Mule Deer over Money

[180ls1]

Why let them grow up? Is there more intrinsic worth in killing a deer when it’s 7 vs when it’s 2 or 3? Who cares?

Some of us value the health benefits of eating the cleanest meat you’ll find, processed by our own hands. That has much more intrinsic worth to me than the age of the animal.

Yup. I get a lot of joy sharing it with friends, family, and even clients. Being from San Diego many of them do not come in contact with it much, so its pretty cool and good for us hunters as a whole, I imagine.

 

[rootacres]

My first non resident tag for a particular species of animal I didn’t hold myself to a high standard (assuming this is a public land hunt). After that I start pursuing higher age class animals, regardless of the prestige of the tag I’m holding.

My first coues was a 2pt with eye guards (us eastern guys call it a 6pt). I hunted for 7 days on a 2nd season tag that required 2pts in AZ (I live in IL, I only E scouted). I saw 3 bucks in 7 days, all were on the last day. To this day I’m probably the proudest of that little buck.

Im typing this at a subway in WY. I’m on my second DIY muley hunt, so far the largest pass was a small 4pt. He looked like a young deer. I’ll probably be eating tag soup on this one.

I enjoy the journey, the destination is a bonus. If I’m successful great, if not I learned a ton. I wish/hope others feel the same way.

The whole “I’m a meat hunter” doesn’t hold much weight for me in regards to non resident hunters justification for shooting a dink. These tags aren’t cheap, preference points add up, all the gear and BS we need for these trips are far from inexpensive. If meat is that much of a priority, a Costco membership would be more cost effective.

Just my 2 cents worth. It’s cooling reading through the other posts.

 

[180ls1]

Those contemplating herd stability when it comes to bucks aught to take a listen to a few of the podcasts that Robby has done with biologists from various states. Heck if your interested in mule deer health in general it’s a good listen.

Care to share some brief info?

I know with Turkeys the ladies want the TOM so shooting jakes *can* actually be more beneficial to the flock as opposed to shooting toms. Is that different from deer?

 

[manitou1]

This is the problem in WY and MT.
Guys... if you want meat, stay home and shoot your baby bucks.

 

[180ls1]

This is the problem in WY and MT.
Guys... if you want meat, stay home and shoot your baby bucks.

I've always heard the problem in MT was 5 doe tags. No?

 

[manitou1]

That does not help matters either, but nice bucks are becoming more and more scarce when folks insist on shooting 1-2 year olds.

 

[Jason Snyder]

My reason is that I would like mule deer buck-to-doe ratios to increase. It's much more difficult for me to kill an older, larger buck than a young one. Targeting larger bucks and passing on smaller ones has greatly reduced the number of deer I kill, which hopefully results in a contribution, be it very little, to increasing buck-to-doe ratios.

Which is fine and I don’t begrudge you a bit for holding those values. I just don’t like it when folks want to project their values on someone else.

 

[Rich M]

How does shooting a 2 yo buck compared to a 4yo buck make for a more sustainable herd?

Why does hunting need to be an industry?

If you watch You Tube, buy special camo or high end mtn clothes, use a certain scope, consider one rifle better than another, etc. etc. then you have contributed to the industry - like it or not. They are also the ones who shape the future of hunting cause they are the visible ones. Remember when the push was we need more hunters - hunting is dying? Now we have a whole bunch of guys who were not raised in the sport, who don't know the accepted ways trying to set the standards.

As for projecting values - this is a trophy hunting, mountain-man hunting forum. Most guys on here are extremists in that they hunt trophy animals - or want to learn to hunt trophy animals.

My NR hunting philosophy was that of a trophy hunter - got my 1 trophy muley and am now not killing any more mule deer. When we 3 went - I and both of my buddies passed 2x2 bucks, one left without a shot and one missed a real nice 3x3 and one shot a 160-inch 4x4. I would have shot the 3x3 if it had come by me first - real neat looking set of antlers on that one.

Little bucks grow into bigger bucks. That's how it has always been. Not gonna change cause you have some kind of special feelings about it. Many guys hope for a big buck, settle, then make up excuses. Very common in all deer hunting areas. Also common that when guys don't see deer, they miss lil momma at home and find an excuse to leave after 3 or 4 days - and make excuses for it.

