What are your standards?

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bonepicker

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Just out of curiosity, when rifle hunting, what is the smallest deer you are willing to take? Does it change as the season goes on? What other factors change your standards?
 
it would depend on a few factors for me. if i am hunting whitetail i am real picky a day or two then will take just about anything as whitetail are thick as flies in north idaho and my favorite venison.

muleys it would depend if i drew a good tag or not. maybe 24" 140 buck or so. general hunt a 20 " 3x3 at minimum or i would eat tag soup......
 
Nothing smaller than I have taken before for the most part and if I don't get that opportunity I either eat the tag or shoot a doe for the meat, rather than shoot smaller bucks.
 
I don't have a set "inches" standard.

My biggest buck is a 181" nontypical 5x5.

Last year I shot an older 3x4 buck that scored 147" and passed on a younger 4x4 buck that would have scored right around 160".

A few years back I shot a 145" 4x4 buck that I was tickled pink to shoot.

It's all in perspective based on the area that you hunt though. There are some areas you could hunt a lifetime and never have a chance at a 180" buck and there are some areas where you would pass on a 180" buck and have a good chance at taking something better.
 
I have been lucky enough to harvest an elk 8 years straight for the freezer meat. With that being said, the deer hunt for me has been a wall worthy or nothing type deal. Getting out with my family and making memories, not hunting hard and leaving the kids at camp like on the elk hunt. I would just be happy if I could harvest a 160+ class that I have not been able to find as of yet. I always see the damn things before and after the hunt. By the time the rifle rolls around the earlier deer and elk hunting pressure has them hanging pretty tight where I go but thier hiding spots I have yet to find.

Needless to say, my boy has been bugging me for years "why haven't we shot a deer in A LONG TIME" he he. My oldest son will be old enough to get a tag and pull the trigger next year. So 2011 will be my last year of seeking the big one that has eluded me because I think 2012 will be all about my boy and what he will be happy with and he has a lot lower standard than me.

With this being my final year to try putting a buck on the wall, the elk hunt will be my family hunt and will be hitting it hard for the deer trying to get a 160+. I have always rifle hunted and got a smoke pole tag trying to hit them early.
 
I'm not into the inches thing that much either. It also depends on what tag or tags I have and if I have any venison in the freezer as I do like to eat them. So if I'm in an area with just so so gentics and lots of small deer I might choose to get an eater if I'm out at home. Usually though I leave the meat bucks to the kids and grandkids to get and then I don't have to and can wait for a big one. If I have a good draw tag then I will hold out for a big mature buck. Mature, heavy and wide or tall, it just depends. A gnarly old one or nontypical could come into play also though. I've been known to wait till the last day lots of times and if need be I'll go home with nothing. I will say if a 190+ buck walks out he would be in trouble in pretty much any area if you are counting inches that is..
 
If I'm hunting in my home area I hunt a specific deer which I know from previous years or summer, early fall scouting. This is possible because I only have the option of hunting private land. When I hunt Wyoming or Colorado I only shoot something bigger than I have already shot or something unique. If I don't find that deer I'm looking for I take a doe last year I shot 4 does and passed some pretty nice bucks I hope are there this year. The rule on the land I hunt is you shoot only a cull 2 point who is huge example 8 point that shows signs of age. If you shoot a buck you mount it. We need to get rid of does so have been working on it hard.
 
One area that i hunted hard while growing up, i probably killed a dozen Blacktails that are among the biggest bucks to ever be taken off that particular range of mountains yet none are even close to making "book". I did my best and i was happy to get the great bucks that i did.

That's pretty much the story of my buck hunting career. I have hunted places where bigger bucks were taken than what i took but i had hunted until the last weekend and those bigger guys had not showed themselves to me. As it ends up, i can't complain. I've taken plenty of both muley and blacktails bucks that most guys would love to have on their walls.

I'm still looking though, for that once in a lifetime buck and i again have a good-great tag in my pocket for this year. I can't hunt near hard as i once could but i'll be after them, i'll hold out for a monster, pretty sure, then the last few days if a decent older buck shows himself, i'll take him and he'll fit right in with the rest of em. Seems that's how it goes with me but as i said, i can't complain.

Joey
 
To me it depends on the tag in hand to some point. If I spend days on end hunting a certain tag and get fed up by lack or quality of deer then my standards will drop a little. My intent is ALWAYS to shoot something for the wall but I rarely get that opportunity so sometimes a 24 inch 4x4 ends up dying or an animal with a little caracter. Its a mental game for me, generally my standards drop as the season progresses.


Sit tall in the saddle, hold your head up high, keep your eyes fixed to where the trail meets the sky...
 
This year I have not really been impressed with the deer I have been scouting. I have seen some nice bulls, but they are on a LE unit. I am hoping to find one of the 3 nice bucks we messed up on last year. But I will prolly just shoot the first 20" 4 point I see. Closing day I really hope a 3 point dont walk out in front of me, it has been a few years since I shot a muley. UT needs to change something


I'll tell you who it was . . . it was that D@MN Sasquatch!
 
