How many bucks?

How many deer have you taken?

  • <10

    Votes: 27 18.5%

  • 10-20

    Votes: 28 19.2%

  • 21-30

    Votes: 26 17.8%

  • 31-40

    Votes: 29 19.9%

  • 41-50

    Votes: 11 7.5%

  • 51-60

    Votes: 9 6.2%

  • 61-70

    Votes: 4 2.7%

  • 71-80

    Votes: 4 2.7%

  • 81-99

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 100+

    Votes: 8 5.5%
  • Total voters
    146
Sparks Shooter

Sparks Shooter

Active Member
Messages
612
My 9 year-old was looking at antlers in the garage today and asked me how many bucks I'd killed in my lifetime. I did my best to recollect and came up with the following:

Started hunting in 1989
Killed 60 deer in states including: CA, OR, ID, NV, UT, WY, and CO.

I enjoyed thinking back trying to remember all those hunts. Its amazing how fast time flies and I appreciate every one of those deer!

Curious how many some of the old-timers and younger go-getters on MM have taken? Anybody killed over 100? I hope to get there in my lifetime!-------SS
 
Younger go-getter here. Recently my number of bucks has exceeded my age in years. Lots of forked horns and smaller bucks, last few years have been hunting for and taking more mature bucks. We eat a lot of venison and have not bought meat from the store in the last 5 years.

My Opah was a heavy influence on this. They called him “forked horn Pete” cause he never passed a legal deer. A true meat hunter, we have no idea how many deer he’s taken but estimate it’s well over 100.
 
willfrye027 said:
Younger go-getter here. Recently my number of bucks has exceeded my age in years. Lots of forked horns and smaller bucks, last few years have been hunting for and taking more mature bucks. We eat a lot of venison and have not bought meat from the store in the last 5 years.

My Opah was a heavy influence on this. They called him “forked horn Pete” cause he never passed a legal deer. A true meat hunter, we have no idea how many deer he’s taken but estimate it’s well over 100.
Click to expand...
In my family and friends that know me, I'm known as "Forky Pete" (in a stretch of my life, I tagged out on 10 straight forked horns- twice even shooting the wrong deer, and once on what I called a "half-a-buck"- a one antlered deer!). on one hunt I even got so tired of passing up bucks that in desperation saw a buck, concentrated on the boiler-plate shot- that one was a 3x2 because he had a little "ring point"! And I did get one 2 pt. with a 22" spread! :eek::ROFLMAO:
 
NVPete said:
In my family and friends that know me, I'm known as "Forky Pete" (in a stretch of my life, I tagged out on 10 straight forked horns- twice even shooting the wrong deer, and once on what I called a "half-a-buck"- a one antlered deer!). on one hunt I even got so tired of passing up bucks that in desperation saw a buck, concentrated on the boiler-plate shot- that one was a 3x2 because he had a little "ring point"! And I did get one 2 pt. with a 22" spread! :eek::ROFLMAO:
Click to expand...
times have really changed since I started hunting deer. Back before the internet was really a thing, the only people you had to impress were your family and close buddies. When you shot a buck they would come to your house to see it and help butcher it. Usually it was a forky
 
Good survey.

How about one for:
How many bucks have you gave a pass too?

Or:
How many bucks have you outright missed.
 
The survey question asks how many deer you have taken. Not how many bucks. Pretty big difference for those of us that don't discriminate. Bucks? About 40. Does included, way over 100.
 
I have my two point wall as well and my friends dad gave me the nickname of Two Point so it stuck with me for my screen name. Deer hunting is my favorite and it is what I focus on most each hunting season. I have every set of antlers from all my animals I have taken over the years and I enjoy the memories when I look at them.
 
