Trophy vs. Meat

Different strokes for different folks. If I saw a monster buck. I wouldn't pass. Would I go out looking for him? No I know where a 14 point buck hides out. In my old stomping grounds behind my grandparents house. I could talk to the new owners and get permission to hunt. Or talk to there old neighbor's. And get permission. But ill let the old man be. Someone else might have got him last year. Idk not going after him either way. Wouldn't mind getting a few dozen tree rats out there.

I'll take a trophy if he is passed herd health breeding or visibly handicapped. Can't eat horns. Won't take any buck that's in rut. Only take does if they are mature enough their healthy breeding is near end. None with young. Bucks with genetic antler issues are culled. Can't control what others do but I'll always advocate for herd health.

I have a 5x6 bull elk on my wall that I shot in the mid-00's. The meat was not very good- totally hormoned and gamey, even with essentially a one shot kill and dead within a minute or two. The two year old cow I shot previously was like butter. I have checked the box for "trophy" and now go after cows if given a choice.

.455_Hunter said:

I have a 5x6 bull elk on my wall that I shot in the mid-00's. The meat was not very good- totally hormoned and gamey, even with essentially a one shot kill and dead within a minute or two. The two year old cow I shot previously was like butter. I have checked the box for "trophy" and now go after cows if given a choice.

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That's one reason I'll not shoot a buck in rut.
The other is let them breed.

I hunt trophies. But I like eating more.
I shoot big bucks, cull bucks, and young does. Old ones make better momma.
My lease, my tag, my choice.
I can't see judging people . Unless they waste the meat.

Why was it unsettling?
We're all different, and as long as one is following the law and not wasting meat, more power to them.

I try to kill a couple does during muzzleloader season, then wait on a buck during rifle season. That's how I prefer to do it.

I agree that a doe eats better than a 5 year old buck in the rut, no doubt about it. But we have several crock pot recipes that the older bucks get used for. When something cooks on low all night long, it doesn't matter the animal's sex or how old it is, it falls apart. They eat just as good that way, and have a lot more meat on them.

I got my first deer worthy of the wall last season, and I gotta tell you, I'm hooked. I don't know if the does will get my blood boiling this coming season or not. I'll still kill a couple to fill the freezer. After all, having a freezer full of venison is definitely one of the best parts about hunting.

But I like the big boys too.

As others said, the only things I don't condone are wasting meat and causing needless suffering.....of deer or anything else.
You want horns, go for it. Don't want to eat it yourself? Give it away.
You want meat? Pass on the horns and shoot what you like.

I also come from a more substance background, both in terms of food, and entertainment. Not much to do back home if you don't hunt, fish, or dive.
Now tho it seems there's more, and more people only shooting bucks, so there are more and more deer, but less big males.


Personally I'll generally pass on a buck, I'll also shoot as many does as I can fit in my coolers. That me, even when I do shoot bucks I don't keep the horns, so why deprive someone else of something they might enjoy.

I always shoot for the bigger body, I've shot a lot of big 5-7s since most were bigger them common 8-10s. Meat should never be wasted. We get up to 200#+ doe hear I'd just as much shoot one of them.

Arkansas Paul said:

Why was it unsettling?

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I'm gonna guess it's because the OP was belittled and chastised for shooting does and young bucks. Too many Bubbas out there that think shooting does is only for women and small children....real men only shoot big bucks. Folks with half a brain or more realize that in order to manage deer herds for bets herd health and in the end, best genetics and rack size, someone has to shoot excess does and young bucks. The idea that the more deer in a area the better went out with rotary dialed phones. Folks that want to shoot only trophy bucks should be appreciative of others that thin/cull the herd for them, not critical of those folks, if they don't want to do it themselves. I like venison and I like shooting mature bucks with nice racks, so I shoot a variety. maybe not all in the same season, but over time. What others think does not really matter to me.

This topic arises frequently, each side of the debate assigns a moral high ground to advance a superior position over the other. It's a false premise to begin with. Ethics in hunting gets turned into a question as to whose ethics are superior. Don't get sucked into the argument. Let a each person enjoy hunting for what it is.

