mentality-how much

[Guest mathersj]

Where I live there is around 16 hunters in a mile radius, and thats unfortunate. One farmer lets 10 guys hunt on about 350 acres, and thats bad for me because I am only 19 and been hunting for 7 years and have yet to get a nice buck, because when I was younger i watched all the hunting videos and they preached pass on the little ones and the big ones will become yours. Well most of them guys shoot literally anything that walks in front of them so i will pass it up and they shoot it and it makes me sick, and then 2 of the guys are really mature hunters and have quality land and spend money, got the ponds and food plots and such and create a great place for mature bucks, and they usually get them. Whereas I am young and don't got the best land or the money to build plots and what not so I am kinda stuck. And now its frustrating and every year i keep wanting to shoot the smaller ones because they are never going to grow with the other hunters, so then what do you do?

[Guest bigalt78]

I wont shoot the does on my land or the small bucks because Ive only got 180 acres and Im trying to build my herd but on my sisters place she has like 1000 acres and is over run with deer so I can shoot anything I want over there.

i think this is hilarious here in the cincinnati area in ohio the biggest piece of property you'll hunt is around 30 to 40 acres but most of the spots you hunt is 5 or 10 acres every once in awhile you'll get a 70 or so acre place but anyways, where im at i believe in shooting the limit in does i think everyone should because we have a HUGE amount of deer here. you always see does no matter what the conditions are so i believe in killing as many as you're allowed and if you have land owners tags take them too but with the bucks i believe in passing if it isnt what you like. now i dont talk down to people who shoot small bucks (as long as it's not on my hunting land) but i believe in passing and waiting for that trophy, what ever the trophy may be in your eyes, right now im waiting for something that scores at least around 115 if i can because my previous buck was decent but im ready for something better.

[arrow32]

I let a lot of deer walk on my Uncles farm knowing that most of the people around it know what it can breed and wait for atleast good bucks. But anywhere else its the brown its down game for everyone and I will lower my standards.

I passed up alot of nice bucks this year on the one farm and only one of them got shot during gun season now they just have to make it through ML and I will have some great bucks to look forward to next year.

[wtnhunt]

I realy don't think people have any right to try and preach at another hunter about what deer they should and shouldn't kill.

At the same time others should not ridicule those who pass up younger bucks, even if they do end up killed up the road.

See thing is my wife had passed on this young buck, I had actually also seen the same deer a few times and let it walk myself. The deer got killed up the road, the comments made to her by her co-worker was something to the effect "see, that is exactly why YOU should have shot that deer". Seems that many in this area have that type of mindset that they need to kill the deer when they see it because they are afraid if they dont the next hunter on the next farm will. Guess some people just dont realize that they can hold out and they do not have to shoot everything they see.

I dont really get the whole idea of this, seems kind of stingy to me. I do however have the realization that there are several of these type of hunters around who do carry the "brown its down" mentality, probably significantly more of them than there are hunters who will watch a 1.5 year old and let it walk as we have been doing. Since we have meat(veni) in the freezer, I am holding out for a mature deer, 3.5 year old or older now, which I know it is not likely I will see one, but I will have fun out there at least.

[bowhunter862]

The mentality of others plays no part in my decision to shoot or not. I hunt for ME. If I see a deer and I want to pass, I will. If I see a deer I want to shoot, I will. The trophy is in my eyes only. If it is legal and I have a tag for it and want to take it home, I will. It is my decision at that moment and whether it is a monster, a spike or a doe no one will decide whether or not I shoot but me.

[Guest Tatonka]

Every part of the country is different, obviously. In many states just seeing a legal buck during deer season is tough. I live in Montana but grew up in Vermont. I have friends and family that have a couple of deer camps up in the mountains back in Vermont. These guys are good hunters and hunt hard....lifelong deer hunters. This year they killed one forkhorn buck in the 16 day rifle season. I'm not sure how many guys were hunting, but it's usually 7 or 8 (or more) between the two camps. Vermont probably has the worst whitetail hunting of all the states where whitetails are hunted....you just don't pass up any legal deer there.

Montana is pretty much the exact opposite. The mature bucks are tough to find regardless of the state or province a person hunts in, but we have enough of them to make passing up younger bucks in order to take a mature buck a realistic goal. Yet every year I see pickups loaded up with little bucks... It makes no sense here as we can shoot several does if a person wants meat. In Montana (emphasis on Montana), it makes absolutely no sense for anyone to shoot a little forkhorn buck. As I stated earlier, in my opinion the exception would be a kid hunting for his first buck, someone that might be handicapped, etc.

