Determining your buck

[at1010]

I have hunted my entire life. Shot a few decent bucks, nothing to call home about. I grew up in lorain county, with very little ground to hunt, now I have lived in Athens for 4 years, and have access to about 500 acres to hunt in Noble.

As you can see my opportunities to kill a big buck have increased significantly. My question is, if I see a good 130+ do you shoot it when your at my level of hunting or do you hold off for a hog when you know that there are several 145+ a few 170s running around.

I love shooting does, so I plan to tag out on those. Just curious on some opinions.

Thanks all.

 

["J"]

A trophy is in the eye of the beholder.... If a 130-140 is a monster too you and you want too shoot..... By all means shoot away.... Everybodies trophy is differant.

 

[bowhunter1023]

Bottom line is you have to shoot what makes you happy. I've passed deer I probably should have shot and I've shot deer I wished I hadn't once they were on the ground. There is no worse feeling than the latter in my opinion. My definition of a shooter has changed a good bit over the years as I've grown as a hunter and my expectations have also grown. At this point in my career, a shooter is a 4 year old or older buck I have history with, meaning pictures and/or encounters. I'd still shoot something big without the history, but it would need to be a no doubt 140+ type of deer. My goals border on unrealistic, but I like to shoot the moon when it comes to decorating the walls of my man cave.

 

[at1010]

Dont get me wrong either, If I shoot a 140inch deer, Ill have a woody for a month.

My point I guess is opening weekend a 135 walks by me, and looks big I know due to my lack of wall, I should shoot him, but knowing that I could score on a lot bigger, and I hunt at minimum 3 times a week mostly upwards of 5 times a week.

 

[cotty16]

If you have to think about it when you see the buck, DON'T SHOOT!
you'll know it when the time comes. That "oh yeah" feeling comes over you and then you know it's time.

 

[cotty16]

Dont get me wrong either, If I shoot a 140inch deer, Ill have a woody for a month.

My point I guess is opening weekend a 135 walks by me, and looks big I know due to my lack of wall, I should shoot him, but knowing that I could score on a lot bigger, and I hunt at minimum 3 times a week mostly upwards of 5 times a week.

Seeing 140 plus deer isn;t as easy as it sounds.

 

[Buckmaster]

My technique is this. If I'm sitting in my stand and see a deer and think "Oh Shit"....... that's an "Oh Shit Buck". It deserves an arrow.
If I can't get excited about a buck on intial sighting and instinct; then it's probably not the buck for me.

Second guessing oneself and being trigger happy usually results in pretty good ground shrinkage and a spent tag.

 

[at1010]

buckmaster and Cotty I think you guys just made me realize this.

I dont know why this year I started to second guess my self. I just really wanna kill a 140 and I have an opportunity to this year. I know its not easy, if it was my wall would be full. hahaha

I think it just comes down to that DAMN lets gooo!

 

[Schu72]

There is a saying that goes something like "Don't pass a deer on the first day that you would take on the last day". There is another thread on here that details how many opportunities guys get at different classes of deer each year and not many guys get more than a few chances at deer over 135 let alone a deer over 150. If a 135 walks in front of me on sept 29th he's riding home with me in the back of my truck.

 

[brock ratcliff]

I killed my first deer with a bow in 82 or so. I've been at it a while I suppose, but I'm still not what some would consider overly picky. I will shoot a 130 every day of the week here in Ohio. In fact several years ago, I shot a 130' deer shortly after seeing a 190 chasing a doe within 75yards of me. I know what the big one measured because we killed it two days later. I don't care, 130 is good enough for me because I KNOW they don't come along everyday - at least where I hunt. I always wish every deer I kill had slightly longer tines, a little more mass, longer beams, etc. All that non-sense creeps into my mind after he's on the ground, and I quickly remind myself that the deer did his best to grow the antlers he had, and I did my best to put him on the ground where he lays. As long as you do it right, clean and ethical, there is no real reason to wish you hadn't shot. I only regret that the hunt is "over".

Its a personal thing. If the buck you kill made you grab your bow as soon as you saw him, don't degrade the experience with "what if's".

 

[Big_Holla]

It all gets back to what actual shot opportunities you have like in the other post. I have seen some great bucks over the years but seeing them at 100+ yards is a big difference than having them within bow range. If your best buck is say a 125 then a realistic goal could be to better that buck and each year continue your trend. I remember a few years back someone did a poll on another forum and asked if you would rather have a wall full of real nice bucks (say up to 135) or just one BIG buck on that same wall. I have always said and continue to feel the same way, I won't ever be famous for the deer I shoot and yeah that one BIG buck is nice....but the memories that go into a wall full of really good bucks will be more than enough to last a lifetime.

My feeling is this, shoot what you will not regret. If you regret then you need to look at yourself and decide what is most important in your life and do a little soul searching. Time to remember what THIS is all about.

 

[at1010]

I feel very humbled, and kinda like an asshole for starting this thread now.....

I guess I just have never had the oppurtunities/properties to hunt I have this year so I hate to look back and have regrets cause who knows how long ill be able to hunt over 1000acres in Athens County, and 500 in Noble County and 50 in Lorain County all that hold nice deer. hahaha I say fugg it if I kill it Ill be happy with it, and Ill eat it up!

