A YOUNGSTER’S FIRST BUCK
BIG OR SMALL?
It’s a question that most of us have been faced with at some time or another. Unlike our fathers and grandfathers, where meat was the objective of the hunt, you shot what you saw, and the rack was just a byproduct of the animal to be either hung out in the barn, or used as a hat rack by the door. Along with all the protein feeds, game mgmt., and selective breeding practices, the opportunity for a first time hunter to take a whopper whitetail are as good as they have ever been. And as is the case on many ranches, there are a number of good mature bucks to pick from. Which poses the question, do you have the youngster shoot the biggest buck he can find for his first buck, or opt for the lesser, respectable, mature buck for the young hunter. There seems to be two schools of thought on this subject.
Option A being that the respectable buck is taken with the premise that the young hunter has to pay his dues, and work his way up to the big bucks, and not be handed one right off the bat.
Option B is that the kid is allowed to take the big buck, with the idea that he will always strive to one up his first deer.
There is of course a third option wherein the first acceptable buck that presents himself is taken; in essence leaving the decision up to blind faith; a buck by default if you will.
I’ll go out on a limb and say most hunters identify with option A, giving their young hunter something to look forward to in the coming years. Option B on the other hand seems to be complicated in part by the old adage, “only the best for my kid.” Just take a brief look at a south Texas big buck contest-youth division and you will see a mob of very young kids posing with GIANT whitetails the likes of which, most people have never seen. This phenomenon seems to go a little beyond first time luck to say the least. Some would say that allowing the kid to take such a large deer right off the bat is doing the youngster a great disservice. After all, what else does the kid have to look forward to after taking a buck like that? Others would say a hunter that young hasn’t the wherewithal to truly appreciate all the time and effort it takes for most hunters to take such a magnificent trophy. Hence the phrase” buck of a lifetime.” When it’s all said and done, it’s your call, you be the judge.
The third option is much clearer cut, going back to the days of old, when times were simple, choices were fewer, and meat was scarcer, and necessity dictated hunter’s actions, not the quest for a trophy. We are truly blessed when we can be afforded the luxury of having a choice on what exact animal we will take, when not too long ago a hunter would head out for a day of hunting not knowing if he would be able to even see, much less take an animal at all. These are truly great times to be a hunter, whatever the size, the choice is yours.
So what does the GS say?
At Your Service,
TUCO
BIG OR SMALL?
It’s a question that most of us have been faced with at some time or another. Unlike our fathers and grandfathers, where meat was the objective of the hunt, you shot what you saw, and the rack was just a byproduct of the animal to be either hung out in the barn, or used as a hat rack by the door. Along with all the protein feeds, game mgmt., and selective breeding practices, the opportunity for a first time hunter to take a whopper whitetail are as good as they have ever been. And as is the case on many ranches, there are a number of good mature bucks to pick from. Which poses the question, do you have the youngster shoot the biggest buck he can find for his first buck, or opt for the lesser, respectable, mature buck for the young hunter. There seems to be two schools of thought on this subject.
Option A being that the respectable buck is taken with the premise that the young hunter has to pay his dues, and work his way up to the big bucks, and not be handed one right off the bat.
Option B is that the kid is allowed to take the big buck, with the idea that he will always strive to one up his first deer.
There is of course a third option wherein the first acceptable buck that presents himself is taken; in essence leaving the decision up to blind faith; a buck by default if you will.
I’ll go out on a limb and say most hunters identify with option A, giving their young hunter something to look forward to in the coming years. Option B on the other hand seems to be complicated in part by the old adage, “only the best for my kid.” Just take a brief look at a south Texas big buck contest-youth division and you will see a mob of very young kids posing with GIANT whitetails the likes of which, most people have never seen. This phenomenon seems to go a little beyond first time luck to say the least. Some would say that allowing the kid to take such a large deer right off the bat is doing the youngster a great disservice. After all, what else does the kid have to look forward to after taking a buck like that? Others would say a hunter that young hasn’t the wherewithal to truly appreciate all the time and effort it takes for most hunters to take such a magnificent trophy. Hence the phrase” buck of a lifetime.” When it’s all said and done, it’s your call, you be the judge.
The third option is much clearer cut, going back to the days of old, when times were simple, choices were fewer, and meat was scarcer, and necessity dictated hunter’s actions, not the quest for a trophy. We are truly blessed when we can be afforded the luxury of having a choice on what exact animal we will take, when not too long ago a hunter would head out for a day of hunting not knowing if he would be able to even see, much less take an animal at all. These are truly great times to be a hunter, whatever the size, the choice is yours.
So what does the GS say?
At Your Service,
TUCO
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