[BruceBruce1959]

I don't believe anyone should need a reason as to why they've shot a Legal Buck.
Immature bucks are just as legal as mature bucks and that's what our youth hunters should be being taught.

 

[BruceBruce1959]

the bottom line is this, If a person shoots a "legal" Deer That's All that should matter.
Nobody should be concerned with whether a Buck OR Doe is a
Mature or Immature Deer so long as it's harvested within the legal means of that States Laws.

 

[BruceBruce1959]

but is that being a good steward of the wildlife? again, just cause you can doesn't mean you should?

Absolutely! Youth hunters who practice Safe, Ethical hunting is all we should strive for.
We "Hunters" are nothing more than the tools used to manage the wildlife, The experts at the federal and state levels guide what and when we can hunt and Up till now they've done very well,,, especially seeing as how the Whitetail deer population here in North America is at it's highest levels ever.
Somebody's doing something right.

 

[BruceBruce1959]

The thread wasn't hijacked this is the issue the poster was concerned with.
I don't believe anyone but you Ronn has referred to the Brown is down mentality. We're talking about taking Legal Deer, be it Bucks or Does we're not talking about shooting anything that walks BUT if it happens to walk in front of a Licensed Hunter who can Legally tag it, why should they let you decide what they can shoot rather then let their tags decide what they can shoot.
Ronn I totally understand your position and I get just as frustrated here in Vermont as you do in NH,,, and I'd love to be able to call the shots based on what I observe in the woods but each state has experts that determine Where, When & What gets hunted.
I only hunt small portions of Vermont Our state officials are just about BEGGING hunters to shoot more Does a lot of hunters refuse to cooperate in taking Does because they're stuck on their own theories of management.
So now with Vermont being over-run by Does is it wrong for Vermonters to harvest them? No.
You and I ronn may never see ideal hunting in our states EVEN IF by some miracle NH or Vt. became perfectly balanced in a year or 2,,, You and I both know it only takes one Severe winter to get it right back to the way it was. It's not only the hunter harvest that affects the hunting in our region, sometimes It's a compilation of a bunch of things. We can't always blame hunters who harvest Immature bucks or Does for the issues Vt. and NH have to deal with.

 

[BruceBruce1959]

I think you're correct... LOL
All I was saying was, if it's legal, why shouldn't anyone, youth hunter or adult hunter be allowed to shoot it?
I don't think ANY legally harvested deer requires a reason to harvest it.

Just imagine your son or daughter (any Youth Hunter) taking a deer into a check in station,,,
Proud as a peacock , whether it's the youth's first deer or their 21'st deer
And they begin to get interrogated by some State official probably a Biologist on why they shot that legal deer.
You can bet your butt whether it's my kid or not,,, I am not going to stand by and watch anyone get drilled by anyone else because they shot a legal Deer.

The Brown is down mentality ( "IF It's brown it's down" ) means the person doesn't care what it is (buck, doe, fawn, cow, moose, dog, etc. etc.)
they're shooting it no matter what..
Hence the saying if it's Brown (Brown being the Only Stipulation) means kill it.
Whether that hunter has the proper tag to tag it with or not and that's Illegal

 

[BruceBruce1959]

Congratulations to you and your son.... Do you have a pic to share with us. I hope so, that way you can enter him and his deer in the
Bucks for Buck/Dough for a Doe 2009/2010 Deer Season contest... http://www.deerhuntersclub.com/forums/contests/4202-bucks-buck-dough-doe-2009-2010-deer-season.html <-Click for rules
Good Luck !!!