The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > The Hide > The Hunt

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old October 31, 2008, 09:25 PM   #1
jimbo_4
Member
 
Join Date: October 12, 2008
Location: South Lyon, MI
Posts: 50
Any good reason for not shooting???

I have not seen much so far this bow season, nothing I could have shot at, until this evening. I had a doe come in, within 15 yds, and right behind her, a button buck. The button I would not have shot, but the doe, I had a few good opportunities, but never acted on one! I'm not sure why, I'm assuming either was because she still had the younger deer in tow, or I just didn't want to tell my friends..." check out my mid size doe". Either way I didn't shoot, and I could have been meat in the freezer. Maybe there's a good reason I held fire, if so, tell me. I think I just didn't want to bother for a doe though, I could be having venison jerky in a couple weeks if only I had pulled the release!
jimbo_4 is offline  
Old October 31, 2008, 10:16 PM   #2
hogdogs
Staff In Memoriam
 
Join Date: October 31, 2007
Location: Western Florida panhandle
Posts: 11,069
well since we have such a liberal limit and I ain't in it to show off wall hanger deer I have only one reason not to shoot... well 2... First rule I have is not to intentionally take a momma from a fawn who may not survive the loss and the second is a laziness call. If I am a far piece from the truck and it has been a long day I will let a big deer walk!
I am in it to put meat in the freezer.
Brent
hogdogs is offline  
Old October 31, 2008, 10:34 PM   #3
scottycoyote
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 19, 2005
Location: southwestern va
Posts: 830
hey lets face it, taking a deer can be alot of trouble. Gotta gut it, get it to the truck, get it to the processor, go back and get the meat, get it in the freezer.........its not like taking a deer is a good economic move, youd go broke trying to harvest deer for food when u factor in time and equip. You are prob just at that point in your hunting life where either you are really hankering for some deer meat, or you really want a decent buck.
scottycoyote is offline  
Old October 31, 2008, 10:39 PM   #4
Swampghost
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 18, 2008
Location: Florida, east coast
Posts: 2,106
I'm with hogdogs to a point. Does here tend to stick together and a "smaller" doe may not be her fawn at all also if the spots are gone they're old enough to make it on their own without momma. A young doe will be some of the best venison that you have ever tasted.
__________________
NRA Patron Member
Swampghost is offline  
Old October 31, 2008, 10:41 PM   #5
jimbo_4
Member
 
Join Date: October 12, 2008
Location: South Lyon, MI
Posts: 50
We get two and that's it. I have two tags, one for anything, and the other for an antler-less, or an antlered, with one side have at least 4 points on one side. I think this little button buck could have survived, he was about 1 1/2 or so. Although the area is pretty heavy with yotes, I'll be out there all weekend, and gun season starts in two weeks and that's when the season craps out. So I have two weeks to make it count realistically, or till Jan 1st when the season closes officially. Just a little disgusted with myself for not taking her, wasn't that far back either, maybe 500 yds or so.
jimbo_4 is offline  
Old October 31, 2008, 10:45 PM   #6
hogdogs
Staff In Memoriam
 
Join Date: October 31, 2007
Location: Western Florida panhandle
Posts: 11,069
scotty, I am in the small group of el' cheapo hunters.
My license and wma permit are under a hundred bucks. My guns include a mossberg 500 20 gauge I bought in the 80's and I traded my junk wore out lorcin .380 to own a Marlin .30-30 and a Maverick 88 12 gauge.
I drive less than 12 miles to the wma to use the cheapest ammo from walmart at WELL UNDER a dollar per shot. I do all my own butchering duty with kitchen knife drawer implements and my grinder is several years old manual...
So the way I look at it my first deer of season is under $2.00 per pound and it goes way on down after 3 to just a few cents per pound. The folks that allow me to top off their freezer pay the light bill on their freezer as I tell them to eat what they want just leave me some. So all in all I am in it to eat cheap... we could literally bag 180+ deer legally not that I could outsmart that many...
I know of many friends that will never be UNDER $1,000 per pound for their venison!
Brent
hogdogs is offline  
Old October 31, 2008, 11:02 PM   #7
Swampghost
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 18, 2008
Location: Florida, east coast
Posts: 2,106
You're saying that the two were 500 yds. apart? That doe would be in my freezer. Momma doesn't let her kids roam that far especially in 'yote country.
__________________
NRA Patron Member
Swampghost is offline  
Old October 31, 2008, 11:05 PM   #8
hogdogs
Staff In Memoriam
 
Join Date: October 31, 2007
Location: Western Florida panhandle
Posts: 11,069
I think he means he was only 500 from the truck so yeah that too would have been a dead deer in mine too! To me a any deer with horns is old enuff to live on his own so long as he ain't polka dotted!

