Personally, I hunt for the meat. Its nice to get a decent rack out of the deal and I have passed on small bucks feeling confident a bigger buck would show himself, but in the end, I will shoot a buck for the meat. Anyone else?
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Personally, I hunt for the meat. Its nice to get a decent rack out of the deal and I have passed on small bucks feeling confident a bigger buck would show himself, but in the end, I will shoot a buck for the meat. Anyone else?
I save my buck tag for a big buck, If I'm lucky enough!! If I have an unfilled buck tag towards the end of the season, I'll take a smaller buck.
I'll get smokies, sausage and burger with the meat. Does are for steaks etc.
Meat eater here if its brown its down. But I have been lucky,
and am 50 50 buck doe ratio right now.
I do not take 1 year old, they are still fawns to me.
Meat hunter here....if a nice rack comes along that's a bonus!
Ilook for the rack but none of the meat is wasted
Venison BBQ for me,too. A big rack would be a bonus.
Meat here but if I have a little buck or a huge buck in front of me I will probably go for the huge buck.
I can make tough meat taste delicious so no worries about an old deer here.
Meat , a big rack is a bonus.
Well we got a moose so I'm not in dire need of the meat so I hold off till the end of November for a good mature buck. Its not necessarily about the rack as much as if I was strictly a meat hunter I'd end my season on the first sit, I enjoy being out so I can afford to wait.
No place to hang a rack, lots of freezer space :)
I raise and butcher my own meat, so I know the difference between the meat of a 1.5 yr old and a 4 yr old Buck, I prefer the younger meat.
But if Capt Flint walks by this week....I will settle for meat for pepperttes :)
I think I have said this before but the "it's brown it's down" comment drives me crazy and adds fuel to the notion that hunters are just out to kill anything. No problems with those out for just the meat but aren't we all eating the deer we shoot? It would be nice if we managed for larger bucks I think. If you are out for meat shoot a doe or management mature buck. Would be nice to see some of the spikes and 21/2 year old bucks passed to see what they turn into. Never understood why anybody shoots fawns as I am sure they taste just as good the next year as a doe and they provide more meat. Can't get a chance at that deer of a lifetime if you shoot the first thing that walks by.
I understand what you are saying however.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sudsee
I hunt for many reasons,the meat,to be outdoors,to get away from life's problems & to spend quality time with friends.
I have very limited time to get out & I don't have the time to dedicate to pass on smaller bucks. I am lucky to be able to get out bow hunting maybe a handfull of times in the season. If I pass on a smaller buck I will probably not see one again & no meat for me. I won't starve but I can't stand store bought meat.
However I have been very lucky over the years & the first buck in range turned out to be a mature wall hanger... :)
Meat for me!!
I'm perfectly happy to hunt for does for meat; I have shot some decent bucks but it was just happenstance, or I only had a buck tag.
I'm perfectly happy to let a mature buck walk; as my wife said once, "why do hunters insist on taking the best animals out of the gene pool?"
I think the idea that shooting a buck is somehow "better" than shooting a doe to be ridiculous. That said, I think anyone who wants to hunt for mature bucks only, and will end the season without a deer rather than take an easy deer, has made a valid point about being a skilled, selective hunter.
A 5 year old large buck has his gene pool all over the place, no problems there. By that point his children and grand children have their gene pools all over the place too.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kilo Charlie
Meat!!! If it's brown its down and I don't care who doesn't like that statement!!!
Deer, I hunt Deer. I have been around long enough and have spent enough time out there that if I have a deer standing broadside calm at 30 yards, I take it now.
I'm past all the other stuff, it shouldn't be about glory and high fives.
It's very time consuming for me and I have limited opportunities.
I shot a doe last week and I was thrilled!
I've met a few guys who shoot just for the rack then give the meat away. That gives hunters a bad name far more than 'if its brown its down'.
Meat here first. Can't eat the rack no matter how big.
I might hazard a guess that there are far more people who hunt for the freezer than the wall. And most of the middle ground that I know are perfectly fine with hunting for consumption, not so with "Trophy Hunting".
Have never understood why hunters have problems with the "brown it's down" approach. Especially when the majority hunt for the table, and most of the middle ground are ok with it. If its legal it's good, same thing I tell non hunters who are dead set against Trophy Hunting.
Myself?
Freezer first and when in camp "if it's brown it's down".
Mo too, If its brown its down (at least for the first deer).....then the second tag try to hold off for a nice buck but as the season gets closer to a close, any deer does the job for the freezer....