NR tags should be trophy tags only - let the residents decide if they want the dink for the freezer. NR hunters should "meat hunt" in their own states.

I'm not worried about deer herd dynamics. Does get bred by bucks to make little deer. If they get slaughtered by a bad winter, biologists should shut down doe harvests until the numbers are back where they need to be. Trophy hunters hunt bigger deer than folks who just shoot stuff. The deer will be where the food is. Pretty simple.

 

[Jmoore]

No problem with folks that just want to fill their tag. I was this hunter 10 or so years ago.
Now days for me, I'm just looking for a mature buck.

 

[Ross]

My experience is some individuals simply want the bigger challenge and after you kill a few critters, you want to expand the challenge. Some don’t, which is fine. Case in point. I took hunters safety in the 70s and started hunting elk in 1980. My father’s camp was all about first legal elk it goes Down. Calf, cow, spike whatever. There were close to 10 in camp. More packing than I want to remember. They shot a few good bulls, but that was not their target. They grew up to put food on the table in a logging community. Deer were the same, sure they would shoot a few impressive bulls and bucks. After a decade I was learning a new way to hunt elk and had bagged a few and would start passing on legal elk and small bulls. They literally thought I was crazy and questioned my sanity why would I beat myself up day after day looking for a big bull. Because I could and wanted to. Nothing more. I have always taken photos and remember the old storefronts in Clark Fork, Noxon, Kellogg,etc having Big Buck and Bull boards. It is nothing new you can just post it on line versus in the local store.To each their own on how they fill the tag. You only get so many seasons, I would not waste time worrying about how others fill their tag legally.

 

[Customweld]

It’s sad that so many don’t acknowledge or appreciate what it takes for us to live on a daily basis, ie that death has to occur

Thought of the day, right there.

 

[Lawnboi]

If you watch You Tube, buy special camo or high end mtn clothes, use a certain scope, consider one rifle better than another, etc. etc. then you have contributed to the industry - like it or not. They are also the ones who shape the future of hunting cause they are the visible ones. Remember when the push was we need more hunters - hunting is dying? Now we have a whole bunch of guys who were not raised in the sport, who don't know the accepted ways trying to set the standards.

As for projecting values - this is a trophy hunting, mountain-man hunting forum. Most guys on here are extremists in that they hunt trophy animals - or want to learn to hunt trophy animals.

My NR hunting philosophy was that of a trophy hunter - got my 1 trophy muley and am now not killing any more mule deer. When we 3 went - I and both of my buddies passed 2x2 bucks, one left without a shot and one missed a real nice 3x3 and one shot a 160-inch 4x4. I would have shot the 3x3 if it had come by me first - real neat looking set of antlers on that one.

Little bucks grow into bigger bucks. That's how it has always been. Not gonna change cause you have some kind of special feelings about it. Many guys hope for a big buck, settle, then make up excuses. Very common in all deer hunting areas. Also common that when guys don't see deer, they miss lil momma at home and find an excuse to leave after 3 or 4 days - and make excuses for it.

NR tags should be trophy tags only - let the residents decide if they want the dink for the freezer. NR hunters should "meat hunt" in their own states.

I'm not worried about deer herd dynamics. Does get bred by bucks to make little deer. If they get slaughtered by a bad winter, biologists should shut down doe harvests until the numbers are back where they need to be. Trophy hunters hunt bigger deer than folks who just shoot stuff. The deer will be where the food is. Pretty simple.

That’s an interesting view.

Lots of guys would probably criticize you for shooting a 160” mulie, saying that would actually be a real trophy next year. Like me saying I’ll pass a 140” whitetail when plenty of people would be tickled pink to shoot something like that…. But I don’t do that, because that’s not what hunting is about to me.

But you were happy with that deer that you legally took. So awesome.

To me it’s meat hunting everywhere I go, even if I only plan to shoot X size animal.

 

[Jason Snyder]

As for projecting values - this is a trophy hunting, mountain-man hunting forum. Most guys on here are extremists in that they hunt trophy animals - or want to learn to hunt trophy animals.

That’s fine, but it’s not a prerequisite for admission. I’m an extremist in my own way, but it has nothing to do with inches of antler.

NR tags should be trophy tags only

Gotta further that “industry”.

What if “real nice 3x3s” and 160” bucks aren’t big deer? Someone else with different values might think you are shooting dinks.