Brent
hogdogs is offline  
Old October 31, 2008, 11:06 PM   #9
Swampghost
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 18, 2008
Location: Florida, east coast
Posts: 2,106
hogdogs, we need to get together but I can't afford the gas.
__________________
NRA Patron Member
Swampghost is offline  
Old October 31, 2008, 11:11 PM   #10
LateNightFlight
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 22, 2007
Location: Central Missouri
Posts: 552
Your standards are higher. In my relative youth, I was all about filling the tag. Now, I'm selective. It has to be nearing the end of the season or I've burned out on sitting in a tree stand for me to take something less than what I hoped for. Given enough time, the extra big sway belly, long faced old doe will get there. No regrets about passing on the others.
LateNightFlight is offline  
Old October 31, 2008, 11:12 PM   #11
hogdogs
Staff In Memoriam
 
Join Date: October 31, 2007
Location: Western Florida panhandle
Posts: 11,069
Yeah that would shoot the whole cheap meat idea all to heck! Let's keep an eye on the gas prices! I have the VERY LARGE Eglin AFB wma at my disposal and just a few minutes from my house is one of the least hunted quadrants of the place. By end of december I should have a good handle on the topo and traffic if you wanna come across! No extra bedrooms but an inflatable matress will fit in here so no need for gettin' a 'tel or buyin eats!
Brent
hogdogs is offline  
Old October 31, 2008, 11:15 PM   #12
fisherman66
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 22, 2005
Location: The Woodlands TX
Posts: 4,679
I'm with hdogs and swampy. Outside license, permits and consumables I'm in it for the meat and the opportunity to commune with nature. I butcher myself. I'll average around 150 lbs a year of venison and a hog a year that I keep. I'd put my cost per pound under a dollar now that I have a pretty good set of equipment. Cost figuring in equipment would be about $2-$3 a pound over the last decade. Not too bad compared to supermarket prices. I've been lucky to have family property to hunt for free.

I'll take a doe over a buck 9 out of 10 times.
__________________
la plus belle des ruses du diable est de vous persuader qu'il n'existe pas!
fisherman66 is offline  
Old October 31, 2008, 11:33 PM   #13
zahnzieh
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 19, 2006
Posts: 206
I have a real problem, I tend to name the ugly stumpy legged spike bucks - one I call Boo-Boo, stupidest deer on the planet. I cant bring myself to shoot him since i figure he doesnt have long, car bumper or yote, which will it be?!!
zahnzieh is offline  
Old November 1, 2008, 12:28 AM   #14
SWMAGMAN
Member
 
Join Date: October 12, 2008
Location: NW Wisconsin
Posts: 45
You likely didn't shoot due to the "peer pressure" factor...too many folks nowdays think they have to take a trophy to feel proud or to somehow justify it to their friends. I have gravitated towards getting some meat in the freezer as I get older - those who say "wait for the right one" don't realize how fast bow season turns into winter time up here, not to mention that a frenetic gun season is coming up fast! (I'm in WI - I know your conditions!). I have waited in the past, and yes have generally gotten something, but December is for hard-core bowhunters up here! Just ask yourself why you're out there - if its important to get a "trophy", then wait for it and be willing to miss out. If you enjoy venison like I do, get one or so in the freezer before you get choosy. Any deer taken cleanly with a bow is one to be proud of, don't think for a minute you need a Pope&Young buck to feel good about your hunt! And PS...don't worry, if you didn't blow 'em outta there, they'll be back!
SWMAGMAN is offline  
Old November 1, 2008, 08:15 AM   #15
Kreyzhorse
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 12, 2006
Location: NKY
Posts: 12,463
Quote:
or I just didn't want to tell my friends..." check out my mid size doe".
Sounds like you are after bragging rights to me. If you are only in it for the trophy, that's fine with me, but my response to my friends would have been "Check out my tasty mid-size doe!" Nothing eats better.
__________________
"He who laughs last, laughs dead." Homer Simpson
Kreyzhorse is offline  
Old November 1, 2008, 09:37 AM   #16
simonkenton
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 25, 2008
Posts: 891
I won't shoot a doe with a fawn, call me a wimp, it makes me sad to think of a little 6 month old deer watching it's mommy die.
simonkenton is offline  
Old November 1, 2008, 03:41 PM   #17
Desertfox
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 26, 2006
Location: Arkansas-Oklahoma Line
Posts: 336
Way too much Disney in some of those replies.

