Trophy vs. Meat

[v8stang289]

I hunt mainly for meat and the enjoyment of being outdoors, but won't pass on a trophy given the opportunity.
In eastern NC we have a huge deer population, and what most consider a long season; mid September through New Years day. (4 weeks bow, 2weeks muzzleloader, then gun+bow+muzzleloader for the rest.
Each hunter gets 6 tags: 2 antlered, 4 antlerless. ( until recently it was 2 antler, 2 antlerless, 2 either) which tells me NC Wildlife wants hunters to shoot more does.
Our rut typically takes place somewhere late October to mid November, so there are some pregnant does towards the end of the season.
A lot of times I just enjoy being out there, so I may just watch the deer or let them walk for one reason or another. I don't put down anothers hunting choices or style as long as its legal and ethical.
I usually take 1-2 deer per year. Typically does or small bucks, but I've killed a couple nice bucks over the years when the opportunity presented itself.
At the end of the day it's a "to each his own" kinda thing. I just want people to be legal, ethical and safe.

 

[H&Hhunter]

I eat what I shoot, whether or not it has trophy head gear. Sometimes I’m in the mood to wait for a big mature animal, other times I decide to shoot a little guy or a doe/cow. So when asked the question if I’m a meat or a trophy hunter the answer is yes.

 

[Officers'Wife]

My thoughts on the subject... to each their own. Provided the animal is taken legally and humanely I could care less if the hunter wants bragging rights on the 500 point buck or a good broiled venison tenderloin. I have better things to do than try to tell people what kind of acts are allowed.

 

[Captcurt]

I had my eyes opened to shooting does by a rancher. He said that the land could only handle X number of animals. When you get too many animals the land gets over grazed, over browsed in this case, and can't carry the same number any longer. Everything needs to be in balance.

Back in the 60's we didn't have many deer in our area. If you saw a track you told everybody. Bucks only was the norm. It was nearly a sin to kill a doe. Our buck to doe ratio was over 10/1. Now, since the change to doe shooting, our ratio is about 5/1 or less, plus the state went to a three point rule in much of the state and even areas with a 4 point and as wide as the ears rule. The bucks get more age and the antlers show it. State wide we can take a total of 6 deer by using different methods. I like it.

 

[H&Hhunter]

My thoughts on the subject... to each their own. Provided the animal is taken legally and humanely I could care less if the hunter wants bragging rights on the 500 point buck or a good broiled venison tenderloin. I have better things to do than try to tell people what kind of acts are allowed.

If you know of any 500 pointers around, I’d be glad to come take them off your hands.

 

[buck460XVR]

I don't know about that.
A lot of research and resources go into finding out just those sorts of things. I agree with you that the immediate area you hunt may not be known, but generally speaking they have an idea. Arkansas is broken up into zones, and different zones have different bag limits, set based on their research.

I am not criticizing the state DNR folks at all. They do a very good job, at least in my state. As you said, they have a general idea of herd numbers, but do not know the local herd as intimately as those folks that hunt them. My point is, just because there may be an excess of deer in the overall Quota area/Zone, it might not be the case in your particular hunting area. In my area, I get 6 antlerless and two buck tags. So does everyone that hunts in the same county. The county is 816 sq miles. Not every sq mile is prime deer habitat. Some of it is public land that gets heavily pressured. IOWs......a lot of variables. What I am saying is, that we as hunters need to be informed as to how we hunt, affects the herd. Not only in numbers, but in the quality of the bucks and the quality of the hunt. Some folks like to see a lot of deer, some just want to shoot one. Some would like to see more big bucks, some folks just care about meat. Again....a lot of variables. We, as hunters have the real say as to how the local herd is managed, by what we shoot. The DNR can issue me 40 antlerless tags, but if I only shoot one per year, what good are the other 39. If I and my two sons would fill all 18 of the antlerless tags we are given for the land we hunt, plus the 6 buck tags, since the population in the area is about 25 deer per square mile, there wouldn't be anything left for the other hunters in the area....and what would be there next year when we again get 24 tags between the 3 of us? Our discretion, much more than the discretion of the state official, is what affects our local herd. That is the just of my jive.

