Small Bucks

[CLarson757]

Not sure where to post this for some healthy conversation.

Im hunting D16 with A22 and AO. I’ve seen plenty of deer. Good bucks. Lots of doe. Many yearlings.

Lots of social media posts lately showcasing rifle bucks being taken that are far from mature.

What do you think about this? Should you drop a small fork, look for something better or eat the tag?

I don’t personally see the value in taking a barley legal buck.

 

[Snake Charmer]

I think everyone should put a first easy non trophy deer under their belt to see if they have the flame and want to continue.I had the privelidge of getting wife and her two children all of their first deer. The kids did not have the fire. They did at first but when it came to the aftermath they were not in. My wife had the fire and was all in (gut, cut up and pack with no issues) but for health reasons she has not been able to go beyond that since then.

 

[skeet]

It’s the hunters choice if it’s legal. Some hunt for meat in the freezer some hunt for something else. General tag i shoot first legal buck

 

[Hunt4lyf]

IMO you should shoot what you want as long as it’s legal, be it a small spork or a mature buck, as long as you’re good with it then it’s no one else’s business what you shoot.

 

[Revo2811]

Eat a tag or eat venison your choice

 

[Kellendv]

Not sure where to post this for some healthy conversation.

Im hunting D16 with A22 and AO. I’ve seen plenty of deer. Good bucks. Lots of doe. Many yearlings.

Lots of social media posts lately showcasing rifle bucks being taken that are far from mature.

What do you think about this? Should you drop a small fork, look for something better or eat the tag?

I don’t personally see the value in taking a barley legal buck.

If you’re looking for mature deer management…. You won’t find it in the 16. This is an opportunity hunt. The vast majority of people holding a D16 tag are shooting the first legal deer they see. Keep in mind that the success rate on the rifle tag hovers around 10% so most people who get a tag never get an opportunity to pull the trigger. I like hunting for mature deer and that is mostly what I’ve shot in Southern California, with a couple exceptions. But I’ll be the first to say that the fill level of my freezer is the main driver of if I am willing to shoot a young deer or not. I like eating game meat and I’m not going to stop doing it if it means I have to shoot a young deer every now and then.

 

[ilovesprig]

The older I have gotten...The less I'm into the "Any legal buck" mentality...The buck I shot today was a buck that needed to go...All his bigger and smaller counterparts will get a pass the rest of the season.

MCC is buck and deer rich...The rule is 3 points or better...I've passed on 2 smaller type 3x's...What you kill is a personal choice IMO.

As I was getting my deer validated in Julian...A young man drove up to the same fire station...He had a little 2x2 and he was totally pumped...It was his 1st "16" buck and on public land...I was totally stoked for him.

When I finally lose the thrill of the hunt and the taking what God has given me...I will be done hunting...

 

[IVhunter]

Time to pick up a camera .
I’ll take any legal buck, most legal buck in my zone have a good chance to be a dandy. With my luck I’ll find the spork.

 

[HATCHET1]

Oh man....shoot the small ones..let the big guys die a happy natural life..or death by lion..bear..or Larry...

 

[Snake Charmer]

I agree, Having had and taken advantage of whatever was in front of me that was legal and I could eat. I have done that moe than once. That being said and having the advantage of filling the freezer and becoming more discerning in what I wanted (read the stages of a hunter essay) I don't need the meat ( kids gone, wife not eating much) I look at the possibility of taking a "special animal" now. A few years ago I found a drop tine 3X4 in the 16 near my place on camera and decided I would not take any other deer (let me see if I can find the game cam pic and I'll post it) He was old, sway backed roman nosed and clearly in decline. Never got in front of him (he was pure nocturnal) but I was satisfied with no harvest and a tag in my pocket that if I ever did come across him I would never feel like I would need to chase another 16 deer again. Since that didn't happen I'm still looking..... I can also say Sprig's spikeasorus would have fallen if it came in front of me for sure. It's cool and such a mutant. Cool deer Steve, euro that skull.

If you’re looking for mature deer management…. You won’t find it in the 16. This is an opportunity hunt. The vast majority of people holding a D16 tag are shooting the first legal deer they see. Keep in mind that the success rate on the rifle tag hovers around 10% so most people who get a tag never get an opportunity to pull the trigger. I like hunting for mature deer and that is mostly what I’ve shot in Southern California, with a couple exceptions. But I’ll be the first to say that the fill level of my freezer is the main driver of if I am willing to shoot a young deer or not. I like eating game meat and I’m not going to stop doing it if it means I have to shoot a young deer every now and the

 

[CLarson757]

I suppose if it’s legal and you are on a tight schedule or some other constraint. There are not favorable odds hunting D16 bow or rifle for that matter.

When the time comes you’ll have to decide what is best for you. But, you don’t have to pull the trigger. Knowing that you could have taken an animal but chose not to is a heavy task.

I’ve seen deer nearly every single trip out since turkey season ended. I’ve passed on doe. I’ve passed on legal bucks. The season doesn’t end in a freezer full of meat for most. I would like to think that fact alone is what drives us. Not the kill.

 

[Kellendv]

I agree, Having had and taken advantage of whatever was in front of me that was legal and I could eat. I have done that moe than once. That being said and having the advantage of filling the freezer and becoming more discerning in what I wanted (read the stages of a hunter essay) I don't need the meat ( kids gone, wife not eating much) I look at the possibility of taking a "special animal" now. A few years ago I found a drop tine 3X4 in the 16 near my place on camera and decided I would not take any other deer (let me see if I can find the game cam pic and I'll post it) He was old, sway backed roman nosed and clearly in decline. Never got in front of him (he was pure nocturnal) but I was satisfied with no harvest and a tag in my pocket that if I ever did come across him I would never feel like I would need to chase another 16 deer again. Since that didn't happen I'm still looking..... I can also say Sprig's spikeasorus would have fallen if it came in front of me for sure. It's cool and such a mutant. Cool deer Steve, euro that skull.

Hunting for a mature animal without any feeling of pressure on you to fill the tag is one of the most rewarding ways to hunt. I hunt enough every year that I always have some hunting like that. Some hunts are “meat hunts” and some hunts are for an animal of a certain class, or sometimes for one specific animal. I hunted a single deer in D16 for three years. It’s a liberating thing to hunt that way…. All or nothing.

 

[CLarson757]

I like your style. The long game is a long road but I’m sure it’s worth it when it finally falls in place.

 

[IVhunter]

In my current stage in life I wouldn't kill just for the rack, seems like a waste of meat. BUT... if the hunter makes sure the meat doesn't go to waste and someone benefits from it, then I'd be cool with that.
Like Steve has mentioned before, A hunter goes through stages in life. I am in the "fill the freezer stage" with deer. I like photography and maybe at one point in life I'll shoot them with a camera... maybe.
Good day everyone. It's a free country boys, well some get more free stuff than others but It is what you make of it.

 

[JakeSCH]

Last year was my first year passing on small forky's and ended up not filling my tag. But at the end of the day, my freezer determines how I hunt. As long as the hunter enjoyed what they did (within the rules of the law), I say go for it!

This year, I have no time but I have a bull in the freezer and a cow meat hunt in a month so I am not pressured to tag a small fork (I still might!) in rifle season....now A22 tag, I'll take a doe because I haven't been successful archery yet! Lol