How many of you kill meat bucks the last day?
- Thread starter halfassed
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Trix4me
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?Eat goose breast twice a week of a couple months and when deer season opens you'll kill the first legal buck you see.
Pines_N_Tines
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We love deer jerky, back straps, tenderloins, and steaks. When we get down to roasts and grind it is not a household favorite, but it gets eaten. I've never had a limited entry deer tag. I started out with smaller deer as most youth hunters do. With experience I started learning the hunt area, escape routes, where the bucks go when pushed, I started being more selective. That said I would go years between bucks and without any other game meat in the freezer, every once in a while I'd shoot a jerky buck. Now that my kids are old enough for tags, I'm back to looking for antlers and the jerky that comes along with them is a bonus. That said, I see I time in the future when the hills and escape routes will be to hard for me to handle and a jerky 2 point from the side of the road might be what makes me happy. What I will shoot depends on so many factors and it changes from year to year. Right now I'd rather see my kids have success over me but would still love to take a 200" general season "unicorn" if the chance comes along.
highfastflyer
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Surveys show about 25% of hunters are trophy hunters. Perhaps the state game managers could manage 10% of the units for trophy quality and the rest as either General or limited quota as the environment will sustain. Of course you can always buy a guided hunt on a trophy ranch or a trip to Mexico if you can afford it to try and harvest a trophy. You can’t fault any hunter for following the legal harvest criteria and then complain about it. If you want changes in the harvest of young bucks bring it up at the next Wildlife Commission or advisory board meeting and ask for a 3 point Antler Point Restriction for 3 years. Research has shown some of those small antlered spike bucks are inferior genetically anyways so the public is helping the overall gene pool by harvesting spike bucks.
highfastflyer
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Large ranches cull those type bucks as they are known to produce inferior antlers. The bucks on the far right of this photo were from spikes as yearlings. The middle set from fork horns and the sets on the left from large racked yearling bucks, all sets were collected from 3 1/2 year old deer.
johnnyutah
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Perpetual, exclusive trophy hunting is the single worst thing for herd genetics. That's why management tags are offered on premium units.
rmanwill
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Fish and game departments manage wildlife by numbers, not trophy animals. If we all just harvest trophies the herd numbers will be way out of whack and they will just issue hundreds of more tags to manage the herd until they get the objective herd number they are after. Then there will be the belly aching about to many hunters, tags are to hard to draw and so on and so on. All them new hunters will be out for success. For me it is about the outing with family and friends enjoying the outdoors. If I harvest an animal that is a bonus and my choice. Weather that be a trophy or a meat buck. Both of those words are different to each of us. Trophy to some is a first 2x2. To others a 22 inch 4x4 is a trophy. To some that same 22 inch 4x4 is a meat buck on the last day (and now I know I'll hear the belly aching about killing a larger buck as a meat buck that just a couple years of aging would be a great buck). To each their own. Tag purchases, time spent and everyone's right to tag or pass any legal buck the see fit at the time and situation.
As long as legal and tag is purchased by fish and game it is the hunters choice!!!
I have for years had he luxury to hunt entire season due to employment and now retirement. I enjoy the hunt and see dozens of bucks every year. Eat tag soup occasionally, tag great bucks occasionally and even tag a meat buck occasionally, like stated before that meat buck could be a 2x2 or a 22 inch 4x4.
Cheers to all and good luck in the draws and mainly have a great year and enjoy the outdoors and whatever your harvest is!!.
As long as legal and tag is purchased by fish and game it is the hunters choice!!!
I have for years had he luxury to hunt entire season due to employment and now retirement. I enjoy the hunt and see dozens of bucks every year. Eat tag soup occasionally, tag great bucks occasionally and even tag a meat buck occasionally, like stated before that meat buck could be a 2x2 or a 22 inch 4x4.
Cheers to all and good luck in the draws and mainly have a great year and enjoy the outdoors and whatever your harvest is!!.
I take my little kids and shoot one the last couple days of the hunt if I don’t get a bigger one earlier. I see so many people demeaning other hunters for their choice. Shame on you. If it’s legal and you want to shoot a deer and the meat is most important to you, great! If you hold out and the meat is a bonus for having an experience hunting trophy animals, great! We are all in it for different reasons and to say that your way is the only way is a terrible way to think.
eelgrass
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I think 99% of us would like to kill the biggest buck on the mountain, but if the smell of venison that you killed, cooking in a cast iron skillet doesn't put a smile on your face, you are missing the main point of hunting. Slow down and smell the roses and give thanks for a safe and successful hunt.
Oldblindsquirrel
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Same here and I like a nice marble beef steak much better?. Of course I'm probably gonna stroke out shortly and save alot more deer for the other hunters..?