I try to practice quality deer management and let the younger little bucks walk and let the breeding does breed again. I will take a fawn or a dry doe and have a 8 pt or bigger rule for my property. I have no problems with anybody taking a deer as long as its legal, these are just my rules that I follow.
I should be clear I am fine with people that hunt only for meat. I find every year there are groups that push bushes and shoot everything that comes out. Then next year, express their concern for the herd in their area because sightings are down or that they don't see quality bucks. I think we all benefit from good management. I have shot a few does and smaller bucks in the past and have been very happy with them. I also see no problem in taking pride in antlers and hanging them on your wall. This is how I remember the hunt and the animal. As a hunter I eat everything I shoot outside of coyotes or varmint. To each their own I guess. Good luck to everyone in the rest of the season.
I've always thought quality bucks depended more on the food they have available moreso than hunters passing on smaller animals. There's no way one can take all the quality bucks from an area. They're just too smart.
Hey, every deer hunter is legal, and wants to shoot a nice buck. And we all like deer meat I hope. If I can fill my doe tag with a decent doe I'm happy as hell, specially at the table. Unfortunately, more so now than ever in society it seems, the person who decides he wants to harvest a more mature buck can be stigmatized as a "Trophy Hunter" these days, when in reality nothing could be more wrong, it's just leverage for the antis. Most non hunters just don't get. We are all the same for the most part. Guys can have personal trophys if that's what they're looking to achieve. There's no difference in camp if we fill doe tags or get braggin rights that year. We're all comrades in the deer hunt, camp members and solo guys alike in my books.
It's a good thing we have party hunting and a long bow season here. This conversation would be so different in Quebec I figure.
I also think the brown is down term has kind of run it's course, even though it's just an old saying that usually pertains to the last days of hunt camp. Seems too easy for the general online public to take it the wrong way.
In regards to the meat end of it, if it was Christmas holidays off with no venison for a year or two and a legal buck fawn gave me a good bow shot I would be tempted for sure. Specially the last week.
Cheers folks
Meat for me, fortunately we are still in a period of additional tags so the freezer is half full with an 8 pt already, but with one more tag in my pocket, if presented with a shot I'll take it. We are very fortunate to be able to put this fine meat on the table, I'm not passing up that opportunity, its too tasty.
For the table. Small one already in the freezer during rifle and I hope to go out on the bow after the red ants leave the bush and it calms down a bit. I will try for the rack now and enjoy the bush.
I think it has a lot to do with where you're hunting. If you're hunting in areas wherever the deer numbers are high and you see a number of deer over the course of the season then I can see the selective harvest. When you hunt bush with single tag availability and on averege you see (never mind get a shot at) 0-2 deer per year if you don't take what comes to you you often get skunked. We truly value having a freezer full of high quality meat for the year. I have passed on 4 or 5 deer in my time (does, fawns, spikes)and each time I've ended the year skunked. Will still think twice about taking does as they represent 2 more deer next year. So I guess I'm more likely to selectively harvest for quantity as opposed to quality.
It might be controversial, but I witnessed it again this year at camp; we have a couple of guys who DON'T hunt for either the rack nor the meat..just the fun of hunting. In a camp environment this works well, they put meat on the pole but don't want a cut of the meat.
Controversial... because there are a faction of 'Hunters' (not anti's), that feel that just enjoying 'killing' a deer without a want for the meat is wrong.
I like deer meat, and I like big racks. But even if I couldn't keep either, I'd still like to go deer hunting.Quote:
Originally Posted by MikePal
I hunt deer for the love of hunting...meat is a bonus, a nice set of antlers even more so.
I grew up hunting in 55B - where deer were all but non-existant in the 1970's. If you hunted for meat or antlers there and then, you'd give up pretty quickly.
I like venison to eat. And I like big racks. What I decide to put my tag on varies from year to year.
As far as people who don't like venison but like to hunt, what's wrong with that? If you can give the meat to someone that truly enjoys it or maybe a family that is less fortunate and can really use the meat, how is that wrong???
