Eating tags for the future.........

[downwindnclosingin]

My family and I hunt the Beaver Unit each year on the general season (when we all draw). I watch the hunters each year chase deer and usually have the opportunity to be successful. I would like to challenge all of the hunters on this unit to a hunter controlled trophy unit. This year my family ate 9 tags during the rifle hunt.
The idea is simple:
1- Youth Hunters harvest their buck opening weekend(hopefully). Senior hunters should let ALL youth hunters get their deer.
2- Meat Hunters get your bucks and head home to make the jerky.
3- All of the hunters looking for a great buck, personally limit yourself to a 26 inch, 170 inch plus deer or bigger. Pass on all of the bucks less than that. Let them keep growing.

I don't know if the idea will take off with all of the hunters but if a majority of the hunters on the unit are looking for a big buck the TAG EATING will pay off and compound each year. 2 will turn into 4 and double and so on. It is a big undertaking but if a large enough group hunts a unit each year and the idea prevails it should be contagious as the hunter success continues to improve on trophy bucks.
Its fun to hunt a healthy mule deer population. The DWR and MDF are working hard. As a group of hunters lets just make a push and see what it can do.
It would be interesting to see the results in 5 years on all of our deer units, specifically, Manti, Monroe, Fishlake, Thousand Lake, Pahvant, Beaver, Panguitch Lake, Southwest Desert, Boulder and Dutton.
I am aware of several great bucks harvested this year from hunters who live in our Richfield area. I think it will just keep getting better. I am committed to Eating Tags and enjoying my deer hunt in search of a giant.
Just my thoughts.
www.hightopoutfitters.com

 

[mntman]

here it goes, more rules for everyone cause a couple people want to chase only trophy's...
With that said, I like shooting monster bucks and pass the little ones too... that is MY CHOICE though and don't feel that everyone should be forced to do WHAT I want... that is some liberal thinking there...

Some people just like shooting the first legal buck, and that is fine with me. I like seeing the kids get their deer but I am not going to pass up a buck just because a kid from camp is sitting two ridges over and I'd feel bad for shooting before he filled his tag.


Also your idea WILL not work cause if you keep eating tags the DOW will just issue more tags the following year to make up for the "unsuccessful" hunters to meet the quota of shooting "x" number of deer... You are just screwing yourself out of shooting deer.
Mntman

"Hunting is where you prove yourself"


Let me guess, you drive a 1 ton with oak trees for smoke stacks, 12" lift kit and 40" tires to pull a single place lawn mower trailer?

 

[downwindnclosingin]

mtnman,
maybe you misread this a little,
not a rule, not a law, not something everyone has to follow
just a thought process and if someone wants to shoot a buck for meat or a youth hunter wants to harvest, i will will pass and let the guy a ridge over shoot a meat buck or help a youth hunter take their deer.
not a rule, not a law, far from liberal.

 

[Zeke]

Downwindnc',
I think that most guys who are willing to look for a bigger buck would probably do this but like you said, there are still going to be lots guys who will pop any buck and be happy with it.

Back in the day, we'd trophy hunt most of the season and then, if we had to, pop a little buck right before we went home.

As I read this, basically you're saying that these "trophy" hunters should forgo shooting the small bucks right before they come home.??

Perhaps this would help but I suspect the % of hunters who fall into this class are few in numbers. Hence, the impact would not be noticeable.

I like the idea, however, I think it will be a tough sell to most guys.

Zeke

PS: I guess we have to define what a trophy is (impossible). I feel that unless a hunter is going to mount the deer or display a euro-mount in a prominent place that the buck is just a meat buck anyway. Most guys won't really do anything with a 170" buck so it's really still just a meat buck.

 

[deerhunter]

I have been hunting in utah all my life and have to agree with you. I would take it one step futher and say the whole state needs to be 3 point or better for adults. We need to keep kids intrested in hunting so let them shoot the little forkies.