100% agree.

Arkansas Paul said:

We're all different, and as long as one is following the law and not wasting meat, more power to them.

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I grew up in farm country. Both food crops and livestock. I raised young cute calves up to be big and tasty.

As such, I am a meat hunter. I have the patience but I don’t have the time to trophy hunt. I hunt for the summer sausage, jerky, butterflied loins, and rump roasts.

I hunt in areas that are full to the breaking point with deer. There are rarely trophy worthy animals anyway so why bother trying to find them?

I am planning an elk hunting trip in the coming years and I have not even considered going after a bull. I want higher likelihood of success and I don’t want to deal with some states political BS associated with their elk herd. It’s just easier to go cow hunting I have found. I won’t need a head on the wall to remind me of the hunt.

That is me though. I see very clearly that my situation, wants, needs, and feelings on the matter are going to be different from anyone else’s.

QDM initiatives only go so far as the property line.

Where I do most of my hunting, I get 1 buck and 2 does per season. Does can be hunted through archery season with a couple of doe days during black powder and general gun. What I try to do is get a doe during archery season (not that I would pass on a nice trophy buck during archery if the opportunity arose), and I take Mrs. FL-NC out on the doe gun days to try and get her a kill. Otherwise, during BP and general gun, I'm hunting the bucks and hoping for a trophy, but no young bucks (Fl requires 10" of main beam and/or at least 3 points on one side to be a legal buck in my area). The management hunts that I do once or twice a year with state forestry generally allow 1 doe and 1 buck per hunter, so I go for large does and compliant bucks, since the same rules apply for bucks during management hunts. In addition, there is a zoo here in the panhandle (not part of that tiger king mess) that has mostly rescue animals and depends heavily on donations. Any meat that I don't use goes to them to feed the tigers, lions, wolves, etc. Those critters go through a lot of meat daily. So if I don't want to mess with things like front shoulders, neck, heart/liver, and all of the "trash" after processing, it goes to the zoo- which is not wasteful in my opinion. Same for any unwanted large hogs that are eradicated.

I dont like to shoot does. I've had a few bad experiences with babies hanging around after. I'm not doing it.
With four other hunters in the family, our venison needs are always met. I generally only kill one deer per year since there are five of us hunting (at least)
My ideal is a respectable buck two to four years old.
As @.455_Hunter stated, I've checked the box on trophies.
Most generally as a bow hunter, and muzzleloader hunter....I let my shot opportunity decide. If I am offered an easy shot on a young buck, I'm taking it.
I really dont want to spend another $600 on taxidermy. Mrs doesn't want me to either.
I take my buck, process it myself, antlers go on a homemade board in the mancave, and I enjoy the venison for a year.
That's my ultimate deer hunt.

I think either approach can be OK. A lot depends on the deer population. Years ago here in GA deer were scarce and in order for the herd to grow it was best to only kill older bucks, and never shoot a doe. In fact our bag limits and short seasons dictated such.

In 2020 deer are a nuisance. We have too many and killing does and younger bucks is encouraged. You can now kill 12 deer here during our 4 month long deer season. But only 2 can be bucks. You can technically kill more than that since deer taken on a WMA don't count toward the 12 limit.

Depending on where you live, and the status of your deer population I could see where another hunter would not like your approach.

.38 Special said:

.... I kill to eat. That means that I pass over the best trophies in favor of young and, often, female. Apparently that sets off a certain type of hunter, and I had no idea. I'd appreciate a conversation about it....

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Depends.., a bit..., on the situation where you hunt. Does it not?

For example, I live on the East Coast, in a blu-ish state. So there is a large area where one simply cannot hunt deer, or other critters. The deer population is amazingly high, and this year with COVID, the drop in human activity has caused an even higher rise in the deer herd. In fact, if you worked the season right and bought the extra stamps, a hunter could harvest as many as 12 deer in certain areas of the state. 10 Doe and 2 bucks.

So..., out here the DNR really wants the deer herd harvested..., either hunters do it, or the front end of motor vehicles will do it.......

