Why such a to-do about antlers? You can't eat 'em.

[appalichian hunter]

Years ago when I hunted WVA. the old mountain man whose farm I hunted told me one day that the horns were put on bucks to stir doe soup, I will never forget that or the man that said it.

 

[Spikebuck]

I started as a bowhunter as a young teenager. My goal for some time was any deer. Then "any" deer became pretty easy to achieve...even with archery equipment. I can still remember when I told my Dad I was going to start to pass on anything that wasn't a "rack" buck...he thought I was nuts. After passing several does that year I got a 2 1/2 YO 8 pointer. At that time we could only take one deer of any kind per year...period. As time went on I kept raising the bar for MYSELF. I could care less what someone else's goals are.

Once we were allowed multiple tags I started to take does again, but also limited myself to the challenge of mature bucks. While we consume any meat I bring home, my goals are to be in the woods, watch, listen, and learn. I do that by not shooting and doing a lot of watching. I have passed dozens of bucks that would make minimum Pope & Young and learned a lot by not shooting them.

While I could have many bucks in the record books, including 3 that would make B&C, I have never entered any of my bucks because for me, that's just not why I hunt for mature deer.

Hunting for mature bucks does NOT destroy a deer herd. It is a myth that the "top buck" does all or most of the breeding. In areas of good deer densities so many does are coming into heat at once it would be impossible for even just a handful of bucks to breed them all. Many bucks, including yearling bucks, are getting the breeding done.

Even though I'm limiting myself, I've never supported measures that limit others like antler point restrictions. Also, not all mature (meaning at least 4 1/2 years old) buck have "trophy" antlers. My oldest was 7 1/2 and I'm pretty sure he would not make even the P&Y minimum. I don't use scents, lures, baits, or other attractants. Increasingly, I find myself on the ground vs in trees. I have never hunted with modern firearms for deer. It's always been traditional or modern bows or traditional muzzleloaders.

Many years I don't shoot a deer at all, and that's perfectly fine with me. I can guarantee you that I walked out of the woods with many great experiences anyway.

I have many deer mounted...some of them small from my earlier years... as I look at mounts as pure art with the added benefit of triggering many great memories of good hunts. I even have a huge old doe mounted!

Net...everyone has THEIR reason for hunting. As long as it's WILD animals and FAIR chase, I don't care what someone else's motives are just like they should not care about mine or make ignorant and attempted belittling manhood comments about my goals and personal achievements.

Best wishes to everyone for great hunting success, however it is that you personally define it.

 

[rodwha]

Can’t eat antlers and I don’t care for the typical mounts (I do like the European mounts though). It’s all about the meat and so I take does just as often, but have more often than not taken cull bucks as it only helps the gene pool. It might be a part of why my old boss invited me to his lease several times each year.

 

[Idaho Ron]

I have and always will take a mature trophy buck if I have the right hunt. Unfortunately the state of Idaho has turned the great state into a husk of what it used to be.
We have to draw a tag to hunt in a lot of our state. The land owners demand less deer and elk to compete with cattle. Since our state is ran by ranchers war is being waged against deer and elk. Last year I applied for a bull tag on first choice. I applied for a cow second choice and drew the cow. out of 450 tags only 15 filled. My son and I were 2 of the 15 that were successful. This year I drew the bull tag and got one, I only saw 2. My son and I never seen a cow.
Back in the old days I hunted for the big bucks and bulls. They were more of a challenge.
Now days it depends on the tag I draw. Sometimes I want to hunt bulls but can't draw. The bull tag I drew this year was the first one in about 15 or 20 years. So I mostly shoot cows but would rather shoot a bull.
Many writers say that Shooting a mature mule deer is the hardest animal to hunt in North America. I think they are right. First they got big by being smart. Second, the tags can be a once in a lifetime deal.
The mule deer hunt I have been going on for several years is not a trophy hunt. There is a remote chance at a true trophy but for the most part a good buck is possible. I normally hunt for 7 to 9 days. I hunt a few days alone then my son comes to join me. I try to take something before he gets there. That way I am not competing with him for a good buck. He got his chance and took a very nice buck a couple years ago. The biggest we have taken there but it was not a true trophy. I will never pass a trophy animal.

