Do you agree with this ?

[JHbowhunter]

I like this sign - a lot. Is it the holy grail of whitetail management ?  Perhaps not.  

 

I do try to limit my kills to 3.5 or older, and if I would just up it by one year, I would start eating more buck tag soup for sure but also in the long run probably start shooting larger bucks, so I know I can do more (but these damn crippled bucks keep showing in front of me...)

 

Do you care about this at all?  I am all for first time hunters and our youth shooting the 1.5 year olds, and to them a 2.5 year old is a trophy, so no issue there. How many of you been hunting for years and years and killed lots of bucks, but don't give a rats ass for at least seaking out something a little older?

 

I will go on record for saying "yes this is Jersey", and I do totally "Get it". I won't judge you for saying "I kill any buck I want with no regards to age, you can't eat the horns".  I appreciate that honesty and there is no shame in that either. My father who I love, and got me into hunting at age 10 still feels "can't eat the horns" at age 82. Different time - different age.

​I know several young hunters in their 20s that are quickly becoming big mature buck killers (way better than me). Some I see posting on these NJ websites. I find it refreshing to see that mentality - let the bucks  grow a few years first. When I was that age, I was ECSTATIC to shoot a spike or young 6...  It never dawned on me that if I held my tag, I may have a chance at something bigger. My father was so proud of me for any buck I shot with bow in my 20s, because he was a gun-gang hunter all his life. My first bow kill was a 1.5 year old 6pt at age 20, and my father actually pushed it to me on a one man drive. He was meandering / woodcock hunting through one patch, and pushed two bucks by me in another patch. We planned and executed it perfectly.    I am not sure if I could kill a buck big enough, at age 52, to surpass that feeling.   Why is it that today, shooting that same buck would make me cry? (and not tears of joy - but disapointment because I ended his life well before his prime?).

 

 

[Nomad]

 

 

 

   Why is it that today, shooting that same buck would make me cry? (and not tears of joy - but disapointment because I ended his life well before his prime?).

Because back then a deer was a deer and you were a new hunter.  Now you have good properties and you can let them grow and shooting a 6 pointer is easy for you now.  Depends on where you are hunting also.  If you have some nice private property that is crawling with bucks and you can let them grow, then why not?  If you are hunting public or only get out a few days a year then maybe you will be less selective. 

[JerseyJaysTaxidermy]

It's all about location. If you got the habitat that year after year the bucks gather for safety, it's a no brainer..

But that is not the case for most hunters, so it becomes a battle.

 

If you hunted public land only, and had no other options... or if you only had time to hunt 1 day a week and had to commute over an hour to get to your spot, you probably wouldn't be passing all the bucks you do.

 

It's easy to pass bucks and wait for bigger when you got sole access to a 100 acre honey hole lol

 

http://www.jerseyjaystaxidermy.com

Edited February 2, 2017 by JerseyJaysTaxidermy

[NJSOG]

Hey when you stop hunting over bait and shooting ever other doe then will talk about it.

 

 

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[JHbowhunter]

Hey when you stop hunting over bait and shooting ever other doe then will talk about it.

 

 

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ummm... I shot one doe this past season?   In September, in an overly doe-rich area?  Huh????  If I shot every other doe, I would have shot 100 does... Again - ONE.

 

You didn't even answer the question  regarding bucks - as per the sign / picture...   What is your philosophy? Would love to hear it.  Please try and stay on topic, and if you have any personal gripes, please contact me directly. 

 

 

Also - when I hunt over bait, I use milk and I go for da veal... Like this

Edited February 2, 2017 by JHbowhunter

[megavites]

i'm a 3rd yr hunter and I've learned along the way. Each year I've tried to up my game by taking older deer..

My 1st year I took two nice 8pts.

2nd year I took a target 8pt.

3rd year I regressed, and took a 7pt early but later took a really nice PA 8pt.

My 3rd year has been my best as I've passed alot of bucks. Watched a nice 8pt spar right underneath me during EAB and passed on the 7pt early season.

I'm thankful that I've had the opportunities and I'm trying to limit myself to mature bucks.

It's a learning process and everyday in the woods adds to that book of knowledge.

[Haskell_Hunter]

When you're in a QDM zone with a whole lot of other hunters in the same QDM zone, all you see are spikes and forks.  This year was different, I saw a lot of decent bucks.  I think QDM worked in zone 3 because all of the hunters here got disgusted with the pickings and went to other zones to hunt.

 

When you have few hunters and a lot of bucks, QDM is fun.  When you have very few bucks and a ton of hunters, QDM is frustrating as hell.

[Axiom]

All I know is, If it's brown it's down... Aint got time for trophy hunting..

[JHbowhunter]

All I know is, If it's brown it's down....

 

Sounds like my recent trip to the Islands... "brown was down" = 24x7x4, after some food poisoning...

