Any good reason for not shooting???

[FrankenMauser]

I'm surprised no one jumped at HogDogs' comment. I was waiting for some one to throw the BS flag.

we could literally bag 180+ deer legally...

But... it's true, and used to be even better. Until 3 years ago, there was a daily bag limit of 4 deer, and a posession limit of 8. (Whole deer only, that's not counting butchered animals.) With a season almost 3 months long, at 4 deer a day... that's potentially a lot of venison.



As for letting animals go... most of them I have let walk away were just due to laziness.
A combination of my energy level, distance from camp/truck, daylight left, or lack of help to get the body out.

The hunt is fun, but once you bag the animal.... the work has only just begun.

 

[Sportdog]

I let some deer pass for a lot of reasons. This is trophy time here in Michigan and does get a free pass, just in case Mr. Big is on her trail. I won't shoot a six month old deer. Too much trouble for too little meat. My family likes venison but one deer in the freezer is enough for us. For all the talk about the size of the deer herd in Michigan, I just don't see it where I hunt. A doe shot is two less deer next year. I guess I'm old school and treat deer hunting as a sport and not varmit hunting. If I was seeing a ton of deer I would be more apt to take a mature doe but not at this point. I have shot does in the past when I was caught up in the "kill", now it's about the sport, time in the woods, and the chance to take a real trophy.

 

[jimbo_4]

Didn't hold my fire tonight!

I saw two more tonight, well, maybe the same two, not sure. I did get a shot off, about 30 yds, but the arrow, skinned a small tree I didn't see and deflected. Broke my arrow too. I must have had little bit of a cold left in me or was choking, not sure, but I had one heck of time pulling my bow back... never has happened before It is set high (70 lbs), but has never been a problem.... guess it was that deers lucky day. No meat for me. Next time.

 

[jimbo_4]

To me, "button buck" means almost no horns at all, which to me means a yearling who's lost his spots but isn't more than maybe six or seven months old.

Yes thats what I was refering too, he had nubs, not even broken through yet. No spots, and was "trying" to rub a small tree, but with no antlers, he wasn't doing much.

 

[shantz]

I shoot does anytime I can except when I think there may be a big buck behind them. There is nothing wrong with harvesting a doe. I have some hunting buds that only shoot bucks. Its unbelieveable how they will not shoot a doe but will shoot that small spike or 4 pointer.
I let the little bucks walk and take a doe and share the meat.

 

[hogdogs]

In Fla it is not legal to shoot a "nubbins" buck has to be a spike and I think it is 4 inches above hide.
Brent

 

[jimbo_4]

Same here too hogdogs, although when you're bow hunting, you can shoot anything, gun hunting has to have antlers. Unless you have a permit for that county. And the same two deer came in last Tuesday, and the Sunday before. Sunday I took the shot, broke the arrow on a tree Then Tuesday, exact same deal, came in from the same way, didn't like what they saw and were on their way out same as Sunday. Took almost the identical shot, 30 yds, this time hit the doe! Although myself and 3 friends followed a massive blood trail for about 100 yds, then after another 200 yds, the trail just stopped! The doe came out of drainage ditch, did a small circle, and that's it! Four of us searched the area expanding out and found nothing Lesson learned: when a deer is as close as it was Friday ( the original day for this discussion) take the d*** shot! I know the shot that hit was a good chest shot, but from 10 yds, I could have easily got the heart with no problem. 30 yds and the deer is moving, it's a little tougher to get that accurate. So I'm a little disgusted with myself, I know it happens to everyone once in a while, still hate it though.