Buck Hollow Sporting Goods - click or touch to visit their website Midwest Habitat Company

How are the shot gunners doing?

So did you report them? Pretty sure the DNR would've made this group top priority. I agree about opinions, just some are better with stating theirs versus others.;)

But...did this group take pictures of their deer before tagging them? From the sounds of it, that is the real clincher these days! :D Phooey on trespassing, shooting from moving vehicles, use of 2 way radios, etc, we need to get the real bad guys!!

(Disclaimer - This was an attempt at sarcastic humor and not meant as an attack on anyone, etc.)
 
Haha...certainly not dem BEARS!

I'd say go Vikes, but Teddy turnover can't get than under raps yet!

Bright note, I'm stoked to see what Jon Lester and all these awesome up and coming prospects are going to bring to the table in the next couple years.
 
It's not the beer cans or the trespassing, the two way radios or shooting from the road, or even the large groups pushing the cover for me. It's all about the age of the bucks they kill and the absolute control they have on my next bow season. If the tradition included letting the three year old and younger bucks walk (or run), we would all have a more memorable tradition.

Classic bow hunter right here. It's all about you and getting your deer.
 
Classic bow hunter right here. It's all about you and getting your deer.

I bowhunt and gun hunt also. Unless it's your kid or wife I don't see the point of shooting basket racks or small ones that your going to throw the antlers in a pile. We have a few groups around where I live that in years past have shot 19 deer, all but 4 were bucks and only one went to the taxidermist. And then they brag about it.
 
as far as management- deer numbers wise- isn't it better to shoot a basket or any buck for that matter other than a doe? whether or not you shoot that buck- the does will be bred by a buck- and by killing a doe you are lessoning the population by 2 yearlings the next year and exponentially the following and so on. a buck is just one deer and really doesn't effect the next years numbers except for himself- I still cant bring myself to kill small bucks- but just a thought? am I wrong?
 
as far as management- deer numbers wise- isn't it better to shoot a basket or any buck for that matter other than a doe? whether or not you shoot that buck- the does will be bred by a buck- and by killing a doe you are lessoning the population by 2 yearlings the next year and exponentially the following and so on. a buck is just one deer and really doesn't effect the next years numbers except for himself- I still cant bring myself to kill small bucks- but just a thought? am I wrong?

Almost used this rationale to shoot a button buck for the freezer during archery season. Probably would have been better in the long run than shooting the young doe.
 
If I was a member of this site and all I did was gun hunt- I wouldn't share my stories and photos because they would certainly get scrutinized and bashed from someone

I don't and won't for this very reason unless I shoot something big. This forum is place for pompous do gooders to make themselves feel better and pat themselves on the back for tremendous deer management.
 
I don't and won't for this very reason unless I shoot something big. This forum is place for pompous do gooders to make themselves feel better and pat themselves on the back for tremendous deer management.

Or its a place for hunters like ourselves to share our hunting experiences and knowledge to young people like myself. I myself am 22 years old and have learned more from some more experienced hunters insight and knowledge on certain situations and deer management from this forum then I could myself in the near future.

That being said, before you go bashing everyone for wanting to "pat themselves on the back" take note that some of us use this forum for something more then wanting to gloat about our deer kills or how successful our food plots have been for us this year. I myself love reading up on how I can make the land I hunt more successful for future hunting experiences for not only myself but the people I consider my family.

Just my .02 cents
 
I don't and won't for this very reason unless I shoot something big. This forum is place for pompous do gooders to make themselves feel better and pat themselves on the back for tremendous deer management.

Just like some people jump to bash the "orange army" because of the few bad apples that overshadow the good ones- don't do the same for people on this website. There are a few trolls but the majority are out to help others and help educate and share their stories.
 
as far as management- deer numbers wise- isn't it better to shoot a basket or any buck for that matter other than a doe? whether or not you shoot that buck- the does will be bred by a buck- and by killing a doe you are lessoning the population by 2 yearlings the next year and exponentially the following and so on. a buck is just one deer and really doesn't effect the next years numbers except for himself- I still cant bring myself to kill small bucks- but just a thought? am I wrong?
I think if you hunt an area or areas where you see more bucks than doe, you'd better start shooting some of the bucks. Bucks are like rooster pheasant if the food gets scarce in the winter they will push the doe and young aside to feed. You still need a good buck to doe ratio to make it work.
 
as far as management- deer numbers wise- isn't it better to shoot a basket or any buck for that matter other than a doe? whether or not you shoot that buck- the does will be bred by a buck- and by killing a doe you are lessoning the population by 2 yearlings the next year and exponentially the following and so on. a buck is just one deer and really doesn't effect the next years numbers except for himself- I still cant bring myself to kill small bucks- but just a thought? am I wrong?

Absolutely! I have only begun to think this way in the last 2-3 years since the population has taken such a dive. Always before I would never consider shooting a basket rack. I still won't unless the buck to doe ratio is way out of whack and the bucks need thinned. If the population is really low I won't shoot anything unless its a target buck. But if you absolutely need to shoot a deer and you are seeing very low numbers, taking a buck will do much less harm for the heard population than taking a doe.
 
Great let's all go out and shoot a little buck. Then let's complain for the next four years about how there's no mature deer around. I am definitely from the side on here that deer hunts to try and kill big bucks. I don't spend countless hours every year to try and harvest a doe. If that's all I was going for I'd find a cheaper less time consuming hobby.
 
I think you guys need to be patient. The orange army was slaughtering small bucks back when Iowa hunting was at its peak. The January season is what is to blame for the recent downfall, and I'm guilty as the rest of them. I bought into the "balance the herd" BS when it first came out and we decimated them. About 4 years ago when we realized how awful the hunting had become, that's when we stopped...unfortunately the DNR took another 4 years to really thin them out. The orange army will always kill a few deer but the majority of them will evade and survive. The worst thing to our deer herd has been the late season and EHD. They will come back.
 
Great let's all go out and shoot a little buck. Then let's complain for the next four years about how there's no mature deer around. I am definitely from the side on here that deer hunts to try and kill big bucks. I don't spend countless hours every year to try and harvest a doe. If that's all I was going for I'd find a cheaper less time consuming hobby.

You are completely missing the point.
 
Great let's all go out and shoot a little buck. Then let's complain for the next four years about how there's no mature deer around. I am definitely from the side on here that deer hunts to try and kill big bucks. I don't spend countless hours every year to try and harvest a doe. If that's all I was going for I'd find a cheaper less time consuming hobby.
if no one ever shot young or small antlered bucks, big Iowa bucks would be far and few between. It does takes some genetics to grow the kind of deer you think should be behind every tree as you would like to see. Not every buck is going to put you in the record books. Sounds like maybe you are confusing big antlered bucks with mature bucks? A mature buck may only be a 120 buck in some areas. Stop believing all the stuff you are seeing on the TV shows and look at the big picture.
 
I was stating that point specifically for population management. NOT for trophy management. We aren't going out looking for young bucks- I also stated I still don't shoot young bucks. Was making a point as far as population control- want more deer in the future shoot a young buck instead of a doe if you are just wanting to fill the freezer. Take a deep breath and calm down-
 
I was stating that point specifically for population management. NOT for trophy management. We aren't going out looking for young bucks- I also stated I still don't shoot young bucks. Was making a point as far as population control- want more deer in the future shoot a young buck instead of a doe if you are just wanting to fill the freezer. Take a deep breath and calm down-

And I wasn't specifically replying to your post:) and I am calm. I just love when somebody tells me that not every buck is going to be a booner and I'm confused about mature/ trophy deer. It actually made me smile while I typed that last reply.
 
Top Bottom