Mule Deer over Money

[tpick21]

First and foremost, this is not a thread to discuss Resident v. Non-Resident opinion, we all could be better stewards of the sport.

If you are hunting out of state, are you holding out for a mature mule deer and eating the tag.
Or, any opportunity that presents itself you will be pulling the trigger?
Just gauging harvest mindset.

 

[CMF]

If I travel out west I'm usually trying to get a decent bull/buck. But I still want meat. Since elk is a lot more meat and different, I'm less picky and usually looking for just a legal bull. My mule deer tag is usually just an opportunity, but last year I wanted to focus more on muley and got a decent one. The year before that I knew where some small bucks were hanging and killed a basket racket on the last day I had to hunt to go home with some meat.

 

[tpick21]

Thanks CMF! Like I said, no judgment from me. I’m just curious. I would add, I am mainly concerned over South Dakota mule deer quality/quantity of deer.

 

[bigbassfish]

I think for me it would depend alot on the tag. Having harvested a bear already, I will be picky when i head up to Montana this spring. Elk is some good eating so I would be much less picky, especially having never killed one myself. Mulies I would likely hold out for a good representative animal and eat the tag if I have to, I can shoot a spike whitetail at home lol.

 

[PathFinder]

At this point, I won't shoot a deer under 4. For a while it was tempting, now it isn't. The challenge of finding and hunting mature deer is what keeps me going. Just killing any buck isn't much more interesting than shooting a squirrel or a rabbit.
Elk on the other hand...

 

[huntnful]

At this point, I won't shoot a deer under 4. For a while it was tempting, now it isn't. The challenge of finding and hunting mature deer is what keeps me going. Just killing any buck isn't much more interesting than shooting a squirrel or a rabbit.
Elk on the other hand...

I feel this exact same way as well. Already ate my 2 CA deer tags and an OR deer tag

 

[Grundy53]

It depends

Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

 

[180ls1]

Sliding scale depending on meat in the freezer, time and tags left left to fill that fall.

I've never been a fan of "never pass on the first what you'd shoot on the last" because I will hammer a dink on the last day if my freezer is low.

 

[stevevan]

Sliding scale depending on meat in the freezer, time and tags left left to fill that fall.

I've never been a fan of "never pass on the first what you'd shoot on the last" because I will hammer a dink on the last day if my freezer is low.

I'll set my standards and hold to them even if it means eating the tag. Done it before and I'm sure it will happen again.