Since my first hunt I have always tried to hold out and kill my biggest buck. It has worked great up until now. My first buck was a 16 inch 3 point, then my second was a 19 inch 3 pointer. Next I killed a 18 inch 4 point then a 23 inch 4 and so on. In 2009 I killed my biggest buck a 30 inch mid 180 4 point and then this last year I killed a 200+ buck in colorado. Well im kinda in a PerDickaMent because if I hold out for my biggest I will probably never kill another deer.
I am pretty selective when I hunt but if a big buck comes out with big forks and gets my blood pumping im going to try to kill him no matter the score.
 
WTs must be 5.5yo+ for me to shoot.. Not concerned about score so much as age. (and by law they must be 13" wide)

I've just been tagging along on muley hunts, but our group has a 180" minimum... so that's what I'm sticking with.
 
It depends where I am hunting. If I have hunted there before and know the quality I'll set a standard. For example, we have an ace in the hole hunt if we don't draw anything else where I'll shoot the first 24" 4 pointer I see. If I have a good tag, I usually hold out for something bigger than I have killed before (28" 180ish 4x4 right now). I lower my standards for the last day or two. It comes down to what you would be happy hangin' your tag on.
 
one_dryboot---You're in a "Perdickament" alright! I think after that buck you got in CO that you should start at the bottom again and work your way up, LOL!!!
 
There was a period of about 20 years, during which I wouldn't shoot anything that I didn't believe "was the next record" (or close). I got 3 book typicals. I went home empty-handed MANY MANY times in a couple of states.

BUT....I also had a great time.

Seven or eight years ago, I changed my mind and decided I wanted to bring a deer home. Since then, I've brought home a mature 4x4 each year. I'll continue to do that, as long as I'm physically able....and enjoying the experience.


Within the shadows, go quietly.
 
I had set myself a 170" standard for a few years and went home almost all of those years with tag soup. In 07, I decided I was going to kill a deer no matter what, so I was fine lowering those standards since I hadn't killed in a few years. Opening morning I passed a 155-160 buck and thought I would regret it, and less than five minutes later shot and killed a 174" buck, go figure. Since then I've kept my standards a little lower and had a lot more fun. Although I am fine not taking deer, pulling the trigger and having a deer is a little more fun.
 
Longun, your 24 inch bucks are MUCH bigger than most of the other "24 inch" bucks a lot of people are always talking about. For one thing they are actually 24 inches wide! :)

I think the majority of the time here in UT we have 18 inch 3 points, 24 inch 4 points and then the all mighty 30 inchers!!! Nothing in between though and ALWAYS round up... ;-)

NvrEnuf
 
If I'm family hunting with my grown daughters and time is short I'd shoot a smaller buck rather than come home empty (if it's general season and I wasn't going back).
If I had a good tag I'd hold out for something a bit special since I've been lucky enough to kill a bunch of good to great buck over the decades. Like a 180"+ class buck if I had a good tag (LE).
One thing I try to remember: They're ALL meat bucks unless you're going to mount them! Better to kill a young 2 pt and leave the small 3 and 4 pts to grow a bit more since they already have a headstart. Killing a doe for the freezer isn't an option which we have.
Zeke
 
thats the good thing about WT killin' in TX. TP&W gives away doe permits like there's no tomorrow for fillin' freezers. It makes it a lot easier to head West and enjoy looking over the country and trying to come back with some wall decor and "exotic" meat to batter and deep fry.
 
It has to be a mature buck. it doens't matter how many points etc... don't shoot babies. let those guys mature. I like 4 points 4 years old, but i also like to shoot the weird bucks that mess up good gene pools.


It was a big bodied 2 point.
 
I'm willing to hold out for a big rack, but in the end, a big bodied meat buck is still a trophy to me. There's nothing like fresh venison over a hot flame served with roasted green chillies, scallions, and tomatoes. Now that's a meal.

Eldorado
 
Stop it elderado! You're making me hungry!

I know there are those out there who think shooting a medium buck ins't as "bad" as shooting a little buck. The FACT is; they are BOTH just meat bucks and by letting the medium buck live we'll have a better chance at having a big bucks. Now, it would be better to let them BOTH walk if we want big bucks IT'S CALLED LIMITED ENTRY DRAW UNITS! If I had a limited unit tag the standards are totally different.

If you guys out there think it's "better" to shoot a 2 1/2 or 3 1/2 yr old buck rather than a 1 1/2 year old then you're simply fooling yourself. MOST guys think a 3.5 yr old is a mature buck but it's not so just because they think it is.