 

[hunter thompson]

Spare the lil ones,,theres a state that stopped shooting spike horns ..some people were pissed thinking they would breed when the big guys got shot off.THE BIG guys are big because of there attitude on staying low being cautious. nocturnal mostly.MY dad was not agreeing on banning shooting spikehorns...i told him that me living in another state..that i let 6 points walk..i examine the herd all year and sometimes take one ..or a grey face doe with no fawns,that for 4 years always had a fawn with her.ME iam exceptionally devoted to knowledge of the deer that has been a deciding factor in where i live or wealth that was elswhere that i could of relocate for.ITS the horns because the size establishes the age...and the size of the prize that feeds more. i like 5 year old deer to help with keeping the usefullness of the herd up dated and healthy. theres no easy anser ...only intelligent choices if you know how to understand the land and know the sign.With all this techno stuff cameras ..theres no reason to not know what when and how to manage the crop.I let lil kids shoot does and women.Lay back relax enjoy the extended seasons and if they walk and you dont succeed THEY live /get bigger and your a better person to have enjoyed the outdoor adventure and contest

 

[Half-Cocked]

For all of my deer hunting career I seem to have been swimming upstream against the accepted opinion as to what it’s all about. For a large percentage of hunters it’s obviously all about the antlers, but that’s a minor consideration for me. I love the hunt, the challenge of outsmarting any deer, so it’s first come, first served with me. I don’t mind a buck having a big set of antlers, but I also don’t mind if it has a small set. Come right down to it, I’m after venison, and am not particular as to the package it comes in. As I said, upstream.

From a biological point of view it seems counterproductive. Mother Nature has it arranged so that the bucks compete, play king of the mountain, and that’s so the best, most advantageous genes are passed down to the next generation. And then we come along and concentrate on killing the winner, essentially defeating Nature’s plan. How is that a good thing?

Does anyone care to discuss why deer hunting should have always been a game of “my antlers are bigger than yours”? What is there about taking a buck with large antlers that’s better than one with small ones, or even a doe? Is it just a matter of machismo?

Incoming.

Spence

I would assume it's because some people like trophy mounting the deer. Besides aren't they worth some cashola?

 

[Howie1968]

it boils down to choices here in Texas ive been on MLD properties where ive been a part of at some of these 20 does were to be taken off i had the oppurtunity to take alot of deer. ive bow killed 87 deer thats beside the point but as ive got older and hunting pigs deer meat wasnt my favored meet i started noticing antlers and yes i liked taking a mature buck with a nice set of horns, sure you cant eat them but they are useful for show make knife handles acroutments i could kill my 4 alotted deer every year 2 bucks 2 down i could get a extra doe tag for a 5th and if i did my tags right a buck in 3 different counties but i dont i kill what i want to eat if i make it a heavy horned buck over a doe so be it do antlers matter to me? sure they do i put ALOT of work in to scout improve land etc my mind was the same when i only hunted public land scouting in for me will start after muzzleloading season. i could have tagged out bow season rifle season but if ive waited all through both season to hunt deer during muzzleloading season and i see a buck with big horns and i shoot him so be it as ive put in the work waited and chose to do so

 

[Kid Shelleen]

I started as a bowhunter as a young teenager. My goal for some time was any deer. Then "any" deer became pretty easy to achieve...even with archery equipment. I can still remember when I told my Dad I was going to start to pass on anything that wasn't a "rack" buck...he thought I was nuts. After passing several does that year I got a 2 1/2 YO 8 pointer. At that time we could only take one deer of any kind per year...period. As time went on I kept raising the bar for MYSELF. I could care less what someone else's goals are.

Once we were allowed multiple tags I started to take does again, but also limited myself to the challenge of mature bucks. While we consume any meat I bring home, my goals are to be in the woods, watch, listen, and learn. I do that by not shooting and doing a lot of watching. I have passed dozens of bucks that would make minimum Pope & Young and learned a lot by not shooting them.

