What happened to deer hunting?

[HogHunter34]

It’s all good
There are many who think everyone else should hunt the way they do or think alike
I don’t think it’s a one size fits all
For example many of the mature buck killers year after year that watch & observe the same buck with the intentions of waiting another year or so doesn’t work across the board
All depends on the property size, & surrounding pressure
You can do that on a 2000+ acre place or if you have multiple property minded people
Good luck where I hunt
Im on 111 acres in East Tx and I rarely see this years buck (decent size) the next year
Too small of acerage & too much hunting pressure around me
Everyone says “give him another year”
Heck he might not make it another week

[scooter66]

OP, sidebar question since you are a taxidermist.
Do you do spend the same amount of time/effort on a 125” deer as a 200” deer?
The place I hunt a 130” deer is a trophy but I worry if I want to get this class of deer mounted it will get assigned to the student/intern.

[txtrophy85]

Overhunted private is still easier. You can sleep later, don't have to worry about not getting your spot, don't have to scout, you just sleep in and show up with no worries. Don't need a plan B,C and D in case some random citizen is in the spot you planned to hunt. So yeah, it's harder, always harder.

I've hunted public land in Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico. I'm not unfamiliar with public lands.

[Hills of Texas]

OP, sidebar question since you are a taxidermist.
Do you do spend the same amount of time/effort on a 125” deer as a 200” deer?
The place I hunt a 130” deer is a trophy but I worry if I want to get this class of deer mounted it will get assigned to the student/intern.

Everyone of them. When I’m mounting, I’m paying attention to hair patterns and proper placement. They all get the same attention. The work is in the cape and form. Antlers are set and go.

[SaltwaterSlick]

Something similar popped up on another forum but instead of trophy hunting it was social media ruining hunting.

I find it hilarious how people b**** and moan about others and the way they hunt, why they hunt, or what they get out of hunting. Reminds me of the mask holes that think everyone else should wear a mask to protect me.

I hunt because I love everything about it. I love all types of hunting from killing a monster buck to removing does, I love the chase, I love the hard work, I love the primal instinct of you vs nature, it’s all a blessing to be able to do and it consumes my life. I love seeing pictures of others with a deer they killed, I love watching videos of someone’s hunt they filmed to share, I love hearing others stories. If it’s all about inches to someone so be it that’s what they like. If it’s all about mounts, so be it. I love having my animal mounts on the wall, it’s artwork for me as well as preserving a memory (kind of a visual que). As for they just all disappear when we’re gone, I guess I’m the exception. When my grandfather passed myself and all 7 of my cousins had to draw straws for grandpas heads he had on the wall as those were meaningful to all of us as memories. One day I’ll point to those antlers and tell the story to my kids about their great grandpa and this special buck or bull.

What ruins hunting is others trying to impose their ideas on others trying to tell them it should be experienced this way and not that way. Be happy for someone who is outside enjoying the outdoors and not sitting watching tv or participating in a downfall of society. Don’t get me wrong some hunting is ridiculous and should be called out, like wasting meat, you kill it you better freakin eat it or that’s just bloodlust. Hunting is a lot easier and enjoyable when you stop worrying what others might think or concerned with how or why someone else is hunting.

These are EXACTLY my thoughts!!


I enjoy everything about hunting... I can watch does and bucks all day long and enjoy that, but when the decision is made to shoot one, even if it's a doe, something happens... I'm that little kid again... that can't control himself or his shakes... I can get doe fever just as bad as buck fever... When it quits doing that to me, that's the day I'll hang it up...


I took my grandsons out 2 years ago for their first hunt. They were 8 and 10 years old each... The 10 year old nailed a big doe and we did some serious celebrating.... The young one had the opportunity to shoot one a day or two later, and he aimed and aimed and aimed.... Then he looked up at me and said, "Poppa, I can't shoot. I'm scared!" I asked him why he was scared and he said, "I don't know why. I just can't quit shaking..." I told him that he wasn't scared. That's called "buck fever", and I still get it every time I am about to shoot a deer... This year he got his first deer, a nice 22" wide 8 point... I told him that I'd never killed a 22" wide deer!! Now this thing was a scrub buck (or I guess they're supposed to be skimmers now.). He was 22" wide but barely broke a hundred total inches... Just the same, he has that sucker hanging over his bed... Trophy?? YOU BET!! It was a trophy to him and me both!!