Zeke
 
Totally depends on what and where I am hunting. In BC we have a 3 deer yearly baglimit. Each Region has a Regional baglimit. If I am wanting some meat in the freezer, I'll kill a small whitey or go to an adjacent region and kill a muley meat buck. Don't care on size. Have shot plenty of spikes in the past and probably will kill plenty more in the future. In my home region, I'm way more selective. My goal is normally 200 inches or bust for a nontypical, 190 or bust for a typical. But a unique buck with a ton of character could be give me an itchy trigger finger. Just depends on how much I like them. Sometimes you encounter bucks that you just got to throw score out the window and hammer :) I'm not score driven, just like to set my goals high and pit my whits against big ol' muley bucks on their home turf. I've got 3 months to hunt and I don't want to end the hunt too early. I have eaten tag soup on the evening of Dec 10th many a time and have been happy to do so.
 
BCBoy i know you have posted before and i've seen your monster sheds but you should post a pic of the bucks you have taken.
 
It changes at the end of the season. I've learned to hold out and reaped a lot more of hunting days to enjoy and have seen and learned a lot more. In the end I am a meat hunter though and the last hours of the last day will see to meat. Except for pork and some chicken the wild meat sees to our needs.

I don't field judge well and numbers don't mean much too me. Held out for a first four point a few years ago. Not really big, but nice mass. Shot a four by six last year. Again, not a really big buck, but had some great character and when I saw him decided he would do. Maybe someday I'll be a trophy hunter. The wow factor will no doubt be my guideline rather than inches.
 
i am always hopeful to find a nice 4x4 or good non-typical also. but as sportsmen, shouldn't we all lower our standards a little as the season goes on? i am sure we all see spikes and small forkies during the year, and from what i know these are genetically inferior deer. i have heard that that a bucks first set of antlers should be a good set of forked antlers. to me, a good 2 point is maybe 14 or 16 inches.
that being said, have i been misinformed? my learning says that anything less than a good 2 point, like i said 14 or 16 inches, is not a buck that we want breeding our does. we would be better off culling these genetically inferior deer, letting the "good bucks" breed and having better genes next spring.
this is a hard concept for me. i do not like to shoot spikes and forkies, even though i think it will make hunting in my areas better. to me it is an oxymoron. to have big deer next year, i need to shoot a small deer this year.
is that the wrong line of thinking?
last year, with 2 hrs. to go on the last day, i patiently watched a spike follow a handful of does down a hillside, across a river, and up my side of the draw. i said to myself that if he came out of the draw at a certain place (which i knew he would, i had watched a dozen other deer do the same thing) i would shoot him. but when he exited the draw with the does, i could not pull the trigger. i just didnt have the heart to shoot it. he went up the hill, and i left. another hunter came down the road and said he had miserable luck and had not seen a buck all season. i told him i knew where a spike was, and asked if he was interested in seeing it. he was so excited. i helped him by pointing out the buck, spotting while he shot, and helping him get it to his truck. he was thrilled. maybe i am missing something, but i think i should have been more excited to harvest a buck, even a small one, myself. he would have made great jerkey and steaks for the winter. and i would have been helping myself out by shooting this lesser quality buck. i certainly dont want a whole population of genetically inferior deer, but sometimes it seems that is the mentality we all have. am i the only one that thinks like this?
 
Until a deer is reaching maturity you really have no idea what their genetic potential is.

Many spikes are born late due to being born to a yearling mother, or maybe born timely but they are from a set of twins or triplets. They are not going to grow as big that first year and are going to be behind for a few years. Nothing to do with genetics, just timing of when they were born and nutrition available to them.
 
Some hunters have a stronger predator gene and some don't.

That's why even if we want to be "trophy" hunters we'll still whack a smaller buck toward the end of the hunt.

Like I said before, "unless you're mounting them, in some fashion, they're all just meat bucks"!

It satisfies an itch when we punch out tags.

Zeke
 
Buckfever13,
Here are a few of my bucks, all of which were public land, DIY, and GOS.
PB120002a.jpg


NOV17031a.jpg


08630024.jpg


CanoeBuck.jpg


03NT5.jpg


215Monster.jpg
 
living in idaho, our deer herds are in sad shape. it has to be bigger than whats already on the wall or it walk, currently the minimum is 170. elk are for filling the freezer.
 
NVPete, That is a Lake Almanor Country Club Buck from the mid to late 1990's. I've seen him many times and the Pic just does not do him justice! His offspring are around now but nothing like dear ol dad!

Joey
 
IF it's Brown it down. That the only way to roll.

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
 
Inches mean nothing to me,if it impresses me,has odd charectistics,ect Im happy to take take the deer.
 
If I have my kids with me it's a 22-24" 140-150". If I'm by myself its 175-180".

"You'll never get a big one if you shoot a little one"
 
In limited draw areas it would be 190" or above. On public land general hunts I would say 140". I feel the two are equivalent #'s based on method of harvesting.
 

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