[mazzgolf]

I bet if you polled the people who answer "yes, i care" and asked them "do you hunt private property" they all would say "yes" and I bet almost exclusively private.

 

And if you get people that said, "no, I don't care, I'm shooting whatever bucks come my way" I bet those are people that hunt mainly public land.

 

Try waiting for a 10 ptr on public land and you might be waiting a while. Yes, I know there are outliers and yes you can probably find a mature 3.5+ year old deer somewhere on public land, but I'm thinking the vast majority of people who say they care and will pass on 6, and 8 ptrs are those people hunting private land that they are cultivating the deer herd themselves and can be choosey knowing that the 8 ptr you just passed on probably won't get shot by the hunter in the tree 100 yards from you :}

[JHbowhunter]

I bet if you polled the people who answer "yes, i care" and asked them "do you hunt private property" they all would say "yes" and I bet almost exclusively private.

 

And if you get people that said, "no, I don't care, I'm shooting whatever bucks come my way" I bet those are people that hunt mainly public land.

 

Try waiting for a 10 ptr on public land and you might be waiting a while. Yes, I know there are outliers and yes you can probably find a mature 3.5+ year old deer somewhere on public land, but I'm thinking the vast majority of people who say they care and will pass on 6, and 8 ptrs are those people hunting private land that they are cultivating the deer herd themselves and can be choosey knowing that the 8 ptr you just passed on probably won't get shot by the hunter in the tree 100 yards from you :}

 

I only hunt private property and in the past 15 years, I would say 80% of the bucks I pass still get shot. There is pressure everywhere (tons of it), and during the rut, the bucks range really extends.  However - it is nice to know that 20% do make it another year. Hunting very close to WMA, so that is where your public land theory takes over and there is some merit to that for sure.    With the NJ long seasons and NJ 6 buck allowance - QDMA is not a reality in this state, but it can exist in very small controlled pockets.

[NJSOG]

ummm... I shot one doe this past season? In September, in an overly doe-rich area? Huh???? If I shot every other doe, I would have shot 100 does... Again - ONE.

 

You didn't even answer the question regarding bucks - as per the sign / picture... What is your philosophy? Would love to hear it. Please try and stay on topic, and if you have any personal gripes, please contact me directly.

 

 

Also - when I hunt over bait, I use milk and I go for da veal... Like this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wK9_LBVLPXI

Sorry the reference to shooting does was not directed toward you JH. The bait pile not so much either, but that is what hunting in New Jersey has become. I believe in quality deer management, but it will never happen here. I learned something very important this year. All summer I watched a mature buck. Then he disappeared. I thought another bow hunter might've gotten him. He was shot during the week of shot gun season over a massive bait pile that was set up about the same time I no longer saw him. The lesson I learned is that if a deer only has to move 100 yard for food that all they do. Personal gripes no I don't have any with you or anybody else for that matter. I saw photos of some very nice buck that were taken this year. The only way you will every see QDM is to cut back on the amount of does taken( they have more to do with antler genetics then bucks) and limit the size of a buck rake. Three points on one side or better. I've pasted on many deer thinking they would have better antler mass the following year only to see the deer taken during winter bow. Hey I'm not bitchen. It just my observations.

 

 

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[smoking gun]

hunting pressure is the demise in jersey the mentality I gotta shoot everytime I see deer or the guys that keep on shooting.I agree with basically everyone's response on here.if your on public land your dealt with the cards that you have however I think the state needs to limit the harvest down on state grounds there's guys that keep shooting garbage for 6 months straight that's ridiculous.this year I hunted a hand full of times killed 3 deer in 3 different properties and 3 different zones.you don't need 5 6 or 7 deer a year.if you kill a spike or doe I'm not going to harp on you it's the guy that has to keep shooting and shooting it's ridiculous.

[Rusty]

There are many hunters that get just as excited over shooting a yearling spike as I do over shooting a mature buck.  They shouldn't feel bad about shooting a deer that makes them happy.

 

The answer is, but sadly it's never going to happen, is to limit the number of buck tags.  Shoot what makes you happy, but once you do you are done for the year.       

 

I had over a dozen different bucks this year that I could have shot but didn't shoot any of them, that's just me.  I hunt with an older gentleman that has killed well over a hundred deer and he was happy as a kid on Christmas when he shot a spike this year. I was very happy for him, that deer brought him joy and that's what it should be about.   

Edited February 2, 2017 by Rusty

[Zipper]

Sport hunting is all about personal satisfaction. I have not killed an immature buck in over 25 years. It was my choice not to do so. Everyone has to set their own standard as long as it's legal and ethical. I didn't get satisfaction killing immature unwary deer, bucks and does, so I stopped. I love deer hunting but the seasons and bag limit in Nj is too liberal.