[mmlreiner]

I’m a part of both sides of this topic. I prefer to shoot deer that are older than most. I pass on lots of deer even with my low fences but I’m also not butt hurt about the possibility of someone else shooting one of them.

On the flip side, I took three hunters out last week and had them have the time of their lives chasing some of my younger management bucks, does and culls. I had an absolute blast right along with them. One of the guys sent a picture to his best friend who is an avid hunter and the first thing that dude responded with was “nice but he’s only 4”.

I was sort of peeved about it since this was a brand new hunter and his buddy’s comment clearly made him feel like maybe he shouldn’t have killed that buck. I just told him not to worry about comments like that and that his buck was perfect. Still, his buddy came back and asked what he would have to pay to shoot a 130-140” buck with me. SMH.


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[rolylane6]

These are EXACTLY my thoughts!!


I enjoy everything about hunting... I can watch does and bucks all day long and enjoy that, but when the decision is made to shoot one, even if it's a doe, something happens... I'm that little kid again... that can't control himself or his shakes... I can get doe fever just as bad as buck fever... When it quits doing that to me, that's the day I'll hang it up...


I took my grandsons out 2 years ago for their first hunt. They were 8 and 10 years old each... The 10 year old nailed a big doe and we did some serious celebrating.... The young one had the opportunity to shoot one a day or two later, and he aimed and aimed and aimed.... Then he looked up at me and said, "Poppa, I can't shoot. I'm scared!" I asked him why he was scared and he said, "I don't know why. I just can't quit shaking..." I told him that he wasn't scared. That's called "buck fever", and I still get it every time I am about to shoot a deer... This year he got his first deer, a nice 22" wide 8 point... I told him that I'd never killed a 22" wide deer!! Now this thing was a scrub buck (or I guess they're supposed to be skimmers now.). He was 22" wide but barely broke a hundred total inches... Just the same, he has that sucker hanging over his bed... Trophy?? YOU BET!! It was a trophy to him and me both!!

Slick, my grandson shot this one this year and you'd thought it was a 200" monster....too me!
Excited does begin to describe how I felt, much less how he did!

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[Smart]

I’m a part of both sides of this topic. I prefer to shoot deer that are older than most. I pass on lots of deer even with my low fences but I’m also not butt hurt about the possibility of someone else shooting one of them.

On the flip side, I took three hunters out last week and had them have the time of their lives chasing some of my younger management bucks, does and culls. I had an absolute blast right along with them. One of the guys sent a picture to his best friend who is an avid hunter and the first thing that dude responded with was “nice but he’s only 4”.

I was sort of peeved about it since this was a brand new hunter and his buddy’s comment clearly made him feel like maybe he shouldn’t have killed that buck. I just told him not to worry about comments like that and that his buck was perfect. Still, his buddy came back and asked what he would have to pay to shoot a 130-140” buck with me. SMH.


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What a friggin' ******. Trash *** human right there crapping on somebody's parade. Good on you for letting him kill one and redirecting the ******baggery into a positive

[Mudslinger]

I’m a part of both sides of this topic. I prefer to shoot deer that are older than most. I pass on lots of deer even with my low fences but I’m also not butt hurt about the possibility of someone else shooting one of them.

On the flip side, I took three hunters out last week and had them have the time of their lives chasing some of my younger management bucks, does and culls. I had an absolute blast right along with them. One of the guys sent a picture to his best friend who is an avid hunter and the first thing that dude responded with was “nice but he’s only 4”.

I was sort of peeved about it since this was a brand new hunter and his buddy’s comment clearly made him feel like maybe he shouldn’t have killed that buck. I just told him not to worry about comments like that and that his buck was perfect. Still, his buddy came back and asked what he would have to pay to shoot a 130-140” buck with me. SMH.