 

[BIGJOHNT]

LAST EDITED ON Nov-21-13 AT 12:50PM (MST)[p]Down
I'am down with what you are saying. Having us police our self's to better the herds. Rather then a bunch of crazy laws.
Our family does the same as yours. Some of us have life time tags and haven't shot a buck in years. My younger boy shot a nice 160 class buck four years ago. He has been looking for something better. But this year he got tired of waiting and wanted a jerky buck so he took it. My dad hasn't shot a buck in years. He is 76 years old. So he took a small buck this year. Our extended family jerkyed two small bucks this year. I don't think it's about eating tag soup. You have a tag and get to hunt. Does a successful hunt need to end with tagging a deer ? I don't think so. But everybody gets hung up on those that all ways ask, so did you get your deer this year? A lot of us know it isn't about the deer. Its about being able to hunt and spend time with your family and friends. If you happen to take a awesome buck. That's just the icing on the cake.

 

[4orMore]

I'm with you! It took a few years to get my father and brother's on board, but now we've all done the same for the past 5-6 season's. Best part is we've noticed a vast improvement in the specific drainages that we hunt. My name 4orMore reflects my personal commitment to harvesting a mature buck (at least a 4 point), and ideally a buck bigger than my last. Doesn't always work. I've eaten tag soup the past two years but I've had a blast in the process.

 

[BrowningRage]

Your three rules just sound like the general consensus on what a general unit is. Youth hunters and meat hunters kill their deer, and those of you who want a trophy never shoot anything...


"Therefore, wo be unto him that is at ease in Zion!" 2 Ne. 28: 24

 

[Zeke]

> Your three rules just sound
>like the general consensus on
>what a general unit is.
>Youth hunters and meat hunters
>kill their deer, and those
>of you who want a
>trophy never shoot anything...
>

I actually was thinking the same thing. BR,You're just smart enough to say it.

I can and will make a promise to myself: I will NOT shoot a deer next year unless I want to!

Zeke

 

[pookiebar]

You're way complicating this whole thing. I haven't shot a buck in 3 years either. Could have taken a small 2 point or 2x3 every year. That is my choice to pass. But the fact is I would shoot a 3 point if it had some width, i.e. 20 inches or so. And any 4 point would hit the dirt regardless of width or any other measurement.

To me that is a general season "trophy"

But you got some complicated figuring in your head here!!

 

[downwindnclosingin]

Pookiebar, I commend you on not shooting a buck.
I don't see whats complicated about staying off the trigger and letting deer live to see another year.
I believe the unit I hunt will just keep getting better using the theory. We are already seeing results in the areas we hunt.
It would be nice to see Utah Deer comparable with Colorado Quality or at least a self governed improvement.

 

[theox]

I went 4 years without killing a Buck I am pretty picky and have passed on some nice bucks. Missed a few Dandies, and I aleays hold out for a good one. I did have DED hunter this year and I hunted archery hard, drew back on a 195+ buck and couldnt get good shot, and missed a 170 ish buck on muzz hunt I hunted hard, and decided come rifle i needed to end my streak and that id shoot the first 4 pt i seen. Well I shot a 24 icnh buck that is smaller than most i have passed over the years and smaller than several I passed this year. But i really wanted to kill so i took him and while im not ecstatic with it i am happy with it. Just was nice to kill a half decent buvk. ANyway moral is quite a few guys go years without killing becaseu they want a true monster. But there are guys that dont care and are happy with killing small bucks every year. Im fine with it, although i hate seeing the forkies get slaughtered every year due to lack of hunting knowledge (the deer) but that is their choice to do. I still find big bucks to hunt every year and i dont think its a big deal.
My boss had not hunted in 20 years and his 8 year old son really wanted to hunt so my boss drew a tag, his son realllly wanted to get a deer regardless of size, and my boss missed a couple ok bucks, but was more wanting to kill anything for his son. when they killed a small 2 pt his son was the happiest kid you could imagine! he said i cant believe this, am I dreaming! please tell me im not dreaming! Anyway my point is some people shoot deer for reasons like that and thats fine by me. THat kid couldnt have been happier if it was a 200 inch buck. he was proud as heck and the kid is hooked on hunting now! he reads hunting magazines and all. I think your idea has merit but a trophy deer is in the eye of the beholder and that deer my boss shot was a true trophy to his son and my boss, to see his son be so excited like that is memorable hunt! I cant imagine that being taken away from other people in similar situations! I think things are fine. Some people choose to hunt deer and some people choose to hunt trophy deer, the beauty of huntin!