 

[Officers'Wife]

If you know of any 500 pointers around, I’d be glad to come take them off your hands.

If you pick on the sarcasm it takes forever to heal.

 

[HB]

I dont like to shoot does. I've had a few bad experiences with babies hanging around after.

For better or worse, I’ve shot fawns that were with does. I figure fawns are less likely to survive the first winter, aren't supporting other fawns, and generally taste amazing. Just gotta watch out for button bucks.

In most states east of the Mississippi there’s more deer killed by cars than guns. I try not to inject any ethics beyond getting a humane kill into it. I’d love to hunt deer with dogs some time.

That said, I do not understand the box blind/feeder world of TX. Its fine if thats the TX culture and law but I can’t see myself doing it. Ultimately you will get cleaner kills on more relaxed animals over bait... its ethical but not fair chase (to me).


Shooting big bucks is cool when you are pursuing a specific animal or 2. Ive shot some nice bucks with a rifle by chance and its no more exciting than shooting a doe.

 

[Armored farmer]

I think maybe I was misunderstood about my personal preference for not shooting does.
I dont care if others do. I dont care to.
There's plenty of bucks in my area.
I don't like leaving an orphan, I dont like dressing a wet doe.

 

[Carpman62]

I deer hunt in a couple of different states every year, and have for many years.

I kill 10 deer a year, every year, and have for over 25 years. NO, I'm not bragging. I like to hunt, do everything legal to the fullest extent of the law, fill my freezer, then give away the rest of the meat fully processed and vacuum packed to those who are less fortunate.

One thing that I will NOT do though, is shoot a buck! I shoot does and does only. Why, the meat tastes a whole lot better, and like the old saying, you can't eat the horns anyways.

I have numerous free ranging bucks on my ranch that score well over 200" and a handful that our local wildlife biologist said would go an easy 300+ inches. Why kill one just to put it's rack on the wall, when you can just watch them in the wild every year, and see just how much bigger they will be the following year.

I told my wife, kids and grand kids, if you want to shoot a monster buck to hang on the wall, I'll have it mounted for you, but you have to eat that deer by yourself, and let none of it go to waste. So far, no bucks have ever been shot by me or my family, and unless one of the grand kids mistake a button buck for a doe, none of us will ever shoot a buck.

Ok, I'll get off my soap box.

 

[H&Hhunter]

I deer hunt in a couple of different states every year, and have for many years.

I kill 10 deer a year, every year, and have for over 25 years. NO, I'm not bragging. I like to hunt, do everything legal to the fullest extent of the law, fill my freezer, then give away the rest of the meat fully processed and vacuum packed to those who are less fortunate.

One thing that I will NOT do though, is shoot a buck! I shoot does and does only. Why, the meat tastes a whole lot better, and like the old saying, you can't eat the horns anyways.

I have numerous free ranging bucks on my ranch that score well over 200" and a handful that our local wildlife biologist said would go an easy 300+ inches. Why kill one just to put it's rack on the wall, when you can just watch them in the wild every year, and see just how much bigger they will be the following year.

I told my wife, kids and grand kids, if you want to shoot a monster buck to hang on the wall, I'll have it mounted for you, but you have to eat that deer by yourself, and let none of it go to waste. So far, no bucks have ever been shot by me or my family, and unless one of the grand kids mistake a button buck for a doe, none of us will ever shoot a buck.

Ok, I'll get off my soap box.

300” PLUS bucks! What state are you in? These 300” ers are non typical and l’m assuming?


Just for reference the current world record typical whitetail is 213”

https://www.themeateater.com/hunt/whitetail-deer/this-might-be-the-new-world-record-whitetail

And also just for reference the world record typical mule deer is 225 & 4/8”
https://www.realtree.com/deer-hunting/galleries/the-6-world-record-mule-deer-by-subspecies

 

[EIB0879]

I've killed plenty of slickheads over the years. But I won't pass on a bruiser.

