Head Hunter

[Big John]

Having been lucky enough to have shot a lot of deer, my question is: Would you rather hunt the big woods and only see a few deer (but big) or would you rather hunt where you see a lot of deer and shoot smaller ones?

 

[Mike Brooks]

I mainly hunt ( or used to when I had time) for meat. I've always found the smaller ones to eat better and be easier for me to handle. I'll take the does in the 110 to 120lb range if I had a choice. I've already had my big one.

 

[MikeChapin]

I prefer a young, dry doe. I find them to be the best eating. I guess I would go with the lots of smaller deer camp.

The same goes for elk. I prefer a cow that did not have a calf that year or lost it early.

 

[Slowpoke]

oh boy... this should be good when the Pa members come in.... Easy chair (check) popcorn (check) cool beverage (check)

I hunt in S.C and I have to say that unless you hunt in the mountains or a member of a managed hunting club, truly big deer are hard to find. On WMA land they have a unwritten rule that "if it's brown, they put it down". The areas that I hunt are heavy managed so buck under 3y are rarely taken.

After see Roundball's deer this year, I think they all migrated north !!!

 

[bob1961]

i happened apond this guy on state game lands in PA....alot of guys say all the deer are gone in PA....hard to pass that one on me....200 deer in a 16 mile stretch to work at night once or twice a month is hard to say there all gone too......bob

 

[roundball]

After see Roundball's deer this year, I think they all migrated north !!!

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't thrilled with my season this year...hunted a lot of years where that wasn't the case...so next year things will be back to normal and I'll probably just see a 3 legged pibald doe with a set of spikes!
:rotf:

 

[Itegorm]

Personally I like seeing lots of deer in the woods but have taken a couple of nice bucks along the way. But given the choice I will shoot a little yearling any day over a big buck. The little ones eat much better, are easier to get out of the woods and don't take near as long to butcher (one little one this year took me less than 45 minutes to skin, debone and wrap).

 

[TANSTAAFL]

Never hunted horns, but don't have cause to slight those whom do so.

 

[Dave K]

I will admit, I hunt for the challenge and the horns. I like see quality animals and working to get close to them. I enjoy the meat, but I enjoy the hunt even more.

 

[Wehrmacht]

You can have both BIG and PLENTY of deer with the proper management scheme. Being realistic,however,you've got to have control of a lot of acres,have patience to produce large bodied and large numbers of animals and have total agreement among those who hunt the area. It can be done,and it's a fun project to work on :thumbsup:.

 

[noahmercy]

I don't know why, but I get a thrill when I see large herds of wild animals, regardless of their size. I also think the best eating I've ever had was my first deer which was a baby buck. I bet his live weight wasn't 100 pounds, but MAN! was that some good venison.

So given the choices you presented, I'll take large numbers of small critters.

:thumbsup:

 

Roundball said "I'll probably just see a 3 legged pibald doe with a set of spikes!"

You huntin round them Newklear power plants again, ain't cha. :rotf:

My way of thinking is that aside from knive handles, measures, and ball starters, ther aren't any good recipes for antler, in fact I have yet to see one in any cookbook or on this site. Bill

 

[Puffer]

I've ALWAYS been a "meat" hunter. I was raised to take the ones that would EAT best :grin:
The "trophy Bucks" :nono:

Puffer

 

[roundball]

I've ALWAYS been a "meat" hunter. I was raised to take the ones that would EAT best :grin:
The "trophy Bucks" :nono:
Puffer

I respect everyone's views on why they hunt.
I also know that an individual's reasons for deer hunting can evolve over a lifetime.

I hunt because I love to hunt, and there's no question that over the decades bigger bucks with bigger racks attract me more and more....and learning to take them with older and older technology is the most important part of the challenge for me.

I get 6 deer tags a year and work hard to fill them all...but have yet to meet a hunter who claims to eat 6 deer in a year...resulting in a bit of a conflict right there if I was only a meat hunter for myself...so I give them all away to some very needy families out in the country where I hunt.

IMO, that's a win-win for everybody...for me personally, and for the Wildlife Dept. which theoretically benefits deer management in general for all of us hunters, and for the needy families that are delighted to get the meat.

:thumbsup:

 

[davy]

Roundball said "I'll probably just see a 3 legged pibald doe with a set of spikes!"