 

[rmanwill]

I agree with most of these post, but it still comes down to the hunters choose. I will add, since you brought up Colorado. Chooses are not all bad. I hunted a great unit in 2006 where we seen 4X4 bucks every day. We all took 28 plus bucks and we watched numerous hunter taking forkies after the first couple days. They wanted a buck, didn't have any more time to hunt or was just happy with the forkie they took. That being said it sure took a lot of pressure off the mature bucks which we would see right off the dirt roads. In this case I would much rather see the already trophies stay around and a few forkies be harvested. We seen over 80 four pointers on our hunt and was amazed they were shooting forkies in the same area. No forkie was breading does that winter with all the bigger bucks we seen left after the hunt ended. I'm just stating that some things are fine the way they are and if enforced it sure would put a lot of pressure on the trophy bucks because those that chose to shot the first buck they see would be forced to actually hunt. The way it is we can chose and there is a lot of us that will eat tags by our chose as you do. Great post and hats off to you. I also ate my general buck tag and a late cow tag. Never seen the buck I wanted and had a freezer full of meat when the cow hunt ended.

 

[colorcountrykid]

I agree a lot with the two posts above me. Every hunter who is willing to hold out for a trophy is already doing so and all the hunters who are happy just killing a buck will probably not change their minds, nor should they have to. For me, part of the thrill of killing a big buck is not everybody can do it. If everybody was trophy-minded enough to let all the little bucks grow up to the point where it was relatively easy for any fat hillbilly on a 4 wheeler to shoot nice deer would you even feel the same sense of accomplishment with shooting such a deer yourself anymore? My guess is probably not.

 

[swbuckmaster]

LAST EDITED ON Nov-25-13 AT 05:42PM (MST)[p]lame as it sounds but you pass the dink bucks and it throws the buck to doe ratio out of wack and the dwr issues more tags and the dink bucks will get killed next year. All you and your family did was wipe your butts with your tags!

If you want to see more older deer you will have to hunt harder or lobby to change the age or buck to doe structure on the unit.

who farted?

 

[txhunter58]

I applaud your idea, but have trouble seeing it work in reality. I read somewhere that you have to cut the number of tags by 1/2 to lower total harvest numbers at all. Until that tipping point, the success rate just rises. So unless you can convince 75% of the total hunters to eat their tag, you wouldn't be making any progress. Hope I am wrong.

txhunter58

venor, ergo sum (I hunt, therefore I am)

 

[downwindnclosingin]

Great discussion and posts on the topic. Thanks.
www.hightopoutfitters.com

 

[mickeymouseoutfitters]

The problem will solve itself. After every legal buck is harvested, then the hunters will start eating their tags. Areas of Idaho have this condition, residents don't mind because tags are so cheap. These areas have little to no hunting pressure because there is nothing to hunt. There are so few bucks the fish and game made it so the youth can harvest a doe. I use to think that it was the non-residents fault for the deer population decline, boy was I wrong. It is the residents for over harvesting and poaching. It is hard to find anyone with respect for mule deer anymore.

________________________________________
I'm not one for telling my grandson how big of turd I had to pinch off from having to eat so much meat. I want to give him the trophies that hang from my wall and tell him the unforgettable experience that came with each and every one.