 

[Hnthrdr]

My experience is some individuals simply want the bigger challenge and after you kill a few critters, you want to expand the challenge. Some don’t, which is fine. Case in point. I took hunters safety in the 70s and started hunting elk in 1980. My father’s camp was all about first legal elk it goes Down. Calf, cow, spike whatever. There were close to 10 in camp. More packing than I want to remember. They shot a few good bulls, but that was not their target. They grew up to put food on the table in a logging community. Deer were the same, sure they would shoot a few impressive bulls and bucks. After a decade I was learning a new way to hunt elk and had bagged a few and would start passing on legal elk and small bulls. They literally thought I was crazy and questioned my sanity why would I beat myself up day after day looking for a big bull. Because I could and wanted to. Nothing more. I have always taken photos and remember the old storefronts in Clark Fork, Noxon, Kellogg,etc having Big Buck and Bull boards. It is nothing new you can just post it on line versus in the local store.To each their own on how they fill the tag. You only get so many seasons, I would not waste time worrying about how others fill their tag legally.

Amen, it’s a blessing that many of us here are not hunting as a means to make sure momma and the kids don’t starve, which allows for us to all kind of pick and choose a different manner of difficulty that we want to encounter. Next week I’ll be hunting with a group of roughly 10 guys. I know about 2 of us are looking for something “mature” it’s likely we won’t find it, I think the rest are if it’s brown it’s down, that is totally fine, I’m not going to dog them for shooting what they want. Hell I’ll hopefully glass some up for them and help them pack them out. To each their own

 

[willfrye027]

Worrying about what other people shoot is like worrying about who your neighbor is going to vote for. You can preach all you want but forkies are going to get killed. The hunting community would be a better place if everyone would mind their own business and focus on being a better hunter rather than complaining about someone killing “small” deer.

 

[LostWapiti]

Living in NV where just getting ANY tag is celebrated I’m very jealous of the guys who can just go home and blast a bunch of whitetail does to fill the freezer. So for me my standards vary greatly on the status of my freezer since we do not buy meat and only eat what I shoot or catch. I’ve already got a pretty full freezer and am headed to Idaho next week with a deer and elk tag in my pocket. Elk I’ll shoot anything but deer I’m not shooting anything that isn’t at least a nice mature outside the ears 4x4. Some years a forky will do. I’d rather shoot a young forky than an up and coming 3x3.

 

[Schoolhousegrizz]

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.

Holding out for mature deer or eating the tag. It's happened the last two out of state hunts I have had.

 

[NeSurfcaster]

Since it took me 3 years to draw another montana tag I most likely will not be going home empty handed. Also driving 30 hours at 12mpg. I wouldn't shoot a 2.5 year muley since I have whitetail ground in my back pocket. On the last night I'll harvest a 2.5 year old whitetail if that's the best in the field. But I'm not driving across the country to target small or young deer.

Unless your rich your hunting the pine barrens in NJ and those deer are not the best tasting. So I want some decent tasting deer for my freezer.
I'm not gonna jamm you up if you come to NJ and shoot a spike or Y when there's one or more 140" deer in every 5 square mile area. If it was legal have at it and enjoy. I don't agree w/ the trophy hunting mentality but I do see where your coming from. But that's your hobby and isn't the way everyone should have to think. As long as it's legal I'm keeping my mouth shut.

 

[Huntandjeep]

I hunt out of state in Montana along with 3 buddies . We will absolutely eat a mule deer tag if we don't find a deer of the quality we are looking for . Which are mature deer . I can shoot young bucks in Washington ( which I have ate alot of those tags not finding decent bucks). This year will be year 5 for me and i have killed 4 bucks above what i was expecting. One of my buddies has ate 3 of 5 of his Montana tags . That's a crap ton of gas / hotel / tags / food and 10 days away from work . All of us are OK with not pulling the trigger if we don't find what we are looking for .

What's funny is hanging out at the motel at night listening to the guys from western Montana run their mouths about Washington guys killing all the deer . A while the beds of there trucks and trailers are filled with does and 2 year old bucks .

 

[V-TRAIN]

I am fine coming home empty handed.
Not crazy picky, just looking for a mature deer, I am only bowhunting.
As long as I am chasing them that is all that matters, to me that is the best part, I just love the whole experience.