Button buck = 1 1/2 year old? I don't think so.

mid-sized doe= tasty vittles.

take to the processor = not the only choice.

Thanks for not shooting her. From all of us venison lovers who will be more than happy to put her on the dinner table. You could/should be smelling it cooking right now. Don't let peer pressure determine your actions.
__________________
Teach a kid to respect wildlife, then teach a kid to hunt and fish.
Desertfox is offline  
Old November 1, 2008, 04:07 PM   #18
RLFD5415
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 3, 2004
Location: Upstate NY
Posts: 129
Reminds me of a story. One year, I was getting skunked, but good. Very few opportunities, and the ones I had were marginal at best. Last day of the season came, and it was a cold one. I walked in not more than 200 yds from the road and sat under a huge pine. If it's brown it's down I promised myself.

Wasn't sitting more than two minutes when a huge doe walks right up to me (20 paces) and just stares. While she is looking at me, I bring my ML up 1/2 millimeter at a time. Took a full five minutes to get it shouldered, all the while, she is just staring at me and I'm sweating bullets that I'm gonna get busted. Finally, she turns to walk away, but I don't pull the trigger. Instead, I reach for my call and grunt. She turns and comes back even closer. I'm thinkin', I've got my freezer full, now. But again I wait. She turns to leave and again I grunt her back in. We continue to play this game for another 20 minutes. Finally, after becoming such good buddies in such a short time, and having been rewarded enough for my hunt, I let her go on her way. Freezer went empty that year, but I've never regretted my decision. Wife was ****** though!
RLFD5415 is offline  
Old November 1, 2008, 09:47 PM   #19
crowbeaner
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 4, 2007
Location: Upstate SC
Posts: 1,943
I shot a button buck with my front end loader and just finished boning a fat A$$ doe I shot with the bow yesterday. She had fat 2" thick in some spots which tells me that it is going to be a bad winter, and that small deer may not survive. Little bucks are run off the first rut, and don't get back to mama until the rut is over. By then they may not be accepted back because mama is pregnant and needs to put on weight to feed the one in the oven. A fat button buck or small spike are the first horns I shoot. I like venison, and if the doe isn't nursing a fawn, I stick her.
__________________
If you want your children to follow in your footsteps, be careful where you walk.
Beware the man that only owns one gun; he probably knows how to use it.
I just hope my ship comes in before my dock rots.
crowbeaner is offline  
Old November 2, 2008, 10:45 AM   #20
Art Eatman
Staff in Memoriam
 
Join Date: November 13, 1998
Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA
Posts: 24,798
Seems like a terminology thing. 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. Our bunch of hunters, we referred to those as "camp meat": A little spike buck shot in the neck for eating at camp. Probably dress out no more than thirty or forty pounds.

Generally, when I was doe hunting in my herd reduction efforts back at the old family ranch, I'd watch a group of does and usually shoot one that didn't have any fawn around. But, once fawns have lost their spots they've weaned off of Mama Milk and do okay on their own, traipsing along with the rest of the bunch...
Art Eatman is offline  
Old November 2, 2008, 01:07 PM   #21
FrankenMauser
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 25, 2008
Location: In the valley above the plain
Posts: 13,402
I'm surprised no one jumped at HogDogs' comment. I was waiting for some one to throw the BS flag.

Quote:
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.
FrankenMauser is offline  
Old November 2, 2008, 03:17 PM   #22
Sportdog
Junior member
 
Join Date: February 28, 2006
Location: Southwestern Michigan
Posts: 369
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.
Sportdog is offline  
Old November 2, 2008, 06:52 PM   #23
jimbo_4
Member
 
Join Date: October 12, 2008
Location: South Lyon, MI
Posts: 50
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 is offline  
Old November 2, 2008, 06:55 PM   #24
jimbo_4
Member
 
Join Date: October 12, 2008
Location: South Lyon, MI
Posts: 50
Quote:
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.
jimbo_4 is offline  
Old November 9, 2008, 08:53 PM   #25
shantz
Junior Member
 
Join Date: November 9, 2008
Location: Virginia
Posts: 6
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.
shantz is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 03:19 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.10434 seconds with 8 queries