damaged of too many tags over the years has caught up to us. I'd love to see antler restrictions in Ontario.
I agree with you about the extra tags. We watched the population around here crash for about 2-3 years before the MNR cut way back on additionals. True to form, they were a couple of years late to make a change. That's because their main concern is selling licences, not managing the herd for quality bucks. They didn't want to let go of the extra cash from the extra tags That's also why you'll likely never see an end to party hunting or antler restrictions. Too much potential for a good percentage of hunters to just not bother buying a licence. I appreciate the dedication and effort you guys put into targeting mature bucks each year, but I think you will be on your own when it comes to managing the herd for big bucks.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ravenhunter
Most of us up this way are happy to see any deer at all while in the field, and "passing" on anything is rare these days, although I used to years ago when I was certain I would see another deer before season's end. Sure, that sounds backward, but why should a guy that pays for a license like everyone else have to eat tag soup? If he gets one good chance at a deer in a season, he'll take it. That's what some of you see as a "brown and down" mentality but I can tell you firsthand that shooting a doe, fawn or yearling buck when numbers are low and sightings are few is just as rewarding as shooting a trophy buck.
Those big dudes you are trying to get photos of pick up your sent every time you go in to check th
e cameras and will likely avoid the area until well after dark. They did not get to 4 + years of age by being stupid. I have pushed enough deer drives to realize that the big boys almost never run out to get shot. They either sit tight and let the doggers walk past or they circle bdtween the drivers and many sneak away at the first sound of a truck door closing.
The situation some of you guys are wishing for is rediculous unless you are willing to buy a 1000 plus acres and manage it properly and thats no easy feet in itself. Yes I agree the mnr does not do a great job manging our resources but to say we need antler restrictions is full on stupidity. Please remember most folks hunt to put meat in the freezer and to have some fun outdoors, if you dont want to shoot a "milking" doe" or a young buck then by all means pass them up.
You are free to pass all the deer you want while waiting for that 6.5 year old buck but dont tell others why they need to share your elitist attitude so you can have a better opportunity at a trophy.
Ok, I'll bite. Trail cams are hung high(see my attached video earlier) wearing gloves. There is no checking of trail cams during or in the few weeks leading up to deer season. They come down during a good rainfall before the controlled weeks start so they don't get stolen, if possible. I made no suggestion of antler restrictions. I believe werner brought that up as I was too 'afraid' to. Although I will not deny that I would support it. Sorry, but that's just the case. I actually thought i've been doing a good job at suppressing my "elitist" attitude. Have just been looking to here some opinions on what people thought could be done to improve the age ratios in our deer herd. But from the sounds of it, everything is hunky dory and I just need to look harder. CheersQuote:
Originally Posted by Hunter John
Have it agree with him. Deer hunting in the south in about having fun and putting version in the freezer. Cameras are ok but to many guys check them and the deer get turned off. I have a doe or buck tag and shot a small fork buck and doe about 10 days into the season and followed up in another wmu with a young 6 pointer in the gun hunt. All three are trophies to me and good eating.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hunter John
Don't feel like I was being "Elitest" Just passing along my thoughts and feelings. I never have or will pass judgment on what another hunter decides to shoot. That being said don't judge me beause I choose to not shoot a young deer or for that matter a mature doe. http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14...9c42d6be0a.jpg
Growing up learning how to hunt my father always told me shoot the one that makes you happy. That's how I feel it should be for everybody. And for everybody this means something different. In my early years any buck that walked in front of me made me happy. Now a days I have seen so many good deer out there I find it hard to shoot a young one when I know what possibilities lie just inside the bush line. If I shoot that young buck I see on the first couple sits how will I know what the property may have offered up. Also I like the process of hunting more than anything and why would I deny myself time in the stand. This year as I said there are far fewer good bucks in my area and I will most likely opt to shoot a mature lone doe if I get the opportunity the rest of the year.