You huntin round them Newklear power plants again, ain't cha. :rotf:

My way of thinking is that aside from knive handles, measures, and ball starters, ther aren't any good recipes for antler, in fact I have yet to see one in any cookbook or on this site. Bill

W'all ... thars allus "antler" stew n soup .. howsumever its a bit rough on tha teeths n gums! :hmm: :rotf:

Davy

 

[Stumpkiller]

Having been lucky enough to have shot a lot of deer, my question is: Would you rather hunt the big woods and only see a few deer (but big) or would you rather hunt where you see a lot of deer and shoot smaller ones?

Can I have it so I see deer daily while hunting and shoot medium sized ones with great regularity? :haha:

In reality, I have places that match both your examples available to hunt, and invariably I go where I see the most deer. From there I get selective in the specific spot where I am likely to see a deer of good body size (2-1/2 to 4 years old). Antlers are nice, but I'm not fixated enough to refuse what presents itself. The woodlots I hunt are pressed pretty hard (I'll see six or eight hunters within 100 yards of me daily) and I am happy to take what comes along. Four and six points are my bread and butter, and a few years back I took a doe that weighed 212 lbs field dressed and I'd take that shot over again any time it would be offered.

 

[Runner]

When the boys were still home, and a 6 pound roast was nothing, 6 deer would not have lasted here for 6 months, much less a year. Now, if they were all 200 pound plus deer, maybe. I killed three this year. Two little eating deer and a nice doe. One of those little deer is pretty much gone already, and just the wife and I eat it unless it is ground. I have a three pound package thawing to go in tonights dinner. I wish I had clobbered another big deer to have sausage made out of. I am most definately a meat hunter. Venison summer sausage with cheddar and jalepeno peppers inside and smoked just right is the kind of eating you just can't get any other way.

 

[Hoyt]

I hunt public land in Central Fl. that is hunted to death and has low deer density. I hunted about 5 days a wk from the middle of Sept. till the end of it and almost all of Nov. all of Dec. till this morning and saw 3 bucks.
One the maker of this rub..I had a chance at twice in one day. In the morning at about 150yds. I couldn't get the cross hairs settled on his chest and didn't shoot..(wouldn't have gone off anyway) was using a T/C scoped handgun..14" barrel 7-30Waters..due to heart by-pass surgery 6wks. previous. That afternoon I got up in climber tree stand in the area he went..and he came in at 4:20pm to 5 steps broadside..stopped. I had the handgun on a mon-o-pod rest locked in and the cross hairs just behind his shoulders. I pulled the trigger and it snapped..he jerked his head up and tried to make me out for about 3 minutes we both froze..then he caught a whiff and headed for the hills. I had the gun barrel selector set on rim fire barrels instead of center fire.
He was a state registry buck..head full of horns and his coat was red as a sorrel horse..no Grey at all.
I hunted him the rest of the season and saw him one more time out of range. He has big rubs all around the area. I also missed a small 8pt with modern rifle 8wks. after the surgery and on Xmas day as the Dr. said I could I started with longrifle..54cal. but haven't seen anything and season goes out Sun.
So I rather hunt for big racks and see few deer..then shoot whatever is legal long as I need the meat.
However it does get old not seeing game.

 

[CrackStock]

I am not a trophy hunter as I have never developed a taste for antler stew and have never cared to mount heads in my home. I understand attaining challenges, but antlers are not what draw me to this.

As to limiting out, I do not care to have more than 2 or 3 deer in the freezer in a year since I will not eat more than that. A few young deer make a very rewarding season which is remembered with venison dishes throughout the year.

CS

 

[Maynerd62411]

I hunt for meat so I concider myself an opprotunist.If I get a good shot, I'll take it. It's served me well over the years. The biggest deer I've ever had a shot at was an 8-pointer with a little basket rack. He weighed almost 150. THis year, I got a 6-pointer @ 135 and a doe @ 105. My neighbor, on the other hand, likes his trophies. HIs wife, however, hated deer meat. So, I'll cape a big one for him and get the meat and grind it up. I had 5 in the freezer , this year. I share with several friends and family. By myself, I'll eat around 3 deer. My wife and son don't care for it. Saves more for me. :grin: