trophy hunting or meat hunting

[onehorse]

Originally Posted by wmi

Ever get that feeling you are all alone? Guys I still get venison it is just more aged.

Hey, Mike, you may be all alone; you may also be the most patient, well-disciplined and, after all is said and done, the best deer hunter on this forum!

[Hunting Man]

WMI, you're not alone, just different goals. I'm glad not everyone goes after the really big boys might be too much pressure on them and a lot of unhappy hunters. Some areas cannot produce trophy bucks and so we try to get a mature one and thats still hunting and requires pretty good skill to do, especially when time limits are at hand. This is where the next step down hunters seem to fall into, myself included. I will agree on one thing you have pretty high goals and stick to/do them well. Sometimes i think you are like those people who go out and live with the gorillas to learn about them and their secrets, only in your case big bucks.

[onehorse]

Hey, HuntingMan,
Did you say Mike looks like a gorilla. I didn't know that you'd seen any pictures of him!

in my mind a trophy is any buck that is like 4.5 yo regardless of head gear. even an old, 4.5+ yo, doe can be a trophy. something with age that makes them particularly hard to hunt.

i don't know many that would pass a 140" 3.5 year old buck, wmi would/has. heck i've done it but in a area that 140 is considered an average buck. it would be a dead deer here in nh.

[Hunting Man]

onehorse, Never seen him but I hope he's not picking ticks from the bucks!

[wmi]

You guys crack me up. HM is right I believe I have different goals. Do I wish everyone else had the same goals?-- YES!!! But only because it would make my seasons easier because there would be more BIG BUCKS! Am I patient?--Yes. However the real reason is I'm getting old and lazy, just too tired dragging out all of those deer. Shooting deer is fun but short lived because all that follows is a ton of work!

[buckfever]

Originally Posted by wmi

I'm getting old and lazy

Glad im not the only one.

The meat guys are doing you a favor wmi. If there was nothing but big bucks you would get sick of the non-challenge and end up fishin!

[redman5850]

WMI there is a county in Virginia that the first buck is hunters choice, the second buck has to ha at least 4 points on one side. I would like to see a lot more areas use this type of management for deer.

[wmi]

BF I already spend more time fishing than hunting but there is never more than an hour or two that passes without me thinking of both. As far as regs I wish they could do 20" main beam length or more but most would never be able to guess that right. 20" is right at the limit of 99.9% of Pope & Young min score of 125. 20" of tine length on one side would be another good reg.. For those that do not know the old standard of telling a P&Y contender it is known as the 20/20 rule. If it has both you most likely have a P&Y gross buck. In most areas this is a 3 1/2 year old or better however I have seen quit a few 2 1/2 year olds that would make it. When Ronn and I went to ILL. a guy there shot a 12 point 2 1/2 year old that made P&Y as well as pissing the outfitter off big time. That buck would have been a world class monster in 2 or 3 more years.
I love to hunt. I love all the animals, birds, smell of the woods, the challenge, the tracking and statagies but most of all having a monach buck come into my shooting lane. September 15th won't get here soon enough.

Originally Posted by wmi

BF I already spend more time fishing than hunting but there is never more than an hour or two that passes without me thinking of both. As far as regs I wish they could do 20" main beam length or more but most would never be able to guess that right. 20" is right at the limit of 99.9% of Pope & Young min score of 125. 20" of tine length on one side would be another good reg.. For those that do not know the old standard of telling a P&Y contender it is known as the 20/20 rule. If it has both you most likely have a P&Y gross buck. In most areas this is a 3 1/2 year old or better however I have seen quit a few 2 1/2 year olds that would make it. When Ronn and I went to ILL. a guy there shot a 12 point 2 1/2 year old that made P&Y as well as pissing the outfitter off big time. That buck would have been a world class monster in 2 or 3 more years.
I love to hunt. I love all the animals, birds, smell of the woods, the challenge, the tracking and statagies but most of all having a monach buck come into my shooting lane. September 15th won't get here soon enough.

if they had those rules here in nh,wmi, there would be 6 bucks taken a season. they just don't grow it here.