A game of inches

new blood said:

For me personally, I hunt for the experience of being out in the woods, away from daily life, and hoping to get that little bit of excitement that comes with having a chance of accomplishing what I am trying to hunt. That might be a mature buck, a doe, a turkey, a coyote or bobcat, etc. I don't hunt primarily for food but will not waste deer meat if I pull the trigger. I have killed many deer but only one doe. That being my first. I am averaging a deer kill about 1 every 4 years because I do try to harvest a buck that is just as big and preferably bigger than my last. For me, seeing and shooting does and young bucks does not give me the experience I'm seeking. I have mounted 2 deer over 125 and made several skull mounts. I appreciate how different and unique each one is. Mostly, I can look at each one of them and remember how excited I was when the memory was made. I can remember the time of day, the temperature, what was going on in the woods, who I might have been hunting with, what the animal did, etc. I can also tell you the exact date of most.

So for me, hunting a place where young ones are allowed to get some age to mature is important for what I'm trying to gain from the experience. The bucks I mount are not meant to show off or beat my chest and say I'm better than other hunters. There seems to be a broad stroke painted on "trophy hunters" that we are trying to show off how masculine we are by holding out for a big buck. I don't care if anyone sees my mounts but me. I just like to look at them and take a trip down memory lane of a great experience. To each their own.

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mguthrie said:

My club did this a few years ago. After 3-4 seasons we realized it wasn't practical. We do have 3000 acres but there just aren't that many bucks that will break 125" without feeding them high protein. Whether that be feed or food plots. And that gets mighty expensive. Now our rule is if you shoot it you mount it. I passed up a 115" deer that looked to be 3 1/2 years old this year. A week later another member killed it and is getting it mounted. No rules broke and no hard feelings. To a lot of folks a 115" buck is a trophy and I understand that

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NCHillbilly said:

Another thought: I would guess that the vast majority of bucks in my area will die from old age before they ever hit 125" of antler. This isn't Illinois or Kansas.

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Buckman18 said:

Very true. I just had a couple skull mounted. One aged 5.5 yr old and the other 6.5 yr old in my estimation. The 5.5 grossed 122, the 6.5 grossed 109. Both from Mcduffie County near Clark Hill WMA. Bucks from Saskatchewan that old would potentially be booners. On my club, the nutrition isn't what it is in some areas, both these bucks were full of pine cones in their stomach when I field dressed them.
Interesting, I have never heard of deer eating pine cones. I know the seeds are high in protein.

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MYRX said:

I was in a trophy club with 130"min for a few years. The key word is "was". Most hunters can't tell a 110 from a 130. Every year deer I passed up were taken. (some I say less than 100")Yes we spent many $$$ on protein. Had great bucks on camera's. One was taken.

Hopefully my new club is better. The rules are min 8 points, mature buck with 16" spread.

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The mtn man said:

Have you ever tried to age and score a buck during the 5 seconds you have before he walks out of your life forever?.

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The mtn man said:

Have you ever tried to age and score a buck during the 5 seconds you have before he walks out of your life forever?.

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