Burning that trophy tag early

[Muddy Bud]

It’s nice hunting in a 2 buck no restriction county!

We hunt in a 3 buck no restrictions county. This is mostly a self imposed rule in order to keep some mature deer for the following year. I still get a cull and some doe if I care too.

Just dont care too right now. Unless I see a sure enough 6 yr old spike or 5 point or anything in that category. Im just just as thrilled taking them out, just have not seen anything of the sort this year.

One deer last my family all year. Heck, I had to give away some of my buck from last year to make room for the one I got this year.

[Clark]

I think this thread is for rifle hunters.
Gotta be.

[DRT]

I've eaten my share of tag soup before while holding out for the big ones that I've had on camera. I keep holding out every year, but I'll take a cull at the end of the year if I can't get a big one.

Exactly

Gary

[DRT]

We hunt in a 3 buck no restrictions county. This is mostly a self imposed rule in order to keep some mature deer for the following year. I still get a cull and some doe if I care too.



Just dont care too right now. Unless I see a sure enough 6 yr old spike or 5 point or anything in that category. Im just just as thrilled taking them out, just have not seen anything of the sort this year.



One deer last my family all year. Heck, I had to give away some of my buck from last year to make room for the one I got this year.

No offense but I have no clue why guys like you hunt. We have one like that on our lease. One of my ranch partners seldom shoots a deer for those reasons as well. Shooting a trophy just for the head. Family doesn't eat deer meat. He will eat less than one per year.
Granted we only eat 3 and I usually kill 5 to 7 but I also provide meat to friends and a couple of families who can use the meat.
Don't get me wrong, I want to kill a 160 class buck when I hunt as well (never have and probably never will) but the meat and how it feeds my family is my first priority.

Gary

[diamond10x]

Wish I could say i’ve tagged out early. Got too many stories of passing animals holding out for better to shoot a management deer or smaller buck/bull because I wasn’t going home with no meat for the freezer.

[gingib]

If my target mature buck shows up, he is being shot at whether opening week or the last day

[lodgepole]

I’ve tried to run those horns through the grinder. Just can’t get them to grind.


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[jshouse]

I think this thread is for rifle hunters.
Gotta be.

[Abcdj]

This is the number one question at our place every year. We know our best hunting is after December 15th. When the pastures die out and the rut is mostly over and they start coming to the wheat and oats to recover from all the stress.

I've been on our place now for 15 years. Over that time I have passed on a several deer early in the year to see what would come in later only to never see them again or anything better that year. That is perfectly ok with me. It's about what could be to me! I really enjoy being on a place where you truly never ever know whats going to walk out in front of you.

The most unique deer I passed on was on the first day of bow season about 6-7 years ago. He was only an 8 point but he had a 9 inch S shaped drop tine. He had mass and was 20 inches inside. I thought he was 3-4 and let him go. I had the pleasure of watching him for an hour at 30 yards and those memories will be with me forever. I didn't shoot a deer the rest of that year.

Just this past week I had a 4-5 second chance at a deer of a life time that I had never seen anything like it before. It all happened so fast and I thought about 100 things in that 4-5 seconds( he is freaking wide, shoot, don't shoot, one of a kind, how many points, you passed on the drop tine buck, you cant make that shot, what a deer, they always look bigger running away, what will you see later on, and finally just shoot) in that 4-5 seconds as I was watching the deer run away at 275 yards thru the wheat and into the broom weed along the end of the field I shot! I knew he was 20 yards from disappearing into the mesquites probably never to be seen again. Well he ended up with a 27 7/8 inside spread. I was more than lucky and have zero regrets now on shooting this early in the season this year.

Besides on our lease if you shoot a "trophy" we all have agreed you can keep hunting a second trophy and if you see a GIANT you can shoot it as well.

[TXhoghunter94]

I usually know which bucks have peaked on our place and decide before the season starts who I will try and get on. I prefer to shoot them early season when they are more predictable and not broken up. If I see an even bigger one after that then there is just more excitement for next year!

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[2B4Him]

I'm not really a 'trophy hunter', per se, but on my old lease we could shoot a trophy, a cull, and does. As early as I saw a true 'shooter' (or 'trophy'), I would take the shot. Too many times I've hesitated and ended up with tag soup.
Still fun to me to continue hunting all season for culls and does and pigs.

[Muddy Bud]

No offense but I have no clue why guys like you hunt. We have one like that on our lease. One of my ranch partners seldom shoots a deer for those reasons as well. Shooting a trophy just for the head. Family doesn't eat deer meat. He will eat less than one per year.
Granted we only eat 3 and I usually kill 5 to 7 but I also provide meat to friends and a couple of families who can use the meat.
Don't get me wrong, I want to kill a 160 class buck when I hunt as well (never have and probably never will) but the meat and how it feeds my family is my first priority.

Gary

No offense taken. Truth is my household is not as big as it used to be. Daughters been out of the house for a few years now and my son like me works in the oil field and is only home maybe a few months out of the year. So the wife and myself can only eat so much. Mostly sausage.

Killing is easy, waiting and hunting a particular animal just makes it all that much better when you do get him. Even if he shows early in the season. I'm still hunting, just taking note on prospects for the next season.

[El General]

I’d like to get it out of the way and try some different kind of hunting other than guarding a feeder.

[DRT]

No offense taken. Truth is my household is not as big as it used to be. Daughters been out of the house for a few years now and my son like me works in the oil field and is only home maybe a few months out of the year. So the wife and myself can only eat so much. Mostly sausage.



Killing is easy, waiting and hunting a particular animal just makes it all that much better when you do get him. Even if he shows early in the season. I'm still hunting, just taking note on prospects for the next season.

Yeah my kids, although adults, still like deer meat. Mostly ground deer. I love being able to give them some.
Me, deer is the red meat of choice, and it's better for me than beef so the doc is good with it.

Gary

[talltexasshoote]

I hunt a 1 buck county. I shot my buck in early season with the bow. I have seen 2 bigger bucks since. I would still shoot the first one. He was big enough. No question when he jumped in the pen. If you feel that way you should shoot. It shouldn’t mater how early in the season it is. I have plenty of doe tags for the rest of season.