ME?
I don't "trophy" hunt. I take the adult deer that is in front of me, EXCEPT I try NOT to take the buck with the largest antlers...say a 6 point or 8 point....., and normally I only take a full sized doe. Because I like venison in many forms and I like to eat it and to cook it up for others.

Why don't you take the buck with the large rack?
Glad you asked...
Where I live, the dominant buck tends to keep his does on the small, non-operational farm where I hunt. It's a quiet place, surrounded by a couple horse boarding businesses which are always busy even during COVID. The farmer who owns the land where I hunt passed away, and his wife still lives there with her son, but her son is an I.T. guy, and can't work the farm other than field mowing a few times a year. So my local-big-buck likes to keep his harem there in a woodlot there...., and in the Spring and Summer the deer naturally congregate over there.

Now I have taken some of the young bucks that are offspring of his...., and I know he's not the same old mature buck running the show since I first started hunting there 20 years ago. But since I take mostly does, eventually one of the young males fully matures and takes over from the previous dominant buck, and the cycle continues.

So I don't care..., A hunter can if desired, go for a really large racked buck. In my area some of the guys spend a lot of time and money and effort helping that sort of buck to exist, with special food plots and mineral licks. That helps the whole herd in the area stay healthy, as the guys can't limit access to the food and the minerals etc to just a few bucks that show large rack potential.

NOW IF a person takes a buck for the rack alone, I do have a problem with just letting the carcass rot. The hunter doesn't have to eat any of the meat, but I'd prefer (and this is my opinion, not a judgement) that the meat be given to somebody. Even if it's just a phone call to take the remainder of the deer as the head has been removed for mounting purposes. That's fine..., the rack-hunter doesn't have to pay for a professional to break down the carcass into meat for freezing, or to DIY butcher it before giving it away. Just please don't dump the carcass.

It's different in other areas, even in my state. Some places the deer are not at all so plentiful, and thus a large rack buck is rare, or getting a chance to harvest any deer is rare, so the hunter wishes to get both a trophy and meat. Situations differ, so I suppose my viewpoint would differ as the variables differ...

LD

I am a meat/cull guy too but I don’t think “for looking at” hunters are bad people.



After all, you can have your rack and eat it too.

I’m convinced that trophy deer don’t exist in my area. Most of the doe are bigger than the bucks and considering I average 4 doe tags a season, trophy hunting doesn’t factor into my mind.

That said, there are entire towns at rely on the revenue that trophy hunting generates, and thus I can’t begrudge a person who trophy hunts.

and third, the hunting community gets enough pushback from the outside that we don’t need any infighting, so if someone wants to trophy hunt, let em. At least they’re participating in hunting instead of being an Anti. Same religion different prophet, you know?

daniel craig said:

the hunting community gets enough pushback from the outside that we don’t need any infighting, so if someone wants to trophy hunt, let em. At least they’re participating in hunting instead of being an Anti. Same religion different prophet, you know?

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I agree as long as they are using a real deer rifle and not a .223....

Made myself lol but I do agree, just a good spot for a joke.

I’ve gotten lucky with the bucks and bulls I’ve killed that I consider trophies; they’ve all be made of meat

I do both. I don’t shoot young bucks, but if I stumble across a good deer then I don’t mind pulling the trigger. Same goes for does, I don’t shoot the yearlings, but big does who don’t appear to be nursing get 130gr of lead from a .270, or 160gr of lead from a 357.

buck460XVR said:

I'm gonna guess it's because the OP was belittled and chastised for shooting does and young bucks. Too many Bubbas out there that think shooting does is only for women and small children....real men only shoot big bucks.

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You're probably right.
There are certainly enough jerks out there that think their way is the only way.

A lot will also depend on where you hunt. Most in this thread sound like they live in the East where deer tags are plentiful; when I lived out West, deer tags were done by a lottery; MAYBE you'd get one that year, maybe not; and except for any sex tags for young kids, it was bucks only and they wanted you to take the big ones as they were generally older so the young ones coming up could continue the herd.

Where I live is overrun with deer nowadays. Is it not like this everywhere?

If there are so many deer that it’s dangerous even to drive in the evening, why would anyone care what other hunters do?