If the meat is not wasted, it is not wrong. If someone thinks it is, they need to have a big issue with the "professional" hunters and the "TV show" guys then.Quote:
Originally Posted by MikePal
I have hunted for 10 yrs now.For the first 5 yrs I allowed myself to follow the advice of people I was hunting with.Only mature bucks should be shot, dont even bother getting a doe tag. Many of those yrs I saw mature bucks and missed some good opportunities and cam up empty. The concept of shooting only mature bucks never made sense to me.A doe can have one or possibly two fawns a yr. A mature buck is limited by only the number of does he can find.I have heard the opinion that if you shoot a big buck another one will breed the does. Well I,m sure thats true some of the time I can pretty much guarantee it,s not true all of the time. The window of opportunity is very narrow. Fawns that come from the second breeding cycle have a higher rate of mortality than ones born from the first cycle of breeding. It really come down to balance. My self I am 100% for meat. I dont take particular pleasure in killing, and hate to see animals suffer. Personally I think every hunter should do there best to educate themselves on good deer management. This is my second yr hunting with the group i am in and I hear the same things from them that I have heard since I started hunting.And I am certain that 100% of it is based on whet they believe to be true and not what they have educated themselves on. Happy and safe hunting to all
Well said. A lot of people seem to think something is correct because it is how they or their mentors have done it forever. (It's how we have always done it) A good example of this is people refusing to shoot does in areas where the population is extremely high and there are numerous doe tags given out. Many still think they have to leave the does to "protect" the herd, when in actual fact clearing out some does is the best thing for the herd.
Alot of interesting opinions...
I agree on the topic of not wanting meat or rack but just enjoying the sport, if you are hunting alone and the meat is going to waste.. terrible, however if your hunting with a team and the meat is going to be eaten, enjoy the hunt! (also come hunt with me so i can get a bigger share of meat lol)
But personally I gun hunt for meat and bow hunt for show, meaning early in the season and then again after the gun hunt if I still have my tag I will let does and smaller bucks pass hoping the big boy will come in, however when gun hunting I will take does and smaller bucks to try and fill tags and the freezer and my belly!!
It is also proven that taking ALL types of deer ( besides fawns at least that I have ever heard ) each have its advantage to genetics heard ect.
-Steve
I hunt for both reasons the meat and the rack. If you hunt as a group or in my case family we have no problem taking a doe for meat and keeping a tag for the rack should we see one, although more often than not the "rack" tag ends up in the soup pot! We did however take a nice doe this year so there will be some meat added to the "rack" tag soup.
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Speaking of tags it is there, just in the other ear.
I have settled for tag soup more times than I care to admit..lol I think I hold a record for number of bucks not taken. Nice doe congrats.
I enjoy seeing a buck mature thru the years and watching them grow. I try to provide the best habitat that I can that will attract and hold deer year around. I don't need to kill a deer to eat, I can afford to go to the local butcher and buy a 1/2 beef. I hunt due to the fact I enjoy the taste and the excitement I get by getting close and undetected to the deer. I will take a nice dry doe or a fawn to fill the freezer but I also wait and hunt for a big mature buck. I am very lucky I can go 200 yards back behind my house and climb into my stand and pretty well see deer every sit that I could shoot with my bow. Very few times do I go out that I don't have an opportunity that I could harvest a doe or fawn. Now the mature bucks are mostly nocturnal during hunting season but do come out to play during the rut and I take that time to focus on them. Last week I passed on many deer and we only harvested 1 deer between myself and my dad. I will fill another tag this year with a nice deer for the freezer.
I must say this has been an interesting and informative thread I started. Nice to get different opinions and point of views on the subject. And.... I may have learned a thing or two?
The day after I purchased my Excalibur I was in the stand and passed at a nice dry doe. I've yet to have another deer pass under that stand while I'm there!
Meat first. I've come up empty on doe tag draw three years running now so buck hunting has become the norm.
I can agree with having little time in the stand. I will take the first opportunity that presents itself.
Same with meQuote:
Originally Posted by gooseman
This year I can wait until the end of Nov. before I have to shoot meat. So I will keep looking for the large rack until then. Fields are full of meat Deer in this area. Seen 17 on tonight's stand.
Whatever comes first...if i am lucky enough i would love big racks to show up but if small buck is meant to be then so be it...
Hunting for deer,moose,bear but they all have meat on them and I use everything,good chunks goes to freezer and rest for sausages.
Share some with friends and family and they never asked how big the rack was or was there any...
venison is venison...
it is up to MNR to decide what is legal and how many and what kind of animals can be taken at any given year...this and last year no.of tags are down,not so much additional tags like before. Beside that not all tags will be filled so we can see some improvements in years to come.
i am lucky enough for every day i am able to hunt and when game is present what more i can ask...
some people can hunt everyday and close to home..sure they will be selective what to take...
if they kill first deer to come by what would they do for rest of the season...i am sure all those "conservation"types would be much less selective if they hunt few days a year like myself.
last two season i hunted for deer i could not even see a doe never mind big rack so it is different opinion if you have many chances to hunt and see game or hunt occasionally like myself.