This is a good thread because it really makes you think way back to the beginning.
In Utah you couldn't hunt until 16 back when I started. But there were a few of the early years when you could kill two deer because the archery tag was just a second tag you could purchase.
I believe I've killed 32 bucks, But may be forgetting a few.
 
twopointdn said:
I have my two point wall as well and my friends dad gave me the nickname of Two Point so it stuck with me for my screen name. Deer hunting is my favorite and it is what I focus on most each hunting season. I have every set of antlers from all my animals I have taken over the years and I enjoy the memories when I look at them.
Click to expand...
I hear you twopointerdown. I have every set of horns I have taken also with the exception of maybe one or two that was taken by someone or drug off by a dog.

First 15 years or so it was fill the tag and the freezer and yes they were mostly all two pointers.

Past 30+years much more about enjoying the hunt and looking for the better bucks. Years and experience sure helps also. Not to mention a lot of out of state hunts and filling the freezer with more then just deer (antelope, elk and moose) helps in not having to fill every tag to have meat in the freezer.

Lots of memories looking at them all. A lifetime of memories made with family and friends. Fun to think back on those hunts now. I'm sure it exceeds 100. All these in the garage and about 8 mounted and on the wall.

20210105_121705.jpg


20210105_121733.jpg


20210105_121019.jpg
 
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walleye1121 said:
This is a good thread because it really makes you think way back to the beginning.
In Utah you couldn't hunt until 16 back when I started. But there were a few of the early years when you could kill two deer because the archery tag was just a second tag you could purchase.
I believe I've killed 32 bucks, But may be forgetting a few.
Click to expand...
This is exactly why I started this thread....because it’s so much fun the think back, digging up all those memories! The deer, the people, the places, the old vehicles, camps, etc. ————SS
 
I figured all mine up awhile ago.

I am at 33 bucks, 22 rifle, 9 with a bow, and 2 with a muzzloader. Can only think of 3 that were small yearling bucks. Never shot a doe.

Tracked my elk too, I'm at 22 elk 14 bulls and 8 cow's. 5 of those bulls with a bow.

Also 2 antelope, one rifle and 1 archery.

And 2 bears one rifle and one archery.

Started hunting in 1998, and there was only one year that I didn't get at least an elk or a deer. Lots of doubled up years and a couple triple up years for deer with out of state hunts.

It really is funt to take the time to figure it all out, lots of memories to go through.
 
I don't know. Couldn't even guess. Shot my first buck in the 60's and he is long since lost. He was a stud of a 2 point. Maybe 10-12" wide. I was jazzed.

I counted the other day and I have 7 in the house, 19 in my gun shop and 28 "rafter bucks" in the tack shed. It's at least that many but I lost all the ones I shot before the age of 25 and there were lots of those. I've given a few away, too. When I get home maybe I can take few pics to share.

You guys are right, the memories are what matters. Right now, I am already planning to make more memories next fall.
 
Way more elk than deer for me…. I try to hunt for mature bucks and use the elk tags to fill the freezer…
 
You guys have taken a lot of bucks - sounds like some of you have done some traveling to different states - I have enough trouble finding bucks in my home state - pretty impressive shows alot of preparation. well done
 
I don’t think I could count them all. I know there are 18 on the wall, a few in the office and quite a few in the rafters. I know I have slowed down the last few years being pretty picky. I would rather see my kids or a new hunter be successful at this point than pulling the trigger myself.

Rich.
 
lostinOregon said:
I don’t think I could count them all. I know there are 18 on the wall, a few in the office and quite a few in the rafters. I know I have slowed down the last few years being pretty picky. I would rather see my kids or a new hunter be successful at this point than pulling the trigger myself.

Rich.
Click to expand...
Sure can relate to that liO. At this point my “I’ll pass, thanks.” Has exceeded my take homes. I can’t begin to count the take homes or the passes. But every hunt is a memory I wouldn’t trade with anybody.
 
Somewhere north of 50 total. I started in 1964 in CA where we get two buck tags, plus I'm not a big deer hunter to begin with. I passed on a few during the few years I hunted on a private property gun club but never on public ground. I was always happy to get the meat and move on to salmon, steelhead, and waterfowl.
 
