handles II

most guys would take the male pheasant because most places it's the law. Shooting one is no more difficult than shooting a hen. both taste the same. Difference with a buck is that it will never get any bigger when you shoot it small. Therefore, I don't see the point in shooting that small buck (there are exceptions, ie first buck, kids, population control, law etc.) So many guys on here complain about never seeing any big bucks, yet will shoot the first small buck to cross their path. It just don't add up. That's like telling a 4th grader not to play basketball because he isn't tall enough. Nobody knows how tall he might get once he matures.

BarnesX.308

If you only have one buck on your property, and you shoot him young. You will not see a big buck. If you have 30 bucks on your property and you shoot one young one. There are still 29 that can grow and you can still see big bucks. Depends on pressure and how many bucks are shot. Young bucks get hit by cars, too.

handles II

Yes, as you've mentioned, you seem to have plenty of bucks and perhaps have no need or interest in being selective. My guess is that you also have plenty (too many?) doe as well that could be harvested.
My comments are pointed more at the guys who want (complain) bigger bucks, yet shoot them at 1 1/2 years of age. Some guys have been saying, and doing the same thing for years. Repeat history.

BarnesX.308

We have private property that is jointly owned by several people. About 3500 acres that is surrounded by about 100,000 acres of state game land and state park land. We are in an association and maybe about 20 people hunt. Maybe 10 bowhunters, at the most. A majority of that 3500 acres is overgrown clear cut. Just seeing a deer is tough in those conditions. But, the trail cameras and spotting our 3 fields and orchard, tell us that there are tons of deer and lots of bucks. In PA, we get one buck a year and a doe tag is lottery draw. Not much you can do there to control a herd.

I have passed up small bucks in the past. Usually that ends up being the only buck I see that year.

fingerz42

Every choice you make controls the herd. This is the same argument as "I don't vote because it doesn't make a difference" All those votes together make a difference. Same thing here. No matter if you have 30 bucks or 3000.

BarnesX.308

I may not see a legal buck for several years. I'm not making a huge impact on several thousand acres. Seriously, there are about 6 bucks total killed on these 3500 acres a year. If this was heavily hunted SGL and multiple hunters got chances at multiple young bucks every year, then yes, I would agree. 90% of our bucks die of old age no matter what we shoot. Not enough hunters and a low hunter success rate for those few hunters means very low impact on herd.

fingerz42

You may not see a legal buck for years?

Bucks are dieing of old age?

Seems contradictory. Do they live in caves? Or are you and your 19 friends (10 bowhunters) just that bad of hunters?

BarnesX.308

Thousands of acres of overgrown clear cut. Visibility is about 20 yards throughout most of the property. Yes, it's tough to see anything. We put stands in the small clearings and hope to get them crossing through. If the bucks want, they can bed and feed all day without leaving the clear cuts. At night we see them in the fields or in our backyards. Trail cams get them. But we don't look across a valley of mature timber and see deer walking by.

I can see lots of deer in the evenings in the fields. Mostly doe and small bucks. Mature bucks come out late at night. Some of the daylight bucks are legal, some are forks and spikes. They are often out of bow range.

BarnesX.308

They die of old age because nobody sees them. Does that make more sense?

The last buck I shot was a 236lb eight-pointer with a 23 inch spread. Rattled it in and shot it from the ground with a bow. I think I know how to hunt. Plus, I live 2.5 hours from my hunting land and can only get up there once a month in the off-season. And the times I am up, it's usually with the family so I'm not off in the woods.

With all that being said, I spent all my time hunting with my son, guiding him from 6 years old to now 12 years old and he has shot 7 deer by my side in those years.

I am not a bad hunter. I hunt in an area that is vast and overgrown and hunting is very tough there.

bronko22000

While I agree with you on the deer management and letting them grow. On public land where I do all my hunting not all hunters feel the same way. Any legal buck is fair game. So it's either shoot or eat tag soup. Luckily I have been fortunate enough to be the only bow hunter in this little honey hole I found and I tend to be selective (at least until the last week of archery) and have shot 6 decent buck in the past 7 years.