Whitetail Age

At Which age do you think a buck has reached its potential and should be considered a shooter? i try to go only 4 and older.

Ill agree with that, but then again i can understand how some cant wait that long because of the preasure in their area.

Id say 4 to 5.

I would agree with ya but in alot of areas it is almost unheard of for a buck to reach this age, we have areas around here that the "if its brown its down " philosophy still is in effect and its really hard for deer to mature in these areas. I try to shoot only mature deer but I will be truthful and tell you alot depends on what area I am hunting and the appearance of the deer and his chance of reaching maturity.

I agree 4 and older.

here in missouri we have alot of , if its brown its down , people would shoot a four point if we didnt have a point restrictions here.. Not many bucks make it past 4 yrs so it would be hard for me to pass up a nice 3 1/2 yr old whitetail..

i wish Indiana would have a point restriction, i cant stand the if its brown its down mentality

kkleve wrote:

i wish Indiana would have a point restriction, i cant stand the if its brown its down mentality

x1,000,000

yeah point restrictions have been here for five years and i can say we see bigger buck s and more of them..the first couple years of this was rocky for some people..they just couldnt get a grip on what Conservation was trying to do..We had an incident were a father was shooting little six or four points and bought his sons yoouth tags and was tagging them with his kids tag.. this is sad..this is people who enjoy the kill and not the hunt..Now people have grown to accept the law and i see alot more potential pope and young deer. Also does too because if you see a deer in the brush and cant see the head but have good shot to the vitals , without a point restriction some people take that shot.. with the restrictions that deer may be a spike or fourpoint and is illegal.. It did take me a few years to finally shoot my first deer with a bow because of this.. On several occasions i had a six point at 17 yds from me and a four that was a perfect 20 yd, but i held off because i wasnt after a buck or doe specifically, i just wanted my deer to be legal i ended up takeing a doe at 37 yds the opening day of bowseason the next year,,

Most people around here shoot at every deer they see, and they all wonder why they never see big bucks, and when you try to explain to them it is because they shoot small bucks and that prevents them from maturing into big bucks they just reply well if i dont shoot it someone else will. I just wish everyone could come around and get it through that in order to have big deer you need to pass on small deer. we need to target the young kids with this and drill it into their brains so by the time they are old enough they will be in the right mindset for managing for big deer and better deer herds.

true but we also need them to know that deer hunting is not a sport, its a tradition.. It not all about big bucks when your trying to get a kid into hunting.. I have no problem letting a kid shoot a 2 yr old 8 point or even a yearling spike, for their first deer. I believe a trophy is what you make it to be..Lets get the kids in the sport first, allow them to experience hunting, and then teach them why we pass certain deer while others blast them away.. Last year i shot two does and i believe i had the best season ever because they were with my bow and they were trophies to me..I managed my deer herd.. I worked hard for them on public land, and i got done...

I think that kids should have free run on their first deer to get hunting into their systems

Once they have hunted for a year or 2 they shouyld be taught that they should hold out for a bigger deer not just the first deer that walks out

kkleve wrote:

Once they have hunted for a year or 2 they shouyld be taught that they should hold out for a bigger deer not just the first deer that walks out

X2 right there with you..teach them to manage

I learned it at a young age from hunting shows and magazines, every kid should experience hunting, it is one of the best anti-drugs there is get kids into the woods at a young age to keep them off of the streets

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