 

[Carpman62]

Texas, and yes, they are non-typical

 

[wankerjake]

Can I come hunt your ranch? I’d love to eat a 300” buck. Every bite

 

[wankerjake]

I managed to choke this one down, bite at a time. He was well under 300" so it was barely palatable:


Imagine my dismay when I found a package of round roast the other day in the freezer that had been hiding. Drug it out and ate it so my freezer would be rid of it. It was about as bad as it looks:





Still, just once I'd like to take a bite of a true 200"+ dumpster buck

 

[Carpman62]

I know this first deer personally, and he's 344" / farm raised. The biggest is over 600"!!!





I have deer like this one come up in my front yard to eat apples and pears in the Fall.





You can say what you want, but there are none of these deer that I would put on my wall.

The only animal I would like to put on my wall would be a massive Cape Buffalo, and that one I would do a full body mount on!

 

[Carpman62]

Wankerjake,

I don't believe I could eat that! Too RAW in the middle for me liking.

I wouldn't be opposed to having someone come out and shoot a 300" whitetail. Just depends on where I will be at, at that time of year.

 

[Dibbs]

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.

If you act beforehand, plenty of folks, like me, love venison. Be ready to process and drop off that unwanted meat. Sometimes butchers, or homeless shelters can use it.

That said, I hunt mostly predators, but if I see a monster buck walk under my scope, during the season, I'll take him. But I'm not going to shoot up every buck that has a set of horns.

 

[MaxP]

The only animal I would like to put on my wall would be a massive Cape Buffalo, and that one I would do a full body mount on!

I have a Cape buffalo shoulder mount and I still haven’t figured out where to put it so that it doesn’t encroach on the usefulness of a room!

 

[MaxP]

I managed to choke this one down, bite at a time. He was well under 300" so it was barely palatable:
View attachment 935830

Imagine my dismay when I found a package of round roast the other day in the freezer that had been hiding. Drug it out and ate it so my freezer would be rid of it. It was about as bad as it looks:
View attachment 935831
View attachment 935832



Still, just once I'd like to take a bite of a true 200"+ dumpster buck

That looks perfect! Too many people kill the meat - post death.

 

[troy fairweather]

I want a graboid mount lol.

I shot my buck of a lifetime, unfortunately I was not allowed to recover the deer. I rolled down the hill next to a cut in the valley and onto the property next door. It was a big Alabama buck to.

 

[wankerjake]

I’d eat those buck Carp. Something tells me they have excellent feed

 

[H&Hhunter]

I managed to choke this one down, bite at a time. He was well under 300" so it was barely palatable:
View attachment 935830

Imagine my dismay when I found a package of round roast the other day in the freezer that had been hiding. Drug it out and ate it so my freezer would be rid of it. It was about as bad as it looks:
View attachment 935831
View attachment 935832



Still, just once I'd like to take a bite of a true 200"+ dumpster buck

Once I bought Steve Rinella’s cook book and started cooking venison like this. Crusted and seasoned on the outside and rare in the middle, I started liking it a lot more. In fact I love it now when it’s cooked in that fashion. Even the old bucks and bulls.

 

[Rubone]

Wankerjake,

I don't believe I could eat that! Too RAW in the middle for me liking.

I wouldn't be opposed to having someone come out and shoot a 300" whitetail. Just depends on where I will be at, at that time of year.

Too Raw??? It doesn't even need to be cooked, talk dirty to it and set it out!

 

[wankerjake]

Once I bought Steve Rinella’s cook book and started cooking venison like this. Crusted and seasoned on the outside and rare in the middle, I started liking it a lot more. In fact I love it now when it’s cooked in that fashion. Even the old bucks and bulls.

Too Raw??? It doesn't even need to be cooked, talk dirty to it and set it out!

His cookbook is great. I'm a big fan of his carpaccio recipe. I will now save every super clean, zero tendon leg muscle just for it. My version, served with gremolata: