Who is dropping their standards?

[Elkangle]

I think guys developing and sticking too "standards" is awesome.. more deer saved, more bucks for kids/inexperienced hunters or meat hunters... it's a mutually advantageous trend that solves alot of problems

Personally I try to never go on a hunt that I don't already know what age class/ genetics are available in a realistic time frame and set my "standards" accordingly... I will buy beef before giving up on my goal

 

[sasquatch]

As people start to lower their standards, the average available buck goes down in quality, which then leads to standards once again being lowered to achieve success

One day the cascade affect will lead to spikes being the trophy’s


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[Indian Summer]

What are your standards?

 

[COelk89]

Personally, my standards are increasing but I am just getting started hunting mule deer...it is all about your perspective and where you start.

Trophy quality is a direct result of population size, buck to doe ratios, and genetics. The first two are controlled by game and fish dept. with tag availability. Genetics are either there or not. I have never viewed an individuals decision with a legal tag in a unit as having any type of impact on trophy quality in a unit. High quality hunts are too difficult to draw for a guy to come in every year and shoot a dink. If you are going on a hunt that provides high opportunity through liberal tags wondering where all of the booners are, then maybe you are in the wrong unit.

 

[HuntHarder]

To each their own. Part of the world's problem is trying to convince everyone else that your way is the best and only way. I have shot dinks and I have held out for great bucks. Depends on the hunt factors and or how the hunt is going. If I have my young kids with me, I try and fill my tags on most any legal game. If everyone just worried about themselves and followed the laws and ethics you were taught in hunter ed, we would all be better off.

 

[saskhunter]

I'm always surprised some of y'all have higher trophy standards than you do women!!!

 

[sasquatch]

What are your standards?

I don’t mule deer hunt. Did one time archery in SD OTC and shot the only mule deer I’ve ever shot, 4pt but nothing to ride home about. Over a week of hunting he was about the best size deer I seen. But, my standards fluctuate by the area I’m hunting, I try to hunt for what I believe may be some of the better quality that the area realistically provides

I don’t care what people shoot, but what I don’t like is what I see all the time down south hunting whitetail.

What you’ll see is, people who shoot anything that’s brown which is fine, BUT these same people will travel to some prime places at times (places that are prime from being managed) and when they show up there they essentially shoot the first 2 yr old deer they see. They’ll quickly if allowed, ruin the good areas too.

It’s sort of like people do in politics. They’d destroy a city somewhere voting for ridiculous policies, then when the city collapses they move to another nicer city but then start voting for the same shit that ruined the area they left!


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[manitou1]

So youre ok with a resident killing whatever they want with a cheap tag but have a problem with a NR killing whatever they want with a more expensive tag? Those NR hunters also dumped a couple grand into your local economy in the form of gas, food, lodging, etc.

Ppl like you are why people get their tires slashed.

I do have a problem when 17,000 "foreigners" come to our state and wipe out our 11/2-21/2 year deer, greatly reducing the chance of even seeing a mature buck... just so they can go home and post "heroe pics" with their baby deer.

Think about it. If tens of thousands of people from other states came to YOUR state every single year and killed all your deer without prejudice, how would you see it?

 

[Oregon]

Ikilled all your deer

Your deer?
That's the problem. They ain't yours.
I saw numerous small bucks in the back of Colorado plated trucks this year. They weren't rentals.
Caring what other people tag is pure insanity, if legal.

 

[JFK]

I’m not against standards, but everyone has their own, and I think that if someone is within the law it’s not my place to judge them. I do find it hard to believe that non residents alone are responsible for killing smaller bucks. By design, only a small minority of tags go to non residents. So how are they coming in and wiping out all the immature bucks when 80-90% of the hunters are residents? The tag allocation makes it mathematically impossible that non residents are killing all/most of the immature deer.

 

[Rich M]

I do have a problem when 17,000 "foreigners" come to our state and wipe out our 11/2-21/2 year deer, greatly reducing the chance of even seeing a mature buck... just so they can go home and post "heroe pics" with their baby deer.

Think about it. If tens of thousands of people from other states came to YOUR state every single year and killed all your deer without prejudice, how would you see it?

I take issue with the foriegner title.

 

[Calbuck]

You know, I appreciate the guys who don't waver from their stance of not shooting anything unless it ticks some box.. however, it is not against the law to harvest a Forky, and its not a shameful thing to want to fill your tag with a "meat buck" as that is hopefully why most of us hunt in the first place..theres really no reason to kill a buck strictly for his antlers..that blows my mind, but I personally know people who think that way. I always strive to find the most mature animal I can just because it makes me feel good..but if that doesn't happen, I'm about eating that venison, and I didn't spend all that money to not fill my freezer with meat that I enjoy, along with the memories of harvesting it. I'm proud to say I don't shoot the first little guy I see (and teach that to my son) but at the end of the season we're going to get some meat if we can. Nothing wrong with that and if there's any problem with that then those people know where they can go!

 

[Mish-pop]

I agree that there is no reason to kill a buck just for its antlers. The meat should be the main reason we hunt and antler size should be the bonus. I like harvesting a mature buck for the challenge. If it's mature it means it has lived longer and has outsmarted hunters and predators alike to that point. I will also say that my standards are different for the weapon I'm using. If it's a bow I will lower my standards as it's hard enough to get close on any deer with a bow. With a rifle I am definitely more picky.

 

[manitou1]

I take issue with the foriegner title.

Yesh, a bit harsh. Apologies.
It is easy to get hardened when folks from other states have a feeling of "you owe us this" and then complain about our states rules/game laws and then go on to bad mouth residents of the state.

Too many hunters, too little game. It won't get better.

 

[Szwampdonkey]

I do have a problem when 17,000 "foreigners" come to our state and wipe out our 11/2-21/2 year deer, greatly reducing the chance of even seeing a mature buck... just so they can go home and post "heroe pics" with their baby deer.

Think about it. If tens of thousands of people from other states came to YOUR state every single year and killed all your deer without prejudice, how would you see it?

Two problems with your rant. They aren’t YOUR deer and the public is not YOUR land. See how that works?

What’s your state so i can start hunting it every year? Someone’s gotta toughen your up.

 

[Kyle C]

Two problems with your rant. They aren’t YOUR deer and the public is not YOUR land. See how that works?

What’s your state so i can start hunting it every year? Someone’s gotta toughen your up.

Seems when I get referenced as a "Foreigner" as a US citizen it is mostly guys from MT, or WY.

 

[aoudad]

I'm upping the standards. #goals

 

[KenLee]

Every time I drink more than a dozen shots of liquor.

 

[MT-nuffgun]

I don’t think it’s just guys back east shooting forkies…

You’re right, Those damn southerners take alot of forkies with them back home too lol.

 

[TargheeGrant]

I shot a big bodied forkie on opening day since my wife was due with our son early in the deer season and we haven’t been seeing deer around lately. Like I haven’t even seen does in what seems like a couple years. At least there’s a late elk season here and it finally snowed today! Hoping for the deer herd to rebound in the coming years.