While I could have many bucks in the record books, including 3 that would make B&C, I have never entered any of my bucks because for me, that's just not why I hunt for mature deer.

Hunting for mature bucks does NOT destroy a deer herd. It is a myth that the "top buck" does all or most of the breeding. In areas of good deer densities so many does are coming into heat at once it would be impossible for even just a handful of bucks to breed them all. Many bucks, including yearling bucks, are getting the breeding done.

Even though I'm limiting myself, I've never supported measures that limit others like antler point restrictions. Also, not all mature (meaning at least 4 1/2 years old) buck have "trophy" antlers. My oldest was 7 1/2 and I'm pretty sure he would not make even the P&Y minimum. I don't use scents, lures, baits, or other attractants. Increasingly, I find myself on the ground vs in trees. I have never hunted with modern firearms for deer. It's always been traditional or modern bows or traditional muzzleloaders.

Many years I don't shoot a deer at all, and that's perfectly fine with me. I can guarantee you that I walked out of the woods with many great experiences anyway.

I have many deer mounted...some of them small from my earlier years... as I look at mounts as pure art with the added benefit of triggering many great memories of good hunts. I even have a huge old doe mounted!

Net...everyone has THEIR reason for hunting. As long as it's WILD animals and FAIR chase, I don't care what someone else's motives are just like they should not care about mine or make ignorant and attempted belittling manhood comments about my goals and personal achievements.

Best wishes to everyone for great hunting success, however it is that you personally define it.

Spikebuck, you have eloquently and most cogently made your case. I applaud you. Enlightening, to say the least, the path this thread has taken. I respect the dignity of every man in his situation. There is no man to be condemned here.

 

[Ames]

I hunt because I can and enjoy it. Up here you get one antlered deer with your license. Any other permit, antlerless or extra antlerless is by lottery.
Any deer permitted to me over 150 lbs. is open for business and the freezer. I enjoy a nice rack when it presents itself along with the meat. I enjoy time spent in the woods up here. But I'm happy to say never learned, nor intend to learn how to score a rack of antlers. When my friends call and retell their hunts, we go as far as how many points was he and what was the hanging weight. Meat hunters we are. Rack hunters have their own sport, I guess.
Now I'm going to warm up some of yesterdays venison chili and serve it with scrambled eggs and warm tortillas for breakfast.

 

[watopeka]

As i read your posts, we are the most experienced aged hunters been there and done that, Ive been lucky to have shot a few big bucks the old ways hard work and patience. But the hunting scene has change in major strides with the coming of the videos and portable cameras the younger generation reading and watching these bucks with massive horns. They all dream of getting the big one but pass on the lesser bucks that normally they would shoot and be proud and now most miss the season because of that. I can see one day the need to protect and the big bucks And that brings another problem poaching, the anxiety of getting a big one.

 

[artrepro]

For all of my deer hunting career I seem to have been swimming upstream against the accepted opinion as to what it’s all about. For a large percentage of hunters it’s obviously all about the antlers, but that’s a minor consideration for me. I love the hunt, the challenge of outsmarting any deer, so it’s first come, first served with me. I don’t mind a buck having a big set of antlers, but I also don’t mind if it has a small set. Come right down to it, I’m after venison, and am not particular as to the package it comes in. As I said, upstream.

From a biological point of view it seems counterproductive. Mother Nature has it arranged so that the bucks compete, play king of the mountain, and that’s so the best, most advantageous genes are passed down to the next generation. And then we come along and concentrate on killing the winner, essentially defeating Nature’s plan. How is that a good thing?

Does anyone care to discuss why deer hunting should have always been a game of “my antlers are bigger than yours”? What is there about taking a buck with large antlers that’s better than one with small ones, or even a doe? Is it just a matter of machismo?

Incoming.

Spence

Does this meet your approval Bob? Taken 12-19-2020. Bout all I could manage this year.