I have no idea. No pictures, but I have sold a truckload of horns two different times to an antler buyer. So I guess a lot of mine are probably somewhere in a chandelier.
Rmanwill, that looks like a ton of great memories. That's great that you have managed to keep them all.
 
Sparks Shooter said:
My 9 year-old was looking at antlers in the garage today and asked me how many bucks I'd killed in my lifetime. I did my best to recollect and came up with the following:

Started hunting in 1989
Killed 60 deer in states including: CA, OR, ID, NV, UT, WY, and CO.

I enjoyed thinking back trying to remember all those hunts. Its amazing how fast time flies and I appreciate every one of those deer!

Curious how many some of the old-timers and younger go-getters on MM have taken? Anybody killed over 100? I hope to get there in my lifetime!-------SS
Click to expand...
About the same here... Every set of horns hanging in my garage has a story & memory behind it. I can remember every one
 
I suspect most old guys like me, who are still hanging around a hunting forum like MM, would fall in the upper brackets of this survey.
I started hunting deer in the 60's and I find it impossible to recall a specific number of deer I have taken. It was pretty common (not legal), in those early days, to "party hunt" so one hunter might shoot multiple deer to fill camp tags. Antler size wasn't that big of a deal then, and few people had money or an interest for taxidermy.
In the last decade or two, I have eaten most of my deer tags because I no longer "meat hunt" and I'm happy to see less mature bucks continue to grow. This year I gave a pass to multiple mature bucks looking for something special. Certainly "trophy hunting" has altered the landscape of deer harvest numbers for many, including myself.
 
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Started hunting in NŸ with a bow in 1966, and killed my first buck. Since then, I have taken them in NŸ CT MA WI GA TX WY MT ID KS OR CA AZ UT. Have probably killed 3-4 dozen bucks. Since the kids grandkids and I like venison, I probably killed 1-3 WT does a year for the last 30 years also
 
rmanwill said:
I hear you twopointerdown. I have every set of horns I have taken also with the exception of maybe one or two that was taken by someone or drug off by a dog.

First 15 years or so it was fill the tag and the freezer and yes they were mostly all two pointers.

Past 30+years much more about enjoying the hunt and looking for the better bucks. Years and experience sure helps also. Not to mention a lot of out of state hunts and filling the freezer with more then just deer (antelope, elk and moose) helps in not having to fill every tag to have meat in the freezer.

Lots of memories looking at them all. A lifetime of memories made with family and friends. Fun to think back on those hunts now. I'm sure it exceeds 100. All these in the garage and about 8 mounted and on the wall.

View attachment 98860

View attachment 98861

View attachment 98862
Click to expand...
looks just like my garage :)?
 
I have killed multiple bucks in 5 Canadian provinces over the years ,and also hunted 14 lower 48 states along with Alaska, My count now is over bucks , all I will say is its a bunch !
 
littlebighorn said:
I suspect most old guys like me, who are still hanging around a hunting forum like MM, would fall in the upper brackets of this survey.
I started hunting deer in the 60's and I find it impossible to recall a specific number of deer I have taken. It was pretty common (not legal), in those early days, to "party hunt" so one hunter might shoot multiple deer to fill camp tags. Antler size wasn't that big of a deal then, and few people had money or an interest for taxidermy.
In the last decade or two, I have eaten most of my deer tags because I no longer "meat hunt" and I'm happy to see less mature bucks continue to grow. This year I gave a pass to multiple mature bucks looking for something special. Certainly "trophy hunting" has altered the landscape of deer harvest numbers for many, including myself.
Click to expand...
I fall into that old guy category and had similar experiences. Growing up in California, I would shoot the first legal buck I saw to get some meat in the freezer before heading out of state to hunt big bucks. I got my first big buck in 1976 and from then on I became very picky about what I'd shoot. My head count went way down except for a meat buck in California until I moved to Nevada.

I have no idea how many bucks I've killed. A bunch when I was younger and not so many as I got older.

Here's one from 1962

File0007.jpg
 
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