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More shotgunners passing young bucks?

Old Buck

Old Buck

Life Member
I mostly bow and muzzleloader hunt but talk to lots of shotgun hunters. More and more people are telling me some or all of their shotgun groups are starting to pass on small bucks.

Is anyone else seeing this change? Do any of you shotgun hunt as a group and encourage your members to pass on small bucks? Any stories of people who resisted the idea but now think it is the way to go?

Old Buck
 
I don't hunt shotgun either. I have friends that do and thier group shot only does or bucks with antlers out past thier ears. In the past they would shoot anything. I also talked to a hunter from Clayton county and they had 15 deer for 15 guys and were all done hunting in one day. They shot all does. Maybe it is catching on.
 
Unfortunately it hasn't quite set in the areas I hunt yet. One group in particular (mostly bowhunters) pass bucks all bow season to shoot a good one. But once the shotgun season opens they spend Sat. waiting for a good one but Sun. on it's anything goes. I think this year they shot 1 good buck 8-1.5,2.5 yr old bucks and 2 does. I just don't understand it.
 
Rome wasn't built in a day!!!!!! I am convinced that progress is being made. I do hope that in the end this concept turns out as good as it would seem that it should.

I am very pleased to see the trend in this direction and am equally upset when some groups who should know better fail to be able to follow through on it. It surely does turn a person into a hunter rather than just a participant.
 
I sure hope there is a trend toward allowing the young bucks to pass....... I think we all love to see mature bucks in the wild, whether or not we get a shot.

It does irritate me how some use their equipment "restrictions" ie traditional archery gear to excuse shooting young bucks. I get just as much thrill out of shooting a mature doe as I do a small buck (the doe is a lot more survival savy)...... I only shoot a buck that I would be proud to mount. It is not wrong to shoot a young buck, but WHY? It make some feel better to shoot something with antlers no matter how small over a doe.....
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We hunt in a group of 15 - 16 people depending on everybody's work schedule. The young kids are allowed to shoot young bucks. The adults and college students look for mature bucks. We attempt to shoot deer with at least an 18 inch inner spread. You catch alot of %$!# if the buck is less than that. We are thinking of removing one individual for shooting small bucks.
 
seems to be more of it going on here to_One group of friends(I dont shotgun hunt) seen 26 or 27 bucks and only took 3 of them this year.Another friend who was sick of killing small bucks didnt even bother to go with his usual party this year, he went alone to a stand and let the other hunters out there push a decent 9 pointer to him.Its the guys with 20 or 30 people in a party that are still killing the smaller bucks around here, with that many guys they wont be picky and alot of em still wont shoot a doe
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And the smaller bucks dont stand a chance when that many guys surround em, oh well, its slowly catching on, i guesse thats what counts
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One of the groups in our area hasn't shot a buck in two years now. They are on the right track. I passed up at least 10 small bucks this year and shot a nice big doe.
 
It seems like in my area the hunters are still taking alot of small bucks, but I know that whatever trends are made towards shooting more does is a welcome one in my opinion! I shot two does this year.....was waiting for a nice buck, but none got within range.
Good luck and good hunting!

-GunnerJon
 
I hope it catches on!! My father-in-law hunts with a group up north and in years past they would have 45 -52 tags and kill 48 1.5 yo bucks, 1 or 2 sporto's (2.5) and one decent (140-150) buck.

He quit hunting due to health but I hope their practices stop soon.
 
I have never party hunted before, because it's not legal here in my home state, but after thinking about your question it sure seems like this may help benifit your goal of passing the little ones. It seems like to me that it would be easier to get through to a group of people than to change the attitude of each hunter seperate.
For example if thier was a group of 15 hunters and 8 or 9 wanted to pass on small bucks the others would hopefully be shamed into doing the same. Maybe this will help people realize it pays to pass on 1 1/2 year olds. My two cents worth and I will be out there fighting to spreading the word. Best of luck!
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Nonres
 
I don't shotgun or late muzzleload hunt, but the groups that I had talked to after the first day anything that looked like a deer was shot, and opening day it was anything with antlers. Even the muzzleloaders are drive hunting their deer. Al
 
If large groups were willing to shoot does only- even passing on the larger bucks & really stick to it, I bet they would be welcomed with open arms & find many more properties open to them. I own a small place but am surrounded by 1200 acres that are either leased or out of state owned. I talked to the out of state owner a few weeks ago about the bonus doe season. He would like to open the area up if everyone had a halo & would let all bucks walk. He asked me how to determine who to trust. I don't know how to answer him. Any ideas???
 