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One of the reasons I do not like hunting with a big group. There is always one in the group that demeans the others on their kills.

[Czechfish]

I’ll never degrade or berate another hunter/fisherman/outdoorsman. There are enough “anti’s” to do that. This is a brotherhood and you **** sure better have your brothers back cause there’s a chit load of morons out there trying to stop what we love.

[mmlreiner]

I’ll never degrade or berate another hunter/fisherman/outdoorsman. There are enough “anti’s” to do that. This is a brotherhood and you **** sure better have your brothers back cause there’s a chit load of morons out there trying to stop what we love.

Exactly! There aren’t enough hunters to be making the ones we do have feel bad. Deer will repopulate! Especially where I hunt lol.


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[SwampBuck]

I’m a part of both sides of this topic. I prefer to shoot deer that are older than most. I pass on lots of deer even with my low fences but I’m also not butt hurt about the possibility of someone else shooting one of them.

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This is me.
In our group of hunters, none of them watch the deer to the extent I have found myself watching them and trying to learn there ages. If someone asks me for my input or thought on a deer I’ll offer it, if they shoot a good one I’ll congratulate them, if their kid shoots a buck that’s younger and had potential they still get congratulated.

Do I let deer walk Hoping they don’t cross into the next pasture hoping they don’t get shot? Yeah…but Deep down I know it’s always a possibility. The piece of mind I do take is that if it does happen it’ll be one of our hunters that takes them and I can live with it.

[BarBBar]

My first deer was a button buck I shot in 5th grade. I thought it was a doe. This was in 1963 hunting on the ground with the rancher's ten year old daughter, sharing a .222 Remington. I was really excited to shoot any deer, even though no antlers were involved. In later years, I passed at least five "give him one more year" bucks only to find them as cut off antlers sitting in the closet at the lease hunters' camp.

[Encinal]

Something similar popped up on another forum but instead of trophy hunting it was social media ruining hunting.

I find it hilarious how people b**** and moan about others and the way they hunt, why they hunt, or what they get out of hunting. Reminds me of the mask holes that think everyone else should wear a mask to protect me.

I hunt because I love everything about it. I love all types of hunting from killing a monster buck to removing does, I love the chase, I love the hard work, I love the primal instinct of you vs nature, it’s all a blessing to be able to do and it consumes my life. I love seeing pictures of others with a deer they killed, I love watching videos of someone’s hunt they filmed to share, I love hearing others stories. If it’s all about inches to someone so be it that’s what they like. If it’s all about mounts, so be it. I love having my animal mounts on the wall, it’s artwork for me as well as preserving a memory (kind of a visual que). As for they just all disappear when we’re gone, I guess I’m the exception. When my grandfather passed myself and all 7 of my cousins had to draw straws for grandpas heads he had on the wall as those were meaningful to all of us as memories. One day I’ll point to those antlers and tell the story to my kids about their great grandpa and this special buck or bull.

What ruins hunting is others trying to impose their ideas on others trying to tell them it should be experienced this way and not that way. Be happy for someone who is outside enjoying the outdoors and not sitting watching tv or participating in a downfall of society. Don’t get me wrong some hunting is ridiculous and should be called out, like wasting meat, you kill it you better freakin eat it or that’s just bloodlust. Hunting is a lot easier and enjoyable when you stop worrying what others might think or concerned with how or why someone else is hunting.

People that have big hunting social media accounts are obviously the problem.

[gtsticker]

What happened to deer hunting?

I had a client bring his two sons to the ranch this year for a cull hunt. Both had never harvested a buck. I sat with one and the first morning we saw a little 7 point. I would have loved to kill it as my first deer. No he let it walk. We killed a bigger one that evening. Bother and dad pass a
Nice 8 point 15 inch inside spread because dad had seen a bigger one on the pictures. Kid was mad at his dad and did not get another opportunity. The dad had a chance to share a memory but through it away because he wanted a bigger deer.


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