Some non-residents from back east have a very difficult time passing up immature bucks when they come out here. For a person who has hunted where it's tough to even see a legal buck during hunting season, the first thing with antlers above their ears looks huge to them. I ran into a fellow from New Jersey several years back who had killed a rather small 4X4 buck the first day he was here (like a 1.5 year old buck with about a 12" spread). He was tickled to death with it at the time, but I ran into him again a couple days later and he wasn't so happy. After filling his tag he'd been doing some birdhunting and had jumped up several bucks far larger than the one he'd shot. Like they say.....live and learn.

[Dubie]

The mentality of others plays no part in my decision to shoot or not. I hunt for ME. If I see a deer and I want to pass, I will. If I see a deer I want to shoot, I will. The trophy is in my eyes only. If it is legal and I have a tag for it and want to take it home, I will. It is my decision at that moment and whether it is a monster, a spike or a doe no one will decide whether or not I shoot but me.

Exactly what I was trying to get at

[rhine16]

I have been passing up bucks since i was 13(which was 5 seasons ago). I killed a very good buck for this area, and realized that i didnt "want" to kill anything much smaller. I have made the mistake of killing immature bucks since then. I can remember two. One where i knowingly did it, one where i misjudged age. I'm a mature buck hunter when it comes to rifle hunting, I will never again shoot a doe(unless it is to put it out of it's misery) and i hope i wont shoot an immature buck with a rifle(archery equipment is a different story). Like some have said above, It should be what you view as a trophy.

I'm very lucky that we have neighbors on all sides that practice a reasonable management system. Not many people(especially in my area) are fortunate enough to hunt beside neighbors like mine.

As far as someone talking down your wife, It is her decision not to shoot. Not theirs! Being the age that i am, i have to deal with this alot. I've passed on many deer through the years and then showed friends trail cam pics of the deer only to have them tell me how stupid i was for not shooting.

On the flip side of this, i have also tried to persuade many friends to pass up young deer. I guess i'm sorta wrong to try to change them.

[elkoholic]

How other people hunt and the animals they shoot is of no concern to me as long as the animals taken and the hunting tactics are legal. The only exception to that is the incredible amount of "road" hunting (legal on Forest Service roads as long as they exit the vehicle to shoot) taking place here, no matter what they shoot (buck or doe) these people give hunting a black eye. That being said, those who shoot young bucks in areas with numerous available doe tags are causing a major upheaval in the age ratio of the herd and probably keeping the buck to doe ratio really out of balance. But, hey, they are probably seeing a lot of deer, just not big mature bucks.

[FSU_Seminole]

My wife told me about a discussion she had at work that left her kind of irritated. Seems more and more we meet people who just don't understand why we do what we do with passing up deer. She was talking with a couple co workers, a man and his girlfriend who both hunt. She had talked about seeing a little 4 pointer that was out in front of her for about 15 minutes offering numerous good shot opportunities. They gave her a bit of a hard time over her passing the deer up saying basically she is nuts. I have gotten the same type of responses in conversations here for passing up many over the years, people either dont believe it or act like you are stupid. Really I have lowered my standards and have taken a couple 2.5 year olds that if it was not for knowing that the hunters around us have the brown its down mentality I probably would have passed up. So I admit that I have knowingly let what has been going on around us effect my own goals.

So how much does the mentality of hunters surrounding the areas you hunt effect your decisions or standards if you have any? Mainly for the small to medium sized landowners hunting parcels from say 40 acres up to 160 acres or so. When you pass up the 1.5 year olds and time and time again and a day or week later you see the very same deer you passed up hanging in a tree up the road, or watch the deer you pass up walk off onto another property only to hear them shoot it, would it effect you and how you set your own goals when the area you have to hunt is somewhat limited?

Usually I let people tell me what they've killed first, how long they've been hunting ect ect. I don't like to rub people the wrong way or start any drama.

I think that if people want to shoot young deer on public land, or if they have their own private land they can do whatever they want to do as long as its legal & it makes them happy while hunting.

For me personally I've long been over shooting young deer. I waited 3 months to pull the trigger this season & my patience got me a dandy buck!!!! I was just telling my girlfriend the other day I'm already excited about next season because their are several handsome smaller bucks & 2 defenite border line shooters that are staying on my land. If they survive the next 3 weeks & survive the winter I will have 2 monster bucks to hunt next season along with any dominant traveling bucks during the rut. I could have shot both those deer way earlier in the season. A big 6 point & a nice young wide 8 who should be a stud next year.

Alot of guys I know aren't interested in food plots, mineral licks, deer & property management. So I really don't tell everyone I know that I "pass deer up". I just tell them what I took in that particular year.

[Guest AllArmyoutdoorsSD]

My step father always says, "You'll never take a Monster Buck if you always shoot the little ones." You know what you are comfortable with. Do whats right in your mind.