Old Buck.
I'm 23yrs old and have shotguned for10yrs but tagged along for 7yrs before that. Of all those yrs. only the last 4 I've been selective hunting I'm sad to say. Since I started this I've preached to all the surrounding groups about how benificial this really is. Well I'm happy to say that about all but one group have changed their ways. the lone group is the group that my family and i used to tag along with way back. We started our own group because they got to large and shot buck only. Well they still shoot buck only. Whether its a wall hanger whitch is o.k. to a spike yearling. It frustrates the hell out of me. I try to tell them what I and everybody else thinks in this state but their stuck in their old ways.
I'll keep trying my hardest to improve the quality of bucks in this area as long as I live!!!
 
I know of many Iowa deer hunters that voluntarily pass up smaller bucks these days. I hunted with a group 1st season this year and at least four separate bucks were spared that could have otherwise been shot. One shot passed up by a member in our group was a standing 65-75 yard shot at a 130"-140" or so buck. He had perfect aim and everything, he just didn't pull the trigger.

Now, we just need to persuade hunters in other states that this is OK. I was in an unnamed neighboring state several years ago during their deer season and all anyone could talk about was who got "their buck". Of all the pictures I saw I don't think one was bigger than 80". I have to believe that region could grow big bucks if only folks would lay off them the first year.
 
we only shoot bucks if it goes on the wall if we don't see one a doe works just fine. I had a ban on 3 nice young bucks this year so far seen 2 since season 1 more year they will be shooters. plus saving them for the bow
 
Come opening day of shotgun in my neighborhood,all the farmers hide their livestock or tie them to the ground,cause if it moves during the day,it's going to get shot.Man,it's really frustrating!!We are supposed to have a pact in the neighborhood that it has to be 150" or more or it lives.Two years in a row I've had great 130-140" 8 point 10 yards or less by my stand,and the only thing I've shot them with is my recorder.It's a good thing I record them because they never make it through opening weekend.I never see them again,in fact I don't see anything around my house after opening weekend.I take that back,I do see orange going through my backyard about every day.I see 10 point one hundred inch deer by my bowstands every year that I know will never make it through gun season.Sure they take alot of does,but these guys just don't understand that they will never kill a monster if they can't let the little ones grow up.So, as for my answer,I think the gun hunters around here are getting worse!!!
 
Tracker - interestingly, the situation I described in my previous post occurred very close to where you live, according to your profile. Just thought I would mention that as a point of interest.

It sounds like different hunters behave very differently, even in relatively close proximity to one another. Thanks, Dave A.
 
If we don't shoot small bucks the neighbors will. How many of you have heard that before?My reply is if I shoot them I know they're dead. I hunt alone and started passing small bucks in 85 and haven't shot a buck shot gun hunting since 96. Had a marginal shot at a Boone 3 years ago but that poke and hope stuff just doesn't get it. He deserved a killing shot or nothing. I'm starting to aquire a taste for shotgun tag soup.

There are more groups around here that are passing the young bucks and taking does for their meat. It would amaze people the results they would see in 2 years of passing the small ones. The guys that have tried it swear by it now. A positive from that is that neighbors and others see what they are taking and it gives more people the incentive to try it. Passing the little guys is catching on it's just taking longer than we want it to. Some people are happy to take a deer and don't get caught up in getting the big one and that's fine they paid for their tag.

Let em go let em grow

Allamakee Grand Slam
 
I totally agree with passing on the small bucks, but some people don't have much time to hunt and really want the meat. Our group shot 6 does and one small buck. The guy that shot the buck would've been just as happy with a doe, but this deer was the only one that gave him an opportunity. I can't really blame him for that even though I personally would rather not have the meat than take a potentially nice buck out before he grows up. A lot of the ground that we hunt is hit by first season hunters who will ONLY shoot bucks so the majority of the bucks that they take are 1.5 or 2.5 year old bucks. I just don't understand that thinking.
 
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