To hold out or not hold out?


Turkeygirl

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Well I'm on a toss up of if I should hold out for a bigger buck then my archery buck or shoot what comes along. Shotgun starts Saturday and I'd like some nice, but on the farmland we hunt, after maybe the first week and a half, bucks seems to disappear. I sure don't want to pass up a buck and regret it later but I don't want to fill my buck tag early and see a better one later on. I don't know if we'll hunt the neighbors land or not. So what do you guys do in such a situation? I've decided I'll probably hunt a climber Andy will be putting near the scrape - same spot that I got my archery buck from. I might get some deer pushed over from neighboring land, but I may also see more hunters than from my other stand but I guess that is the choice. I do know where this climber is, up on a ridge by it were a couple trees about the size of my lower leg, with rubs. i know there has got to be some decent, not huge, but maybe my biggest if I got one, bucks running around.....

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Re: To hold out or not hold out?

Well TG, I am still holding out here, and we have yet to put any meat in the freezer this year. Sure hope holding out does not end up being a mistake. Do what you think will make you satisfied. I have held out and passed up several smaller bucks and a few decent ones so far this year, but none of the deer I passed would be trophy caliber deer to me, they would have just been meat.

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Re: To hold out or not hold out?

We only get one buck tag here in ky .I have shoot so many smaller bucksin my 18yrs bow hunting ,That now I hold out for bigger deer I some yrs you may end up eating that tag.But it's all about the hunt any ways enjoy your self let those small buck walk and you could learn a little from this small deer good luck.

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Re: To hold out or not hold out?

Hard to say..Not sure how many deer you have shot, or what quality of animal..For me personally, I wait til the big boy comes..I will wait four weeks in Maine gun season..and nothing in those four weeks, I will take a lessor of a buck during the 2 weeks with my Thompson muzzel loader. I have shot several real nice bucks on the last day of gun season that I would never have had a chance at if I had shot the lessor buck. But Im 40 years old, and have shot several nice deer..Hard to say what I would do if I had only shot a few deer..

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Re: To hold out or not hold out?

Try and better yourself, only shoot a buck that is bigger than the one you have, holding out for a mature animal should not be looked at as regretful, this hole thing we call hunting does not have to be about killing the animal it is about being outdoors and the experiences you have. Take the time to study how deer move and get to be a better hunter by watching them, you won' regret that. I have passed on a bunch of bucks and have not gotten one yet, if I don't oh well they will be bigger and more mature next year.

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Guest Lynn_in_IN

Re: To hold out or not hold out?

Here in Indiana we can take three does, but only one buck. I have seen more bucks than does. The first one I drew and had a pin on, I decided against. Just too early in the season. Shotgunning comes in tomorrow. I had a 9 pt that I have watched for three straight days on an old log road working scrapes and follow the scent trail I put out. Had him just a few steps from from my tree, but didn't take him either. Now I am wondering if he wasn't the dominant buck in the area by the way he worked the scrapes over. But then again, The pressure across the river hasn't begun yet... so time will tell if I made the right decision or not. I am kinda hoping my daughter gets the chance at him. Her stand isn't too far from mine in case she needs help. I left her area alone all this time, but stalked over there yesterday on my way out of the woods. Saw a HUGE doe coming up the trail 30 yds from her stand. There is all kinds of sign all around her, so I scented up a few of the scrapes, and snuck out. Saturday morning is about her (she has to work at 11, but hunting till 10:30.. thata girl!). after that, it's all about Momma!!!

Just have to make a decision what to do with a buck when an opportunity presents!

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Re: To hold out or not hold out?

It depends on a lot to me.

How many tags do you have?

What's the buck doe ratio and do you have doe tags?

Are there a lot of inferior bucks, or are they just young?

Is the deer population at a point where taking some young bucks won't adversly affect it?

Do you want the meat, or do you just want to hunt?

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