Funny thing about this little girl is there was no blood other than a few drops on her fur. No blood on the ground in the area she was shot nor was there any blood trail. Classic heart/ lung shot from 70 yds. Straight in & out, no shoulder meat damaged. 50 cal. round ball, 70 gr. 2f Geox.

Her chest cavity was like a ocean, full of blood. Only thing I can think of is she was so fat, she did not bleed out. After the shot she walked for 10 yards or so turned around and walked back to the same area I shot her. Expired within 10 seconds of the shot.

Oh, to the original question, I don't eat horns either. My wife requests small does for the table, and I am OK with that. Less work for me to get the deer out of the woods.

Sorry for the long post I just get a little carried away.

chuck40219

 

[Eric Krewson]

When I started out deer hunting I treasured every little rack I got, even if it was only a spike, over the years I tacked each set of antlers to the wall of my shop with pride.

Over time the antlers didn't mean much to me anymore, I was always a meat hunter and shot what ever happened by. A couple of years ago I took the antlers down off the wall to give me more room to hang bow making bending jigs and forms. I kept two larger sets that had special meaning to me, and consigned the rest to a wash tub in the attic.

I have always participated in a fund raising auction for St Jude on the Trad Gang archery site, this year I thought of that washtub full of antlers and wondered what they would auction for. These antlers were nothing special, lots of them were from year and a half and two year old deer with a few big ones thrown in.

I made up two boxes full with a total of 22# of antlers, I knew a few knifemakers would be glad to get them.

One knifemaker won the auction for both boxes, he bid a total of $150 and got a bargain. I got rid of antlers I didn't care about any more and St Jude got a small check for operating expenses, a win win in my opinion.

 

[Carbon 6]

Several of you mentioned “the challenge “.
The biggest challenge in the deer woods is that giant mature buck. Plain and simple. Meat deer simply aren’t as big of a challenge.

We create our own challenges, or at least I do. I don't follow the herd, never have.

 

[Sidney Smith]

Shooting a big racked buck is all about one thing IMO, bragging rights. Its mans competitiveness plain and simple. "Look at me, I got a bigger deer than you"! Thats what it is. I never bought into that mindset. Thats why I never gravitated toward team sports. Too much competitiveness made it not fun to me. I compete against no one. I partake of activities for my own enjoyment. Beating somebody is not what I care about.

Now would I pass up a nice buck, hell no. But do I care if I dont get one, again hell no. Im happy taking does. My last three deer have all been does. If s doe presents a shot,it goes down and I have meat. Its as simple as that.

 

[GAHUNTER60]

I hunt big-antlered, mature deer for the same reason I hunt with a traditional muzzleloader -- because it's more challenging! I long ago got over sitting in a tree with a scoped, modern rifle and knocking off little bucks and young does. My area of Georgia is knee deep in deer, and killing young bucks and young does has gotten too easy. It's just killin'! Yeah, I'll take one of those for meat every now and then if someone is wanting venison, but there is little sense of accomplishment in it. (BTW, God has seen fit to play a joke on me and has blessed me with the tick bite-caused, Alpha Gal allergy that makes eating any red meat -- including venison -- a guaranteed trip to the E.R.)

But outsmarting a big, mature buck, and taking him with a traditional muzzleloader, still excites me! Of course, I won't be successful every season (I was this year, though), but that is what keeps me coming back, developing my hunting strategies, and tuning my rifles to be the best they can be. But exclusively hunting big bucks (and sometimes big "nanny" does - who are just as smart as big bucks), has breathed new life into this old hunter. I had almost given it up completely because of my affliction, but now I look forward to every trip to the woods with excited anticipation. With any luck, God will grant me a few more years to try and outsmart the bull-of-the-woods in my area.

And If I shoot him, it certainly won't dampen my enthusiasm for the next hunt -- there's always a bigger one out there, and a different muzzleloader in my safe than needs to earn its keep!

 

[Carbon 6]

Shooting a big racked buck is all about one thing IMO, bragging rights. Its mans competitiveness plain and simple.

Yes, It is competition, not challenging.

