Trophy or Meat?

[Muzzy_B]

I hunt for meat. If a trophy happens to fall in line with one of my pins or into my crosshairs that's even better.

The last few seasons I've mostly taken does as we're trying to cull the population at my place, so I would be more apt to take a shot at her if the 6 point looked to be a promising breeder. However, it he was an old buck with a scraggly basket rack, I would take him and knock him out of the gene pool.

At the end of last season, I passed up several grown does and a few healthy young bucks one afternoon and took an old "unicorn" instead for the same reason. It was the only buck I shot last year and it had one long pencil thin tine on one side, and a smooth nub on the other.

 

[GunTech]

Which one has bigger backstraps?

 

[atblis]

None of the above.

I shoot whatever I see, and that gets eaten. Does and babies are preferred though.l

 

[countertop]

The 6 pointer because on public lands Virginia has will only let me take a doe on 3 days out of the entire season (one of which - during muzzleloader season - is a monday) and has made ZERO real effort to open up private land to hunters to expand access . . . this combined with the idiotic Sunday Hunting Ban is the reason why I will probably be forced to give up hunting after this year by my wife (she already threw a fit I was considering buying a license again).

 

[Rembrandt]

I'd wait for Mr Big. I'm a trophy hunter looking for something larger than what's currently on the wall. If it's the last day of the season I may take a doe for meat and to reduce herd population.....the six pointer would never be taken.

Aside from having their gun season during the rut, people taking small bucks (ie:six pointer) is precisely why many states don't have large numbers of record book deer.

 

[otcconan]

I'd take the 6 pointer. You mount the antlers only, eat the rest.

I tend to not want to shoot does, just because I feel that it's better for the gene pool. But then I could be totally wrong on that.

But then, I've shot spikes before as well. I'm not choosy.

And yet, if the 12-pointer is in the group, hell yeah I'll shoot him.

 

[MCgunner]

People that pass on the six point are my friends. Can't eat the horns, ya know.

Like I said before, though, just depends on where I'm hunting, whether it's managed, and what are the rules of the ranch. I cannot relate to public hunting for deer. I'd think that if there was such a thing as public land hunting, I'd shoot whatever I saw and not be too choosy since that's what bubba's gonna do. If it ain't managed, there ain't gonna be many trophies on it anyway.

 

[islandphish]

It sounds like Im lucky to live where I do, which isn't the place of my sig which is where I am now. I am from the high plains.

So a 6 pointer here I would shoot, but that's because he's a 12 pointer when anybody not from the West is counting. I have shot a 3x3 that was decent but it was a Muley.

Anyway, I'd pass on small bucks and big does. I normally hunt with two tags. I am on the lookout for horns and meat. To me that means a fawn, last year it was a button buck...and something else(The Big One). If I fill both, that means a lot of meat is being given away. One 60# fawn is plenty of meat for me.

btw, @75% of my deer hunting is on public land nowadays.

 

[MCgunner]

Hey, 60 lbs is a full grown down down here. ROFL! A buck dressing over 100 lbs is mature, a real bruiser.

 

[f4t9r]

Bigger is better !!!!!!
I have let smaller bucks go by and not get anything , but I am ok with that

 

[Picknlittle]

In my region of TN, I can take two bucks this year and I can take 3 does per day. If both are there, I'd likely take them both, but in general I'm going for the does until the family freezers are stocked. Later in the season I start thinking about bucks.

 

[Lennyjoe]

Meat in the freezer.

BTW, this is a pretty old thread!

 

[redbone]

I hope to put four tasty does in the freezer this year. I will only shoot a buck if it's better than my previous best, a nine-pointer, or maybe if it's real late in the season and my luck has been poor. I'll let the little bucks have their fun...

RBH

 

[kungfuhippie]

All depends on which deer is "coming right for us!"
Really I picked the 6 pointer since those are hard enough to find here.

 

[CommanderPoopyduX]

I would shoot whichever one was unlucky enough to have walked out in front of me first.

 

[2RCO]

I said the 6 Point but I shoots what I sees as long as it's legal. I prefer to hunt for meat and Trophy if possible. There are alot variables to this question though.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I would do the doe as out where I am if you shoot the buck the next deer must be a doe, but if you shoot the doe you get NINE more does before you have to do a buck. So I would fill the freezer and be set for that really "big buck" or otherwise I'd have to pass on him. Besides we're so overrun with deer that taking a doe would also be better for the overall herd.

LD

 

[mustanger98]

I'm a meat hunter who won't pass up a trophy.

Well, in my part of Georgia we can shoot 10 does and 2 bucks. We have 3 doe days during centerfire gun season (firearms season as opposed to muzzleloader or not-so-primitive weapons season). Who wants to shoot and process up to 10 does in three days or less? I don't.

One of our two bucks must have 4 points 1" or taller on at least one side to be legal. The remaining buck... anything goes. Where I hunt, I see plenty of young bucks as well as cull bucks. However, older bucks are around.

Older bucks here... how many points they have depends on genetics moreso than age. I've seen two or three real monster 8-pointers and heard of another right up the road here. Last fall... the Sunday before Thanksgiving... I clean missed a real nice heavy-built 6-pointer. The buck I got though... that was a 3-4 year old 3-point, meaning he had spikes with a browtine trying to get going.

Does... btw... they're what brings the bucks out. I'm not into killing my "bait".

And I didn't vote the poll... too few options. So take what I said and do the math.

 

[peacemaker45]

Meat for the freezer is first priority. If it happens to look good on the wall too, that's a happy chance.

~~~Mat

 

[busy_squirrel]

Why hunt prey when you can hunt predators?

 

[wheelgunslinger]

I'd take the better tasting Doe all day long.

 

[koja48]

Given that I had a doe tag & considering that my horn-hunting days are behind me, I'd likely take the doe. However, a 6-point whitetail in this area would be considered downright respectable. A 6-point muley would be an illusion . . .

 

[eliphalet]

A 6-point muley would be an illusion . . .

I kinda think they are counting both sides. We never did but that seems to be the way it's done now days, especially with white tails.

I put in for a doe tag every year, a larger barren doe is as large as a medium large buck and much better meat. If I fail to draw a doe tag I will take a young buck. I have taken a spike when a much larger rack was standing next to him.

 

[koja48]

Same here, Eliph . . . tho I do have a couple 6 x 6 mulies from long ago in Montana out in the shop. 4 on a side in SE WA state are getting pretty rare, but some of the same areas are pretty much overrun with bald-headed whitetails . . . alfalfa-fed deer are some mighty fine eating.

 

[stevelyn]

I'm a meat hunter. I whack the first edible morsel that steps out in front of me.

Horns aren't edible morsels.