Tagged Out or Tag Soup

[Brian Fahs]

My hunting rig. I trophy hunt a lot but my roots run deep.

 

[Ralphie]

For me it depends on the species some. Elk, depending on the tag or other circumstances I can be happy shooting just about any animal. Deer, especially mule deer I have a hard time with shooting Anything but a mature buck. Mule deer are having a hard enough time for grown adults to be shooting young bucks or does just to fill a tag.

 

[roadrunner]

Guess I'm still just a youngster....

 

[5MilesBack]

It depends. For elk, I want the experience.......I want the good bugling and going one on one encounters. A couple of the best seasons I've had I ate my tags......by choice. I was into mature bulls every day, they were incredible encounters that I will remember the rest of my life. I passed on multiple bulls those seasons, some were even decent 6's. If I had shot the first one I had a shot at, my season would have been over and I wouldn't have had the rest of the experiences......nor would I have learned much those seasons. You can learn a lot going deep into every season.

For mule deer......I won't shoot a mule deer that isn't huge, because I don't want to eat them, and I don't really care much about deer. Just an opportunity tag.

Bear, I'll shoot whatever. On my moose hunt, one of my buddies kept telling the other guy "he's not going to shoot that bull, it's too small". Then I came to full draw and the other guy says "are you sure about that"? Then "THWACK"! I shot a moose. Not the 50+ incher I would have liked to find, but he was 47" and I got a moose. Not too picky there. Same for my sheep tag. I was NOT going to eat those tags.

 

[Swamp Fox]

A friend hunted Kyrgistan for ibex. The outfitter put them on ibex the first day, and my friend wanted to pass. The outfitter told him if he didn't shoot one he was done hunting, and he would drive him back to the airport.

My friend said that the outfitter told him it was rare to be into ibex the first day, and the guides would rather spend the week at home than taking care of dudes.

Sounds like Kyrgistan is out for me, then ...

 

[cnelk]

Rarely do I eat tags.

They make really thin soup

 

[Billy Goat]

I use to feel like I needed to prove something, it was about filling the tag.

Realized at some point for me it's about the experience, that can be a lot of things. Some of the most fun I have had has been in the suck of packing an animal out, also been in just enjoying the moment after an encounter that didn't go how I thought it would. Or just sitting on the mountain exhausted saying, this is a he'll of a lot better than work.


So anymore, I dunno. Lately I have had more tags leftover than before, but I feel like I'm not chasing success in a hunt, just enjoying it.
And I think that's a good thing, for me anyways.

 

[OKHunter84]

When I was a kid and first started out hunting, we didn't get to hunt a whole lot and you didn't see near the animals you do now in my state. It was usually if it's brown, it's down. I have access to hunting where I could kill my limit on deer every year now, so I'm never in a meat bind. When I get to go on a western hunt or hunt out of state then I want the meat but I also want a mature animal and a fun adventure. The first day or two then it would take a large specimen for me to end my hunt. My standards kinda start to lower a little as the hunt goes on. I try to live by the "if you would shoot it the last day then shoot it on the first". Really depends on my schedule and where I'm at though.

 

[mi650]

It's been a long time since I've had to eat tag soup. I bought my land in 2000, and have killed at least 2 deer per year since then. (That doesn't mean I haven't left tags in the drawer.)

The older I've gotten, the more selective I've become. But with that patience, I spend more time in the woods, and I've learned the chances will come. I no longer feel the need to shoot the 1st deer I see.

 

[MallardSX2]

I pay too much for a tag to go home empty handed if I can help it.

 

[Wheels]

I’m all about the experience, don’t want the hunt to end. I rarely shoot anything now even on LE hunts, always waiting for the next, bigger one to come along. I have nothing to prove to anyone but myself and raise beef so not gonna starve.
I do have a set goal going into a hunt and not afraid to go home empty. Granted, I only hunt DIY so I typically don’t have a lot of money tied up in the hunt and am retired so have the time.