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Downed 5 but only one keeper

vrod

Active Member
We downed 5 but only one keeper.
The others were just too small.

That's the response I got from the group that gun hunt the land I bow hunt. I think they thought they were fishing. It makes me so angry!
 
Did they keep the other deer? I'm assuming it was just an off the cuff statement meaning out of the 5 they shot, only 1 of them was a bigger deer.
 
I certainly hope they tagged them all.. That's a special kind of dumb to shoot them and just leave them lay if they were too small to deal with. Heck, those are the easy to drag deer. I'll take them everytime.
 
To say "too small" sounds more like they left them. I plan on walking it to find out.
 
Certainly no one out there could think of passing a young buck?!? It has antlers! U have to get ur buck (or bucks) to have a successful season!!
It's not about ur neighbors or Other hunters or about what makes biological sense- u need to blast, get as many bucks down as possible!
 
Certainly no one out there could think of passing a young buck?!? It has antlers! U have to get ur buck (or bucks) to have a successful season!!
It's not about ur neighbors or Other hunters or about what makes biological sense- u need to blast, get as many bucks down as possible!

I'm not standing up for this group, because I have no clue who they are. But in some cases, yes, shooting a young buck might make biological sense. For example, if your family loves venison (mine certainly does) and you feel like the deer population in your area is too low, for whatever reason, the logical choice is to shoot a young buck if you're unable to find your trophy.

I spent the early bow season passing young bucks in hopes of getting Mr. Big during the rut. Didn't happen. So once the season reopens I will be looking for the first 1.5 buck that strolls by. I'd prefer a forky to a nice 2nd or 3rd rack because the older deer is getting close to trophy age while the younger one has a lot more bullets to dodge to make it that far.

The quantity vs. quality debate really is an issue if you like deer meat and you're in an area with lower numbers. Again, not saying that was at all the case with this group, but something to think about.

NWBuck
 
With the lack of does in my area's, the first eligible spike is getting put down and an antlerless tag slapped on it during shotgun 2. I've never seen so many small bucks as I have these past two years. Does are getting the year off from me.

I certainly hope these guys tagged those deer and didn't leave them lay. But, most farmers in southern Iowa tell guys all the time, shoot all you want and take what you need.
 
I agree with some of that NW. U do have some good PT's in low pop areas. Real solution is to shoot nothing but I understand that's not reality. Or only shoot bucks but let young go so they can get older. Be more deer and better age class which mimics healthy herd structure. I see what ur saying though and even though I don't think that's the best strategy in ur area- pry the best that's realistic. Bigger picture is how to go #'s To a good huntable level.
 
We downed 5 but only one keeper.
The others were just too small.

That's the response I got from the group that gun hunt the land I bow hunt. I think they thought they were fishing. It makes me so angry!

So you were keeping tabs on the group that shotgun hunts the same land you bow hunt, assuming you don't own it, and also assuming the only reason you were "keeping tabs" on them is so that you know whether "your" big buck was killed right???? :confused: :thrwrck:
 
So you were keeping tabs on the group that shotgun hunts the same land you bow hunt, assuming you don't own it, and also assuming the only reason you were "keeping tabs" on them is so that you know whether "your" big buck was killed right???? :confused: :thrwrck:
Where did he say this at?? Please show me. Maybe he was curious if they shot a big buck he had ben watching, he never claimed ownership at all. Maybe he was keeping tabs on the population so he could adjust his plans for the rest of the season. He never said he was keeping tabs on them either, good god I run into people and strike up conversation all the time in small town Iowa. We have other groups hunt the same area as we/I do and we always ask each other what got harvested....Is that illegal or something?
 
vrod said:
We downed 5 but only one keeper.
The others were just too small.

That's the response I got from the group that gun hunt the land I bow hunt. I think they thought they were fishing. It makes me so angry!

I'm sure they wouldn't be dumb enough to tell you that... Just another bow hunter that doesn't shotgun hunt... Don't get your panties in a bunch!
 
Where did he say this at?? Please show me. Maybe he was curious if they shot a big buck he had ben watching, he never claimed ownership at all. Maybe he was keeping tabs on the population so he could adjust his plans for the rest of the season. He never said he was keeping tabs on them either, good god I run into people and strike up conversation all the time in small town Iowa. We have other groups hunt the same area as we/I do and we always ask each other what got harvested....Is that illegal or something?

X2 Lol what the heck Booner? If other people hunt the same property as you you wouldn't ask what they got?
 
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We downed 5 but only one keeper.
The others were just too small.

That's the response I got from the group that gun hunt the land I bow hunt. I think they thought they were fishing. It makes me so angry!


Sounds like a couple different groups I know. Unfortunately one group hunts my uncles farms. My uncles would be happy if deer were extinct so they don't care. This group leaves deer lay all the time becasue they were 'to small, no meat on it.' I know someone who last year on a push shot some deer that busted out on the opposite side of the creek they were posted. They ended up no getting them because the creek was to deep so left 2 or 3 lay on the other side.

Not to rag on shotgun hunters, I'm going myself second season to just sit, but a lot of groups are complete slobs and have no respect.
 
NWBuck
I sure am glad your not my neighbor. This is simply a dumb paragraph, I wish you re read it in a couple years and look back thinking you used to be an idiot.
Have fun shooting that 4 point, what a blast!




I'm not standing up for this group, because I have no clue who they are. But in some cases, yes, shooting a young buck might make biological sense. For example, if your family loves venison (mine certainly does) and you feel like the deer population in your area is too low, for whatever reason, the logical choice is to shoot a young buck if you're unable to find your trophy.

I spent the early bow season passing young bucks in hopes of getting Mr. Big during the rut. Didn't happen. So once the season reopens I will be looking for the first 1.5 buck that strolls by. I'd prefer a forky to a nice 2nd or 3rd rack because the older deer is getting close to trophy age while the younger one has a lot more bullets to dodge to make it that far.

The quantity vs. quality debate really is an issue if you like deer meat and you're in an area with lower numbers. Again, not saying that was at all the case with this group, but something to think about.

NWBuck
 
NWBuck
I sure am glad your not my neighbor. This is simply a dumb paragraph, I wish you re read it in a couple years and look back thinking you used to be an idiot.
Have fun shooting that 4 point, what a blast!

Actually it makes perfect sense. If my numbers were way down, rather than shooting a doe or a 2-3 year old buck, I would want to shoot a yearling that would probably end up miles away by the time he matured, rather than a buck I have invested 2-3 years into that only needs 1-2 more years and should stay close.
 
Easy guys. I think a lot of folks who r bowhunters get tense during shotgun season (myself included) and the shotgun hunters get very defensive. In a few weeks it will b over and nerves will likely calm. I realize there's a HUGE disparity between how some of us hunt & what our goals r but, we all should be thankful that even the worst parts of Iowa r light years better than the best areas of dozens of other states. We all should simmer down a bit and be thankful of what we have here.
 
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