 

[George]

Does this meet your approval Bob? Taken 12-19-2020. Bout all I could manage this year.

Beautiful doe, Chuck, congratulations. Wish I could have been there with you. That was on my 66th wedding anniversary, what a way to celebrate it that would have been.

If I remember correctly you've been known to let mature bucks walk in preference to good-eating ones.

I think I must not have asked my question in the right way. Not unusual. I wasn't asking any individual why he hunts the way he does, why he chooses the type of deer he prefers, which seems to be what most posters took it to mean. It's none of my business how or why a man hunts, and I couldn't care less. I was asking why deer with big antlers have always been considered a prize, a trophy. They are celebrated in many ways, have always been, it seems. Think of the Boone and Crocket club, the Pope and Young club. Shoot a big-antlered deer and you get your picture in the paper or on the hunting magazine covers. People seem to always assume that if you shoot a big antlered deer you must be one helluva hunter. That may actually be the case, but it's not necessarily so. Trophy bucks do wander by average hunters occasionally. This search for the trophy rack has been going on since before the oldest man here was born. I was just curious why.

Personally, I think it's tied to the male ego, which has been around even longer.

Spence

 

[appalichian hunter]

Artrepro, congrulations on your deer, as I stated I am not a doe killer and have no qualms with those that harvest them, but something to think about, A young doe will breed her first year of sexual maturity and probably have a single fawn, the rest of her breeding life she will have twins, maybe a set of triplets or maybe a single fawn, now lets say she makes it too six years of age for a total of perhaps 10 fawns of which if we are lucky half of those will be buck deer. I have watched deer and do prior scouting a lot as mentioned bye others, and over the years have learned a lot of deer behavior in the area I hunt, some of the deer are familiar and then there are what I call the cruisers,. For example the 7 point this year I shot during regular rifle season never seen him in the area. If I was to harvest a doe it would be a old doe that I figured was beyond her breeding days. I have often wondered of the smaller deer that are harvested as a doe but turns out to be a button buck the numbers involved. Do not get me wrong a old heard leader doe is a very smart animal, at times I try to see what I can get away with such as movement, or a slight noise with one of those old girls, for me it is a learning experience and at least I think adds to my hunting skills. As I have aged it is now about the horns, When younger it was about if the deer had horns it was dead. The state I hunt has for the last few years put a antler point restriction and harvestable bucks must have at least 3 points on one side, There are starting to be some nice bucks now. As Eric said my shop walls are covered with horns some small, some large there are deer heads mounted in my home each has a story behind them and for me all are trophies. If I need a knife handle or something made from deer horn I will buy the horn, never cut up one that I shot. Happy hunting.

 

[Robby]

A big buck is an old buck, an old buck is a smart and cagey buck that has learned what not to do. I have been hunting for over sixty years and the sight of a buck with a larger than average rack still elevates my blood pressure above what it reaches with any other deer. When my family was young, to me I had to justify the cost of buying a license with meat on the table and there weren't nearly the numbers of deer as there are today. But in the last few years I have seen some big bucks and doing my proper scouting I have tried for one specific buck, is that trophy hunting(?), why yes it is and I have passed on lessor deer in my pursuit, and putting my learned hunting abilities against a wily old buck on his ground is tough hunting. I alway get meat for the table, but that added level of intensity is different and those that don't get it, well that's okay. There a lot of things about modern America I don't get too.
Robby

 

[appalichian hunter]

Spence and Carbon 6, it is a competition but not as I see it with other hunters but with the heavy horned monarch of the mountain. I have never bragged about a big horned buck and am happy for someone who has shot one. For instance this past season I took my best friend to the area I hunt (guide for lack of better explanation) he shot a nice 6 point the last day the last hour of legal shooting lite. We had hunted for a total of three days, We watched does, yearlings, spikes and smaller racked bucks all three days. I never took a rifle it was his hunt. I enjoyed the hunt and was just as excited for him as if I had done the shooting. We all have different reasons we hunt and what we harvest but have one great thing in common, the call deep inside us to hunt binds us together as a brotherhood.