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Just curious to hear some feedback from everyone about how the camp rules dictate who gets to keep the rack when shooting a buck? Any gang I've hunted with, the shooter always gets the rack, regardless of who tags the buck. Personally, that's the way I see it also. I wouldn't want a rack from a deer I didn't shoot.
the shooter gets first option of wanting it in any camp i know of........
The shooter...no if ands or buts about it!
That would be the day that some-one would take the rack from the buck I shot. What kind of an hole would claim a rack that he or she didn't shoot...
The shooter for sure
Shooter for sure, has first option!
Shooter keeps the rack and hide/lower jaw for the hat (where program is available.)
I never understand guys buying 'used' racks at estate auctions etc....why would you hang a Moose/Buck rack in your home if you didn't know it's story.
Mind you, I did buy a small mounted rack once for $10 at a garage sale once, cut off the antlers to use for rattling.
I would not want to cut up a rack of a buck I shot for rattling, I would have one given to me for sure for that purpose.Quote:
Originally Posted by MikePal
The wife would love some antler stuff done around the house but most guys will never part with a rack of a deer they shot.
For us it was the shooter first, a lot of the guys would leave them so I mounted all the racks for the camp, now that I am out of the camp it sucks as I never get to see my work.
Shooter gets the rack if he wants it, if not it gets screwed to the camp wall with date and shooter's name on the back side of the skull, amazing how many arguments this date will solve as guys reminisce about what year who shot what!
I don't really care who shot it, I would hang ANY rack rather than see it go to the dump. Even old racks from camp after the shooter has long died. A good looking rack looks good no matter who it came from.
Of course I am of the age when I can appreciate a good looking rack on a fourteen, forty or sixty year old....
Shooter but if he doesn't want it it goes up at camp shed.
Shooter chooses take home or leave it at the hunt camp.
Shooter should get first option for it. I would take a rack which either the shooter or the camp doesn't want. My lab loves to chew on them.
Where things get dicey is when the buck is hit by one guy first, then downed by another guy a little further on. I've seen this happen in my old camp. Hunters not too far apart, the hounds bring one in close and the deer runs down the line and is shot at by more than one guy.
That should be the camp rack then, unless they are civil with one another.Quote:
Originally Posted by GW11
My uncle had this happen with a monster, 16pt and took 8 rounds in the bread basket before it went down. Every single guy in the camp shot at it and nobody could say if it was a 30 cal or a 270 that hit it. I should ask him what happened to the rack but I assume if any buck deserved to stay at the camp that would be the one.
Haven't done a lot of camp hunting, but this subject seems to come up a lot. While "shooter first option" has merit I wonder if it's the fairest.
Multiple shooters as above is one potential problem. Especially if any of the shots/wounds leave fatality in question. Whose shot was it that downed it?
But I also wonder about less tangible things.
Its just above freezing, damp and miserable and one guy has been doing a lot of the pushing/drives.
Its arguable at least to me, that those doing the drives do more to put the buck in the shooters way, than the shooter who happened to be in the right place that day.
Not sure if there's a right or wrong. Knowing myself, if I ran a hunt camp I might give thought to a simple lottery system at the start of the week. First name drawn has first dibs (guys who may not want anymore can pass, there by increasing the others odds).
True,we all want any rack on our wall to be one we ourselves shot.
I'm thinking if I'm sitting a stand, sipping warm coffee, fairly dry and comfortabl, not busting a sweat, and a nice 10pter or more comes busting out into my shooting lane... All I've done is pull the trigger, someone else did all the work
The shooter is the one that gets to decide what is done with the rack. If it's his personal best, he would keep for sure, all others would get offered up, then donated to the camp if no takers. That's how we do it, no issues yet.
Shooter keeps it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bushmoose
If it came down to it, I would vote for the first shooter. A deer with a shotgun/rifle hole in it is dead even if it doesn't know it yet.Quote:
Originally Posted by GW11
I agree with the sentiment of if you didn't shoot it, why would you want it? In the case of a hunt camp or a gimmicky restaurant you might want a few antlers hanging around for whimsy, so if the shooter doesn't want it, then I guess it doesn't hurt to donate to that.
In the case of more than one person shooting the same deer, I've always gone with the first person to hit the deer gets the rack because he likely slowed it down so it could be tracked or shot by another hunter.
I see the general consensus is the shooter gets it. My sentiments exactly! The reason I asked is because I was invited to a hunt down in the Morrisburg area and that is one of the questions I asked. Apparently with this group, the camp gets the rack? I declined the offer for other reasons, but it left a bad taste with me? I suppose if a person knows this rule ahead of time, then have at it, but not on my watch!
With my group, the shooter gets the rack. Or in the case of bear or fur-bearing animals the fur.
I would say shooter gets the rack or it stays at the camp if it's a group effort.
As for anonymous racks from the dump, garage sales or auctions, I've picked up a few. I've got a sheep mount, a caribou rack and a raven. I also have my father in laws 30" pike that is probably 40 years old. I've also got a massive muskox skull my brother found on the tundra and walked for miles to get. I've got a few nice old framed photos of hunts from days gone by. I don't claim them as my own, nor do I boast about them. I think they are amazing. They are someone's hunt. Someone's memories. I would love it if some guy or girl picked one of my trophies years from now and stuck it on his mantle. I think it's a little sad to see them forgotten. That said, I'd much rather be out making my own.
We often cut the racks up and let the dogs enjoy chewing on them for weeks
This happened to us. My buddy shot a small 6 last year. I ended up killing it, but I wouldn't even think of claiming the rack. I know I didn't hit it first, so it's doesn't belong to me.Quote:
Originally Posted by GW11
I know I'll be run down for this comment.Quote:
Originally Posted by GW11
But wounding deer run by dogs is despicable.
Just because another guy manages to finish off your bad shooting does not make it a good hunt.
How often do you shoot and fail to retrieve with hounds?
"I know I'll be run down for this comment."Quote:
Originally Posted by johny
...and so you should be because its pretty stupid.
Is wounding deer run by dogs more "despicable" than wounding deer not run by hounds?
The dogs I've hunted with pick up deer wounded by other (non hound) hunters who can't find them.
It doesn't take much of a wound on a deer and the hounds will hold it in one spot and you can walk up and shoot it. Done that several times. The odds of retrieving a wounded deer while hunting with hounds is significantly higher than without hounds, particularly where the deer is wounded lightly enough it isn't going to die in 24 hours.
Really?Quote:
Originally Posted by johny
Please just stop, you obviously have no clue, hunting with hounds is an Ontario tradition that goes back to way before you were ever around. Deer in the big bush are moved by dogs and run to block lines where they are taken year after year by competent shooters. Most deer are not shot on the run, most deer come out walking, trotting or sneaking to get around, the dogs are generally a long way back from the deer, it is no different than using dogs for upland game.
Lots of these deer are hit with perfect shots in the heart or lungs but continue to run as deer do not always drop, they actually rarely drop at the shot, even from a 30-06, which seems to be the go to gun for one upping others when it comes to deer hunting.
Please refrain for comments born out of naivety.
Well said Werner. I have done and seen the same things over the years.Quote:
Originally Posted by werner.reiche
A rifle hunter shouldn't condemn a bow hunter, non dog hunters shouldn't condemn those that choose to use dogs, etcetera and so on!!
As I have said before, as long as its fair chase and legal, live and let live, each to their own. We are all in this together!! We shouldn't be taking jabs at one another just because of differing styles of hunting ,imho.
Better yet, how often do you or others without hounds shoot and fail to retrieve???Quote:
Originally Posted by johny
The guy whos shoots it. If more then one guy shoots it, its the first guys deer.
Think if you belong to a group your a like minded collection so it shouldn't be an issue. Just like all the other camp rules either you follow them or leave.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bushmoose
My thoughts exactly. You shoot a nice buck you already have a collection why not reward your dogger with the rack if they busted their hump to put it infront of you.Quote:
Originally Posted by JBen
Fourteen? Bit young don't you think? Might want to edit your post before the RCMP come a knocking you dirty old man :silly:.Quote:
Originally Posted by patvetzal
Apologies to the OP, looks like I opened a can of worms on this one...Quote:
Originally Posted by johny
Johny, for a guy who's usually quite knowledgeable in some areas, I think you're long on opinion and short on experience here. I'm not sure if your comments are directed at me personally or hound camps in general. How often did I shoot and fail to retrieve with hounds? Exactly 0 times. How often did that particular camp lose a deer? Twice that I can remember over 20+ years of hunting there. Hound camps lose far less deer than you might think. 2 lost deer out of 75 or 80 is probably a better ratio than most solo hunters achieve in a lifetime. I would consider this camp to have been on the lower rungs of the ladder in terms of capability also. Part of the reason I no longer hunt with them.
Maybe I didn't explain things clearly enough in my original comment. When a deer was shot by more than one blocker, which was a rare occurrence, the deer was basically running dead by the time it covered the 150 yards or so to the next guy. Most of the time a deer running ahead of the dogs could be stopped with a whistle or a bleat to provide a standing shot, but not always. Yes, there were misses. Yes, deer were occasionally hit marginally and recovered later. This is no different than what happens throughout the rest of the province in archery, shotgun or rifle season.
These days I prefer to hunt relaxed deer. A few of us started a new camp where we do things differently - tree stands, ground blinds, smaller group, less confusion, relaxed deer, etc. Although at times I still miss the excitement of the hound camp, there's nothing quite like it.
Your comments are insulting to a whole genre of deer hunters in Central Ontario where it's been done that way for a long, long time. Don't knock it until you try it...
Just weird.Quote:
Originally Posted by patvetzal
This started out following a statement that one shooter saw no reason why they would want to display a trophy shot/caught by someone else. I maintain that a trophy is nice to look at no matter who shoots it, or how old it is. A trophy can have two points or twelve, just as a woman can be beautiful at any age.Quote:
Originally Posted by x_xeon_x
Always the shooter, why would I want someone elses rack? (deer rack that is) :P
That be like putting your bowling trophy on my mantle.
I made it legal for you
Quote:
Originally Posted by patvetzal
Just to be more politically correct, not stupid. Just ignorant..........but yeah, pretty stupid.Quote:
Originally Posted by werner.reiche
shooter (first shooter) get the rack.
I showed this thread to a friend who told me that his old camp had what they called "The Rack Room" where everyone who took a buck over the last 70 years had the rack hung on a wall with their name and date engraved on a small plate attached underneath. I haven't seen it,yet,but,he said the room was solid racks from floor to ceiling on every wall except the bar. Many have long passed,but,what a beautiful memorial to the camp's and it's hunters.