 

[cotty16]

The other thing I'll add is, targeting a specific buck can pay off, but it can also lead to some serious heartbreak. Many on here have stories about target deer that never came to fruition. I was lucky once to get a target deer. This year, I have a feeling I'm in for some serious heartbreak if I focus on just one deer.

Like Schu said, if it's 135, it's getting shot at. Nothing wrong with that standard at all!

 

[cotty16]

I feel very humbled, and kinda like an asshole for starting this thread now.....

I guess I just have never had the oppurtunities/properties to hunt I have this year so I hate to look back and have regrets cause who knows how long ill be able to hunt over 1000acres in Athens County, and 500 in Noble County and 50 in Lorain County all that hold nice deer. hahaha I say fugg it if I kill it Ill be happy with it, and Ill eat it up!

Don't feel that way at all! It's a good topic of discussion and it's also one that many of us wrestle with.

Hicks will come on here and say "shoot what makes you happy" and he's absolutely right (sorry for stealing your thunder, buddy). Others may say, "you'll never kil a booner if you always shoot the 130's".

If I were you and hunting a new place, I'd set my goals at 130 or better and progress from there. There is nothing wrong with a 130 buck.
I set that goal every year and get an itchy trigger finger. Lol
However, gosh darn it, I'm sticking to my guns this year!

 

[at1010]

well cotty my goal this year is to SMACK the does. This way ill get the itch out of me to kill and that way ill shoot a buck that really makes me happy.

I shot this buck, Two or three years ago, nothing to call home about but I was happy with it cause I got to rush it home and show my 86 year old grandpa, he is still alive and being able to get a pic with him was more important to me then the antler size. Also I only had one place to hunt, and the big buck (146inch got killed haha).




This year I am just trying to make myself mature in my hunting career, but will probably kill a 130+ if I get a chance too.

 

[bowhunter1023]

All of our "shoulda, coulda, woulda" walls look better than our actual walls. It makes me sick to think about mine, but at the same time, it has shaped me in to the hunter I am today. I didn't get ate up with this stuff until the 2004 season when I killed my first big buck, a deer I had pictures of and wanted to kill more than anything. I fully expected to lay down 2-3-4 OBB caliber deer in my 20's and I failed miserably at it leaving a handful of 130's deer in the woods and even one 140+ deer as the result of passing on them or a FUBAR.

This is a very humbling sport and you can easily set yourself up for failure by setting unrealistic goals and/or second guessing what goals you do set for yourself. The only person who needs to be happy with what you harvest if you.

 

[finelyshedded]

IMO, shoot what makes you happy. It's not always the score/size of a deer but how a hunt becomes memorable TOO. Was it the first buck you rattled in,is he a old buck on the decline,did you watch him freshen a scrape prior to getting a shot op or did you beat a bucks nose when the odds were in his favor?

Hunting time or hours I have normally dictate how picky I am when it comes to filling my one and only buck tag. Years past, many seasons I hunted only 12 to 14 days total because of my time limitations. I passed on several 120-130 deer or saw them just out of bow range and made no attempt to bring them in for a shot because I was holding out for a 140 and up deer. I ate a lot of buck tags back in those days and it still leaves a bitter taste.

Just know this, be prepared to eat some buck tags every so often if your goal is 140 and up.
1.How much hunting time will/do you have?
2.Whats the trophy potential in your hunting area?
3.Think back on how many 140+ class bucks you actually HAD within bow range in the past.
4.Will you be totally happy with the 125-135" buck you shot?

These are just a few things to consider, Goodluck this season!

A lot of great advise on here for you TOO chew on!

 

[Gern186]

If you have several bucks 140 plus and a 170 running around then my advice is to not settle for a 130 inch deer. No way....there will be an opportunity to shoot at least one of the big ones if you are half smart about it.

 

[Big H]

My technique is this. If I'm sitting in my stand and see a deer and think "Oh Shit"....... that's an "Oh Shit Buck". It deserves an arrow.
If I can't get excited about a buck on intial sighting and instinct; then it's probably not the buck for me.

Second guessing oneself and being trigger happy usually results in pretty good ground shrinkage and a spent tag.

Bingo!! Well said Ben. My buck last year was exactly that, it was not "should I shoot him", it was, " Oh shit, I hope I can draw the bow and stick him without getting busted"

 

[Rutin]

Personally if you dont have anything bigger than a P&Y class deer on the wall then you need to keep your standards realistic..... shoot a 135-140 "if" you get the chance. Ive seen to many people jump from shooting 110-115" deer to wanting nothing under 140-150" and watch them eat tags for YEARS! If havent killed a good amount of p&y class deer then I wouldnt worry about going out and trying to kill a 150-170" deer unless it just simply walks by. Keep hunting fun and be realistic with your skills and expectations. Ive killed several OBB's and i still shoot 130's when Im out of state. Its tough to pass a p&y class animal. My biggest regret is making into a business instead of keeping it fun, so just let the reins go and have fun, shoot whatever makes you happy!